While managing my small business with agile techniques I had
a problem.
I had myself a task list, which I managed daily. I would
tick off the ‘done’ tasks, I make sure to work on the ‘doing’ tasks, and I
would look at what I still need to accomplish in my ‘backlog’.
But I didn’t see how I was doing each day for each project .
I’ve been ticking off tasks (in order of importance), but was I working only on
the new feature? What about fixing old bugs? Managing the team? Launching the
new website? I could see tasks being marked as ‘done’, but it wasn’t always
easy to see what project they related to, and frankly, I would end up
frustrated, and not sure if I was getting everything done.
Luckily, I work with Shirly. And with her using white boards
and sticky notes, along with an endless supply of ideas on how to make your day
more effective, and strictly related to my case (no theoretical experiments
please) helped me come with an idea. I would create a task board that only
shows what I’ve done - per project!
What do I mean?
Simple:
I added a row for each project I am working on, and each
time I completed a task, I put it up on the board. Color coded, of course, so I
could see if it was a ‘small’ task, a ‘medium’ one, or a ‘big’ one. This way, I
can tell at a glance exactly what I’ve been working on today, and what projects
require my attention more.
It really helps me focus better on what I need to do, and
helps me prioritize my remaining tasks.
So thanks, Shirly!
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