The right task size: neither too big nor too small
A six-week task tells you nothing about its progress until the end. A one-hour task clutters the schedule. In between, a simple rule helps find the right breakdown.
Too big
Broken down
The way a project is broken down into tasks decides everything that follows: the accuracy of estimates, the readability of the schedule, and the ability to track progress.
Too big: you know nothing until the end
A "New site preparation" task lasting several weeks stays "in progress" for a long time. Its percentage rises slowly, and nobody can tell whether it will hold until the last few days.
Too small: the schedule becomes unreadable
Conversely, breaking work into one-hour tasks drowns the schedule in lines. Tracking becomes a chore, and the schedule stops being kept up to date.
A simple rule
A good task has three characteristics:
- it lasts from a few days to two weeks;
- it has a single owner;
- it produces a result you can check: an approved layout, a poured slab, a passed inspection.
An example
In our relocation, the new site preparation breaks down into four tasks: layout plans, electrical and compressed-air networks, floor anchors, and the pre-reassembly inspection. Each has an owner and a clear result. Progress is read task by task, and a delay shows as soon as it appears.