I have a project list for the library that is seven pages long.
Seven pages.
In most ways, having such a list is quite helpful. Beth and I use it to track everything that needs to get done. For each project, we list all the tasks that need to be addressed so we can complete each project. Beth and I get together once per month to go over the list to check in and see how we’re doing. Lots of tasks get crossed off and many more get added to the project list. I then update the project list in a Word document, send it to Beth for her review, and then to my boss so he knows what’s going on as well. It’s a system that works pretty well and tasks generally get done in a timely manner.
The one problem with this kind of list is that it encourages me to look only at the details. The big picture has a tendency to get lost. I realized this today when I met with my boss to go over the list. Seven pages of projects and their corresponding tasks is really too much to be working on. All we can ever do with a list that size is jump from one project to another. As a result, actually completing any one project becomes hard.
So, I’ve made a monthly appointment with myself to look at the library’s project from a strategic viewpoint. To only look only at the projects and compare them with the organization’s overall plan. The trick will be to not look at the actual tasks to complete each project. It also means deferring some entire projects to a later date.
How do you keep your eye on the big picture?
