Merlin: Gantt Schedule, 2010 Q1

I'm finally settling in from the big move and looking at how much work I have to do before Southern Faire. There are three things I need to juggle between now and then: my sanctuary work, my contract weaving work, and my preparation to show products at Faire.

To help me allocate my energy, I am using a project management application called Merlin. [http://www.projectwizards.net/en/merlin/] It tracks scheduling and resource allocation, allowing me to set appropriate goals and make sure I'm meeting them.

It is straightforward to use for simple projects and complex enough to manage complicated ones. For this simple setup I create a series of projects with their component activities. Then, I link dependencies and assign all tasks to myself. I enter the amount of time that each task will take, and set up a realistic work schedule. Merlin does all the calculating and displays the result in a friendly chart.

[Synopsis Q1]

This synopsis shows me the "mile high" view of the next three months as I prepare for Faire. Notice the question mark on the personal work time. This means that those blocks of time are movable, dependent on the preceding and succeeding time blocks. If a schedule slips, these blocks will shrink to match, compressing the time I have available for my own work.

[Two Projects Expanded]

When I expand the "Navy Beam" and "January Beam" projects, you can see the activities that they contain. See the green bar at the top? That task was done on time.

[Realistic Production Schedules]

There are two things that I'm doing to accomodate my sanctuary work. First, I'm starting work late and ending early. Second, I'm setting myself at 70% utilization so I can do little chores in the middle of the day, too, and still stay on schedule. Tuesdays are my tough day since our weekly meeting pushes me to work after dinner.

[Activities Only Consume Scheduled Time]

Notice that some tasks take more calendar time than others. That's because I take Sundays off and only work a few hours on Saturday. Merlin spreads the tasks onto the calendar, using only the hours contained in my work schedule. I can enter specific days off and work extra days if I like, and instantly see the impact on my ability to meet the goals.

This system is very motivating since it shows me the real impact of my actions on my ability to meet my goals. There's not a lot of wiggle room if I'm going to have the cloth woven and some products ready in time for Southern Faire while doing enough contract work to have a reasonable cash flow.