UW Sometimes and Aspiring Supervisor Series
Spring 2013 - Week 8
Theme #4: Skills to Collaborate and Delegate
Managing Projects and Processes
“We must not cease from exploration. And the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we began
and to know the place for the first time.”
T. S. Elliot
AGENDA
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Put First Things First
Urgent versus Important
Tools for Managing Projects
Tools for Managing Processes
Letter to Myself
Graduation!!
Readings:
Summary of 7 Habits, Stephen Covey
Urgency Index, by Stephen Covey
References:
Covey, Stephen. (First Printing 1989). 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Powerful Lessons in Personal
Change, New York: Fireside by Simon & Schuster.
Covey, Stephen; Merrill, Roger: and Merrill, Rebecca. (1994). First Things First: To Live, to Love to Learn, to
Leave a Legacy. New York: Fireside by Simon & Schuster.
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UW Sometimes and Aspiring Supervisor Series
Spring 2013 - Week 8
1. Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
“Successful people have the habit of doing the things failures don’t like to do. They don’t like doing
them either, but their disliking is subordinated to the strength of their purpose.”
Albert E. Gray, in The Common Denominator of Success.

At your table, identify principles or practices that we’ve covered in this series, which relate to each of
Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Write them in the table below.
Stephen Covey’s Habit:
Relates to Concept from Sometimes and Aspiring
Supervisor Series:
Habit 1: Be Proactive
Habit 2: Begin With the End in Mind
Habit 3: Put First Things First
Use reflective listening and principle of accountability to
seek root causes of problems rather than spending your
time “putting out fires.”
Habit 4: Think Win-Win
Habit 5: Seek First to Understand,
Then to be Understood
Habit 6: Synergize
Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw
NEW
Habit 8: Find Your Voice and Help
Others Find Theirs
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UW Sometimes and Aspiring Supervisor Series
Spring 2013 - Week 8
2. Put First Things First

Individually, take a moment to consider your answers to the
following 3 questions from Chapter 2 of Stephen Covey’s book,
First Things First:
1. What is the one activity that you know if you did superbly well and consistently would have significant
positive results in your personal life?
2. What is the one activity that you know if you did superbly well and consistently would have significant
positive results in your professional or work life?
3. If you know these things would make such a significant difference, why are you not doing them now?
Complete the Urgency Index on the next page from Stephen Covey’s First Things First.
What was your score?
What does it mean?
0 – 25
Low urgency mind-set
26 – 45
Strong urgency mind-set
46 +
Urgency addiction
What changes would you like to make based on your index and answer to these questions?
We’ll share your thoughts with a partner after the next exercise.
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UW Sometimes and Aspiring Supervisor Series
Spring 2013 - Week 8
Stephen Covey’s Urgency Index from First Things First
Circle the number that mostly closely represents your normal behaviors or attitudes regarding the statements at the left
(0=Never, 2=Sometimes, 4=Always).
1. I seem to do my best work when I’m under pressure.
0
1
2
3
4
2. I often blame the rush and press of external things for my failure to spend
deep, introspective time with myself.
0
1
2
3
4
3. I’m often frustrated by the slowness of people and things around me. I
hate to wait or stand in line.
0
1
2
3
4
4. I feel guilty when I take time off work.
0
1
2
3
4
5. I always seem to be rushing between places and events.
0
1
2
3
4
6. I often push people away so that I can finish a project.
0
1
2
3
4
7. I get anxious when out of touch with the office for a few minutes.
0
1
2
3
4
8. I’m often preoccupied with 1 thing when I’m doing something else.
0
1
2
3
4
9. I’m at my best when I’m handling a crisis situation.
0
1
2
3
4
10. The adrenaline rush from a new crisis seems more satisfying to me than the
0
steady accomplishment of long-term results.
1
2
3
4
11. I give up quality time with important people to handle a crisis.
0
1
2
3
4
12. I assume people will naturally understand if I have to disappoint them or
let things go in order to handle a crisis.
0
1
2
3
4
13. I rely on solving some crisis to give my day a sense of meaning.
0
1
2
3
4
14. I often eat lunch or other meals while I work.
0
1
2
3
4
15. I keep thinking that someday I’ll be able to do what I really want.
0
1
2
3
4
16. A huge stack in my “out” basket at the end of the day makes me feel like
I’ve really been productive.
0
1
2
3
4
After going through the Index, add up your total score and measure yourself with the
following key:
Total Score_______________
Low end: the urgency paradigm is probably not a significant factor in your life
Middle or higher end: there’s a good chance urgency is your fundamental operation paradigm
High end: urgency may be more than just the way you feel; may be an addiction.
0-25
Low urgency mind-set
26-45 Strong urgency mind-set
46 +
Urgency addiction
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UW Sometimes and Aspiring Supervisor Series
Spring 2013 - Week 8
3. URGENT vs. IMPORTANT
Stephen Covey describes four quadrants that our activities fall into in First Things First.
Time Management Matrix
Urgent
Important
Not Urgent
I
Routine Work, Handling Customers,
Crises, Pressing Problems, Deadlinedriven projects, Meetings &
preparations
II
Preparation, Prevention, Strategic
Planning, Goal Setting, Coaching,
Building Relationships, Empowering
III
Interruptions, some phone calls and
email, some mail, some reports, some
meetings, Many pressing matters
IV
Trivia, Busywork, Time wasters
Irrelevant mail or email, complaining,
Excessive TV or computer use
Not Important
 Individually, write in the grid above the activities you spend the most time doing at work.
