Use of ICT in Time ManagementBy – H’MM

Introduction The ability to manage the time people spend on tasks or

projects is probably the most important part of achieving success in work.

It has become very important to many organizations that their workers manage their time effectively.

There are certain skills which people can develop so that they are able to achieve success with their work even when they are under a great deal of pressure.

The ability to master these skills enables them to manage their workload more efficiently.

The ability to master these skills enables them to manage their workload more efficiently.

Some people find it easy to manage their time. It tends to come naturally to them, but many people do not have good time management skills and this leads to them wasting time. Wasted time cannot be replaced and therefore is probably the most difficult aspect of our daily lives to manage.

Time management is finding and using the most efficient way of completing tasks or projects in the most acceptable period of time but with the highest quality.

It applies to the most simple of tasks that could be done in a few minutes right up to complex projects that can take months or even years. The 'most acceptable period of time' does not necessarily refer to the shortest time possible.

Time management applies to all aspects of business, for example the manufacture of products, writing documents, providing services and making decisions.

Use of software packages in time management

There are several software companies competing to gain business based on their time management software. There are also a number of packages that come built in with most computers that can help with various time management tasks.

Features of Time Management: identifying short- and long-term targets - organizations,

whilst appreciating the need to identify the end point of a project, are also mindful of the need to identify the steps needed to be taken to get there; these short-term targets can in themselves prove to be very motivational when achieved.

Prioritizing - in order that the project can be completed successfully in the time allowed, it is important when setting targets, which are independent of each other, to decide on the relative importance of each target and devoting the appropriate resources to achieving that target.

Planning - organizations find that much time is saved in the actual production of an item if time has been spent planning the steps needed to produce it.

decision making - whole books have been written on this subject; it is sufficient to say that making the correct decisions is important at all stages of a project and will affect the time taken at each Stage.

Use of ICT - organizations benefit through the use of software and communication devices such as faxes, telephones and even express delivery of conventional mail.

Organizing meeting times Organizer packages that come with most computers have

features such as organizing e-mails, contacts, tasks and a calendar function.

The calendar function enables users to keep a record of their appointments and meeting times.

A public calendar can be created so that many workers in an office can have access to it over a network, allowing them to see when there would be a suitable time for a meeting (i.e. when they are free and when others are free). This public calendar is separate to the user's own calendar (which might contain information private to them) and also advises them of any clashes, i.e. meetings scheduled for the same time and date.

Arranging workload There are a number of software products that act as a stopwatch

device. They allow users to click on a specific task and the computer

periodically reminds the user how long they have been working on that task.

Users can change tasks whenever they want and the computer will inform them how long they have spent on each task. It is then easy to see how much emphasis is being paced on each task.

It can allow the manager to allocate extra resources to a task if too much time is being spent on it by one person. The software can also be used as a predictor.

If the manager is accurate in predicting the time that will need to be spent on a task, resources can be allocated appropriately.

Such an approach helps with daily and weekly planning as well as ensuring an equitable workload for all workers.

Research and development projects Business software helps to support these projects with calendars,

timescales, Gantt charts, and so on. Gantt charts are used in many aspects of research and

development. They help to plan out the tasks that are involved in a process. Let us consider the manufacture of a new car.

There are two main types of activity: sequential and parallel. Some activities cannot take place until others have happened.

These are called sequential. For example, you cannot put an engine into a car body until the car body has been made. Others are independent of each other.

For example, while some workers are assembling the car engine, other workers can be putting the car seats together. These are called parallel activities. To plan the whole process, a Gantt chart can be created. A simplified Gantt chart for this set of tasks is shown below.

Construction project management Construction project management is not just specific to the

construction of buildings. This method of project management is now applied to different types of project.

It involves a critical path method of finding the optimum time to be spent on individual tasks. The critical path is the order in which tasks must be completed so that the entire project is completed on time.

Because of the nature of the construction industry, which often involves vast projects, many of the techniques developed are used in all forms of project management.

The software developed to go with this approach to project management helps to identify the progress being made with specific sub-projects and also helps with daily and weekly planning. By identifying progress, or lack of it, this contributes to planning future tasks.