Scheduling your project

Developing a timeline for completing the document you are working with is not technically part of writing; it is, however, critically important for successful development of reports and proposals at WHO. In most cases, you will not be completing an entire document independently. Sometimes you may be collaborating extensively with others, and your document timeline may include group meetings and ongoing consultation and review. Other times the collaboration will be less extensive; for example, you will want to consult with finance staff when you are costing a proposal, and may need to consult with others who have written successful proposals to the same donor. All these consultations take time.

Develop a timeline for completion as part of the prewriting stage. You likely already know when the document must be completed. Work backwards in time to find out when you will need to consult with colleagues. Once you know, you can let them know realistic deadlines for their own part of the project. Develop your timeline with enough flexibility to allow for unforeseen delays.

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