 Find a new partner. Share your thoughts from the last two activities.
1. What do you want to spend more time doing at work? At home?
2. What activities seem to take you away from the important things that you want to achieve?
3. What changes would you like to make?
"The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your
complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one."
-- Mark Twain
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UW Sometimes and Aspiring Supervisor Series
Spring 2013 - Week 8
Difference between Projects and Processes
Project: a temporary and one-time endeavor that creates a unique product or service. Project
management needs organization of the resources and work required to complete it within defined scope,
time, and cost constraints. Example: Making a training videotape
Process: permanent or semi-permanent ongoing functional work that creates the same product or
service over-and-over again. Example: Processing Procard statements
The management of these two systems is often very different and requires different tools.
4. Tools for Managing Projects
Read the box below on the difference between managing projects and managing ongoing processes.
What questions do you have?
Let’s review a couple
2 Sample Tools for Project Management
Microsoft Project Software
5 PM Project Software
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UW Sometimes and Aspiring Supervisor Series
Spring 2013 - Week 8
4. Tools for Managing Projects –continued
You don’t have to do high tech, to do Project Management:
Examples of Grids To Manage Projects
(Can be hard copy or computer based)
Training Resource Center Office Log
Name
OFFICE ROUTINE (OPENING AND CLOSING)
Date
From
To
Message
Resolution
10/6
Mary
Lisa
Setup brainstorming time for Union 101Facilitators.
Make To-Do list for Union 101 on x drive.
Still looking for a date
10/6
Lisa
Kelly
Carol Buckingham from Dimensions called you back.
You can reach her at 608-332-4563
Kelly returned call on
11/7
WISCAL Calendar
Date
9:00 am
9:30 am
10:00 am
10:30 am
11:00 am
11:30 am
12:00 pm
12:30 pm
1:00 pm
Tasks
Anna: See Mary about nametag
project in your IN box
Shannon: Draft Task Analysis for
Attendance Clean Up
Anyone: Copy packets for Tuesday
workshop
Dion: Teach Shannon how to use
Mail Merge by Friday
Union 101 Self Study
Cashier Self Study
TRC meeting: NO SELF STUDIES
TRC meeting: NO SELF STUDIES
How about a good ole clip board?
Date In
Contact
Person
Assigned
10/11
Mary
Michelle
Enter Trainings in database from binder
10/21
10/21
DR
Shannon
Add Start Time/End Time to workshop Sign in
sheet
10/22
10/27
DR
Natalie
Schedule live U101 for (F) Jan 14. See DR for
time
Task
Date
Completed
What methods do you use to manage projects?
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Comments
Hard copy on
counter
UW Sometimes and Aspiring Supervisor Series
Spring 2013 - Week 8
5. Tools for Managing Processes
Critical Functions:
Identify tasks that must be performed daily, weekly, or monthly, even if primary person responsible
for task is absent. Also identifies the back-up person who has been trained.
Timing
Primary Person
Back-up Person
Check & respond to wutraining e-mail
Daily
Elizabeth
Office Staff
Create daily To Do and follow-up to ensure completion.
Daily
Michelle
Office Staff
Facilitate check-outs for online training classes.
Daily as needed
Office Staff
Bradley
Pick up & sort mail
Daily after 1:30pm
HR front desk
Bradley
If there is a training, confirm room on TITU
Daily, morning
Elizabeth
Bradley
Confirm # of packets, confirm facilitator, set-up cart
Daily, morning
1st shift person
Michelle
E-mail reminders to new staff for workshops
2-3 days prior to
workshop
Elizabeth
Elizabeth
Thursday afternoon
Anna
Elizabeth
Day after workshop
Elizabeth/ Anna
Office Staff
Weekly
Michelle
Tammy
Task
TRC Office Management
New Staff Workshop Support
Confirm that facilitator(s) & set-up staff have confirmed
for workshop
Enter workshop attendance into WUHRID, e-mail MU
& US Building Cashiers w/ Cashier attendance
Send training report to R:drive & e-mail supervisors
Your
Turn
Individually, identify some of the critical functions in your department.
Critical Functions
Task
Timing
1
2
3
4
5
6
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Primary
Person
Back-up
Person
UW Sometimes and Aspiring Supervisor Series
Spring 2013 - Week 8
5. Tools for Managing Processes —continued
Worksheet for Continuing Improvement
What am I most proud of from last year?
What are my wishes for this year?
or
What’s working well?
What do I wish was better?
TO DO List / Action Plan
What Do We Need TO DO?
Who Will Follow-Up?
What Needs further information, dialogue, etc?
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UW Sometimes and Aspiring Supervisor Series
Spring 2013 - Week 8
6. Letter to myself
Write a letter to yourself. See hand-out for directions.
7. Congratulations!
You have
Completed
the
UW Sometimes and Aspiring
Supervisors Series!
“Never doubt that a small group of concerned
citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is
the only thing that ever has.”
Margaret Mead
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