Need and importance work allocation
Work allocation is the process of effectively organizing resources and labor to meet the company's output goals of a task or project. The allocation is based on how the business will benefit from appropriately assigning resources and roles.
For project managers, work allocation allows
for the efficient and strategic management of tasks. This offers more ease in
overseeing projects while ensuring maximized production and efficiency as
resources and labor are allocated in the most impactful way.
·
The main benefits of work allocation include-
·
Easily handle multiple projects of different sizes at the same
time.
·
Cost-efficient scheduling, which saves the business money.
·
Boosts productivity by requiring less time and resources.
·
Time management improves, and staff can log more accurate times
for shifts.
·
Staff morale is boosted when employees know that project
managers are examining productivity and staff skills.
· Managing the team workload and having accurate predictions of the completion of the project.
Below are the 5 key factors for work
allocation
- Skills
Needed
Management
can start by assessing the project's requirements in terms of the required
skillset. This would be based on the employee's abilities and qualifications,
with each task being allocated to the best person for the role. The assigned
staff member should be able to deliver on the requirements without the need for
extensive systems or skills training.
- Task Priorities
The prioritization of tasks should be based on the company's overall goals. The most timely or important projects should be allocated first to ensure high-quality outputs.
- Labour
Availability
Narrowing
down the right person for the work will be based on skillset, as well as
availability. Managers need to examine who has the bandwidth and time to take
on the role. Shifting resources from one task to another can cost time and
therefore lead to productivity loss, which could put both projects at risk of
not being completed.
Just because there is a highly qualified person who is in line with the role, does not mean that they are the only employee who can take on the job. It is essential to only shift people from one task to another if it is the last resort, otherwise, keep people focused on what they are already working on.
- Employee
Development
There
are development opportunities to consider when allocating work. It is
advantageous for the company to be constantly upgrading the skill set of the
team. This requires a balance between allocating work to someone who has the
abilities, as well as someone who will be slightly challenged by the task so
they can learn new elements.
The ideal scenario is to assess the skills of
each employee and make the decision based on who has the capacity to complete
the task, while also upgrading their experience and skills in the process
- Personal
Interest
Not
only is it important to allocate work based on people's efficacy, but also
based on what they genuinely like to do. This might not be achievable in all
cases, but where possible, matching people to their areas of interest will
benefit the business.
People are more motivated to work on what is
interesting to them, the output of the work will be higher-quality, and the
rapport built with the team will improve staff retention rates.
WORK SCHEDULE
A work schedule generally
refers to the days per week and the hours per day that an employee is expected
to be at their job. There are several different types of work schedules, which
vary based on the organization and the position. Your schedule can also vary
based on the time of year. For example, some jobs have work schedules that
change, depending on the season.
TYPES OF WORK SCHEDULES
Full-Time Work Schedule
A full-time work schedule often requires a commitment of 37-40
hours per week. Because of the long hours, most jobs with full-time schedules
are eligible for employee benefits. These benefits can include vacation and sick days, health
insurance, and different retirement plan options.
Full-time schedules vary from company to company, but most of the time, employees will work the same shift every week. The most common full-time work schedule is a variant of 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday, adding up to 40 hours per week.
Part-Time Work Schedule
A part-time work schedule is any schedule less than full-time
employment. The benefit of this type of schedule is that it allows for greater
flexibility to maintain other responsibilities outside of work.
Part-time work often does not include benefits
offered to full-time employees, and hours can be erratic and inconsistent from
week to week. An example of a part-time work schedule could be Monday through
Wednesday from 7:00 AM to 11:00 AM and Saturday and Sunday 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM.
Fixed Work Schedule
A fixed work schedule is a timetable that generally consists of the same number of
hours and days worked per week. Fixed work schedules tend to stay consistent
once the number of hours and the days have been agreed upon by both the
employer and the worker. An example of a fixed schedule would be Monday through
Friday from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM or Thursday through Sunday from 3:00 PM to 11:00
PM.
Flexible Work Schedule
A flexible work schedule is less rigid than a fixed schedule.
