Managing IT jobs list over summer holidays

[DrBeaker]

Hi All,

 

With the summer holidays approaching - Just wondered how other techs either lone-techs or as part of a team manage their list of jobs to do over the summer?

 

Might seem a simple enough question but I've tried Word, Excel, G docs etc over the years. Nothing has really been simple and easily enough to identify, manage, update and prioritise/re-prioritise jobs accordingly or plan this into a schedule of works sort of thing - not without a lot of time being taken to manage this paperwork.

 

Has anybody got any good ways/better ways of doing this?

 

Thanks

[Jamman960]

I've just started using ProjectVi on the iPad to generate a Gantt chart of our summer jobs, Its enabled me to create a long list of jobs with sub tasks along with estimated timings which can then be scheduled in, I can see all tasks assigned to each person along with notes on each task etc, its not perfect as exporting is a real pain and it doesn't share between team members but I'm hoping it'll enable me and my new team(1 temp for the summer and my new tech starting on Friday) to get through the summer somehow.

 

James

[1TF0rward]

Something I used to use was Trello. It is so easy to manage tasks and even good for logging tickets, assigning staff and adding updates. Adding priorities to cards etc. Worth a look!

[hardtailstar]

We use Spiceworks to log all helpdesk tickets.

 

A few weeks before end of term I'll get a note book and write a bunch of jobs in priority order. Then first day of holiday I'll start on that list. I'll date a new page and write up each job as I do it with notes etc.

 

End of day I'll put it all into Spiceworks.

 

Not the most high tech way of doing it but I'll go from one job to the next and saves me carrying a laptop around all day.

[Sibrows]

We use MS Teams. We have a channel for each school we support and within that a tasks ‘tab’ (I know this isn’t the right terminology, just can’t remember what it’s atchually called). Then a separate list for each holiday.

 

Each task can be assigned to a tech. Sub tasks can be added. Any Helpdesk tickets get handled separately.

[IrritableTech]

I generally flatten a cardboard box and write on it with a sharpie. It's something I've always done working at festivals - quick, plenty of space for lots of jobs, not easily lost and gets the job done!

[DrBeaker]

We used Google Sheets at one place with comments etc. OK if one person is working on the job, but the longer it went, the more unwieldy it became and relied upon the person doing it to update the job comments and strike the job through as done. Otherwise no-one would know it had been done.

[k-strider]

dry wipe board on the wall of the office... :-/

[CHiLL]

I use OneNote to manage my holiday works, specifically using the checkboxes/tasks options. The OneNote document is shared between me and my manager, so we can both see/amend it at the same time. It may not be the most elegant, but it works for us.

[TTG_Alice]

What @1TF0rward said. Trello is a good tool for managing to do lists and projects

[Sylv3r]

We go with either Trello or an excel document with a sheet for each school / working week for the secondary and I just colour code the cells depending on completed, work in progress etc. There's a column for the member of staff responsible, cost involved and hopefully the target completed date.

[XiJ]

Trello is a good shout. Used that with good effect I’m a smaller team before.

 

We’re embracing 365 now so day to day I have Microsoft to do. Might try OneNote for the summer list between us.

[karldenton]

Excel for me. List of tasks down the left and every day across the top. Colour in the fields so it looks like a Gantt chart

[benIT]

MS Teams and within that MS planner and MS To Do. They all link in together and have mobile apps so work great and importantly track who has done what but with open collaboration.

 

We push this tech to our staff and students so use this and practice ourselves.

[mdrabble]

Whiteboard and a half dead pen so the list is just about visible - one of the jobs is to buy a new pen!

[DrBeaker]

Thanks for all the replies so far folks. It's just little old me at this school, I can manage the list (it's me who has put the jobs on there) but don't want to spend half my day doing paperwork for it. Be able to schedule things in when I know there's a window to get the work done and easily update them.

 

Whiteboard and a half dead pen so the list is just about visible - one of the jobs is to buy a new pen!

 

You can tick that job off the list with the new pen!

[Xur]

I was pondering the same question yesterday. I'll check out Trello, thanks all

[noelmm]

Trello here as well, nice and simple to use.

[keyboards]

Mix of

 

spiceworks for main tickets

Google Keep shared with other users with the tick boxes

Google docs for a log

[TechMonkey]

Might be too late but I used to use Trello but have moved to Planner within O365. I use it a lot with my team, assigning tasks and putting them out there for them to grab if they are at a loose end, as well as using it to jot down possible ideas and projects so they don't get lost in the general hubbub, or sit in the helpdesk never to be completed.

 

There is talk about some kind of link between OneNote ticks, Tasks (Outlook) and Planner which would be nice.

[supportman]

Trello here as well.

[Bionic]

Microsoft Planner inserted as a tab in our Microsoft Team works well for us.

[HPlum78]

I think you can get a Kanban plugin for teams if you want to be digital or if not a board with sticky notes (brand neutral :-P) draw the outline of a Kanban board then just move the notes around...

[mdrabble]

Thanks to this thread, just discovered Teams and Planner

 

Mobile app and Desktop app install and now going through adding all the jobs.

[Oaktech]

Anything that is just IT is managed by the helpdesk ticketing system. Anything where I have to fit in with the wider world is dealt with by the BMs master Gantt chart, which I think this year is an excel sheet. Last year it was a drywipe board in the staffroom.