Comments on: Project e-Tip of the Week

by: Dale Emery

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 +0000

Sometimes I find synergies across books when I switch among them, or my brain makes interesting connections as I go back and forth among the different topics.

Sometimes that’s worth the cost of switching.

by: Hal

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 +0000

I do the same thing. Especially when I’m exploring a topic for blogging. But, Clarke offered a Project e-Tip. The points on multi-tasking are quite valid for the project setting.

by: Adam

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 +0000

Hello. I am new to this site and I would like to comment on this recent posting.

I find that it takes a certain attitude and personality to accomplish a multi-task workday. Not everyone is the same, this is obvious. People have different ways of remembering things and apply their method accordinly.

I have found that when I find myself juggling a few projects, I focus on limiting the number of varibles that are involved in each project. For example, if I have plans being drawn from a particular engineer, I compile a list of all issues and questions, even if it applies to different jobs that the engineer is working on for me. This way I have something in front of me and I am able to address all the issues, instead of making numerous calls thoughout the day.

I beleive that efficiency is the greatest ally in Multi-tasking. The more efficient and streamlined your tasks are in a given day, the more you can accomplish.

by: Clarke Ching

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 +0000

I agree with Dale Emery that there is a synergy when reading more than one book at a time. It’s certainly true for non-fiction.

It’s not synergistic, though, when reading fiction that your wife is patiently waiting for (not that she’d wait, but you get my drift). It’s also not so good if your wife reads much faster than you do and you’ve made yourself into a bottleneck.

Clarke

by: Kalyan Vaidyanathan

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 +0000

Hi,
I would like to know if you limit the scope of multi-tasking to construction projects, does the response tend to become binary - good to have it OR not good to have it independent of personality, skills, project type etc.?
Here is a rhetorical answer to my own question: For construction projects, ideally, it is good to get projects to a milestone before switching. The milestone can be defined apriori and probably means that a person/equipment works on a project for say two weeks or one month before switching

by: Hal

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 +0000

My answer applies to projects of all types. In a project setting the completion of one task releases work for another task. Sometimes the release is to the same performer and other times to another performer. (The book example only shows the former.) Further, in many project settings a performer doesn’t know how the completion of a task releases work let alone to whom.

So, the attention we have is on the design and authorization of tasks that can be readied for proceeding at the time the task has been released by other tasks. To do this effectively we must have people working on one task at a time. That leads to the speediest completion and therefore release of tasks.