Employees and employers work together to determine the number of hours and days
of the week the employee will work. Depending on the employer’s policy,
employees may be expected to work a minimum number of hours or be at work at a
certain daily block of time, but shifts can often be switched with other
coworkers in order to satisfy the needs of the employer and the busy life of
the employee.
Flexible work schedules can vary infinitely,
but an example might look like: Monday - 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM, Tuesday - 11:00
AM to 4:00 PM, Saturday and Sunday - 2:00 PM to close.
Rotating Shift Work Schedule
Rotating work schedules cycle employees
through day, swing, and night shifts. This cycle helps to distribute different
shifts between all employees so that no one is stuck with the less desirable
hours every shift.
This work schedule is not as common but can be
seen in many careers like the military, construction work, roadwork jobs, power
plants, and health care. These shifts can cycle weekly or quarterly, depending
on the type of work required.
GANTT CHART
A Gantt chart, commonly used in project
management, is one of the most popular and useful ways of showing activities
(tasks or events) displayed against time. On the left of the chart is a list of
the activities and along the top is a suitable time scale. Each activity is
represented by a bar; the position and length of the bar reflects the start
date, duration and end date of the activity. This allows you to see at a
glance:
§ What the various activities are
§ When each activity begins and ends
§ How long each activity is scheduled to last
§ Where activities overlap with other activities, and by how much
§ The start and end date of the whole project
Need/Importance of Activity Plan
1.
To understand the nature of the work
When you
understand a project as a whole and what’s required to complete it in terms of
equipment, time and resourcing, you can take a considered approach. Health and
safety is considered and a step-by-step approach taken to ensure optimum safety
at work.
2.
To eliminate or reduce risk
When planning
any work activity, it’s important to consider the risks. A risk assessment
helps you to understand what aspects of a task may cause harm to people and how
you can minimize that harm.
3.
To ensure the right employees are assigned to the work
When planning a
project, it’s important to put together the right team of people to undertake
the work. Choose employees that are brand new to the business, under qualified,
or suffering from illness and injury and you may be putting them at risk.
4.
To ensure adequate safety strategies
Once you’ve
analysed the work and put together a team, it’s important that all safety
mechanisms are put in place. As an employer, you should also ensure good
communication with your team and make sure all team members are aware of risks
and safety strategies.
5. To develop a framework for monitoring and controlling the work
Planning your
work also ensures that there is a framework in place to monitor and control the
work. This helps keep employees on track for the duration of the task and makes
health and safety a priority.
1. Tasklist
The tasklist is usually located on the left
side of the Gantt chart and corresponds with its own task duration bar in the
center of the screen.
Obviously, these are the
deliverables you are working towards accomplishing throughout the
execution phase of the project life cycle. Typically you can break this list
down into separate teams or task type groups.
2. Date indicator
While the calendar dates run along the top of
the chart, the date indicator, either represented as a vertical line or
vertically highlighted segment of the chart, will show the current date and
where exactly you should be in terms of task completion at that point.
3. Task duration bars
These are the meat of the Gantt chart and
represent how long a task is scheduled out for completion. Most project management
tools allow you to alter the duration by clicking and dragging these bars
without having to enter each individual task to adjust the dates.
4. Task dependency arrows/lines
Not all project management software options
allow for dependencies (although all of them should), but when they do, they
are represented either as arrows or connecting lines that show which tasks must
be completed before another begins.
5. Task owner indicator
Finally, every task in a Gantt chart ought to
show who is responsible for it. If this isn’t readily apparent in the chart,
clicking on a task will show who owns which task.
RESPONSIBLE WORKER
Responsibility,
therefore, is both external and internal. Externally it implies a
accountability to some person or body and accountability for specific
performance. Internally it implies commitment. The Responsible Worker is a
worker who not only is accountable for specific results but also has authority
to do whatever is necessary to produce these results and, finally, is committed
to these results as a personal achievement.
Example/Cases
in Gantt Chart
In the following table there are seven tasks,
labeled a through g. Some tasks can be done
concurrently (a and b) while others cannot be done
until their predecessor task is complete (c and d cannot
begin until a is complete). Additionally, each task has three
time estimates: the optimistic time estimate (O), the most likely or
normal time estimate (M), and the pessimistic time estimate (P).
The expected time (TE) is estimated.
