Sunday, September 25, 2005
BEST TO-DO LIST SOFTWARE ON THE PLANET
WHAT IS A TO-DO?
A To-Do is a proposed action that has linear direction to an objective (object, target, goal). A To-Do may be singular or complex. Getting a cup of coffee may involve walking across the room and picking up an already brewed cup on the table. Or, it may involve going to the kitchen to make a pot of coffee (and what to-do while it is brewing?). Or, it may involve going out to the garage, firing up the car, driving to Starbucks, standing in line, making a decision what kind, what pastry accompaniments, and whether to buy a New York Times if the free version isn't laying around. Or, it may even be more complex, since the direct road to Starbucks is out for construction and the less direct route goes by your brother's house and you need to drop off the camera you borrowed from him, on the way.
That's just a cup of coffee. How about something really complex, like meeting a potential client next Wednesday, or a job interview, or writing a report that your manager has been bugging you about?
WHAT IS A TO-DO LIST?
A To-Do List is a List you make, or share, that includes proposed To-Dos you can't do now, are not entirely confident you can remember without noting some details, and believe that you ought to get done to achieve positive goals or to avoid negative consequences.
Getting a cup of coffee probably won't make your To-Do List. It's too immediate, too habitual, and you aren't likely to forget it. But, for a special meeting with a client next Wednesday, who specifically requests a cup of Starbucks every time he visits, getting a cup of coffee might make your to-do list. And, how, when, and to whom you are going to delegate the assignment.
HOW MANY KINDS OF TO-DO LISTS ARE THERE?
There are 3 levels of basic To-Do lists. The first level is the immediate right now list, by which you note anything you think you ought to be doing right now and then decide what's the priority; and, then assess whether you can pull it off, and if not, why not. Let's call that The Immediate Priority List.
The next level is the Daily List, by which you pull together a list of "candidate" priorities, to assist you in creating a chain or sequence of linear priority choices that carry you from one end of the day to the other with best choices.
The third level is the Inventory or Reserve List, where things you can't or shouldn't do today get "kicked" into longer term storage, to be called back as needed, with all their mnemonic power subject to any notation you have provided.
WHY IS THE MASTERLIST THE BEST TO-DO LIST SOFTWARE ON THE PLANET?
The MasterList handles all 3 levels of To-Do Lists at fast, flexible screens that pull all your notations together for fast recall of ideas you previously jotted down. The key to The MasterList "system" is the project orientation for the To-Dos. If you think about it, almost anything you can't do now, but don't want to forget is probably associated with a larger goal or responsibility. For instance, getting that cup of coffee for the potential client next week, is really associated with a project associated with that potential client. For an established client, it might be a specific project, which is one of many. For a new client, just getting the client might be the project.
So, once you realize that you can only be participating in one direct linear action at any given moment of your life, the minute you get any idea about an un-related potential direct linear action that can't be accomplished right now, you are in a potential Reserve Listing Situation. Otherwise, you would just do it right now. Or, forgetabout it.
Memory is not a good idea when it comes to memorizing ideas. That is particularly true about remembering To-Dos. The MasterList creates projects which provide relational organization (boxing, binning) for to-dos. In fact, what is more relational for any potential to-do than the larger project to which you relationally ascribe it? Can you think of any To-Do you can't do now, are worried about forgetting, and believe is important to achieve a positive goal you have set for yourself, or to avoid an embarrassing negative consequence? Do you want to insure your ability to get it done, or to at least keep this To-Do in play to have a fighting chance with other priority To-Dos when the right moment comes to put it into play as that One Linear Action that is possible Right Then to the exclusion of some other worthy (or unworthy) candidate for your attention? If so, here's a dare. Try to name one potential prospective To-Do in your universe that CAN'T be assigned a relationship to any other potential To-Do in the context of something you think of and NAME as a project!
OK. The MasterList gives you project screens to dump your reserved to-dos. These are easily accessible by alpha-numeric naming conventions, keyword search, and larger umbrella categories that separate House projects, from Yard projects, from Finance projects; and, steel customers, from plastic customers, and east customers from west customers. The minute you think of a To-Do you can slap-dash it right into the project with a proposed trigger date to call it back to your attention, with 400-1000 characters of notation, with associated links to web sites, docs, and files, and with notepads where you can dump reams of information.
