Planning and Choosing: Making a Time-Plan

MAKING A TIME-PLAN FOR AN EVENT

In this section you can practise:
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organising your time to best effect making the best use of time for yourself and the people around you

Objectives

Have you ever had to make a time-plan, or have you been involved in organising an event when a time-plan would have been useful? Write about your experience here:

What do you think?

Why is a time-plan a useful stage of organisation?

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Planning and Choosing: Making a Time-Plan

What exactly is a time-plan?

It is a plan, or an overview of what is happening and when. The time-plan can include space for who is responsible for each stage or task. Using a time-plan is one way to ensure that:
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targets are met things happen when they are supposed to nothing is overlooked or forgotten no details are missed out all the work is not left until the last moment the event runs smoothly

A time-plan should mean more control and less stress for those involved.

How to make a time-plan

Below are two methods commonly used to make time-plans. Look at both methods and decide if either would help you to organise an event. Remember: when deadlines have to be met it is important to have a margin of time in place as insurance against error or mishap, eg if something goes wrong at the last moment, you will have time to respond and to implement your contingency plan.

Method 1
Key events diary for fundraising 60s concert for local hospice The diary below is a record of all the tasks, and the order in which they need to be done, to ensure that everything is ready for the event on time and that it runs smoothly.

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Method 1 Key Events Diary FUNDRAISING CONCERT FRIDAY DECEMBER 1st MONTH Sept DATE Tues 5th KEY EVENTS 1ST Planning meeting TASKS Decide date, venue Decide artists, compre Plan the programme Estimate the cost Confirm date Book performers/artists and continuity announcer Prepare programme From 13 By 14th By 21st By 14th By 14th Tues 17th Nov By 4th By 4th By 25th By 25th Tues 7th 4TH Planning meeting 3RD Planning meeting Print the programme and tickets Arrange advertising Sponsorship of raffle prizes Distribute tickets to outlets and sellers for sale Compile final checklist Allocate tasks for the concert - Front of house manager, etc
th

By 23rd Tues 19TH Oct By 13th By 7th

2ND Planning meeting

Rehearsals Prepare contingency plan Detailed costing Book the hall/theatre Book the sound & lighting engineers

Thu 19th Fri 30th Dec Tues 5 th By 17th

Dress rehersal Concert Final meeting Evaluation of concert Arrangements for presentation of cheque & press coverage

Before 25TH

Presentation of funds to hospice

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Planning and Choosing: Making a Time-Plan

Method 2
Flow chart This chart has been drawn up in weekly segments and shows the flow of work that needs to be done over a period of time. Depending on what you are organising, flow charts can be drawn up, hourly, daily, weekly, whatever best suits your circumstances.

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Planning and Choosing: Making a Time-Plan

FUNDRAISING CONCERT FRIDAY DECEMBER 1st TASKS SEPT

12345 12345 12345 12345 12345 12345 12345 12345 12345 12345 12345 12345 12345 12345 12345 12345 12345 12345 12345 12345 12345 12345 12345 12345 12345 12345 12345 12345 12345 12345 12345

OCT

NOV

DEC

4 11 18 25 2 9 16 23 30 6 13 20 27 4 11 18

1 st Planning meeting Decide date, venue Plan the programme Decide artists, compre Estimate the cost 2nd Planning meeting Confirm date Book performers/artists and continuity announcer Prepare programme Prepare contingency plan Detail the cost Book the hall/theatre Book the sound & lighting engineers 3 rd Planning Meeting Print the programme and tickets Arrange advertising Sponsorship of raffle prizes Rehearsals Allocate tickets to outlets and sellers for sale 4th Planning meeting Compile final checklist Distribute tasks for the concert - Front of house manager, etc. Dress rehearsal Concert Final meeting Evaluation of concert Arrangements for presentation of cheque & press coverage Presentation of cheque to hospice

12345 12345 12345 12345 12345

12345 12345 12345 12345 12345 12345 12345 12345 12345 12345 12345 12345 12345 12345 12345 12345 12345 12345 12345

1234 1234 1234 1234

1234 1234 1234 1234 1234 1234 1234

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Planning and Choosing: Making a Time-Plan

Activity 1

Activity

Make a Wall Time Planner Now its your chance to make a time-plan. Either choose an event in your own life or read the case study below and create a time plan using one of the methods demonstrated above. For example, you could make a timeplan for redecorating your house, organising a sports tournament, putting on a play, a treatment schedule for someone recovering from a serious illness, a study schedule or introducing new equipment at work. Try to make your time-plan for something that is of particular interest to you. Use coloured pens to code different parts of your plan if you wish. Compare your results with others. If other members of the group have used different methods you can discuss which method you prefer and which is most effective for this example. You will need:
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large sheets of paper, A2 if possible coloured markers

Case Study

Reading Task

You are a member of staff at a local sports centre. The centre has sports halls, racket courts, a steam room, changing rooms, meeting and classrooms and a play group. When the play group could not meet the demand for its services, and had no room to expand, the centre decided to add an extension for a new, upgraded play group area. This left the old play group area free and was turned into a gym. The new play group facilities, and state of the art fitness suite, were funded by grants, a bank loan and local fundraising. They are now finished and ready for use and the manager of the centre would like to organise an official opening and launch. A staff meeting has been called to plan the opening.

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Activity 1 continued
Imagine that your study group is the work team that has to organise the opening. Appoint a Centre Manager from your group to chair the meeting, and make a time plan for the opening. The purpose of the planning meeting is to:
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Activity continued

set a date for the opening decide what will happen decide who will be invited

Brainstorm all the tasks that need to be done, then start to prioritise them in order of time. You should now be ready to draw up your time-plan.

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Planning and Choosing: Making a Time-Plan

Evaluation Questions
Would your time-plan have worked? Say why or why not.

What have you learned?

Could someone else read and understand your time-plan?

Yes

No

When could you use these methods again? Think of situations where you could apply them.

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