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How ad hoc tasks fit into your project management strategy

With any large operation, there are likely to be some challenges and interruptions to deal with. You draw up a detailed Gantt chart  at the start of the project, or have clear goals for your next production run, but nobody can foresee every eventuality. Responding to unexpected events and taking care of day-to-day interruptions involves taking on ad hoc tasks. Many job descriptions cover this with the line “and other duties as required”, and being able to handle ad hoc tasks efficiently is the mark of a good employee.

The very nature of ad hoc tasks means they can’t be planned, but it’s possible to allocate some time for unspecified ad hoc tasks in your project plans. In this guide, we’ll look at some examples of ad hoc tasks, and consider how you can account for them as part of your projects.

What are ad hoc tasks?

Ad hoc tasks are tasks that arise due to unexpected issues, customer requests, or impromptu projects. They can vary in scope from small tasks, such as fixing a broken piece of machinery or restoring backups after a computer system failure, to bigger tasks such as completing a special last-minute request for a large and important customer.

Because ad hoc tasks are unexpected, they won’t appear as specific, scheduled items on a project plan . Some ad hoc tasks are small enough that your employees can simply perform them as part of their day-to-day work. Others are larger and do need to be assigned and logged. Since these tasks aren’t predefined, they won’t have their own task template, so they’ll need to be created manually.

“Ad hoc tasks” is a part of our Project Management Glossary  — check out the full list of terms and definitions!

Creating ad hoc tasks

If you need to log or assign an ad hoc task, you should be able to do this in your time tracking , ticketing, or process management system. Most systems will have an option for ad hoc task entry, allowing you to log details such as:

• Who the task is for (i.e., which client)
• Which department or employee the task is assigned to
• The start time of the task
• The end time of the task
• Any resources used
• A description of the task

Factoring in the time taken up by ad hoc tasks is an important part of your project management. By tracking the task correctly, you can ensure the right person or department is billed for any resources used. You’ll also have a more accurate understanding of how the project is progressing, and if there are any delays to the project, you’ll be in a better position to identify what your team members have been spending time on. One challenge many project managers face is keeping their projects on track and stopping ad hoc requests from derailing the project.

Ad hoc tasks in project management

When you draw up a project plan, you’re describing the jobs that need to be done and the ideal timeline for getting those jobs done. A good project plan will have some buffer built in, so if one or two milestones are missed, the project can still be completed on time. That buffer allows for some ad hoc tasks to be completed as a part of your main project, and also gives you the option to respond to ad hoc requests from clients if you feel doing so would be worth your organization’s time.

Ad hoc tasks aren’t always a bad thing, but they can sometimes interfere with previously defined timescales and inventory management . Factoring the possibility of a need to perform ad hoc tasks into your existing project plan, and tracking them when they do arise, helps keep current projects on track and makes it easier to plan future projects accurately.

Benefits to tracking ad hoc tasks

Project managers have many tools at their disposal to help with planning projects and monitoring their progress. Metrics such as earned value and planned value can give insights into how far along a project is and whether it’s progressing according to schedule. Time trackers and issue trackers are helpful for monitoring who is assigned tasks and how much work each person is getting done. However, it’s common for people to log only scheduled tasks into those apps.

While some ad hoc tasks are inevitable, they should not be taking up so much time it causes employees to need to work overtime on a regular basis.

By monitoring ad hoc tasks as well as predefined ones, it becomes far easier to understand what is really taking up your team’s time. If your construction project is behind because employees are constantly having to fix machinery, or your manufacturing jobs are over budget because of frequent supply chain issues, having the ad hoc tasks associated with those issues logged properly helps you identify the root cause of the extra costs or delays.

Examples of why ad hoc tasks may be necessary

Ad hoc tasks are things that arise in the course of day-to-day work, either due to something unexpected happening, or because a client has made an additional request and you’ve decided to fulfill it. Examples of ad hoc tasks include:

• You’re working on a social media advertising campaign for a client, and they make a last-minute request for a Twitter banner to match their Facebook banners. This could be classified as an ad hoc request.
• You’re manufacturing a batch of products and one of your production lines becomes clogged. Your team needs to stop that line, fix it, and repurpose another line to keep production of this (more urgent) batch going. These jobs would be classified as ad hoc tasks.
• You’re working on a Software-as-a-Service product, and your legal team alerts you that there’s a potential compliance issue with the way you’re storing customer data on a cloud server in a different country. You need to contact your cloud hosting provider and confirm where and how they’re storing data on your behalf. While you do this, your internal IT team works on a short-term fix that involves storing data somewhere else you’re sure is compliant.

Ad hoc tasks can vary from small things that don’t take a long time to fix and may get logged as “miscellaneous duties,” to bigger jobs that require their own entry in a time-tracking sheet. Whether they’re large or small, they’re worth keeping track of, because the more information you have about how your team spends its time on each project, the more accurate your future estimates will be.

In some cases, tasks that are being logged under “ad hoc” may be occurring so frequently that they deserve to be scheduled. If your team is frequently working overtime for jobs that weren’t factored into your project, you may need a clearer plan and allocate more resources to future projects of a similar nature.

