Question: "I am on a task force to develop a "desk audit" or "task audit" that will give our 20-member staff a better sense of how our time is spent, where we can become more efficient, and address unanticipated tasks. Our strategic planning consultants have told us that it would be best to develop our own workflow audit, as there are few models in the not-for-profit world. They recommend choosing an "appropriate" unit of time and reporting frequency, making it easy and sharing data with staff frequently to show progress, but we're still feeling daunted by the task. Has anyone developed a desk/task audit that they'd be willing to share? How did you make it palatable to your co-workers?" — Louise
See Comments Below
Like what you've read? ...Republish it and share great business tips!
Attention: Readers, Publishers, Editors, Bloggers, Media, Webmasters and more...
We believe great content should be read and passed around. After all, knowledge IS power. And good business can become great with the right information at their fingertips. If you'd like to share any of the insightful articles on BusinessManagementDaily.com, you may republish or syndicate it without charge.
The only thing we ask is that you keep the article exactly as it was written and formatted. You also need to include an attribution statement and link to the article.
" This information is proudly provided by Business Management Daily.com: http://www.businessmanagementdaily.com/15472/dont-know-where-or-how-to-start-a-task-audit "
{ 48 comments… read them below or add one }
We use a great auditing tool that is not pricey at all- not free, but you should check it out. http://www.virtualsoftware.net – this not only allows me to keep track of the admin assts, but more importantly I have employees that are doing billable work for clients and they are able to record their time to the minute. check out the demo – having specific items vs just having the item Admin- I make them be specific with each of their task.
Dear Diane
I would apprecaite if you would send me your task/desk audit which everyone raved about in Business Management Daily. My email addresss is: bernadette.johnson@nhs.net.
Many thanks
Diane, having started a new job requiring, but the responsibilities are far greater, and the consequences of failure are extreme! I would love a copy of your spreadsheet to help me out.
Is it possible to send me a copy to my email? kmerchan@mcw.edu
Diane – I would love to see your spreadsheet mentioned here, if you are still willing to share it. I recently began supporting 3 departments & would find it quite helpful. sgreeninmiami@yahoo.com
Diane,
I’m interested in the information you’ve used and how things turned out.
Thanks,
J
Hi Diane, I am also interested in your spreadsheet. If you are able to share, please send to mary.salas@harrisonmedical.org. Thanks for sharing.
Diane – Just read your comment. If u r still willing to share your spreadsheet, I w like to take a look at it since I, also, support more than one dept. Thanks!
marylou.steele@abbott.com
Diane, I would love to see your spreadsheet. It could really help. Sue
Diane – Please send me a copy of your task reporting audit. Thanks! jharris@fruit.com
I would also be very interested in your sharing the Excel spreadsheet you use and what it can offer in my instance. Please send to my address
I would also be very interested in your sharing the Excel spreadsheet you use and what it can offer in my instance. Please send to my address
Diane,
Will you please email me a copy of the task/desk audit that you have written about here? Thanks!
Hi Diane, I am interested in your Excel spreadsheet task/desk audit, please send to jmday@beckman.com. thank you for sharing!
I too would like to see the spreadsheet format you developed
We have used this spreadsheet auditing system many times. It is a great tool for assessing where you spend your time and the types of work that you do that might need more attention. A week or two of doing this is plenty–any more and it becomes a chore. The only problem is now management likes the system so much that they now abuse the use of it–asking staff to keep this type of logging of time up for weeks and in some cases months! This has become counter-productive and stressful for staff–it should not be necessary to continue this type of record–a good manager should be able to assess the type of work and time being spent in a week or so–patterns become apparent. It should not be used as a technique to monitor that work is being done or otherwise check up on staff’s work.
I currently utilize my Microsoft Outlook calendar (all co-workers have access to in my department). It’s multi-colored to where each color represents type or re-occurring project or department that I may be working on that day. It’s a great way to see how much time is spent on each daily project; and helps me prioritize as well. Since co-workers have access to my calendar it helps them when assigning me a project or task. They know when I’m free and when I’m extremely busy. They also know when my breaks are, and when my lunch is. I also explain in more detail within each task what I did to get that job done; and whether or not it is still pending or completed.
