Task card

Function-Strength Tasks and daily work

What is in, what is out, the time budget and when it is good enough.

You ask for A and get A, B and C. Even when you said: only A. Delivering more is often a sign of uncertainty about what counts as "enough", rarely of unwillingness. Make the end point visible.

When to use it

  • Tasks grow bigger than asked, or never get finished

Tip

Pay most attention to "Leave out" and "Good enough when": that is where the gain is. Fill in the card together with your team member; it is a tool, not a way of checking up on them.

What you fill in

  • Task
  • Goal: why, and for whom?
  • Include: what belongs in it?
  • Leave out: what are we deliberately leaving out?
  • Time budget
  • Done by
  • Good enough when: what does "done" look like?
  • Interim check
  • Ideas list: extra ideas get a place of their own

The tool runs in your browser. Nothing you type is saved or sent anywhere.

Example result

Made with the example in the tool. With your own details you get your own version, ready to copy.

TASK CARD: Overview of customer queries for Q3 Goal: A clear view of the five most frequent customer questions, for the team meeting on 12 November. Include: The five most frequent questions, with the number for each one. Leave out: No analysis of causes, no solutions and no formatting. Time budget: 2 hours at most Done by: Friday 6 November, 12:00 Good enough when: A list of five lines in an email is enough. Interim check: After half an hour, a short look together to see if you are on the right track. Ideas list: Extra ideas are welcome on a separate list. We will discuss them separately from this task.