Tracking ad hoc tasks with monday.com

Using monday.com’s Work OS to monitor your projects and track ad hoc tasks helps you streamline your workflows. If you’re already making use of project management software or issue trackers, you may find monday.com’s integrations with your existing software helpful when it comes to generating reports or processing data from your other platforms.

Ad hoc tasks can vary from small things that require only a small entry on a time log  to large-scale ad hoc projects. monday.com’s library of templates may come in handy for creating task logs that your team members can use. The platform also offers automation features which may save you time if you want to enter recurring tasks. For example, you may wish to set aside one hour every evening for cleanup and equipment inspection. The automation features in monday.com can be used to set an entry for that task, assigned to the right team or person, each day. Should the person assigned that task encounter a problem requiring more than the allocated hour to complete, they can use a task template to log extra time for that issue.

Frequently asked questions

Ad hoc tasks are tasks that arise or are assigned on the fly and that address a specific need. Someone working in a factory may perform many ad hoc tasks during their working day as they keep the production line moving. Many job descriptions require employees to be capable of performing ad hoc duties as a part of their day-to-day workflow.

What are ad hoc projects?

An ad hoc project is a project that is started unexpectedly in response to a problem. Ad hoc projects are unplanned and typically short-term projects with a rapid turnaround.

What does ad hoc stand for?

“Ad hoc” is not an abbreviation; it means “for this” in Latin. When the term is used today, it’s used to express the meaning “for this specific purpose.” In the context of project planning, ad hoc often refers to temporary or short-term issues that arise in the course of the project’s life cycle.

Manage ad hoc tasks with monday.com

Ad hoc tasks are something almost every business will encounter, and they’re particularly common in more complex projects. Tracking ad hoc tasks properly using the tools provided by monday.com makes it easier to understand how much time ad hoc tasks are taking up, and whether some of those tasks could be specifically factored into future projects to make your time and budget estimates more accurate.

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Learn How to Handle Ad Hoc Projects Effectively

• On March 12, 2024
• By David Usifo (PSM, MBCS, PMP®)

Unexpected projects that crop up requiring immediate attention are the bane of many project managers’ existence.

Known as ad hoc projects, these unplanned requests can wreak havoc on the most meticulous plans and carefully managed schedules.

Though tracking ad hoc work may seem trivial, failing to do so can have serious consequences including inaccurate workload analysis, poor resource management, and lack of insight into your team’s capacity.

In this article, you’ll learn in detail what ad hoc projects are, how to handle them properly to minimize disruptions, and the critical importance of monitoring ad hoc tasks just like any other work.

Table of Contents

What Are Ad Hoc Projects?

Ad hoc projects are unplanned, unexpected assignments that arise suddenly outside of normal workstreams. Often prompted by an urgent issue or business need, these one-time tasks don’t go through usual project planning and approval workflows.

Ad hoc projects tend to be reactive rather than proactive and demand immediate attention, disrupting planned projects and resources.

Ad hoc work may be needed to mitigate risks , exploit opportunities, or satisfy important stakeholders. But with little lead time or visibility, ad hoc projects can lack oversight and strain productivity.

Despite being short-term and localized, ad hoc assignments consume considerable time and effort. Without proactive management, they also pose wider business risks.

Learning to handle ad hoc requests smoothly while minimizing impact is an essential project management skill. Tracking this unscheduled work also provides data to improve processes.

Characteristics of Ad Hoc Projects

Ad hoc projects have some distinct characteristics that set them apart from planned, strategic work. Being aware of these traits helps you recognize and manage ad hoc projects appropriately.

Some common characteristics of ad hoc projects include:

Ad hoc projects are by definition unscheduled – they arise reactively from a sudden issue or request. With no prior warning, you cannot prepare teams and resources in advance which makes ad hoc projects disruptive.

Stakeholders often insist ad hoc projects are extremely time-pressured, demanding resources to drop everything to deliver ASAP.

However, this perceived urgency may be exaggerated beyond the real business priority, so clarify the real deadline and push back if necessary.

With little notice and prep time, ad hoc projects bypass normal planning, risk analysis, and resource allocation . This lack of process exposes them to issues. Try to implement at least basic project controls quickly.

Ad hoc projects tend to be one-off, temporary efforts targeting a specific deliverable. This limited scope can mask their impact on wider plans and productivity so make sure to track them.

Ad hoc work is often seen as a casual favor, not a formal project. This means it slips under the radar for governance and monitoring. But track these hidden hours to understand their cost.

What are the Problems with Ad Hoc Projects?

As earlier iterated, ad hoc projects can wreak havoc on carefully laid plans and processes. Understanding the pitfalls of unscheduled work allows you to control the risks and chaos effectively.

Some common problems with ad hoc projects are:

With no warning, ad hoc projects disrupt planned workflows, forcing the reallocation of resources abruptly. This derails focus, stalls other projects, and stresses teams who must juggle priorities.

Poor Planning

The urgent nature of ad hoc projects means they often bypass scoping, requirements gathering , risk analysis, and resource planning. This lack of diligence exposes them to quality, budget, and timeline issues.

Limited Visibility

Because ad hoc tasks go “under the radar”, they reduce leadership visibility into workstreams. With no central tracking, it’s hard to see skills gaps or capacity shortfalls developing.

Distraction

The constant unexpected demands of ad hoc work sabotage productivity, as resources struggle to stay focused on strategic goals. This causes missed deliverables, attrition , and burnout over time.

