Subprojects v. Projects

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furashgf

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At what point do people put items on their project list v. just keep it as a subproject of an existing project? I tend to spin off one, no matter how small, if it has a clear and discrete and multiple steps, and there's a lot going on with the parent project. Is this the way others handle it?

I'm just bringing it up because software gives you the ability to complicate this - with mindmaps and outlines you can have nested subprojects.
 
I go back and forth on this as well. Right now I have no subprojects, although technically some are. Currently I prefer the simple straight list of all active projects. Many future projects though are nested as projects and subprojects, since I was trying that for a while. S/M's are not. Looks like I have a new NA: make my project lists uniform.
 
re: Spinning Off Sub-Projects

I've been in the process of developing my own GTD setup on the mac platform and so I've had to put a lot of thought into the relationship of Projects to Sub-Projects. I describe it in more detail in the Quicktime movie located here under the sub-heading "What about Sub-Projects?"

It's obviously application-specific, but the principles can be applied to any GTD setup.
 
I keep sub project and projects in the same list. Sub projects end with RE: PROJECT NAME
Same thing with next actions

If the project/NA/or sub project also has project support material I add SM: FILE Folder

It will look like this -
Project name RE: PARENT PROJECT SM: FILE FOLDER
 
project naming convention...

I use the GTD add-in for outlook which really only handles projects well, subprojects are treated as a simple tag on next actions, and there is no subproject action item. When I recently upgraded I had difficulty getting the subproject drop list to display, so I am experimenting with a new approach for altitudes.

I've always named my projects and subprojects like this:

[Project] - [Subproject]

That way when I sort by project in outlook the project and subprojects are sorted together. I can also filter on the project field using the "contains" restriction and get all project and subproject related material.
 
This is an area I have struggled with. I work as a consultant and I am currently working on three different projects for the company. Each of these have different sections (or sub projects) and obviously under those I have the 'GTD projects' that I include in my system. The challenge is to list these in a useful way for my organisation and also be easily and quickly be able to relate them to the company system.

I have been procrastinating on developing my project list for months now, but I think the idea to include the company project in the name will really help.

Thank you
 
kate davis;55919 said:
This is an area I have struggled with. I work as a consultant and I am currently working on three different projects for the company. Each of these have different sections (or sub projects) and obviously under those I have the 'GTD projects' that I include in my system. The challenge is to list these in a useful way for my organisation and also be easily and quickly be able to relate them to the company system.
Click to expand...

Interesting! Why do they have to be listed in a useful way for your organization? How does your organization have visibility into your GTD system?
 
Interesting! Why do they have to be listed in a useful way for your organization? How does your organization have visibility into your GTD system?
Click to expand...

My company doesn't see my organisation system, but they do ask questions like:
* what are you doing on my project
* how much time do you need on my project for the rest of the year
* what work can you delegate for my project

Each company project could have a different project manager and they would not care what other work I had on (unless it impacted on my availability to work on their project).

Its not something I *need* to do, but I recognise that it is something I want to do to help with my organisation, particularly as I only have limited amount of time on each company project.
 
Perhaps some large projects should really be 20000ft Areas of Focus?

So we all know GTD is about gaining Control and Perspective, in equal measure if possible. Perhaps then the trick is not to fiddle with the Control lever to try and accommodate some large projects but rather the Perspective one? Instead of stressing and complicating about how to identify and manage sub-Projects why not bump up a significant project (in the non-GTD sense) to the 20000ft Horizon and make it an Area of Focus? That way you can happily have all the GTD Projects you like at the 10000ft level that flow from that?

Just a thought.

Simon
 
sdhill;55933 said:
So we all know GTD is about gaining Control and Perspective, in equal measure if possible. Perhaps then the trick is not to fiddle with the Control lever to try and accommodate some large projects but rather the Perspective one? Instead of stressing and complicating about how to identify and manage sub-Projects why not bump up a significant project (in the non-GTD sense) to the 20000ft Horizon and make it an Area of Focus? That way you can happily have all the GTD Projects you like at the 10000ft level that flow from that?
Click to expand...

Simon, would you than have the project plan for the significant project as a project plan for the equivalent area of focus? And if ye, where to store this plan? In project support or reference?
 
What's the difference?

Cpu_Modern;55952 said:
Simon, would you than have the project plan for the significant project as a project plan for the equivalent area of focus? And if ye, where to store this plan? In project support or reference?
Click to expand...

What's the difference between project support and reference? Don't you put project files and reference files in the same A-Z ordered storage space? You can put the "area of focus suport files" there too.
 
Cpu_Modern;55952 said:
Simon, would you than have the project plan for the significant project as a project plan for the equivalent area of focus? And if ye, where to store this plan? In project support or reference?
Click to expand...

Yeah I guess if I had a project that was that significant that I had made it an area of focus I would expect to have a detailed project plan (mind map, MS Project file etc) and I would keep that with my project support materials. Personally I have a detailed target account plan (for a particular client that is a current area of focus) that I manage at the 20000ft level. From that I manage each of the specific opportunities that flow from it as 10000ft GTD projects.

Hope this helps.

Simon
 
TesTeq;55962 said:
What's the difference between project support and reference? Don't you put project files and reference files in the same A-Z ordered storage space? You can put the "area of focus suport files" there too.
Click to expand...

I keep project materials separate from reference. I'd put the area of focus materials in the project section.

Katherine
 
2 or more Next Actions = PROJECT

If a PROJECT is the successful outcome of completing 2 or more NEXT ACTIONS, then what would a SUB-PROJECT be? [Rhetorical question]

Web definitions related to GTD Context

plan: make or work out a plan for; devise; "They contrived to murder their boss"; "design a new sales strategy"; "plan an attack"

visualize: imagine; conceive of; see in one's mind;

undertaking: any piece of work that is undertaken or attempted;

a planned undertaking

There are no dictionary entries for sub project.
 
There is no such thing.

jerendeb;55975 said:
If a PROJECT is the successful outcome of completing 2 or more NEXT ACTIONS, then what would a SUB-PROJECT be?
Click to expand...

There is no such thing in pure GTD. You've got Actions (some of them are Next Actions) and Projects (two or more Actions). The Projects list is flat - it does not contain any information if one project and its outcome is part of other project or projects.
 
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