Workplan, do you?

I've been interviewing a lot of candidates lately and one question that I ask is, "how do you prioritize?" The typical response is "to do lists" or "Post-it Notes" which makes me cringe. It also tells me that this person is probably not familiar with workplans. With a workplan, you can map your goals and objectives, set dates and see progress. Very similar to a project plan but I view a workplan as a broader tool.

Workplans help to prioritize and the organize. When people come up to me and ask for help getting a $5,000 sponsor for a last minute project, I can look at my priorities and say well, I'm focusing on a $15,000,000 project now which is priority. I can also show my colleagues the plan which always seems to impress them.

Start on your 09 workplan now and you'll be way ahead of the game.