Pierre MarcotteEngineering technician| WajaxSt-Germain-de-Grantham, Canada
I have trouble keeping track of what I need from other people or departments, and what I have to deliver (information, documents, deliverables, etc.) to other people. We typically have 3-4 projects going on at any one time and they can last weeks or months. I cannot control how I recieve info from vendors, so sometimes it's an email I'm cc'd on, other time it's a voicemail or a post-it note from a colleague.
How do other PMs track and follow-up on these things?
I manage my own personal action item list in addition to a project level list with broader visibility and impact. Doing so effectively depends more on personal discipline than a specific tool.
As you take notes from your daily meetings and conversations, flag notes that include actions for the team and yourself. Periodically transfer those actions from your notes to you action item lists. Include due dates if any, as well as notes like contact names. You can include importance (e.g. 1-3) although I just flag the top priorities.
Review the list first thing in the morning to refresh your memory and prioritize your day. Review periodically during the day when you're deciding what to do next, and at the end of the day to add new items and close out or update your notes so you're ready for tomorrow. For multiple projects you can organize them into groups but I also like to review the entire master list for low hanging fruit and longer term ongoing actions.
I started doing that in a paper notebook, used Excel which has it's pros and cons, and currently use Microsoft ToDo which is handy for a number of reason like reminders and portability between devices. The tool however is a lot less important to efficacy than making a habit of actively managing the list. Saving Changes...
A simple workboard might be a useful visual means of tracking & communicating action item status in the same manner as can be done for actual work items.