Uncontrolled Risk

Skipping project best practices like risk management and contingency budgeting leaves ad hoc efforts vulnerable to problems. The business must absorb any budget/time overruns.

How to Handle Ad Hoc Projects

When faced with an ad hoc project request, you can minimize disruption and risk with some smart management tactics. The key is balancing responsiveness with strategic thinking.

Here are some tips on handling ad hoc projects:

Assess Urgency

Clarify if the request is truly as time-pressured as the stakeholder claims. Compare this against other priorities and push back on unrealistic deadlines if needed.

Analyze Impact

Quickly evaluate how the ad hoc project would impact resource availability and existing deliverables if approved. Then suggest alternatives if the impact is unacceptable.

Apply Project Controls

Rapidly run through project planning basics like scoping, scheduling, risk analysis, and resource allocation. This takes some pressure off, despite the tight timeframe.

Limit Scope Creep

Keep ad hoc project scope minimalist and focused only on must-have items. Say no to scope changes not absolutely critical to address the immediate issue.

Carefully Allocate Resources

Don’t pull your A-players from complex projects. Find people with availability and reassign work thoughtfully. Leverage project management tools to ease reallocation.

Track Progress Closely

Monitor the ad hoc work just like any formal project. This allows you to keep it on track and have data about the hidden hours consumed.

Benefits of Tracking Ad Hoc Projects

At first tracking ad hoc work seems like extra effort for little reward. But maintaining detailed records of these unscheduled projects has tangible benefits including:

Informed Decision-Making

Capturing data on ad hoc projects allows leadership to make smarter resourcing and capacity decisions based on a true picture of work volumes.

Improved Processes

Analyzing the recurring ad hoc projects affecting certain teams can reveal gaps and inefficiencies in planning and risk management processes.

Greater Visibility

Recording ad hoc time demonstrates your team’s commitment and workload, especially when projects go over capacity. This can justify extra hires.

Increased Efficiency

Looking at past ad hoc efforts helps estimate and plan future ill-defined projects faster. Tracking data aids continuous improvement.

Enhanced Reporting

Including ad hoc metrics provides context around delays, budget overruns, missed deliverables, etc caused by constant unexpected work.

You mustn’t view ad hoc tracking as more work – rather view it as an investment in better project control and team collaboration.

Ad hoc projects will continue to disrupt even the most organized teams. But you can reduce their damage by quickly assessing urgency, limiting scope, and tracking the impact on planned work.

With proactive processes for unscheduled requests and vigilant monitoring, you can smooth resource allocation, enhance visibility, and improve forecasting.

Don’t let the unexpected derail productivity – get ad hoc projects under control with Agile management. Then harness the data to boost efficiency across projects through better planning.

David Usifo (PSM, MBCS, PMP®)

David Usifo is a certified project manager professional, professional Scrum Master, and a BCS certified Business Analyst with a background in product development and database management.

He enjoys using his knowledge and skills to share with aspiring and experienced project managers and product developers the core concept of value-creation through adaptive solutions.

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The Complete Guide to Managing Ad Hoc Projects and Ad Hoc Tasks for Effective Project Management

Ad hoc projects and ad hoc tasks are unplanned work items that come up unexpectedly during normal operations. This unpredictable work presents challenges, but with the right framework and discipline, teams can manage ad hoc requests smoothly while still making progress on priority projects. This comprehensive guide provides strategies and best practices for incorporating ad hoc work into team workflows effectively.

Understanding Ad Hoc Work – Definitions, Examples and Impacts

Let’s start by getting clarity on what exactly constitutes ad hoc work.

What are Ad Hoc Projects and Tasks?

Ad hoc work refers to any unplanned projects, tasks or requests that arise suddenly during the course of normal project execution.

Examples of ad hoc work include:

Urgent customer requests

Unexpected change orders

Last-minute fixes and upgrades

Additional features requested mid-project

Unanticipated administrative tasks

The term “ad hoc” means “for this purpose only.” So ad hoc projects and tasks are created to address a specific short-term need. They require immediate attention even though no time or resources were originally allotted for them in the project plan or budget.

How is Ad Hoc Work Different from Planned Work?

Planned projects have clearly defined goals, scopes, schedules, resources and budgets allocated upfront. But ad hoc work is unpredictable by its very nature.

Ad hoc projects often start with vague specifications that get clarified over time. And ad hoc tasks may have no defined deadline or budget constraints initially.

So ad hoc work tends to be more ambiguous, which makes it harder to manage proactively. But it is critical to incorporate ad hoc activities into team workflows deliberately, or they can derail productivity.

What are the Impacts of Poor Ad Hoc Work Management?

When teams lack processes for managing ad hoc work, it leads to a variety of problems:

Missed deadlines on planned projects

Lower team productivity and output

Poor work/life balance as ad hoc tasks bleed into personal time

Scope creep and cost overruns on projects

Resource conflicts as people are pulled off planned work

Suboptimal resource allocation

Lower team morale and higher burnout

The unpredictability of ad hoc work makes it easy to push aside. But ignoring it comes at a high cost. Proactively developing systems to handle ad hoc activities enables teams to accommodate interruptions while minimizing impacts on planned work and morale.

