A ubiquitous part of any executive meeting is the assigning and review of “To Dos”. On its face it is a remarkably simple concept: To Dos are items that need to be completed before the next executive meeting. They are succinct and able to be completed in fewer than five working days. Then why are the To Dos so often such a source of agita?
Some Best Practices
By using some sensible rules we can often improve the value of To Dos. Let’s review some:
Concrete and defined: a proper To Do is easily and clearly stated; it is obvious when it has been completed.
Able to be done in a week: a To Do with a dozen sub-tasks or several dependencies may not be able to be done in a week regardless of the effort given.
Clearly assigned: one person should be assigned to each To Do; that person may need assistance from others, but the ownership must be clear.
Documented and shared: each To Do needs to be captured and delivered to the owner giving them a clear sign that it is important and needs to be completed.
Some Pitfalls
Often, we see where To Dos go off the rails:
To Dos hang around on the list: if the To Dos are regularly taking longer than a week then there is something wrong. There are many reasons why they could be not getting completed: a systems issue, a process failure or a people problem. Regardless, unfinished To Dos need to be examined.
Same To Dos reappear: if the same task keeps arising every few weeks then the matter is beyond getting an assignment done.
Assigned to the Super Star: if the To Dos are most often assigned to one or two people and not to the team fairly equally it might indicate on over-reliance on a single person which can lead to burn-out or resentment.
To Dos get lost: To Dos must be documented and reviewed weekly. By looking over the history of the To Dos and how they have been handled over the past several months we can see many important things: are they getting done? Are they ‘good’ To Dos? Are they only assigned to a handful of people?
If Your To Dos Are Not Going Well…
Having read this, think about the To Dos in your organization. Are they honestly helpful in moving the business forward in achieving the strategic goals? Are they making the day-to-day running of the business more efficient and effective? Or are they not working or are a source of consternation? And if the To Dos are causing issues what else in the business is not working? It may well be a good idea to reach out for some help or guidance. If an outside resource can help get your To Dos in order and serving the greater strategy of the business, then you should engage them.
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