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Dealing with delegated tasks?
Tue, 2005/12/06 - 9:39am — Guest
I’ve just started looking at your program and it looks terrific. However, it’s not clear to me how I can best incorporate items that involve coworkers and tasks I’d like to delegate. I know that I could use the search function within the outlining program, but I’m wondering if there is a more elegant way of accomplishing this using kgtd functions.
Thanks,
Steve
Steve: Actions that have
Steve:
Actions that have been delegated to someone else to do should have the “@waiting for” context (as set by you in the KGTD Settings section) assigned to them. That way you can chase up when you do your reviews.
Dealing with Delegated Tasks?
Thanks for the response. While the awaiting command can help;, it would be nice to easily collect all tasks assigned to a given individual. So if I have a meeting with Susan I can easly bring up all tasks associated with her.
I understand that I can include Susan in the task line or note and use the conventional search function of the outlining program to find them, but it would be nice to have a more elequent approach as an integrated part of KGTD. Afterall, is it not so that for many of us successful completion of many projects involve other people?
Sure a neat program.
Steve
Getting People Done
I used to use ECCO (on Windows) to GTD (years ago and it wasn’t called that and my version wasn’t all sophisticated!) and one of the things I liked was being able to link Actions, Projects and People. The ability to see at a glance what tasks are due today is great, but it’s also sometimes useful in team mode to see what tasks Henry, for example, has to do on which Projects and by when.
I imagine that this wouldn’t be too hard to implement, though cruftiness may that way lie.
BTW, can you do multiple selections in OO pop-up columns? You might, for instance, have Action 1 in Project 3 that both James and Henry are tasked with doing, so you’d want to select them both (to avoid too much granularity).
Lovely system, Ethan. Thank you so much.
Jolyon
Dealing with Delegated Tasks?
Thanks for the comment. I too used ECCO in the past. A very powerful program. And you’re right, there was a function for tying people into people and contexts. I a powerful program; I’d forgotten.
Best,
Steve
Sorry admin,i tested your blog:)
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GTD actually says some contexts can be people too
Why not follow GTD methodology, and define some people (those important to your projects) as contexts (or as part of Agendas for each person, as explained)?
The whole idea of GTD is to split tasks by contexts, so that you free your minds of tasks you cannot fulfill while in other contexts.
Hence, David Allen recommends to also have an Agenda context for people (and also for specific meetings, like “weekly review committee”,or else), in which you put things that need to be discussed/ decided/ actionned next time you meet them / sit with them/ see them (or at the next meeting).
This is not to be confused with the “@waitingfor”, which is for tasks (or projects steps) that cannot be resolved by you, and that are somehow showstoppers for your projects.
You could have context @waitingfor-Mark, @waitingfor-Tom etc as well, if the granularity justifies it, but beware, the whole idea of GTD (+ Kinkless) is to have a smooth lean system that you trust.
Not a do-it-all personal info manager that outgrows your needs.
The idea is that each context comes back naturally when needed, and that you can look at it while in a specific situation, and be satisfied with the feeling that you are not missing/forgetting anything while in this situation.
If many ad-hoc contexts make it for you, and that you will use them, enjoy.
Free your mind.
Hope this helps.
Ethan, thanks, this is fun.
Context
I am using the contexts to delegate tasks the following way:
I have one context where it is called Assign to Joe, it do this for all the task I will assign to Joe. To ONLY see those tasks (in a meeting for example) you simply select Assgin to Joe in the left side and only his tasks will show up.
Then, when I actually pass them on to Joe, they get a different classification, called Waiting For Joe (I think the context button is supposed to allow you to change the context of multiple items, but doesn’t work right now, so I do them individually) That way I can now see all the tasks that Joe has been assigned and I am waiting on. Once done, they get clicked complete and you can archive them.
Dealing with Delegated Tasks?
This seems like a good way to go. I appreciate your response. And thanks too to the other folks who have responded.
Steve
Sorry admin,i tested your blog:)
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All-- this is a great
All— this is a great thread. My current usage is basically similar to what some of you have described: a couple full on contexts devoted to important people (e.g. my wife) and others under @agenda with the first word of the task usually the key persons name. The latter option works with search.
I have considered other solutions, and so am reading this thread with interest. I did consider a delegation column but it seemed to add too much clutter for not enough function.
Backgammon strategy
Backgammon strategy Super :)
I don't delgate as much as
I don’t delgate as much as many people, but I tend to use the first name of the person I am delegating to in all caps at the beginning of the Next Action Description. “WIFE buy milk” then file it under waiting for. I hadn’t thought of a delegate to context, but that would insure that I actually remember to tell that person that I am delegating it to them. People I delegate to regularly would get their own context. I remember reading on 43folders about another program that had sub contexts. @mac was could be a main context. @macOnline, @macWriting, @macDesign, etc… could be sub contexts. This would be especially helpful with @agendas, @waitingfor, & @delegateto.
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