Breaking Bigger Actions Into Simple Tasks

Now that the working year seems to be back into full swing I have already had two conversations with client member's of staff about feeling overwhelmed with their continuous improvement projects.

I think we always hope that a short (Christmas) break from work will leave us relaxed when we come back to work, but as the effect seems to last about fifteen seconds the people I spoke to needed another strategy to help with this issue.

Thankfully there is a simple, and well used, approach to dealing with this issue - breaking larger actions (or even projects) into smaller and better defined tasks.

This may increase the total number of tasks on your project plan or to-do list, which is a common complaint I hear about this approach. You will, of course, also be able to knock these extra items off more quickly and so they won't be hanging around for long.

One of my other clients had a similar issue with their continuous improvement action logs. Good ideas were generated and documented for completing later. The problem they faced was that when they got back to complete these mini-projects they looked too large to squeeze into their working day and procrastination set in. When we discussed this observation they also said that they didn't know what to do with the action. By breaking the actions down into sub-actions (or, creating a proper plan with small steps in it) they could then see a way forward; actions were duly taken and progress was made.

Better definition of each step also aids you to get a better end result. A little more thought that goes into each step can certainly help when it comes to completing the tasks and achieving the overall project / task.

If you have larger tasks to undertake, that you aren't getting around to, then it is worth taking even just a few minutes to try and break them down into sub-tasks and thinking through a little more about what needs to happen to complete each one. This is especially true if you are feeling overwhelmed and need to make progress fast.

Giles Johnston
Author of Business Process Re-Engineering

Kamishibai Boards

Available to purchase here. Some tools are incredibly simple to use, and also deliver some amazing results. Kamishibai boards are a great example and are superb when you want some visual control over routine tasks. By the way Kamishibai is pronounced "come-e-she-bye" in case you were wondering! As simple as you could want it, a Kamishibai board is a T-card system that has red cards glued to green cards (so that each T-card has a red side and a green side). The red cards are for the incomplete tasks, where as the green cards symbolise that the work has been done. See the photo below of a board in use. On the red side of the card you write the name of the task that needs to be completed, and if appropriate you can include details of how the task is to be completed. This is not expected to replace standard operating procedures, but can be a good opportunity for an aide memoire. The boards can be organised for daily, weekly and even monthly cycles. They are g

Kamishibai Boards: A Visual Management Tool to Improve Discipline and Workplace Habits

If you need to increase your effectiveness in the workplace and need a visual tool to help with day to day task management then this short guide is for you. Giles Johnston, a business improvement consultant for small to medium sized businesses, takes you through the steps needed to implement a low / no cost solution to your day to day management problems - a 'Kamishibai' board. A Kamishibai board can help to improve discipline within the workplace and ensure that the working days / weeks / months are more effective. Common within businesses that use 'lean' methods to improve efficiency and performance (and very effective to use when implementing 5S), a Kamishibai board can be used in its own right, in any kind of business, whether you are going through a lean transformation or not. Click here to view on Amazon.com. Smartspeed Consulting Limited Taking the frustration out of on time delivery.

What is 5S and how does it help to improve the performance of my business?

Many businesses have heard of 5S; it is a simple workplace organisation system that is designed to make workplaces more effective and more efficient, as well as safer. Many businesses also try and fail at implementing 5S . It might be simple, but as you will know, anything that involves changing the behaviours of your staff isn’t always straightforward. If you haven’t heard of 5S before there are five basic steps, all beginning with ‘S’. They are: Sort – clearing out the clutter and re-distributing other people’s belongings. Set in order – optimising the workplace so that everything you need frequently is close at hand. Shine – cleaning the workplace to an appropriate level. Standards – defining what good looks like and how you will keep it that way. Sustain – forming the habits to retain the benefits of an organised and disciplined workplace. So, how does 5S improve the performance of your business? From a safety perspective, fewer accidents means less downtime.

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