That's Level 3, which is where you always go from a Level 1 analysis in the immediate.
As for Level 2, The MasterList provides a Daily List called My Day. That's where all your future potential To-Dos route their way back to you through the funnel of triggered time. And, because you may have hundreds of To-Dos on your mind, not just dozens, The MasterList provides tools to pare the Daily List down to a manageable, realistic List of what you might, could, or ought to do today, by giving you tools to re-reserve those To-Dos which aren't realistic for today's "short list". These tools include color prioritization, task codes, and time-blasting tools to "push" what can't be done ahead, so that what you see in front of you is a short list of what's been "pulled' according to your own criteria.
SO, WHAT'S THE RECAP?
1. To-Dos are potential linear actions.
2. Only one To-Do can be performed at a time.
3. Important To-Dos that can't be done now have to be listed.
4. Project Lists are natural boxes for housing relationally associated To-Dos and notations.
5. Daily Lists should reflect new ideas that are being pushed in as rejects in the immediate moment, but also should reflect previously reserved or inventoried ideas that are being timely pulled in by trigger dates from the project lists.
6. Lists should be kept clean and clear or they don't work.
7. The MasterList software is the only software on the planet that helps you do all of the above with no misses and comfortable margins for implementing all your potential priorites.
WHAT IS A TO-DO?
A To-Do is a proposed action that has linear direction to an objective (object, target, goal). A To-Do may be singular or complex. Getting a cup of coffee may involve walking across the room and picking up an already brewed cup on the table. Or, it may involve going to the kitchen to make a pot of coffee (and what to-do while it is brewing?). Or, it may involve going out to the garage, firing up the car, driving to Starbucks, standing in line, making a decision what kind, what pastry accompaniments, and whether to buy a New York Times if the free version isn't laying around. Or, it may even be more complex, since the direct road to Starbucks is out for construction and the less direct route goes by your brother's house and you need to drop off the camera you borrowed from him, on the way.
That's just a cup of coffee. How about something really complex, like meeting a potential client next Wednesday, or a job interview, or writing a report that your manager has been bugging you about?
WHAT IS A TO-DO LIST?
A To-Do List is a List you make, or share, that includes proposed To-Dos you can't do now, are not entirely confident you can remember without noting some details, and believe that you ought to get done to achieve positive goals or to avoid negative consequences.
Getting a cup of coffee probably won't make your To-Do List. It's too immediate, too habitual, and you aren't likely to forget it. But, for a special meeting with a client next Wednesday, who specifically requests a cup of Starbucks every time he visits, getting a cup of coffee might make your to-do list. And, how, when, and to whom you are going to delegate the assignment.
HOW MANY KINDS OF TO-DO LISTS ARE THERE?
There are 3 levels of basic To-Do lists. The first level is the immediate right now list, by which you note anything you think you ought to be doing right now and then decide what's the priority; and, then assess whether you can pull it off, and if not, why not. Let's call that The Immediate Priority List.
The next level is the Daily List, by which you pull together a list of "candidate" priorities, to assist you in creating a chain or sequence of linear priority choices that carry you from one end of the day to the other with best choices.
The third level is the Inventory or Reserve List, where things you can't or shouldn't do today get "kicked" into longer term storage, to be called back as needed, with all their mnemonic power subject to any notation you have provided.
WHY IS THE MASTERLIST THE BEST TO-DO LIST SOFTWARE ON THE PLANET?
The MasterList handles all 3 levels of To-Do Lists at fast, flexible screens that pull all your notations together for fast recall of ideas you previously jotted down. The key to The MasterList "system" is the project orientation for the To-Dos. If you think about it, almost anything you can't do now, but don't want to forget is probably associated with a larger goal or responsibility. For instance, getting that cup of coffee for the potential client next week, is really associated with a project associated with that potential client. For an established client, it might be a specific project, which is one of many. For a new client, just getting the client might be the project.