Best Practices for Managing Ad Hoc Projects

When an unplanned project emerges, treat it like any other project. Apply project management discipline to execute it smoothly and minimize disruption. Here are some best practices:

Clearly Define the Project Scope and Goals Upfront

Outlining the goals, deliverables, timelines, budgets and success metrics at the start brings much needed clarity to ad hoc projects. Document it in a project charter. This aligns stakeholders early on requirements and prevents endless scope creep down the line.

Assign a Project Manager to Lead Execution

Appoint a project manager to spearhead the work, even for smaller ad hoc projects. The project manager can coordinate tasks, manage resources and keep the project on track to completion.

Create a Realistic Schedule with Milestones

Break ad hoc projects into logical phases. Develop milestones and timelines but pad estimates generously since requirements often shift. Milestones measure progress and keep the team focused.

Use a Prioritized Task Backlog

Maintain a backlog of tasks needed to complete the project. Prioritize tasks based on urgency and importance. Stay focused on knocking out top priority items first to make forward progress.

Define a Time Budget

Create an estimated time budget for the overall project, including buffers. Track efforts against this budget to monitor scope creep and identify needed adjustments.

Carefully Evaluate Resourcing Tradeoffs

Assess workload and staffing limits realistically. Have a plan for reassigning resources from planned work if needed.

Assign Responsibilities Clearly

Define roles and responsibilities for the project manager, team members and stakeholders. Ad hoc projects create uncertainty, so clarity of expectations is key.

Plan Regular Checkpoints and Regroup when Needed

Schedule periodic status checks to reassess priorities and realign on goals. Revisit the timeline, budget and resource needs regularly.

Facilitate Stakeholder Collaboration

Identify stakeholders early and keep them engaged through regular communication on progress and risks. Manage signoffs carefully.

Monitor and Control Scope Creep

Watch out for shifting goals, expanding requirements and approval challenges. Revisit the charter to keep stakeholders aligned.

Effective Techniques for Managing Ad Hoc Tasks and Requests

In addition to standalone projects, teams must handle a steady stream of ad hoc tasks and requests as part of business as usual.

Tackling these well takes some finesse so planned work doesn’t suffer. Here are some tactics and practices that help:

Impose a Standard Intake Process

Require stakeholders to submit ad hoc requests through an established channel like a form, email alias or project management tool. Avoid starting any ad hoc work until the request is formally approved and prioritized.

Triage and Categorize Requests

Not all ad hoc asks are equal. Categorize requests based on level of urgency, effort involved, overall priority and impact on existing projects. This allows proper prioritization.

Communicate Impacts and Tradeoffs

If certain ad hoc requests could materially delay planned projects, discuss risks and options with stakeholders. Escalate issues to decision makers when prudent. Transparency avoids surprises.

Define Clear Prioritization Criteria

Use consistent criteria to prioritize Planned vs. ad hoc work . For example, fixes impacting revenue may take priority over internal process improvements. Apply criteria uniformly.

Estimate Level of Effort

Ask requestors to estimate effort or have your team evaluate time needed to complete the tasks. Unknowns take longer, so pad estimates. This allows more accurate scheduling.

Assign Owners to Each Task

Assign ad hoc tasks to specific project team members for accountability. Unlike planned work, ad hoc tasks often fall through the cracks without direct ownership.

Set Due Dates

Avoid open-ended commitments that linger indefinitely. Define due dates for each ad hoc task to instill a sense of urgency.

Batch and Schedule Time for Execution

Group lower priority ad hoc tasks and block out time on team calendars for focused execution. This prevents ad hoc work from bleeding into all hours and reduces multitasking.

Regularly Assess Team Capacity

Evaluate team bandwidth in aggregate before accepting ad hoc work. Quantify the team’s availability and adjust commitments across projects accordingly.

Actively Track and Report on Progress

Monitor ad hoc vs planned work in team reports. Share metrics on time spent on ad hoc tasks compared to planned project work. This highlights capacity issues.

Choosing the Right Tools to Streamline Processes

The right project management tools can optimize the above processes for managing ad hoc work. When evaluating solutions, look for these key capabilities:

Intake Requests

The ability to easily submit ad hoc requests through forms or email.

Track Source

Classify requests by submitter to identify trends.

Triage Requests

Tools to sort requests into custom priority buckets like high/medium/low urgency.

Effort Estimation

Functionality to capture and record estimates.

Task Management

Tools to create and assign tasks with due dates and status tracking.

Time Tracking

The ability to record time spent on ad hoc vs. planned work.

Resource Management

Tools to visualize team utilization across projects and reassign as needed.

Dashboards and Reports

Reports and dashboards to view ad hoc vs. planned work progress and capacity.

Automated Notifications and Alerts

Notifications when approaching due dates or estimates to prevent surprises.

Real-time Collaboration

Comments sections and chat for live discussions on ad hoc work items.

Integrations

Ability to connect with other productivity tools used by your team.

Portfolio Management

Dashboards to monitor resources and status across all planned and ad hoc projects.

Popular tools like Asana, Trello, Jira, monday.com and Microsoft Project offer these capabilities. Evaluate options to find the best fit based on team needs, experience levels and tool cost.

