(Non) Project Organization

First, thanks to all those who submitted your comments (kind and otherwise) for my formal review. I appreciate the kudos and also the suggestions on how I can be a better manager and leader.

One item that appeared in the comments more than once is that it's hard to keep up with all of the "to-dos" that we have going on both on campuses and at a system level. I'll admit that I have had my own bouts of "when did I say that was due again?" and changing dates on a whim (and I know you know it).

I think that the solution to this comes in three or more parts.

1. Better time management for all of us. This goes for me included (especially) - I am the worst procrastinator when it comes to tasks I don't like (bills, anyone?). I also don't prioritize well; that is, what is a priority for me isn't necessarily a priority for our CAO, or for you, or for your Academic Dean. And I waste time on things that I shouldn't. Maybe this list looks familiar:


- responding to e-mail the moment I receive it; or checking it every 10 minutes (or more frequently)
- not cleaning out my Inbox and creating folders for content
- sending e-mail when I should just pick up the darn phone
- not filing and/or throwing things away (no, I do NOT need to keep a 2006 Choice
- not using technology to make life a little more efficient (I do not need printouts of every user manual... I do not need to read CNN when I have updates in my Google reader... I need an RSS feed reader??
- doing things when I could be training people to do things
- creating and sticking to a due date

2. The final item leads to my next part: Outlook. I love Outlook - truly. I'd marry it if I wasn't already, well, you know. You can create a myriad of folders in folders (and you should) and the color coding options for tasks and calendar items is, well, beautiful. But it also has its down sides. For example, while folders are nice, most of the messages I receive belong in two or more folders. I would prefer Outlook to have a tags feature (Alas, life goes on). Also, I don't like the default setup of Outlook and I'm not sure how to change it - I need tasks to become more prominent on my page view and my e-mail to become smaller. I also need better ways to manage tasks and date them. Not every task I have is due in two weeks and it takes forever to create a custom due date. Saving nearly every item I've ever written and received is also a time drain - it's great when I need to find a password I set up for our team ages ago (for those who DON'T create folders or save e-mail, shame on you), but it does take time to search. And the keyword search in Outlook is comparable to the keyword search in ALEPH (cr**).

3. Ok, so the last part was a rant, not a solution. Still, I think I need a more functional task management tool. Preferably, something web-based that I can have as a tab in Firefox, but will sync with Outlook to e-mail me reminders. I also think that those of you who don't have folders set up already for your e-mail in Outlook better get on the ball.

4. We need a project management tool. I think this would be useful for all of us to keep track of what's going on with which project, when we have due dates, who is responsible for what, etc. There are some free tools, and some pay-for tools (my best suggestion is a Google search, there is a myriad). I've looked at a few pay tools that I think I would be willing to shell out for if we'd use them, like 5pm and Teamwork. My concern is that they are too fancy for our needs. What are your suggestions for a project management tool for the whole team? I already e-mailed Google to see if they have something in the works (like they'd tell me).

5. I'm modifying the current database I use to keep track of invoices to also track passwords. I should be able to run a report of all the administrative passwords AND campus that I use, along with vendor contact information. This will be a great tool for my #2 and/or successor (relax, a long time from now - this girl must plan ahead). With any luck, I should be able to mod it further so that you can use it to track your own invoices (and run a report to show what you've spent and the budget you have left) along with your local campus passwords that I wouldn't need to have access to (but your successor might).

6. We could also simply create a new Calendar in Google to track due dates for everything - orders, projects, displays, assessment data, etc. Would that be useful to anyone?

What else can WE do to be more organized and effective WITHOUT burdening ourselves with additional passwords and sites to track?