So, once you realize that you can only be participating in one direct linear action at any given moment of your life, the minute you get any idea about an un-related potential direct linear action that can't be accomplished right now, you are in a potential Reserve Listing Situation. Otherwise, you would just do it right now. Or, forgetabout it.
Memory is not a good idea when it comes to memorizing ideas. That is particularly true about remembering To-Dos. The MasterList creates projects which provide relational organization (boxing, binning) for to-dos. In fact, what is more relational for any potential to-do than the larger project to which you relationally ascribe it? Can you think of any To-Do you can't do now, are worried about forgetting, and believe is important to achieve a positive goal you have set for yourself, or to avoid an embarrassing negative consequence? Do you want to insure your ability to get it done, or to at least keep this To-Do in play to have a fighting chance with other priority To-Dos when the right moment comes to put it into play as that One Linear Action that is possible Right Then to the exclusion of some other worthy (or unworthy) candidate for your attention? If so, here's a dare. Try to name one potential prospective To-Do in your universe that CAN'T be assigned a relationship to any other potential To-Do in the context of something you think of and NAME as a project!
OK. The MasterList gives you project screens to dump your reserved to-dos. These are easily accessible by alpha-numeric naming conventions, keyword search, and larger umbrella categories that separate House projects, from Yard projects, from Finance projects; and, steel customers, from plastic customers, and east customers from west customers. The minute you think of a To-Do you can slap-dash it right into the project with a proposed trigger date to call it back to your attention, with 400-1000 characters of notation, with associated links to web sites, docs, and files, and with notepads where you can dump reams of information.
That's Level 3, which is where you always go from a Level 1 analysis in the immediate.
As for Level 2, The MasterList provides a Daily List called My Day. That's where all your future potential To-Dos route their way back to you through the funnel of triggered time. And, because you may have hundreds of To-Dos on your mind, not just dozens, The MasterList provides tools to pare the Daily List down to a manageable, realistic List of what you might, could, or ought to do today, by giving you tools to re-reserve those To-Dos which aren't realistic for today's "short list". These tools include color prioritization, task codes, and time-blasting tools to "push" what can't be done ahead, so that what you see in front of you is a short list of what's been "pulled' according to your own criteria.
SO, WHAT'S THE RECAP?
1. To-Dos are potential linear actions.
2. Only one To-Do can be performed at a time.
3. Important To-Dos that can't be done now have to be listed.
4. Project Lists are natural boxes for housing relationally associated To-Dos and notations.
5. Daily Lists should reflect new ideas that are being pushed in as rejects in the immediate moment, but also should reflect previously reserved or inventoried ideas that are being timely pulled in by trigger dates from the project lists.
6. Lists should be kept clean and clear or they don't work.
7. The MasterList software is the only software on the planet that helps you do all of the above with no misses and comfortable margins for implementing all your potential priorites.
Sunday, September 18, 2005
A JUST IN TIME ANALYSIS OF THE LITIGATION PROCESS DEMONSTRATES WHY THE MASTERLIST IS A TOOL, GENERALLY, FOR PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Just In Time (JIT) Inventory is a method for timing the delivery of assembly components to a manufacturer from a supplier so that the manufacturer does not have to maintain a warehouse of "stock" components, but gets them delivered directly from the manufacturer only when needed and just as needed, keeping only a bare minimum of stock components in reserve.
The litigation process involves multiple projects (cases) that proceed in fits and starts, across the board, with one manager (the lead attorney) responsible for managing differentiality, as well as taking responsibility for completion/closure (trial/winning/settling/final drafting). In this sense, the litigation process acts more like multiple assembly lines for multiple diverse products operating under one manufacturing roof, rather than a single line turning out variations on a fundamental theme.
Why is it not true that every case is like every other case right down to the last detail, like a Toyota Prius might be? A single Prius assembly line can spit out diverse colors and diverse options, but the basics of every Prius turned out are 100% identical. The Toyota Way combined with a Just In Time (JIT) Inventory process enables Toyota to create stylistic and functional variances in a single model which occur all along a single line without interrupting the flow of the line.