I’d shade it in, put an “x” in it, or I’d write comments if it helped define what I was doing for which department.
wow! i would love to see your sheet. would you PLEASE send it to me? sbrown@cityofcentral.org
thanks sandy
I would love to have a copy of your spreadsheet. Please send it to brenda@m-b-c.org. Thanks for sharing.
Diane, I am very interested in obtaining a copy of your spreadsheet. My email is http://www.marilyn.steele@pgnmail.com. Thanks so much for sharing.
Thanks to all! I’m forwarding your Excel log, Diane!
I, too, would love a copy of your SS. Thanks for sharing!
I’d appreciate a copy also. Thanks for your willingness to share information. carothers49@yahoo.com
Diane! Please send me a copy. I’ve always seeked ways in which I can improve on my time management. jkaddi@ajcity.net
I would also like to have a copy. Thanks for sharing !
Diane: You’re a hit. I’d love a copy as well.
Diane: Are you just checking off in the cell when you’ve worked on that particular item during a particular time? What are you entering in the cells?
Diane,
I would love a copy of your excel sheet too. Please send it to me at cinnamon_150@yahoo.com
Thank you for sharing it!
I would like a copy of your spreadsheet. Please email me. ptowns
We also used a similar spreadsheet for recording time. However, we kept it to only two weeks max, as we spent more time filling out the sheet and it interfered with our work responsibilities. Many times, we would complete after hours as “there wasn’t enough time to do the time sheet.”
Diane,
I would be interested in learning about your spreadsheet.
Thanks
Barb
I would like a copy of your spreadsheet please.
beebe@pbworld.com
Editor’s Note: We’ve posted Diane’s Excel spreadsheet, so you can download it directly at:
http://www.nibmimages.com/nibm/Tracking_Time_for_RIS_and_General_Counsel.xls
Diane, would you send me a copy of your task audit spreadsheet as well? Thank you. (jcoppola@ci.camas.wa.us)
Diane,
Please send your audit spreadsheet to my email below.
Thank you!
Sheryl
sherylclark@yvmh.org
I send the spreadsheet to the address you gave me. If you have any questions, let me know. Good luck!
I’d like to forward a copy of it to you; however, I need your e-mail address.
Unfortunately, I can’t paste it here. Where can I reach you? I’d need to e-mail it.
If you would like a copy of the spreadsheet, please e-mail me at djohnson-hung@weatrust.com. What Mark wrote is right on the money. That’s how I drafted the regular to-do items I did. I would fill in the grid with comments if that helped explain what I did. I won’t sugar-coat the amount of work that goes into it, because it does consume a lot of time. It was worth it in the end.
Diane, I would love a copy of your excel sheet too. Thank you!
Diane…I would love to see your audit sheet. As a department manager, I’ve also always wished I had time to create such a document. Thanks!
rita.leyva@co.yavapai.az.us
I’ve done this with people here several times. We had the people do it as follows, writing the information down on a simple pad of paper on their desk: 9:00-9:15, checked e-mail. 9:15-9:16, answered co-worker call. 9:16-9:20, worked on morning x reports. 9:20-9:35, talked on phone with client. 9:35-9:40, worked on mail. 9:40-9:45, bathroom break. 9:45-10:20, worked on mail. and so on
Then the person totaled for a week how many minutes were spent on co-worker calls, client calls, e-mail, mail, projects, etc. It was a phenomenal way to see where time was really spent. Everyone hated doing it, but loved the results when it was all over.
Diane, I would love a copy of your excel sheet.
Where can I reach you? I’d need to e-mail it to you.
I developed my own task/desk audit when I started supporting two departments, in the event there was a complaint from one or the other about the time I spend on each. It was in an Excel spreadsheet, and something I adapted from a project management book I read. If you’re interested, let me know.
Hi Diane: I’d be interested in your Excel spreadsheet task/desk audit, please. Thank you for sharing it. Claire
I developed my own task/desk audit when I started supporting two departments, in the even there was a complaint from one or the other about the time I spend on each. It was in an Excel spreadsheet, and something I adapted from a project management book I read. If you’re interested, let me know.