Work Ninja is a different type of work management program. It is better than a to-do list, but less complicated than a project management system. It is designed for people whose work is organized into separate, often similar projects, and for projects that may be passed between different people.
Work Ninja uses a unique organizational metaphor that will help you reduce multi-tasking and focus as much as possible on a single project until it is done. Work Ninja’s organizational metaphor is derived in part from the “Relay Runner Work Ethic,” which is a central tenet of the project management methodology called “Theory of Constraints” (ToC). Work Ninja allows you to adopt the Relay Runner Work Ethic, but it does not impose. Rather, you can use Work Ninja in different ways to accommodate your unique situation.
Suppose you have a number of ongoing projects that require your attention and that may also involve other people. At some stage, each project requires significant effort and thought and you have learned that it is most efficient to devote your undivided attention to this stage of the project. At other stages the project may proceed without your direct attention, although you still need to keep track of progress. At still other stages, the project may need your brief but prompt attention to keep it from stalling.
Work Ninja organizes projects into three primary lists: “Core,” Priority,” and “Blocked.”
· Core projects are those that are ready for your significant undivided attention.
· Priority projects are those needing relatively less effort, but that need to be done “pretty soon” to prevent project stalling.
· Blocked projects are those that do not currently require your attention because they are waiting on something beyond your control.
As you work, you can select a single Core project and focus your work solely on that project. Every so often, perhaps once or twice a day, you can update Work Ninja to note new tasks and projects. When several items have accumulated in your Priority list, you can interrupt your current Core project, quickly address the Priority projects, then jump right back to your Core project. If a different Core project becomes higher priority, you can also switch to that project.
Collaboration features will soon be implemented, allowing you to assign work to colleagues and to track their progress. A flexible project “wall” will also be added, so that different types of data can be added to each project.