Brent pondered. “So, it’s up to me to determine the Time Span of the project. How do I match that with the Time Span capability of the team member that I select for the project? I have several people to pick from. How do I make that decision?”

“How many people on your team?” I asked.

“Seven,” Brent replied.

“Make a quick list,” I instructed. “Just of quick list, first names are fine.”

Brent hesitated, but followed the instruction. “Okay, now what?”

“Now, rank them. Make another list, but in Time Span order. The person at the top of the list should be the person with the longest Time Span. Then the next longest Time Span, all the way to the bottom of the list. A question I ask myself is, ‘How long can I leave this person alone with a task assignment, and when I come back, they are still engaged on the assignment?’ You know some people, you can assign a six month project and they will complete it, without your assistance, using their own best judgment to solve problems and make decisions. Others can work for a while, but break down, require direction, get distracted, don’t finish, miss deadlines. And for some, you have to check every ten minutes, just to see if they are still working. Make the list, rank your team. Longest Time Span to shortest Time Span.”