Next action for a project

[kissa]

As I understand for each project there should always be a next action, and I am not sure but I think it should be only one? Even if there are various possible next actions that would move the project forward and that don't need to be done in a specific order?

So, when that action is done, what should one do? Go into the project and decide on the next action? Or put something into the inbox so a next action is decided in the next processing time?

I am not sure if brainstorming a project and deciding on next actions for it is an action in itself or it is just processing.

Could I during the brainstorming and planning of the project decide on various actions that need to be done and then just add one as the previous one is completed?

Sorry if this is a bit too basic, still trying to get my head around it all.
And thanks in advance for any help

 

[bishblaize]

Firstly you dont have to only have one action on a project. On a larger project you probably wont, you'll probably have 2 or more parallel bits, either of which could be done. So if you're project is to paint a room, you could have "buy paint" "borrow some dust covers" and "dig out some old clothes" as next actions at once.

However I think you mean things that are dependant on one another - for example you cant draft a report until you got the information from someone else. "email Bob asking for info" would be one next action "draft report with bobs info" would be the second.

I use a few different methods here.

I almost always start out with a brainstorm, which will normally give me a rough outline of the plan of the project. That could be "get some info, draft a report, send it to my team for checking, finalise, proof read and send". I sometimes write that down in a list, but there are not next actions, theyre just helpful reminders of the general direction of the project. That way as I progress through the project I kind of know where im up to.

Sometimes I might write an action but not make it active. This only works if you have software where you tag next actions and it puts in a list for you. In Onenote, if the next action is really obvious ("buy present for bob" followed by "give present to bob") I might write the second action and not tag it. That it way its not in my list, but when i come to the page in onenote I can just give it a tag and it will then appear in my context lists. This is just a little timesaver, and not really worth worrying about too much.

You could in theory queue up all the next actions. In practice though I tend to find that most projects end up a bit more circuitous than you expect, so you may be writing down next actions that become redundant because the world changes while you werent looking. If all your projects go precisely as you planned at the beginning, give me your email, I want to hire you

RE whether brainstorming is an action, id be interested to hear what others have to say. Most of the time I have brainstorming a project as an action unto itself. This is simply because I do it better either stood at a whiteboard or going out to some busy coffee place and mindmapping there. Also coming up with new projects (that is community projects, not GTD projects) is a large part of my job so I have a half a dozen new ideas I'm trying to tease out at any one time. It seems like my weekly review would take a long time if I did these at the same time. As ever though, other views are welcome.

 

[TesTeq]

At least one Next Action.

As I understand for each project there should always be a next action, and I am not sure but I think it should be only one? Even if there are various possible next actions that would move the project forward and that don't need to be done in a specific order?

For each active Project you should have at least one Next Action.