Planning and Choosing: Making a Time-Plan

MAKING A TIME-PLAN FOR AN EVENT

In this section you can practise:

● 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:

● 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 60’s 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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Planning and Choosing: Making a Time-Plan

Method 1 – Key Events Diary

FUNDRAISING CONCERT – FRIDAY DECEMBER 1st

MONTH DATE KEY EVENTS TASKS

Sept Tues 5th 1ST Planning meeting Decide date, venue

Decide artists, compère
Plan the programme
By 23rd Estimate the cost
Tues 19TH 2ND Planning meeting Confirm date

Oct By 7th Book performers/artists

and continuity announcer
By 13th Prepare programme
th
From 13 Rehearsals
By 14th Prepare contingency plan
By 21st Detailed costing
By 14th Book the hall/theatre
By 14th Book the sound & lighting
engineers
Tues 17th 3RD Planning meeting

Nov By 4th Print the programme and

tickets
By 4th Arrange advertising
By 25th Sponsorship of raffle prizes
By 25th Distribute tickets to outlets
and sellers for sale
Tues 7th 4TH Planning meeting Compile final checklist
Allocate tasks for the
concert - Front of house
manager, etc
Thu 19th Dress rehersal
Fri 30th Concert

Dec Tues 5 th Final meeting Evaluation of concert

By 17th Arrangements for
presentation of cheque &
press coverage
Before Presentation of funds
25TH 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 OCT NOV DEC

4 11 18 25 2 9 16 23 30 6 13 20 27 4 11 18
12345
12345
12345
12345
12345
1 st Planning meeting 12345
12345
12345
12345
12345
Decide date, venue 12345
12345
12345
12345
Plan the programme 12345
12345
12345
12345
Decide artists, compère 12345
12345
12345
Estimate the cost 12345
12345
12345
12345
2nd Planning meeting 12345
12345
12345
12345
Confirm date 12345
12345
Book performers/artists
and continuity announcer
Prepare programme
Prepare contingency plan
Detail the cost
Book the hall/theatre
Book the sound &
lighting engineers 12345
12345
12345
3 rd Planning Meeting 12345
12345
Print the programme and
tickets
Arrange advertising
Sponsorship of raffle prizes
Rehearsals
Allocate tickets to outlets
and sellers for sale 12345
12345
12345
12345
4th Planning meeting 12345
12345
12345
12345
Compile final checklist 12345
12345
12345
12345
Distribute tasks for the concert 12345
12345
12345
12345
12345
- Front of house manager, etc. 12345
12345
1234
1234
Dress rehearsal 1234
1234
Concert 1234
1234
1234
Final meeting 1234
1234
Evaluation of concert 1234
1234
Arrangements for presentation
of cheque & press coverage
Presentation of cheque to
hospice

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 Planning and Choosing: Making a Time-Plan

Activity 1

Make a Wall Time Planner

Activity
Now it’s 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 time-
plan 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:

● large sheets of paper, A2 if possible

● coloured markers

Case Study

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
Reading 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
Task
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 Activity
plan for the opening. continued
The purpose of the planning meeting is to:

● 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 Yes No

your time-plan?

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

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