Task Descriptions

First of all let me start off with a disclaimer... now I know nouns are important because they serve as the subject or object in a sentence, but who else thinks that ’Action’ verbs should be mandatory at the start of all project schedule task descriptions?

Many moons ago I was given a list of action verbs to help construct project schedules, it encouraged me to define the task and think about the deliverables, but it also meant the schedule could be used as a stakeholder communication tool and stop it becoming as a ’To-do’ list.

Lately, many schedules I’ve seen simply have tasks with descriptions such as ’Unit Test’ or ’Factory Acceptance’. To me this is the antithesis of everything I was taught... keep the description brief, relate the task to a deliverable and start the description with a verb!!

By the way here’s the list that I was given, it’s been through a few iterations but has served me well. Anybody else care to add a few?

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Administration/Management

Administer, Advise, Arrange, Assist, Brief, Communicate, Control, Coordinate, Direct, Enable, Instruct, Manage, Monitor, Negotiate, Organise, Provide, Supervise, Support

Assessment/Estimation

Analyse, Assess, Appraise, Collect, Determine, Establish, Estimate, Evaluate, Expand, Identify, Inspect, Recommend, Research, Review, Revise, Survey, Target

Definition/Requirements

Approve, Choose, Define, Describe, Design, Develop, Obtain, Plan, Prepare, Reduce, Schedule

Construction/Production

Adapt, Assemble, Build, Compile, Construct, Create, Enhance, Generate, Improve, Manufacture, Obtain, Perform, Produce, Write

Acceptance/Validation

Accept, Check, Conduct, Confirm, Demonstrate, Pilot, Present, Ratify, Test, Trial, Validate

Delivery/Implementation

Complete, Deliver, Implement, Launch, Move, Publish, Reorganise, Release, Replace, Train