How to improve wrench efficiency

• Individual tasks on the monthly priorities tab (task descriptions) are categorized under the various activities and objectives shown on the data entry tab. In this way they can be linked and rolled up into the time-motion study.
• As you think of tasks which need to be completed in a future month, insert a line on the monthly priorities tab along with time estimates and notes so planning the next month’s objectives becomes easy.
• To make recordkeeping practical, record activity blocks in 15-minute intervals. Try to avoid rounding up and attempt to keep the most accurate records as possible.
• Develop a category called “unaccounted for time” as a catch-all for any activities that take less than 15 minutes or for blocks of time where you completely lose focus because of interruptions, true emergencies, or when multiple activities come at you simultaneously. You might be surprised how often this occurs early in the study. You very well might lose track of time for 30 to 45 minutes quite easily when you become distracted or when things come at you from multiple directions.
• Try to come to work each day with a mental plan of what you hope to accomplish that day. As your discipline improves, you will find this gets easier and easier. Realize some days will bring emergencies and your best laid plans will go in the tank. Don’t get discouraged. Shake it off and come to work the next day with the attitude that things will be better.
• It only takes about 10 minutes each day to keep track of time. Keep a piece of paper sitting on the corner of your desk and record time blocks as you move from task to task. At the end of the day, record the information into the time-motion spreadsheet.

After three months of recordkeeping, I developed a clearer understanding of where my time was going. The results of the time-motion study, combining several objectives and activity categories into broader ones for graphical clarity, are shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3. Breakdown of the first three months of the time-motion study.

Several interesting observations made during the study presented the cold hard facts, painting a revealing if not disturbing picture of inefficiencies I had subconsciously developed over time in my work habits.

• I was working on average 56.8 hours a week.
• 21% of my time was either unaccounted for, spent answering emails, or on other administrative tasks.
• I became too easily distracted. I noticed I had the habit of reading emails which popped up on my computer screen instead of staying focused on the task at hand.
• I did not always know what I planned to accomplish on any given day. Sure I had planned activities and meetings scheduled, but, quite often, I did not have a blueprint for the entire day clearly laid out in my mind before I went to work.
• I did not always organize my work in large enough blocks of time to create synergistic efficiency. Instead, at times, I randomly moved from task to task on the day I became aware of it. I did this quite often with the daily tasks associated with program management. An email came in; I looked at it and took care of it.
• 16% of my time was spent addressing supervisor, other senior manager and executive, and peer requests, most of which were not made with a time horizon that allowed me to schedule and plan them. Most of these requests had a short time horizon and were not planned or accounted for at the beginning of the month. If the requestor felt it needed to be done sooner than later, I was forced into deviating from my plan.
• I spent far too little time on personal development and growth. Even though I scheduled time each week for this activity, it was always the first thing to go when I needed to meet an approaching deadline. While this produced short-term results, it hindered long-term growth.
• Many times, I made a commitment without knowing whether I had given a realistic completion date. This forced me into working longer hours, delaying work on less critical projects to meet the deadline, or missing the deadline.
• I did not always know which activities produced the greatest return on time investment. I could measure payback, but since I didn't keep track of time spent, I did not know the return on my investment. This hurt my ability to focus my attention on the top priorities.

You’ve heard the idiom that necessity is the mother of all invention. Well, in my case, discovery was the mother of mine. I committed myself to re-invent the way I approached work in hopes of improving my efficiency. Out of the observations listed above and additional self discoveries made along the way, I embarked down the wrench efficiency road to self-improvement. I put together and executed the following action plan:

• I set a goal for myself to work 50 hours/week or less. I was committed to having more time and energy for the other important activities in my life.
• I identified the Quadrant III activities, which made up 21% of the time I spent at work, and resolved to reduce these wasted activities. Other than important emails, which I was expecting, I stopped reading my emails throughout the day, devoting time at the beginning and end of the day and over lunch to read and answer them.
• Emails responding to action items associated with the various programs I managed were not answered the day they were received. Instead, they were moved to a folder on Outlook. They were read and answered in scheduled time blocks to create synergistic efficiencies.
• I got better and better at anticipating peer and executive requests. The monthly objectives I sent to the senior managers included the commitments they needed to make for me to complete the stated objectives. In a way, I was asking them to share the responsibility for improving my wrench efficiency.
• Unless it was a true emergency, I reviewed existing planned workload before making commitments to new requests. I also asked for realistic “when do you need it” dates. When it did not seem possible to meet the date, I prioritized existing work and communicated to senior management and the original requestors which objectives I would need to defer to complete the new request. Reaching agreement and communicating the inability to meet a deadline as soon as it is recognized helps credibility and does less damage to your reputation as someone who is reliable and honors commitments than if you wait until the last moment to let someone know you will not meet your commitment.

A commitment to the above stated goals, a little bit of hard work, and a disciplined approach combined to produce the results I desired. The time-motion study in Figure 4, with the same category combining for graphical clarity, illustrates improved performance in several key areas.

Figure 4. Breakdown of the most recent three months of the time-motion study (April-June 2013).

Planned activity and wrench efficiencies improved dramatically. Additionally, reductions in hours spent on non-core activities allowed an additional number of planned hours to be scheduled each month. The greatest improvement was seen in the number of executed project hours, which more than doubled (Table 1).

Table 1. The greatest improvement was seen in the number of executed project hours, which more than doubled.

Two of the most significant benefits realized from completing this exercise might, at first, appear intangible. But having a better understanding of the time it takes to complete tasks allows the reliability professional to better prioritize opportunities and set realistic completion dates for requests. As you get better at managing your workload and meeting deadlines, you will instill confidence and build trust among peers, senior management, and executive management. You, the reliability professional, will create the perception that you are reliable.

Figure 5. Nothing motivates like a constant reminder of what is truly important in life.

A side benefit was a reduction in hours worked, dipping from the aforementioned 56.8 hours/week down to 51.9. Not quite my 50 hour/week goal, but I’ll take it. Throughout the process, I kept this goal at the forefront of my thinking. I tend to be a conceptual thinker, so I find it helpful to create visual reminders to help me stay focused on my goals. The graph shown in Figure 5 hangs on the wall of my work and home offices as a constant reminder of what is truly important in my life.

Be careful not to confuse efficiency with effectiveness. As a Type A personality, I can get very passionate and zealous about squeezing the most out of every minute of the day. Remember the comment about reading my emails when I eat lunch. Relational effectiveness is important to success in any profession or activity. Unfortunately, it took me a long time to learn this. Care should be taken to retain the ability to change focus from tasks to people whenever interruptions occur during the workday. If you cannot change focus to actively listen to those who knock on your door asking for “five minutes” of your time, all the completed projects in the world will not erase the perception that you do not care about or have time for people.

In summary, the time-motion exercise and tools have helped me to understand how to work efficiently; stay focused on the task at hand, and prioritize work more effectively. A personal development coach I know has a favorite saying, “Where you look is where you will go.” Treat this activity like a roadmap between two points; the time-motion study reveals where you are at, the goals you set for yourself are your final destination, and the action plan you commit to completing is the highway which will ultimately get you there. In conclusion, consider this question: If you currently do not know where you are at, how can you possibly get to where you want to go?