Let’s assume that you know what GTD® is. Have you ever tried to use it in a project management setting ? If you have, were you able to keep on using it for let’s say longer than one month ? And how did your colleagues and peers react to it ?
What’s GTD® ?
Before we continue with answering the above questions, let’s just explain what GTD® is for those who are unfamiliar with this way of dealing with ideas and activities.
Getting Things Done® (GTD®) is the proven path for taking control of your world, and maintaining perspective in your life. Much more than a set of tips for time management and organization, GTD® is a total work-life management system that transforms overwhelm into an integrated system of stress-free productivity. David Allen, inventor of the GTD® methodology, is widely recognized as the world’s leading expert on personal and organizational productivity.
[bctt tweet=”Get back in control over your ToDo lists with PM Studio GTD” username=”PMStudioTalks”prompt=”tell a friend”]
How to apply it in projects ?
GTD® is in essence covers your whole life, so it includes work time and private time. GTD® is not just a tool or an approach to jot down your todo’s like other apps do (WunderList, Todoist, Remember the Milk, etc), but it’s a way to record anything that pops up in your mind. Then you can catagorize each idea or todo, and allocate an urgency and energy level.
David Allen summarises this in Five Steps:
- Capture – Collect what has your attention
- Clarify – Proces what it means (be clear, not vague)
- Organize – Put it where it belongs (like clean desk)
- Reflect – Review frequently (like in Scrum)
- Engage – Just do (don’t procrastinate)
Everyday, you go through your GTD® list and you plan your next actions for the near future (next day, next week). Once a month have a look at the more distant future (next month, next year).
Just like in real life, you have a continuous inflow of ideas and todo’s during your project work. Normally (and hopefully) you note them down in your journal or notebook. Then you go over your notes to plan and organize the work to be done by yourself or to be delegated to your team.
- What if you had a tool that enables you to record any type of idea or activity inside your daily project management system.
- What if you could easily elaborate these notes with additional information and attachments.
- What if you could plan and time these actions on a timeline.
- What if you could delegate these actions to your team from within the same application
Wouldn’t that be a great timesaver ?
PM Studio™ Platform
GTD® is built into the PM Studio Platform. It’s called the Daily Log and it’s right there for you to record anything in your digital notebook.
- No need to retype your notes into another application
- Elaborate information with new additions
- Delegate or involve coworkers to get things done.