Determining Timelines
Having a clear timeline for activities can ensure that activities stay on track and that no task can slip through the cracks. This offers a way for team members to easily keep track of when a phase of the project begins and ends, and the deadline dates throughout. Tasks can be broken down into subtasks and given their own timeline to as granular a level as is necessary to complete the larger goal.
A timeline can be mapped out in multiple ways such as
- Start from the end. A college may have deadlines for when it would like to see improvements and when decisions need to be made to scale those improvements. In this case, the college can start by identifying when it would like to finish a phase and work backward to map out the timeline.
- Start from the beginning. A college may have constraints on when it can start improvement efforts. In this case, the college can start with the date on which it will begin to investigate the problem of practice and then map out the timeline moving forward.
- Start when it is most feasible to implement changes and/or collect data. The rollout and testing of an improvement may be the least flexible in terms of timing, as it may only make sense to pilot changes and/or collect data at certain points within the academic year.
How to
- Identify the detailed set of activities for each stage of the cycle.
- Assign a start and end date for each activity.
- Develop one or more key deadlines at which the lead will report on progress.
See the following chart for an example timeline.
Example
Activity
Stage:
PLAN
Activity:
Refine alignment strategy through discussions with faculty reps
Start Date
June 1, 2019
End Date
July 15, 2019
Deadline 1
Date:
June 10, 2019
What:
Finalize plan to get feedback
Deadline 2
Date:
June 30, 2019
What:
Finish collecting feedback from faculty reps
Deadline 3
Date:
July 15, 2019
What:
Finalize plan for refined alignment strategy