M A N A G E M E N T  T E C H N I Q U E

  Many of us come to the end of the day frustrated and unhappy for not finishing all the work we had to do. But instead of spending more time trying to catch up, it can be more productive to take some time before starting the work to plan how we will get it done.

  Developing a work plan is one of the most useful skills I gained during the Training-of-Trainers led by the U.S. EPA in June. The program was one of the most effective Training of Trainers I've been in (see article).

  Putting together a work plan is just a small part of the Project Management cycle, which includes:

• Developing a vision
• Communicating
• Setting goals
• Setting priorities
• Developing a work plan
• Setting performance expectations
• Managing performance
• Preparing financial and progress reports

  A work plan is a tool we can use to organize all the people and activities involved in performing tasks. It is a way of identifying how the work will get done. We can also use the work plan to communicate to staff what our priorities are.

  In order to be an effective management tool, a work plan should explain the following elements:

• What tasks do we have to complete?
• Which staff members are responsible for which task?
• How much staffing do we need?
• What products will be developed for each task?
• When is each product due?
• Approval from the higher management, if necessary.

  We might find it useful in our own organizations to also include short- and long-term goals, information needs, tracking procedures, etc.

  Obviously, coming back to reality, most of us don't walk into work and instantly produce a plan in so much detail. There is usually a process involved, and we need to think about things as we go through the planning process such as timing, involvement, delegation, goals and objectives and resource alignment. A simple process for developing a work plan might look something like this: define the goals, identify tasks and subtasks, determine the resource needs, establish monitoring needs and then develop diagrams and schedules.

  Developing a work plan may seem like a lot of work in itself. Sometimes it can be, but a work plan can also make your work as a manager easier over the life of your projects.

  It can also structure your organization's time more effectively by:

• Sequencing work. This saves time by making sure the work is done in the right order. It can also allow you to plan for unrelated parts of the work to be done simultaneously so the whole project can be finished faster.
• Defining tasks. Planning work ahead allows you to consider all the different activities that will be required and prepare accordingly.
• Establishing performance criteria. By assigning specific tasks and establishing deadlines, you improve accountability and can measure progress against the developed plan.
• Balancing the workload. Developing a work plan gives you the chance to make sure you have the right resources for the work you need to accomplish. It also helps you prevent overloading some staff members while others donŐt have enough to do.
• Establishing and communicating deadlines. Clearly identifying deadlines lets everyone know what the priorities are and who is accountable for meeting them. It also allows you to track the progress throughout the project and predict whether the whole thing will be completed on time.

  A work plan is never perfect. The plan should be viewed as a flexible guide that may change as more information comes in or as the project itself changes in scope or nature. From the beginning, however, an appropriate work plan should give you enough detail to manage your resources and track your work, without overloading you with too much information you don't need.

Developing a budget

• a way to plan and control programs;
• a plan to begin an activity or project;
• a standard against which to compare actual financial performance;
• a set of financial tools - balance sheet, expenditure statements, etc.; and
• a formal way to state priorities for how resources will be used and what will be accomplished or acquired for a given expenditure.

  The process of developing a budget for a program we manage at a large organization might go through these steps:

1. Setting guidelines. Guidelines are usually set by top managers in an organization, who look at program goals and highest priority issues and decide what limits or constraints departments have to work within.

2. Preparing the initial budget. Managers preparing an initial budget may start by reviewing their own goals and objectives - what they are trying to achieve that year. Then they will define the work to be done, develop a work plan that outlines detailed tasks, estimate costs for each task and revise estimates to fall within established limits. It is common to use a previous year's budget as a basis to work from.

3. Negotiating. Generally, each manager considers his or her area to be a high priority and will therefore try to negotiate more resources for those programs. This happens at all levels in an organization: Department managers compete with each other for shares of an organization's funds while individual project managers often seek to increase their share of the departmental resources. The limit to the resources of the organization means these managers must negotiate an equitable distribution.

   Sometimes negotiations work, sometimes they don't. Unfortunately, decisions are often made for political reasons. Nevertheless, managers can often win necessary funding by presenting a compelling reason why their program should be considered a higher priority.

4. Reviewing. At higher levels of an organization, individual program budgets are reviewed in relation to each other. This review ensures that overall organizational goals and priorities are reflected in individual budgets.

5. Final approval. After several revisions, proposed budgets are submitted to top management for approval. Approval indicates that management accepts the proposed plans along with the costs associated with implementing them. Once budgets are approved, they are used by managers throughout the organization to plan and implement their work.

  So, the work plan will help us manage our programs by showing which tasks will be completed, the schedule for their completion, and what level of staff and financial resources are necessary to implement the work. The budget then serves as a commitment from the organization to carry through with the work outlined in the work plan.

  Lack of certainty and inadequate information are challenges managers must overcome in setting priorities and developing work plans. Effective communication skills - listening and explaining - can help us handle these difficulties. These skills help us find out from our own managers what we should be focusing on, and they help us inform staff how to focus their own time. Good communication also helps us deal with change, so that when new situations arise we can reprioritize and develop new work plans accordingly.

Born in Romania, Adriana Craciun went to Hungary as a participant in the Junior Fellowship training program sponsored by the Regional Environmental Center. Soon after finishing, she returned to run the program. She now oversees the REC interns as well.