- Explain to each staff person that we are conducting a study of the Maintenance department. What you tell the people:
List all your activities. After you create the list please describe each activity in enough detail that an outsider could understand what you are talking about and include: In a typical week what % of your time is spent doing what activity, what are your most important activities, what activities do you like best, what activities do you like least. Add any comments about your job that you think could help this study. Important: Please add any activities that happen annually or quarterly. - At the same time the Maintenance Manager writes about the duties of the above staff person. He or she will define the duties of the above position. How much time should be spent on each activity? What is the most important activity, what is the 'mission' of the position?
- The areas of difference of opinion are the areas to look at. This is where an open mind is essential for success. It is frequently the case that the person doing the task has a much better idea about what is important to the smooth running of the department then does the manager.
When the review is complete you have an excellent start on or revision to the job description. More importantly you have an opportunity to intervene into the business system that produces the useful output (in our case maintenance services) and streamline it.
Tip provided by Joel Levitt, CRL, CPMM, Prosci Certified Change Management Practitioner
Check out Joel's book 10 Minutes a Week to Great Meetings 2nd Edition
Why are meetings so important? For one, they are the lifeblood of institutional action. Without meetings and the communication and agreement they can engender, no (big) action can take place. With few exceptions, most people who run meetings have had no training, no study and no coaching to run meetings. Few people think about how that 20-minute discussion about fishing--however important that topic is--just cost your team four hours because 12 people in attendance all had their time wasted!
This book is specifically designed in three parts. The first part is 10 weekly or monthly lessons to run great meetings. These simple lessons can be covered in about 10 minutes each. Your team can dwell on each lesson for the whole week or month. Master it and move to the next lesson. The second part of the book is a detailed review of every area of meetings from agendas to assessments. Each chapter covers a topic area in depth. The final section is over 100 ideas to improve your meetings that are usable today!
10 Minutes a Week to Great Meetings will provide you with a great return on your time in the next, and every subsequent, meeting.