Project tasks

Looking at everything that needs to be done for your project can make it seem like a very tall order. To make it less daunting think of the different activities that need to take place, and then break these down into small tasks. Batch activities together under different headings to make it easier to see what work you need to do.

Is there a logical sequence in which things should be done – and do any of these depend on something else happening first? This sequence of activities defines the critical path of activities for your project.

You may want to organise these into a Gantt chart, so you can see when things are supposed to take place – and spot when they haven’t!

Gantt charts plot the time available on a project (the x, or horizontal axis) against the different tasks that need to take place (on the y, or vertical axis). You can include all sorts of information to help you see what needs to happen, by when, and who has responsibility for making sure that activity happens.

You can create your own Gantt charts using products like Microsoft Excel or MS Project, though there are several other software packages that do the same thing. Notice that on the MS Project chart shown, the critical path is highlighted for you in red, emphasising those tasks that must start and end on time if you are to meet your overall project deadline.