Structure work packages and tasks
Here you will learn about the different tasks which are part of a project and how they are structured in a senseful way.
Within a project, a variety of different tasks are waiting for you and your team. So to not lose the overview, you distribute the tasks according to the respective abilities and each person gets exactly enough tasks so that he or she is not overburdened or underburdened, it is worthwhile to divide the tasks into different work packages and to define responsibilities in each case.
Method: Brainstorming
Which work areas are there and which tasks are handled per area?
What do you need for that?
- Small pieces of paper
- Pens
- An area where you can spread out all the little pieces of paper. E.g. a large table, a pin board or blackboard
How many people are needed for this method?
- The whole team
How does it work?
The following procedure consists of three runs:
1st run / Collect different work areas for the project.
As a team, collect all the work areas that exist in your project and write each one down on a small piece of paper.
Typical work areas and responsibilities include:
- Public Relations
- Finance
- Content work
- Organization of material/room etc.
- Network
Add to or reduce the suggestions. Adapt it to your project.
2nd run / collect sub-tasks for the respective work areas.
In the 2nd run, now take a look at your work areas from the previous task. What are the typical tasks performed in each work area?
To do this, go through each work area individually together as a team and write down each task on a piece of paper.
Typical tasks per work area may include:
- Public relations: social media advertising, designing flyers and posters, writing press releases, advertising via cooperation partners
- Finance: Apply for funds, retrieve funds (once funding is approved), keep track of expenses, account for funds (keep lists of all expenses and collect invoices).
- Content-related work: e.g. preparing a topic for a workshop, research, finding and inviting a speaker.
- Organization of material/space: rent room, clarify technical requirements for event, rent or buy material, design of space
- Project coordination: Keeping an eye on the schedule and reminding of deadlines, hub for team-internal communication, contacting cooperation partners, contact person for mentors, clarifying legal regulations (GEMA, licenses, food guidelines, etc.), planning the implementation of the event (Who does the cash register?, Who cleans up?, etc.).
The indicated ranges are only suggestions and not a mandatory structure.
3rd run / completion of the tasks
- As a team, write down what tasks you can think of that haven’t been mentioned yet. Write each new task on a piece of paper and try to avoid duplication.
- If you can’t think of any more tasks, assign the pieces of paper to the work areas. E.g. funds to finances, advertising posters layout to public relations
- Are there tasks that cannot be assigned to any work area so far? You may need to add more work areas or set up a work areas for different tasks.
Who is responsible for what?
Now that you have collected the work areas and the respective tasks, you can get an idea of which work areas have a lot of tasks to be done and where there is less to be done.
Assign your responsibilities for the respective work areas and clarify who wears the hat for what? In the case of important tasks, it is worth establishing deputy responsibility. Hold on to this division, write it down, for example in your notebook or on your team’s internal communication platform.
Distribute the hats after:
- Interest
- Time capacity and
- Skills
Tip: Use your already developed competence figures from the 1st package for this.