No NA for an active project?

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NA_johnny

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Is it a rule to write down at least one next action for an active project? What if the project is so familiar it’s already routine? Do you still have to write down one next action even if you would already know all the next actions required just by looking at the project title? I know DA explicitly says that project list should not serve as action reminders, but I do that sometimes if the project is one that I’ve been doing a lot of and for a long time already, such as sales presentations. The action steps are basically the same, with just some slight tweaks for customizations. It’s not a quick project (so I have to write it down in my project list to remind me I have such a project), but it’s a familiarly easy one (so I don’t write down the next actions).
 
Do you typically run down your project list at least once a day to realize you have work to do on a sales presentation? That's not part of GTD. The reason it goes on your next action lists is because that's where you're looking to see what you need to work on. You don't need to write out all the steps. Just put the first task on the appropriate list. If you can do the whole thing in one fell swoop, you don't have to put any other task down. If you get interrupted, jot down the next task on the appropriate list and go with the interruption.
 
It sounds like you could use a check list on these sales presentations. While they are routine, there is sufficient changes from one to the next that you don't want to miss any key points etc.
 
I agree with what the other's have said. I often have to do peer and employee reviews and each time it's pretty much the same. So I have this project template that lists all the tasks that I need to do and just check them off one-by-one to make sure I don't miss anything.

That way, I don't even need to think about the next action, just follow the routine tasks that I've written down.
 
I have to admit, there’s still a fairly small amount of thinking I have to do when glancing down my project list – what’s this project’s status? What’s the next action? I agree the process would be much more streamlined and efficient if the next actions are already defined at their proper contexts, no matter how obvious the NAs are. That’s something that has slipped from me for a long time, because I thought writing down “obvious” action steps would be overkill and a waste of time. Apparently, having to glance down the project list for actions is much more tedious, in addition to not being able to trust that my lists are complete for all my active projects. I would definitely try to install this new habit.

How do you use the checklist? Do you write down “see sales presentation checklist”? On which context?
 
NA_johnny
The following may help with checklist:

http://www.ezinearticles.com/?Using...ness-and-Eliminate-the-Oops-Moments&id=279640

Form my vantage point you should use a sales presentation checklist ever time you create a sales presentation. So it should be part of your general reference material, within arms reach.

Remember ever time you get on a plane the pilot and co-pilot have gone through a pre flight checklist, start up checklist etc. You will find that there are many occupations and situations were checklists are used and expected too be used. So to answer your statement "writing down “obvious” action steps would be overkill and a waste of time" is not correct!
 
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