Creating a Team Culture to Smoothly Manage Ad Hoc Work

An enabling team culture complements the processes and tools. Cultivate these habits across your team:

Set Realistic Expectations on Response Times

Temper stakeholders’ urgency and define reasonable response times so teams don’t burn out. Slow, quality work beats hasty outputs.

Communicate Priorities Frequently

Regularly share priority lists and status updates with teams and stakeholders. This aligns everyone on where to focus and avoids expectation gaps.

Define Processes Clearly

Document procedures for submitting, vetting and approving different types of ad hoc work requests. Universal understanding of processes prevents headaches.

Share Metrics Transparently

Post reports visibly showing ad hoc vs planned work throughput. Public transparency prompts course corrections.

Praise Quick Ad Hoc Wins

Acknowledge team members who turn around urgent ad hoc requests efficiently without dropping the ball on planned work. Positive reinforcement works.

Allow Time and Space to Focus

Guard team time for heads-down work on roadmap projects. Establish “no meeting” blocks on calendars or zones like “Focus Fridays.”

Invest in Ad Hoc Management Training

Educate team members on processes, tools and priorities. Consistent adoption enables smoother ad hoc task management.

The combination of the right tools, practices and culture creates an environment where teams can shift gears and accommodate urgent ad hoc work without losing momentum on planned projects.

Key Takeaways and Action Items

Here are some key points to remember about successfully managing ad hoc projects and tasks:

Define and formalize ad hoc work management processes, INCLUDING:

Intake channels

Triaging conventions

Priority criteria

Due date rules

Batch scheduling parameters

Select and implement tools that optimize these processes with automation, notifications, reports, resource allocation support and integrations.

Quantify the ad hoc work using estimates and time tracking to understand capacity tradeoffs.

Communicate priorities clearly across the team and stakeholders — repeatedly.

Revisit resource assignments often to ensure the right talent is staffed on the right work items.

Ad hoc work will always come up, but don’t let it gradually corrode team productivity. With a structured approach, teams can accommodate interruptions while still making steady progress on planned projects.

Make ad hoc work management an ongoing priority rather than an afterthought. Applying consistent project management discipline is the best way to tame the deluge of ad hoc requests.

Mastering Ad Hoc Tasks: Efficient Strategies for Time Management

#time management, table of contents, everyday examples of ad hoc duties, completing ad hoc projects without losing time, managing expectations on ad hoc tasks, tried and trusted time management techniques.

In the ever-changing landscape of contemporary workplaces, ad hoc requests, tasks and duties are omnipresent. These random assignments can disrupt our plans and require immediate attention. Whether it’s an imperative client request, a spontaneous change in project requirements, or an unforeseen crisis, ad hoc tasks require us to efficiently navigate the unexpected.

An ad hoc task is an unscheduled and impromptu assignment that arises during regular work or daily routine. Unlike planned tasks and projects, ad hoc tasks crop up unexpectedly and demand immediate attention.

Imagine you’re working on an important project when a client calls you with an urgent request that necessitates your expertise. It may entail making quick changes to a deliverable or providing additional information. This ad hoc task calls for prompt consideration and certainly affects your current work.

Alternatively, you may encounter an unanticipated technical issue that requires troubleshooting. Your colleagues need your assistance in resolving the issue, which again, interrupts your current work.

Perhaps your manager informs you of an urgent meeting with key stakeholders has been scheduled for a few hours from now. You are suddenly responsible for quickly preparing essential presentation slides and collecting pertinent data.

Another scenario could be you’re working on a team assignment with a predetermined deadline. However, due to unforeseen circumstances or client requests, the deadline is abruptly accelerated, necessitating immediate adjustments to your teams’ workflow and task prioritisation.

In emergency situations, such as a system failure or a security breach, you may be required to act swiftly to minimise damage and restore normal operations. These unforeseen emergencies require immediate action and team coordination.

Ad hoc tasks can originate from consumers, co-workers, managers, or external sources. Urgent requests, sudden changes in project requirements, unanticipated issues, and emergencies can trigger an outpouring of ad hoc tasks. Ad hoc duties are often time-sensitive and demand your immediate attention.

Are employees prepped for ad hoc tasks?

We know that ad hoc tasks are all about popping up any time, any day, current projects notwithstanding.

This means that yourself and your team should always be aware of your time and have the necessary capacity to attend to these urgent tasks.

The time clock software from TimeTrack enables employees to monitor their time from anywhere, whether they are in the office, on the road, or working remotely. The time clock application utilises GPS tracking technology to determine a user’s location, allowing employers to verify that their team members are where they should be.

For employees, time monitoring on-the-go can offer greater flexibility and independence benefits, allowing them to manage their own schedules and workload, and deal with sudden work projects.

To complete ad hoc projects without losing time, use these suggestions and strategies:

Assess the urgency and importance of each project and prioritise them accordingly. Focus on high-priority tasks first to ensure timely completion.

Plan and schedule

Create a clear plan outlining the steps and resources needed for each project. Allocate specific time slots on your calendar to work on these tasks, ensuring you dedicate sufficient time without neglecting other responsibilities.

If possible, delegate certain aspects of the project to capable team members or colleagues. This can help distribute the workload and free up your time for other tasks.

Learn from experience

Reflect on completed projects to identify areas for improvement. Identify strategies that previously worked well and incorporate them into future ad hoc projects to optimise efficiency.

