Quote Originally Posted by Gardener View Post
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- Project: Get the accounts in someone else's hands.
-- Next Action: WAITING FOR completion of project "Select Accountant"

- Project: Select Accountant
-- Next Action: WAITING FOR completion of projects "Evaluate Jones Accounting", "Evaluate Adams Accounting", and "Evaluate Williams Accounting".

- Project: Evaluate Jones Accounting
-- Next Action: Make follow up call to Jane at Jones Accounting on Friday.

- Project: Evaluate Adams Accounting
-- Next Action: Ask Joe for phone number for Adams Accounting.

- Project: Evaluate Williams Accounting
-- Next Action: Look up Williams Accounting in Better Business Bureau.
-- Calendar Hard Landscape: Phone interview with Joe Williams on January 22.

Pretty interesting stuff - I don't like to set up multiple levels of subprojects either. (to tell you the truth I'm not all that crazy about outlines in the first place!) But the items above I see as clearly one project - although it may have separate moving parts and different phases. I don't think you have to choose between subprojects and multiple projects - I would not do either. Here is the approach I would use for the above:

Project: Accounting Handoff
Outcome: I have handed off the accounting for Gracie's Garden to the best available accounting firm I can find within a reasonable time frame. They are up and running and on autopilot and able to handle it pretty much on their own.

Project Planning: Likely a mind map

What do I need to do to reach this outcome? (It makes me feel better if I go ahead and capture the bare bones outline of this project)

--Find an accountant I like
  • --research and find candidate firms
  • --select top contenders
  • --find out even more about those finalists
  • --select one
--Agree who does what
  • --payroll
  • --Sales Tax reporting
  • --State and Federal tax returns
  • --Periodic reporting to owners
  • --bank accounts
--Hand over documents to them
  • --instructions
  • --relevant papers
--Agree procedures
  • --set up communications - who, how
  • --information to them monthly
  • --reporting back from them re activities
  • --documentation requirements



There can be a lot of things you need to do to get from here to there, but that doesn't make it multiple projects. And to the extent that activities are sequential, I just see those as later down the road of the project, not necessarily subprojects or different projects. OK, you have already identified 3 firms you want to evaluate. So you have two independent next actions and a meeting.

call Jane at Jones Accounting re some questions you have identified that you want answered.
ask Joe for phone number for Adams Accounting
meet with the other guy re the third firm.

The other items stay in project planning because they are not the next action. They will stay there until needed. They may never be the granular next action but they provide a road map for you.

Now you could make each evaluation a subproject but you don't have to unless there is so much going on that putting it all under one is too confusing.

I think that most projects have future things that can't be done right now and I think it's good to capture those but they are not next actions and likely are not stand alone projects......I will be interested to see your response.