OK next action against project but what about DEPENDENT ACTION against project ?

[Luca]

Hi everybody,
I have implemented the solution with a contact folder used for projects (so that next actions and projects are linked) and it works great for me but I am still unsure about where to put the dependent actions that I will have to complete once the next action is completed.

Do you recommend to put the dependent action as a note inside the "task" representing the next action ?

Do you recommend to put the dependent action as a note inside the "contact" representing the project ?

Do you recommend to create a "task" category for dependent actions so that they are ready to be "upgraded" tpo next action at the right time ?

Other alternatives ?

Thanks for your comments
Luca

[Jacques]

Do you recommend ... ?
I do not recommend anything, as I do not see how you work with your organisation, which is you environment, are your constraints ...


So, just for your inspiration, here is how I proceed:

My project "folders" may have variable sections (can be Problem/request statements, Prefered alternative, master schedule, journal of events, Milestones outcomes, history...), but I always have an "Action" braistorming section where I dump any "todoable" thought. When I record, I read stuff in another section, if bulb="I should check this", ="maybe this could prevent that", etc, I do not decide but I immediately drop these "doable" thoughts in action section.

When I open my project folder, what I see at first glance are :


- Hard landscape milestones (if any)
- Desired outcome and WR# when next review this project.
- Action section (at least - if big- the active part for the period)
- The Next Action(s) with context needed.

Thus, when NA is done (and most often its next following actions), for my review, I have all what I must focus on in one "page".

For the next NA, I may pick an action from the action section but more often this next NA is new :


- because where I left the project my NA is obvious (and I don't care to make exaustive list of actions for the project : lazyness and ... wisdom)
- because what I observed/learned while doing leads me to different actions that those I've foreseen.

So, more than once new NAs I write spring me doable thoughts I stick above, in the Action section, and strike off others ....

This more or less looks like your third alternative ?

[tominperu]

Do you recommend to put the dependent action as a note inside the "contact" representing the project ?




That's what I do.

People do have different needs and constraints. But for me...

I do project planning, including a tentative action plan inside the Contact/Project text space. When I tick off a completed action I consider what is the next action for that project. Often the next action is obvious and I just type it in immediately. If not, I take a look at my project plan for bearings. I usually come up with a new next action pretty quickly but if not (or if I have little time) I put in a next action like "brainstorm next action for ...".

If I forget to do this, and I frequently do, the project can end up without a next action, but this is flagged up in the weekly plan.

I wouldn't actually like to use an automated system with new next actions coming up when I finish the preceding one (as possible with Life Balance and Outlook with Add Ins) I find that the beauty of the GTD system is that it makes you think "what is the best next action" on a frequent basis. Your decision on the next action is therefore based on the most recent information which isn't always the case with an automated system.

[Luca]

Thank you to both of you for the nice advices.
I will do my experiments and see what works best for me.
Thanks again
Luca

[wordsofwonder]

Do you recommend to put the dependent action as a note inside the "contact" representing the project ?

That's what I do as well. I made that decision based on David Allen's advice about filing: reduce the number of places something isn't if you can't remember where it is. For a given project, I could have an arbitrarily large set of future actions, some of which will change based on the outcomes of other actions.

So, for the majority of projects, I brainstorm future actions into the note that's attached to the Outlook contact representing the project. (I use Agendus (http://www.iambic.com/agenduspro/palmos/) on my Palm, and having projects as contacts enables some nice project management abilities, which I'm working on a "white paper"/Web page about.) That way, when it's time to review the project again and decide the next action, I only have to look in one place.

For some larger projects -- one of those on my list right now is "Become licensed as a foster parent", which has a dizzying array of forms and such associated with it -- I'll brainstorm into a ThoughtManager (http://www.handshigh.com/html/thoughtmanager.html) outline. Then, in the contact record, I'll put a note that says something like "Brainstorm is in the 'ABC Project Plan' TMgr Outline" so I know where to look for it.

Of course, I make no claims that my method of working will be applicable for anyone but me. I've adopted the tools I have (Outlook on my PC, Agendus and ThoughtMgr on my Palm) because I do a significant fraction of my work away from my desk, and my compromise system works functionally in both environments. Your mileage, of course, may vary.

Tammy