Task setting and task execution control

The success of any company depends on the effective and coordinated work of its staff. This means fast and efficient completion of assigned tasks within established deadlines by each team member. However, often task execution falls short of expectations. This can be due to employees’ inattention to details, failure to meet task deadlines, or uneven distribution of assignments to performers, leading to work slowdowns and subpar results.

A common cause of disputes with management is a lack of understanding regarding the progress of each task, and what adjustments need to be made to ensure it is completed on time. This problem can be resolved with systematic task monitoring. It will help organize employees’ work effectively, enhance their engagement and involvement in the work process.

Control of Task Execution

Clear and effective personnel control benefits both management and the employees themselves. The company achieves its goals, operates successfully and productively, while employees receive higher pay and the opportunity to perform their work without excessive stress and rush.

Rational task assignment to employees and monitoring their execution help:

• Timely identify ‘weak points’ in the workflow and quickly rectify them.
• Foster a favorable atmosphere within the team.
• Improve employee productivity.
• Stabilize the company’s financial position.
• Prevent potential losses and damages due to missed deadlines and other issues.

Employee control should not turn into totalitarian surveillance with the sole aim of identifying and punishing those at fault. Any changes related to work organization and planning should be perceived as collaboration. Team members should understand that these changes contribute to the company’s success and the improvement of its employees’ well-being.

By monitoring employees’ work, you can:

• Timely detect a drop in motivation and understand its causes.
• Avoid overloading certain employees.
• Identify violations of work discipline that can demotivate the team.
• Uncover unauthorized individuals infiltrating the company for espionage.
• Reveal instances of theft among employees.

For example, when implementing GPS or personnel tracking systems, employees should not perceive it as punishment or humiliation. It is essential to explain the necessity of this measure for timely tracking of task completion, as missed deadlines and poor performance can negatively impact the company’s reputation.

Types of Management Control:

• Selective: The manager decides when to focus on an employee.
• Periodic: Monitoring employee activities occurs at regular intervals (e.g., weekly or daily).
• Staged: Implemented during the course of individual tasks within a larger project. It helps avoid many mistakes hindering goal achievement.
• Preliminary: Combined with staged employee checks.
• Final: Helps assess an employee’s work based on the results of assigned tasks. This evaluation method encourages motivation and self-improvement.

Many modern business processes are based on Agile management methodology, which emphasizes control while maintaining flexibility in project planning and execution. A flexible approach to business involves customer orientation and considers changes during work as a natural occurrence.

Employee motivation is a key factor in a company’s development. Information exchange occurs through natural communication between employees. The result of productive and efficient work in this case is a high-quality, functional product.

These statements contradict the conservative management approach practiced in some companies. However, adopting a flexible, comprehensive approach allows businesses to respond promptly to any changes in the market.

The outcome of implementing this methodology is self-organizing, active teams that perform tasks effectively and efficiently, with minimal bureaucracy

“The Consequences of Absentee Control

No matter how well-paid and interesting a job may be, without discipline, its execution eventually becomes routine. Knowing that no one will monitor task completion, employees may become complacent, carrying out their duties half-heartedly, and getting distracted by personal matters or insignificant issues.

The absence of regular control can lead to the following consequences:

• Degradation of business processes.
• Non-compliance with agreements.
• Deterioration of relationships with partners and customers.
• Inability to compete in the market with other companies.

Without control over employees, it is impossible to determine how effectively hired specialists are handling their assigned tasks. Even if an employee performed well during the interview, they may lack the qualifications or knowledge to handle more complex projects.

This also applies to management personnel. As is well known, power can negatively affect some managers, turning them into ‘monsters’ unable to assess subordinates’ work adequately due to personal antipathy or other reasons, leading to the loss of valuable company talent.

To prevent these and other problems, personnel activity control is essential. Employees will strive to complete their work quickly and efficiently, knowing that their actions are monitored and expecting appropriate compensation for their efforts. A leader will be motivated to achieve the best results for the company and retain valuable personnel.

Key Control Principles

A comprehensive analysis of the quality of task execution is possible when adhering to the following control principles:

• Adherence to deadlines. If an employee cannot complete the work by the agreed-upon deadline, they should inform their manager promptly.
• Process monitoring. Multistage processes are divided into checkpoints or risk points where there is a high risk of losses or adverse consequences for the company. Work is monitored until these points are reached.
• Analysis of results obtained. A list of tasks requiring regular or periodic tracking is compiled based on their completion, and appropriate conclusions are drawn. If it is discovered that errors consistently occur at the same stage due to one employee’s fault, the manager makes a decision to delegate their responsibilities or make changes to the workflow.
• Automation of monitoring processes using modern IT systems.
• Deferred monitoring with data recording. It allows revisiting the task solution after some time to make changes and adjustments.”

