As a leader in your chapter, you were probably selected because you were a great committee/chapter Member whose main role was contributing and completing tasks and assignments. But now, your role has shifted and you are responsible for facilitating, delegating, supporting, and celebrating. You have to resist the urge to ‘do’ everything, because that is the role of your committee Members; you are now responsible for creating an environment where they can be successful in accomplishing their assigned tasks.
With this in mind, we recommend that you utilize a ‘Check Date’ project management style, and the MCR Projects feature is a tool built to support you in these efforts.
The Projects feature has three components:
Tasks: These are assigned to individuals/groups of individuals with an optional due date.
Notes: This is where the team can chat with each other about the project, ask questions, and clarify any work that needs to be done.
Files: This is a place to store documents related specifically to the project.
All of these features are in a single hub
where you can add collaborators to work with you!
It can be very frustrating as a leader when tasks get delegated, but don’t get done in a timely manner, leaving you trying to pick up the scattered pieces- while also burning out leaders. This is where the ‘Check Date’ model of project management comes in.
Getting started tips:
Make sure to add all necessary collaborators - don’t forget advisors!
Put in an intro note so that all the collaborators know what its about
Include a file in the project with all key details:
Brainstorming details & outcomes
Who/What/Where/When
Budget
Additional necessary details
Tasks:
As you delegate tasks to your committee:
Each task should start with a verb and be a single task, not a bundle of tasks- this is so that what is done and still needs to be done is very clear and also makes it very simple to follow up as a leader and make sure what needs to be done, is getting done.
If possible, have Members enter the tasks for themselves while you are in your committee meetings; the VP should verify the tasks were entered correctly with the appropriate due date.
Each task should be assigned to a SINGLE person; the person who is ultimately responsible for getting that task completed.
Create a due date for each task that is realistic to the overall needs of the event and other tasks that may depend on other task completion.
For each task created for a committee Member, you should be creating a mirrored task for yourself to check-in with that person and see if they need any assistance to complete the task.
Your due date should give you enough time to help them should they be encountering roadblocks to complete the task.
In this example, you have delegated the necessary tasks surrounding coordinating transportation logistics for a social event. If you only had one task listed “Confirm transportation for formal” that could get checked off before all relevant details were done and if left unchecked, you wouldn’t know where in the process they are in completing the task.
As a leader, you will use your check-date tasks to check where everyone is with their to-do’s; and ask each Member “Did you complete your assigned task?” Use this flow chart to help you respond and regroup for undone tasks. Make sure to create a new Check Date and modify the task in MCR.
Notes:
Keep communication within MCR so that Team Members, Officers, and Advisors can see questions, answers, and progress of tasks/project.
You can add Notes to specific tasks which will help future leaders find sticking points and problem solve in advance
There is also a general Notes section that can serve as general communication within the committee/team working on the project
Files:
Utilize files to keep track of documents specific to your project
Organize files in folders so it is easy to locate
Files shared within the project will be visible to all Members you add to the project
If you have any suggestions for making projects an even better tool after you start using it, we welcome your feedback!
