LESSON 01 OF 04 / OFFICE WORKFLOW

Build the project file.

Separate what you know from what still needs an answer.

Start with a project cover sheet.

Give the job a short internal label. Keep the contract reference, work location, prime contractor’s contact and the written reporting instructions together. Use references to documents already held in your company’s secure files; don’t duplicate employee records into a general checklist.

Create three sections.

1. Project instructions: contract, amendments, recipient directions and the sources your payroll reviewer is using.
2. Weekly work: one folder per reporting period, with source-record references and the report version under review.
3. Questions and receipts: unanswered issues, written responses and submission acknowledgments.

Give each question an owner.

“What do I submit?” is too broad. Write a specific question such as “Which reporting channel does this recipient want us to use, and where are its written instructions?” Record who can answer it, when you asked and where the response is saved. Keep an unresolved question visible until the responsible person confirms the answer.

Practice.

For the fictional Acorn Interiors library project, the office has a contract PDF and the prime’s email, but no confirmed submission channel. Put those two references in the cover sheet. Add one open question, assign an office owner and keep the channel marked unconfirmed.