Here are the dilemmas and questions which are posed by a JIT analysis of the litigation process:
1. Is the caseload of an attorney a single line with multiple variations on a single model?
2. Or, is a litigation caseload, a multiple line involving the assembly of multiple models?
3. If multiple cases present as multiple models, why are they so similar?
4. If multiple cases present as single models, why are cases not amenable to streamlined assembly?
HOW A MASTERLIST USER/LITIGATOR ANSWERS THESE QUESTIONS
Cases, like any projects, have lives of their own which are, to a degree, independent of the assembly process by which work product relative to those cases is produced. So, answering a complaint could be a station on a litigation defense assembly line. But, each complaint is possibly unique and the judgment necessary to review it cannot be 100% or even 98% standardized. Even if there is only a 1 in 50 chance that a complaint contains non-standard material sufficient to trigger special attention, all 50 examples must be reviewed. This can be done by non-lawyers. It cannot yet be done by scanning software combined with review software with automated intelligence.
Because ethical and malpractice considerations require attorney review and because procedural errors can be fatal, this review work is generally conducted, or at least supervised by attorneys. Thus, even a non-complex, fairly simple, early step in the litigation defense assembly process requires special inspection skills by a specialist. This inspection could become standardized, in practice, and handed off to paralegals and other assistant specialists with less training than the lawyer litigator. If so, an assembly line process could begin.
It is theoretically possible to have a legal assembly line for litigation defense, for example, based on a team concept with procedural stations, thusly: Intake, Answer Complaint, Generate Written Discovery, Generate Deposition Notices, Record Review, Take and Defend Depositions, Evaluate Liability, Evaluate Damages, Plan Trial, Organize Trial, Try the case.
Notice however at how many stages the personal involvement of the specialist is required. Consider also that almost every case no matter how much like any other contains variables that make outcomes decidedly different at the later stations on the assembly line.
This is why litigation assembly lines (LAL's), with true litigation teams, do not typically exist. These LAL's are strictly hypothetical. Thus, there is a process conflict in litigation management. There is a false assumption that many cases are being worked on one assembly line, whereas, in real practice, the assembly line is the mind of the practicing attorney jumping from case to case, trying to track a single line through multiple models.
If the Toyota assembly line worked like the mind of a litigator it would look like this: Red Prius coming down the line for an engine, switched off line to an inventory sidetrack, while Grey Lexus shifted in for a paint job, switched off line to an inventory sidetrack while Blue Prius with leather seats shifted in for strip-out of leather seats and replacement with synthetic due to allergy of client. And, if the attorney has 60 or 90 cases, then it becomes all the more complicated.
The MasterList solution as it relates to the litigation assembly line process is to see the process for what it is. In this sense, litigation assembly is much like any other professional project management activity. It transcends the assembly line model, which cannot envelop it.
This is why The MasterList was developed along a project management architecture. The assembly line in complex projects is literally metaphysical and requires constant quantum jumps from project to project and position to position. Yet lean demands on technique require that the process be simplified to compete economically under constant price pressures from all sides.
The MasterList is a system for metaphysical lean. Whether you are a litigator or a project manager in any field, the assembly line is the path you are taking through the multiplicity of projects. Lean, Toyota Way, kanban, kaizen. That occurs in the switch points, the switch recognitions, and the quality of the switches from one track to another, pulling what's Next into what's Now with unbelievable preciseness, good timing, and efficiency.
The MasterList is a tool for managing all the switches. It's that simple. Best of all, it's easy to learn. Almost brainlessly so. But, sticking with it requires discipline and studied insight to keep awareness of all the potential switches in all the projects/cases up and running. The beauty, is that it really works.
Enjoy.
Just In Time (JIT) Inventory is a method for timing the delivery of assembly components to a manufacturer from a supplier so that the manufacturer does not have to maintain a warehouse of "stock" components, but gets them delivered directly from the manufacturer only when needed and just as needed, keeping only a bare minimum of stock components in reserve.
The litigation process involves multiple projects (cases) that proceed in fits and starts, across the board, with one manager (the lead attorney) responsible for managing differentiality, as well as taking responsibility for completion/closure (trial/winning/settling/final drafting). In this sense, the litigation process acts more like multiple assembly lines for multiple diverse products operating under one manufacturing roof, rather than a single line turning out variations on a fundamental theme.
