anyone use GTD project list to keep boss/client up to speed on your activities?

[jennytg3]

Just curious if some people share their GTD project list with their boss or client to keep them updated on their activities. I keep my home list and work list separate so that's not a problem, but every once in a while I have 'lagging' projects I'd rather not list until I make more progress on them. (not very GTD but it's a fact right now). I kind of hate to recreate an entirely new status sheet for the boss and am interested to hear how others have handled this issue. Thank you!

[mcogilvie]

I think how you handle reports depends on how often you have to do them. This is the time of year I have to do annual reports for both my dean and my funding agency. There's some overlap between the two, but it's quite a bit of work to pull all of the information together. Most of the information I need has to do with the past, and I keep it as reference material. I do refer to my current projects list for both reports, but not for details; it's more of a prospectus.

I have colleagues whose funding agency requires monthly reports, which is crazy for research: "Postdoc found grad student had performed incorrect calibration of instruments; six months of data now being corrected. Shipment of crucial samples lost by shippers. In despair." Next month:"Results improved after correction of data. Grad student finds all lost samples under postdoc's desk. Deliriously happy."

[cfoley]

This is one reason that I think a GTD system should be private. If you start sharing it then you will resist putting sensitive things on it. As an extreme example, you would never want to share the "Fix that expensive mistake I made before anyone notices" project, even if you rename it to something less obviously damning.

As much as you wouldn't want anyone finding out about a mistake, that project and associated actions must be on your lists.

Then you also have to be comfortable adding seemingly trivial projects to your list. "Tidy desk", "Clear out middle drawer". This stuff might be important to the owner of those projects but nobody else wants to know.

[mcogilvie]

This is one reason that I think a GTD system should be private. If you start sharing it then you will resist putting sensitive things on it.

Another good example is health-care information. However, you can always cut and paste the information you do want to share from an electronic system into a separate document.

[cfoley]

Careful with cut and paste! It's all too easy to copy a block of text and not notice the critical line in the middle that you want to miss out.

[CJSullivan]

One way is just to review your project list, and then jot down the key projects you'd like to update your Boss on - as an "agenda" list for that boss. If you have a regular check-in, you can literally take 2 minutes beforehand and jot down the projects. This would obviate the need for "inappropriate disclosure"!

I realize you don't want a separate "status sheet," but it really could be just a back of the envelope thing, don't you think? Just a few notes to give the highlights - it wouldn't have to be a really formal report. And if you were to proactively seek out your boss and offer to give them such an update, I would think Brownie points would be in order...!