Managing expectations on ad hoc tasks, especially regarding time management and ongoing projects, is an important part of being a team leader.

Encourage transparent communication and active participation by extending invitations to essential colleagues for daily stand-up meetings and planning sessions. Even if they can’t attend, take the time to follow up with them and keep them apprised of the work and status of projects.

Be flexible and avoid committing to specific dates unless you’re confident you can get the work done by then.

Keep the various stakeholders informed with summary emails, ensuring everyone is up to date. As always, communication is key.

Be sure to assess the impact of ad hoc tasks on existing projects and figure out if any adjustments need to be made. Plan for new work based on their importance and allocate appropriate resources, including personnel and time, to address them effectively.

Also, it’s okay to say no sometimes!

The disruptive character of ad hoc duties is their distinguishing feature. They can interrupt the scheduled workflow and call for everyone to down tools and redirect their focus and resources to meet the new demands. Ad hoc tasks may involve resolving a problem, providing assistance, making prompt decisions, or completing an urgent deliverable quickly.

Don’t forget to communicate!

Maintain open lines of communication with stakeholders, team members, and other relevant parties involved in the project. Regular updates and effective collaboration can help prevent delays and ensure everyone is aligned.

Save time and improve everyone’s productivity

No need to manually track hours, TimeTrack makes it easy

Several tried and trusted time management techniques can effectively assist in dealing with ad hoc tasks. Here are a few:

• The Eisenhower Matrix involves categorising tasks into four quadrants based on their urgency and importance. Do first (urgent and important), schedule (important but not urgent), delegate (urgent but not important), and eliminate (neither urgent nor important).
• The Pomodoro Technique breaks your work into focused intervals of typically 25 minutes, known as “Pomodoros,” followed by short breaks. After completing a set of Pomodoros, take a more extended break. This technique promotes productivity, concentration, and efficient use of time.
• Time blocking allocates specific time blocks on your calendar for different types of tasks. Group similar activities together and assign dedicated time slots for ad hoc tasks. This technique helps create structure, enables focused work, and ensures that ad hoc tasks receive dedicated attention.
• The Two-Minute Rule: If a task can be completed in two minutes or less, do it immediately. This rule prevents small tasks from accumulating and wasting time later. By promptly addressing quick tasks, you free up mental space and reduce potential time-consuming backlog.
• The 80/20 Rule (Pareto Principle): Recognise that roughly 80% of your results come from 20% of your efforts. Identify the most impactful tasks and schedule them accordingly, focusing on high-value activities that yield significant outcomes.

Remember, no single technique suits everyone perfectly. Experiment with different approaches, adapt them to your workflow, and refine them based on your specific needs and preferences. Effective time management empowers you to handle ad hoc tasks efficiently while maintaining productivity and focus on your core responsibilities.

I am an engineer with a keen interest in technology and a passion for growth-hacking. I’ve covered technology of all shapes and sizes, and reviewed everything from software to hardware. Prior to writing for TimeTrack, I have written for Lulu, DoorDash and many more brands.

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Definition of ad hoc

 (Entry 1 of 2)

Definition of ad hoc  (Entry 2 of 2)

Did you know?

In Latin ad hoc literally means "for this," and in English it describes anything that can be thought of as existing "for this purpose only." For example, an ad hoc committee is generally authorized to look into a single matter of limited scope, not to pursue any issue of interest. Ad hoc can also be used as an adverb meaning "for the particular end or case at hand without consideration of wider application," as in "decisions were made ad hoc."

• down and dirty
• extemporaneous
• extemporary
• improvisational
• off-the-cuff
• spur-of-the-moment
• unconsidered
• unpremeditated
• unrehearsed

Examples of ad hoc in a Sentence

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ad hoc.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

borrowed from Latin, "for this"

derivative of ad hoc entry 1

1639, in the meaning defined above

1879, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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“Ad hoc.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ad%20hoc. Accessed 15 Jun. 2024.

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Latin, for this

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Nglish: Translation of ad hoc for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of ad hoc for Arabic Speakers

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How to Manage Ad-Hoc Projects and Ad-Hoc Requests

Projects rarely go as planned. There is always the potential to get new data, project or product updates, reviews or any number of last-minute requests. How do you deal with these ad-hoc requests?

Ad-hoc means that it’s specific—something that will not be repeated. Ad-hoc projects and ad-hoc requests will occur in project management and you need to know how to deal with them.

What Is an Ad-Hoc Project?

An ad-hoc project is one that happens unexpectedly, usually in response to a problem. Projects are almost always scheduled in advance , but an ad-hoc project is sprung upon the team without time for any prior planning.

That’s one of the things that differentiate an ad-hoc project from a traditional project in project management. Another is that an ad-hoc project usually includes a quick turnaround. Ad-hoc projects also focus on one goal (or group of people) and tend to use fewer resources, including team members.

To sum up, an ad-hoc project is when something comes up that requires an immediate response. Like any project, there’s only a limited amount of time to complete it, but the timeframe is almost always tight.

How to Manage Ad-Hoc Projects: 5 Best Practices

Because an ad-hoc project seems to come out of nowhere, it’s often not given the attention that a more deliberate project would receive. However, you still need to track and report on progress to meet your strategic initiatives.

