1 / 34

Becoming more efficient

Becoming more efficient. Ideas and tips. Ideas and tips. Setting priorities Keeping people informed Thinking ahead Knowing what to do Holding effective meetings Speaking the language. Setting priorities. Urgent Must be done quickly Not urgent Can wait until… Important

ostinmannual
Download Presentation

Becoming more efficient

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Becoming more efficient Ideas and tips

  2. Ideas and tips • Setting priorities • Keeping people informed • Thinking ahead • Knowing what to do • Holding effective meetings • Speaking the language

  3. Setting priorities • Urgent • Must be done quickly • Not urgent • Can wait until… • Important • Project will grind to a halt without it • Not important • It doesn’t really matter, but…

  4. Setting priorities

  5. Setting priorities

  6. Keeping people informed • Routing slips • Distribution lists • Who else is involved or might be affected?

  7. Keeping people informed • Routing slips • Paper ¼ A4 size • 15 cm x 10.5 cm • Attach to document or letter • Gives instructions on what to do

  8. Keeping people informed Example of routing slip

  9. Keeping people informed • Distribution lists • For each type of document or letter • List of people/organizations to send it to • Have standard lists

  10. Keeping people informed • Example: Distribution list for Inception Report • PIU (X copies) • Project partners • Central Liaison Office • Office file • Office staff (circulate) • World Bank • Nippon Koei • Ministry of Jehad and Agriculture • Etc…

  11. Keeping people informed • Distribution lists • Create standard distribution lists for different documents and types of correspondence • If in doubt, include an address on the list • Use your Address Book in Outlook • To create a distribution list in Outlook • Tools > Address Book > File > New Entry > New Distribution List

  12. Keeping people informed • Who else might be involved? • Think of others who might be involved… • or who might be affected by an activity • Give them information voluntarily • Don’t wait to be asked • If they don’t know, they won’t ask you! • Send them a copy of document • Send then a CC of email • Better to give too much information than too little

  13. Thinking ahead • Check the project timelines and deadlines • When are reports due? • When are budgets due? • When are consultants available?

  14. Thinking ahead • Plan for events • Plan backwards from the deadline • Make a checklist of things to do • Leave plenty of time • Send invitations out in good time • Impossible to travel from Sari to Teheran at 1 day’s notice!

  15. Thinking ahead • Example • Conference scheduled for 7 July • Visa requirements? • Travel arrangements? • Logistics? • Participants? • Presentations? • Accommodation? • Etc…

  16. Knowing what to do • Job descriptions • Mentoring • Partnering • To-do lists • Procedures

  17. Knowing what to do • Job descriptions • If you don’t have a job description, ask your boss for one • “Excuse me, boss, what do you want me to do?” • If you’re the boss, give each of your staff a job description • Does not have to be long and formal: half a page

  18. Knowing what to do Example of job description

  19. Knowing what to do • Mentoring • Many new staff do not have experience or qualifications in job • They must learn from scratch • You must help them learn their job • Appoint mentors – someone to help new staff member learn their job

  20. Knowing what to do • Partnering • What happens if Ahmad… • Is ill? • Goes on holiday? • Gets another job? • Dies? • Have at least 1 other person (Babak?) who can do Ahmad’s job • Ahmad and Babak can… • Fill in for each other • Support each other in emergency

  21. Knowing what to do Example of to-do list • Make a to-do list • Handwritten or using Outlook • Check and update it every day • Be realistic • Coordinate with your boss

  22. Knowing what to do • Design procedures for • Handling incoming and outgoing correspondence • Archiving documents • Procuring goods and services • Gathering and analysing monitoring information • Holding meetings • Providing transport • Hiring new staff • Reporting progress to Ministry and World Bank • Etc…

  23. Knowing what to do Monitoring Correspondence Management Facilities Transport Human resources Procurement Information management Reporting Accounting Budgeting

  24. Knowing what to do • Designing procedures • Boss must ensure staff know procedures • Staff are responsible for performing procedures • Staff must tell boss is procedures are unclear • Once procedure is designed, follow it! • Be consistent • If it doesn’t work, redesign the procedure

  25. Holding effective meetings

  26. Effective meetings • Prepare an agenda • Facilitator • Leads meeting • Steers discussion • Ensures discussion is relevant • Rapporteur • Writes minutes • Translator • Interprets • Be clear on decisions and conclusions • Write and circulate minutes

  27. Holding effective meetings • 6 golden rules for effective meetings • Run your meetings as you would like others to run their meetings • Be prepared • Stick to a schedule • Stay on topic • Don't hold unnecessary meetings • Wrap up properly

  28. Holding effective meetings • Run your meetings as you would like others to run their meetings • Learn from others’ mistakes • Be prepared • Ensure that other participants can be prepared • Provide necessary information beforehand • Circulate agenda beforehand

  29. Holding effective meetings • Stick to a schedule • Hold routine meetings (once a week?) • Decide how long the meeting will take • Start and finish on time • Stay on topic • Don’t let discussion stray off track • Facilitate lightly but firmly

  30. Holding effective meetings • Don't hold unnecessary meetings • Nothing on the agenda? Is this meeting necessary? • Hold frequent, short meetings (not frequent long meetings!) • Wrap up properly • Give clear statement of next steps • Say who is responsible

  31. Holding effective meetings • More on effective meetings • http://www.govleaders.org/meetings.htm • http://www.effectivemeetings.com/sitemap.asp • http://humanresources.about.com/od/meetingmanagement/a/meetings_work.htm

  32. Speaking the language • Iranians: فارسی • World Bank and foreign consultants: English

  33. Speaking the language • Use translation software • Parstranslator (English ► Farsi) • http://www.parstranslator.com/ • To translate individual words • Search Google for “Farsi English translation” • http://mason.gmu.edu/~aross2/farsi.htm • http://www.farsidic.com/

  34. Speaking the language • Create a Farsi-English glossary of technical words • Example: • Diversion dam سد انحرافي • Reservoir dam سد مخزني • Secondary irrigation canals 2 کانالهاي درجه • Collect these words and post them on the AILWMP website for all to use

More Related