Templates are one of my favorite ways to reduce overall performance load.
I am always looking for ways to create templates for similar activities.
What made my first contract so difficult was that I had to create all of my templates at the same time as executing a very complicated project.
EVERYTHING was built from scratch. For myself AND for the client.
- Project plans
- Documentation templates
- Budget templates
- Reporting templates
Nevermind all of the templates I needed for my new business – contracts, rate sheets, standard communications. etc.
Building those templates took performance load resources (mine) away from where they appropriately belonged – project execution.
Time and energy spent in project administration and developing status reports is time and energy not available for creating solutions.
If you are the person who has to do the work for the project, as well as with managing the work for the project, the impact increases.
Templates provide:
- A checklist to help make sure that all components are included.
- A baseline that can be modified and changed as needed.
- Consistency – which communicates professionalism and reliability. People generally like predictability.
- Reduced work – since you already have something that can be manipulated vs. creating from scratch.
- The ability to focus on the work at hand vs. creating the systems to report and administer the work at hand.
Because I find templates so powerful, I actively look for opportunities to create and leverage templates.
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