One best practice for managing ad-hoc projects is using project management software. ProjectManager is a cloud-based software that allows you to plan, schedule and track your projects in real time. Monitor resources and your team’s time with the live dashboard. No setup is necessary. ProjectManager collects and calculates the data and then displays time, cost, variance and more. It’s like an instant status report for your ad-hoc project. Try ProjectManager free today.

1. Don’t Neglect Risk

It’s easy to cut corners when time is of the essence. Ad-hoc projects tend to have less red tape, but that doesn’t mean you should ignore a risk assessment . Any financial analysis will tell you risk can ruin a project. While you won’t have time for a full risk management plan, you must prioritize risks that are likely and could have a negative impact on the project.

2. Stay Flexible

Regardless of what methodology you apply to your projects, you’re not going to have the time for the advanced planning of a waterfall structure. An agile project approach is better suited to ad-hoc projects. They are more iterative, allowing you to quickly pivot as needed, and tend to work with a smaller group on smaller-scale sprints.

Related: Agile vs Waterfall and the Rise of Hybrid Projects

3. You Still Need a Plan

There’s not enough time to go through all the due diligence, such as cost estimates, that would get a more traditional project off the ground. But even an ad-hoc project needs direction. Not having some plan or request management in place to manage your resources, set deadlines and prioritize and assign tasks is going to backfire and create a longer timeline than you can afford.

4. Standardize Work Requests

There’s a lot of methods to speed workflows, such as email, text, voice messages or a quick exchange in person. These methods might feel as if they’re expediting the process but in fact, they create problems. Create a workflow that follows a set pattern that can be centralized, accessed by all, prioritized and even commented on to foster collaboration.

5. Facilitate Transparency

Every aspect of the project should be visible to everyone on the project team. This means updates and any changes. There must be a central source of truth that gives hybrid teams, whether they’re remote, in different departments or using different tools, the visibility they need.

Tools for Managing Ad-Hoc Projects

Project management software has features that let you control projects and ad-hoc projects alike. You can use them to assemble a team and assign them tasks, with deadlines, descriptions and priorities. This lets you get the ball rolling fast and quickly onboard your team.

Teams need a collaborative tool to let them communicate and work better together. This can be part of a project management software or chat and messaging apps that connect teams no matter where they are.

Finally, you need a tool that generates reports, both to manage the project and keep stakeholders updated on its progress. These reports should be able to filter data so you can deliver the details project managers need as well as more general reports for stakeholders. The easier to share these reports, the better.

What is an Ad-Hoc Request?

An ad-hoc request or ad-hoc task is a request that has not been planned for. An ad-hoc project is a larger endeavor, but the definition is basically the same. They are outside the project scope .

Another way to look at an ad-hoc request is as an interruption and team productivity-killer. They pull you away from the project and can cause delays and cost money. The worst-case scenario: an ad-hoc request can derail a project and lead to failure.

An ad-hoc request can be anything from a meeting that’s called at the last minute, pulling you away from deadline work. It can be paperwork, again assigned at the last minute, or re-delegated tasks. Even answering emails could fall under the ad-hoc request. Anything that you didn’t know was coming that takes you away from the main thrust of your job is an ad-hoc request.

How to Manage Ad Hoc Requests: 5 Best Practices

Just as you would manage an ad-hoc project, ad-hoc requests can be controlled with project management software.

Having a work management tool is going to help you prioritize, collaborate, monitor and report on the progress of your ad-hoc requests. Here are some other things to keep in mind when managing ad-hoc requests.

Yes, plan . While you can’t have a plan for something you don’t know will happen, you can set up enough of a cushion in your day to let you respond to ad-hoc requests without negatively impacting your schedule. Use a work breakdown structure to map the ad-hoc request.

If you permit an agile project management approach to your work it allows for greater flexibility so you can pivot from one task to the next by knowing how to prioritize that work and keeping in collaborative communication with the rest of your team. Having ad-hoc tasks managed in an ad-hoc system is one way to keep on track.

2. Filter Ad-Hoc Requests

There will always be ad-hoc requests and some of them must be dealt with immediately, others can wait and there might even be some that you could ignore. But they’ll come sometimes with great frequency and can be overwhelming.

The team leader should be the point person for all ad-hoc requests to keep the team focused on their tasks. Then the team leader can prioritize the ad-hoc requests and assign the work to the team member who has the capacity to take it on.

3. Have a Process

You need a process for the planned work and you need one for the ad-hoc requests, too. Just because it’s an ad-hoc request doesn’t mean it can’t be in the system and tracked. Make sure all ad-hoc requests go into whatever work management tool you’re using.

These requests should also be delivered in the tool, but sometimes that won’t be the case. Regardless, wherever they originate, the ad-hoc request must live in the tool to make it manageable.

4. Track Progress

Without a tool to track your progress, you’re working blind. You need to manage ad-hoc requests, which means knowing your team’s workload in real time so you can assign the ad-hoc request, and then being able to track their progress on the work.

Therefore, you want to work with a cloud-based tool that gives you live data so you know exactly where the task and the team are now and not yesterday.

5. Allocate Resources

Being able to manage ad-hoc resources requires resource management tools that allow you to reallocate resources as necessary to get the work done without impacting the other work that’s already in progress.

