Time, Priority & Work Evaluation

[penfold]

A few years back, I worked with someone who introduced some method of identifying the tasks being performed, evaluating the time it took, and prioritizing the importance and the difficultly for making changes required. The idea was to create a chart that could be used to identify the areas where you could make the biggest difference/impact relatively quickly. I would like to do something similar, but I can't remember what it was called to see how it was done.

 

Anyone have any ideas what I'm talking about:confused:

[simpsonj]

Work Flow Analysis?

[penfold]

It wasn't so much a work flow. There were 3 steps. Write down all the tasks you do and then place them on a graph which showed the importance. Then for each task there was graph to put in the amount of time spent performing the task. Lastly there was a graph to show how difficult or how much time would need to be invested into improving the task. The idea was to identify the areas you are spending a lot of time with little importance and see what could be done to reduce the time spent in this area. In the end, the goal was to identify the areas we should be working on as a priority to save time that can be focused elsewhere. I'm pretty sure there are lots of tools to do this. But this particular app allowed you to focus on each part separately so you can evaluate these things independently. Then at the end you bring it all together to see how the task in it's current format is impacting your work.

[MrEprise]

Isn't that a Time & Motion Study?

[jthompson]

Slightly glibly, it's worth considering this:

 

https://xkcd.com/1205/

 

 

Perhaps after first plotting things in a quadrant diagram. That might naturally give you something akin to an Eisenhower matrix, and you can then refer to the XKCD chart to get a sense of how much time should be spent in atempting to automate or improve a task.

[mikes]

Slightly glibly, it's worth considering this:

 

https://xkcd.com/1205/

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]71817[/ATTACH]

 

Perhaps after first plotting things in a quadrant diagram. That might naturally give you something akin to an Eisenhower matrix, and you can then refer to the XKCD chart to get a sense of how much time should be spent in atempting to automate or improve a task.

 

I was thinking the exact same thing as this XKCD, If I did this is would likely waste more time than it would save me. Like spending 4 hours scripting a task that would take me 20 minutes only I'd ever do that task three times at the most

[DavonPotter]

It sounds like you're describing a time and priority management technique, possibly something like a Time Management Matrix or a Priority Matrix. These methods help prioritize tasks based on urgency, importance, and potential impact. You might also be thinking of techniques like Eisenhower Matrix or ABC analysis. They're great for focusing efforts where they can make the most significant impact.

[penfold]

Thanks all. This is no longer needed