Methods of Control

Employee performance control is carried out in an open form, with feedback established between subordinates and management. Various measures are used for this purpose, including:

• Meetings and planning sessions. Short meetings lasting up to an hour held daily, weekly, or monthly tend to have the best effect.
• Mystery shopping methodology. Used in retail and service organizations, it assesses the competence and professionalism of service personnel, as well as compliance with company standards.
• Technical control through video or audio surveillance systems. By employing this method of observation, it is possible to learn what employees are doing at their workplaces, how responsibly they perform their duties, and how they treat customers.
• The use of KPIs to assess employee performance. The established indicators should be realistic, achievable, and motivating for improvement in order to achieve better results.
• Real-time monitoring of work. Used to evaluate the efficiency of time utilization. It helps identify cases of neglecting work responsibilities and prevents the irrational consumption of work time on entertainment or social media.

For controlling task completion in teams of 20 or more people, it is important to use special management systems that prevent individual assignments from getting lost in the general flow. Popular tools for this purpose include the task planner LeaderTask, suitable for small teams or creative groups, the corporate portal Bitrix24, the Asana operational management system, and other programs that simplify work with individual and group tasks.

Mistakes in Organizing Control

Even experienced and competent managers are not immune to errors in organizing employee activity control. These errors include:

• Unclear goal and task formulation.
• Misunderstanding of the essence of the work process.
• Uneven distribution of responsibilities.
• Overuse of supervisory functions, leading to a negative reaction from employees.
• Neglecting intermediate results and undervaluing the work of rank-and-file employees.
• Failure to respond adequately to identified problems and failure to correct detected shortcomings in a timely manner.
• Incorrect use of the reward and punishment system. Constant criticism of employees that leads to gradual burnout.
• The desire to please all subordinates.
• ‘Hidden’ control with sharp remarks when an employee’s mistakes are discovered, making them feel uncomfortable.

To prevent these and many other management errors, the introduction of automation control programs is essential. Using such systems allows real-time task monitoring. Team members can make changes, attach files, documents, reports, and delegate tasks.

Automating personnel control simplifies task assignment for leaders and team members working on collaborative projects. It’s worth considering using task management software in cases where:

• Task completion deadlines have been consistently extended without apparent reason.
• Some tasks go unnoticed.
• Employees are overloaded with excessive work.
• A significant portion of time is spent monitoring their work.
• Remote work is part of the team.

By using automated tools for task control, you can organize tasks by priority, track deadlines, and monitor the progress of tasks. All files, documents, and reports will be stored in one place. The performer will have a clear understanding of their action plan. It will be easier for them to know what, when, and how they should complete their tasks, while managers will have an insight into how busy an employee is and whether a particular task suits them or should be reassigned to another employee.

LeaderTask – a tool for controlling task execution by employees

The LeaderTask program contains a set of tools that allow for comprehensive employee management. The application includes a task control system designed for task distribution. To organize effective teamwork, the task manager provides an electronic organizer.

By using the LeaderTask electronic scheduler, you can bring the entire staff together in one program while keeping track of each team member’s tasks. The application offers the following features for staff members:

1. Automatic transfer of overdue tasks to “Today.”
2. Tasks marked with the employee’s name.
3. Statuses: “Postponed,” “In progress,” “Canceled,” “Ready for submission.”

For managers, there are functions such as:

1. Personal assignment of tasks to specific employees with no possibility of modification or changes by others. After creating a task, only the manager can make edits to it.
2. Verification of completed tasks with statuses set as “Completed” or “Requires revision.”
3. Providing access to tasks.
4. Group chat for collaborative meetings with employees.

With the help of the LeaderTask organizer, you can easily organize tasks by categorizing them as “Unprocessed,” “Unread,” or “Overdue.” You can sort assignments using the built-in filter.

By using “task statuses,” you can track the progress of an employee’s tasks. The manager will always be aware of what each employee is currently working on and which tasks they have yet to start.

The program also features voice input and synchronization on various devices. You can create tasks and work in the application even without an internet connection.

LeaderTask is a comprehensive employee management system that includes all the tools for control and functions for the self-development of personnel. Every team member will always know which tasks they need to complete by a specific deadline, and managers can easily monitor the quality of task execution. Completed tasks can be viewed in real-time.

Conclusion

Effective company management is impossible without monitoring employee activities. Simplifying this process by establishing a comprehensive document flow within the company, evenly distributing the workload among personnel, and monitoring the extent and quality of assigned tasks can be achieved through automated programs such as schedulers and management systems.

All files, important documents, and task-related data will be centralized within one system. They can be accessed when needed and modified as necessary. By using data on completed work, you can analyze it to make new managerial decisions.

Rational and sound control provides an accurate representation of employee performance, their competence, and their commitment to their responsibilities. By utilizing this information, it is possible to significantly improve the company’s overall performance, elevating it to a qualitatively new level in the future.