Why is it not true that every case is like every other case right down to the last detail, like a Toyota Prius might be? A single Prius assembly line can spit out diverse colors and diverse options, but the basics of every Prius turned out are 100% identical. The Toyota Way combined with a Just In Time (JIT) Inventory process enables Toyota to create stylistic and functional variances in a single model which occur all along a single line without interrupting the flow of the line.
Here are the dilemmas and questions which are posed by a JIT analysis of the litigation process:
1. Is the caseload of an attorney a single line with multiple variations on a single model?
2. Or, is a litigation caseload, a multiple line involving the assembly of multiple models?
3. If multiple cases present as multiple models, why are they so similar?
4. If multiple cases present as single models, why are cases not amenable to streamlined assembly?
HOW A MASTERLIST USER/LITIGATOR ANSWERS THESE QUESTIONS
Cases, like any projects, have lives of their own which are, to a degree, independent of the assembly process by which work product relative to those cases is produced. So, answering a complaint could be a station on a litigation defense assembly line. But, each complaint is possibly unique and the judgment necessary to review it cannot be 100% or even 98% standardized. Even if there is only a 1 in 50 chance that a complaint contains non-standard material sufficient to trigger special attention, all 50 examples must be reviewed. This can be done by non-lawyers. It cannot yet be done by scanning software combined with review software with automated intelligence.
Because ethical and malpractice considerations require attorney review and because procedural errors can be fatal, this review work is generally conducted, or at least supervised by attorneys. Thus, even a non-complex, fairly simple, early step in the litigation defense assembly process requires special inspection skills by a specialist. This inspection could become standardized, in practice, and handed off to paralegals and other assistant specialists with less training than the lawyer litigator. If so, an assembly line process could begin.
It is theoretically possible to have a legal assembly line for litigation defense, for example, based on a team concept with procedural stations, thusly: Intake, Answer Complaint, Generate Written Discovery, Generate Deposition Notices, Record Review, Take and Defend Depositions, Evaluate Liability, Evaluate Damages, Plan Trial, Organize Trial, Try the case.
Notice however at how many stages the personal involvement of the specialist is required. Consider also that almost every case no matter how much like any other contains variables that make outcomes decidedly different at the later stations on the assembly line.
This is why litigation assembly lines (LAL's), with true litigation teams, do not typically exist. These LAL's are strictly hypothetical. Thus, there is a process conflict in litigation management. There is a false assumption that many cases are being worked on one assembly line, whereas, in real practice, the assembly line is the mind of the practicing attorney jumping from case to case, trying to track a single line through multiple models.
If the Toyota assembly line worked like the mind of a litigator it would look like this: Red Prius coming down the line for an engine, switched off line to an inventory sidetrack, while Grey Lexus shifted in for a paint job, switched off line to an inventory sidetrack while Blue Prius with leather seats shifted in for strip-out of leather seats and replacement with synthetic due to allergy of client. And, if the attorney has 60 or 90 cases, then it becomes all the more complicated.
The MasterList solution as it relates to the litigation assembly line process is to see the process for what it is. In this sense, litigation assembly is much like any other professional project management activity. It transcends the assembly line model, which cannot envelop it.
This is why The MasterList was developed along a project management architecture. The assembly line in complex projects is literally metaphysical and requires constant quantum jumps from project to project and position to position. Yet lean demands on technique require that the process be simplified to compete economically under constant price pressures from all sides.
The MasterList is a system for metaphysical lean. Whether you are a litigator or a project manager in any field, the assembly line is the path you are taking through the multiplicity of projects. Lean, Toyota Way, kanban, kaizen. That occurs in the switch points, the switch recognitions, and the quality of the switches from one track to another, pulling what's Next into what's Now with unbelievable preciseness, good timing, and efficiency.
The MasterList is a tool for managing all the switches. It's that simple. Best of all, it's easy to learn. Almost brainlessly so. But, sticking with it requires discipline and studied insight to keep awareness of all the potential switches in all the projects/cases up and running. The beauty, is that it really works.
Enjoy.
