Perceptions of Time and Projects

Summer, that fleeting season of long days and special projects, is half over. Insert anxious gasp. I am certain that I am not alone in the horror that begins on the Tuesday after the August long weekend when approaching the To Do list. The projects that are contemplated in May or June are often overshadowed by other important work.

There are some great books on legal project management. I have Jim Hassett’s book Legal Project Management Quick Reference Guide, 3rd edition 2013, on my desk. Ted did an thorough review of the 2nd edition, and the 3rd edition is worth purchasing for the additional content. The book, like other texts, alludes to principles and practices that can be used to manage workflow that is not strictly ‘legal’.

One portion of the book that I should have considered back in June when I was making my list of tasks to accomplish before September was Chapter 7 – Assess risks to the budget and schedule. Budget risks are less relevant to self-imposed department projects, but fellow law firm librarians will recognize that the main schedule risk to library projects is billable research work. The mitigating factor to this risk would be a shorter list of projects.

The beginning of August is a great time to review the list of projects and assess to determine what is achievable.