Sometimes that might mean requesting additional team members to handle the ad-hoc requests. Having the resource management tools that can show your team’s current allocation will better help you sell your case.

How ProjectManager Helps With Ad-Hoc Projects

ProjectManager is a cloud-based work management tool that is flexible enough to manage ad-hoc projects. Automated notifications by email and in the tool standardize the ad-hoc request process and then teams can be assigned and collaborate in real time with the transparency managers and stakeholders required to track their effort.

Intake New Requests on Kanban Boards

Ad-hoc requests can be added to the kanban boards so they can be integrated into the larger workflow. Managers can set the priority, add descriptions and assign the task to team members. The team can then manage their backlog and plan the sprint together by commenting at the task level. Meanwhile, the project manager has transparency into the process and can see any bottlenecks up ahead and reallocate resources to resolve them.

Allocate Resources Effectively

In order to know who on the team has the capacity to take on the ad-hoc request, ProjectManager has real-time resource management features, such as a workload chart. The workload chart is color-coded to make it easy to see who has too many or too few tasks assigned to them. The project manager can then balance the workload and make more insightful assignments.

Generate Progress Reports for Stakeholders

The stakeholders who made the ad-hoc requests will want to know how the work is going. That’s where ProjectManager’s reporting feature comes in. Generate a variance, timesheet and other reports with one click. All reports can be filtered to show only the data you want to share with stakeholders and then passed on as a PDF or printed out.

ProjectManager is designed to manage any kind of project, including ad-hoc projects, whether your team is under one roof or distributed. With secure timesheets, you always know the status of your team’s work on their tasks, regardless of location or department in the organization. Having this kind of control and visibility keeps ad-hoc requests from sapping your productivity.

ProjectManager is award-winning software that organizes work and connects hybrid teams. It has the flexibility to handle ad-hoc requests and keep you and your team working productively. Join the tens of thousands already using our software at organizations from NASA to Nestles and Siemens. Try ProjectManager today for free!

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Ad hoc project challenges & how to manage them

Learn how to fit unexpected projects into your planned work and execute successfully.

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Nothing beats the feeling when you’ve finally gotten your project portfolio under control, like a cherry positioned perfectly on top of a delicately balanced ice cream sundae.

That is, until a stakeholder pops up out of nowhere with an ad hoc project to throw a wrench into your project management process. You may think there’s not much to do at this point except add juggler to your never-ending list of project manager job duties—as if you weren’t doing enough already. Right? Wrong.

As a program manager with 15+ years of experience in this field, do I have some stories to tell you! In this guide, I take you through the challenges of managing ad hoc projects and give you some tips for handling them.

What are ad hoc projects?

An ad hoc project is a one-time activity that arises unexpectedly or is not part of a pre-planned project schedule . Ad hoc work typically lacks a structured plan and may involve solving urgent issues or addressing sudden needs with immediate attention.

“Ad hoc” is a phrase borrowed from Latin that means “for this.” Ad hoc projects are therefore one-off, unique situations that don’t fit cleanly into an existing framework or project planning process. Basically, like each of your stakeholders, ad hoc projects are special snowflakes ❄️

You’re not supposed to encounter ad hoc projects often, but if your organization lacks robust project management processes , has trouble saying no to clients, or struggles with prioritization , then these types of projects tend to arise more often than you’d expect.

Today, a lot of the projects I handle are ad hoc, but most of my team’s time is allocated to addressing these special situations and wrangling them into manageable processes.

Ad hoc projects were much more concerning when I worked as a strategy consultant and had a full slate of scheduled client work. Asking me to fit in a marketing effort on the side or work “part-time” on a proposal for a couple of weeks was much trickier to handle.

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Learn how Emily Feliciano, the Creative Resource Manager at Atlassian, handles almost 100 resource requests every week with Float —luckily, not all of which are ad hoc! 😉

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What are the challenges with ad hoc projects?

Ad hoc projects present several challenges:

They’re unplanned and unscheduled

Ad hoc projects, by definition, are not part of an organization’s planned project portfolio . Since these types of projects tend to crop up at the last minute, they can be difficult for project teams to accommodate as part of their existing workload.

Solution : avoid scheduling your team up to 100% of their time. Allow some slack in your current project portfolio. That way, when ad hoc projects arise, you’ve got some built-in bandwidth to address them without throwing your existing projects off track. You can use Float’s project planning capability to avoid the risk of overallocation.

They do not adhere to existing project protocols

Since they’re typically labeled “urgent” or “high priority,” ad hoc projects sometimes get a pass from having to follow established processes. Cutting corners may compromise the quality of delivery, leading to rework.

Solution : even if a project is unplanned, it doesn’t mean you automatically have to take it on. Apply a decision-making framework to ad hoc projects to minimize the risk of taking on someone else’s emergency.

Consider including additional screening criteria specific to ad hoc projects to assess whether an effort is worthy of bypassing traditional project management processes. Sample criteria include anticipated cost versus benefits (a cost-benefit analysis can help with this !), security concerns, and reputational risk from failing to deliver.

They lack proper performance metrics

Ad hoc projects are typically not tracked well or at all, either due to time constraints or because the organization initiated the project to correct another issue that they would like to downplay. In this situation, you lose valuable data on how long projects are taking and how people are spending their time, which can impact future cost estimates and/or resourcing decisions. Team members staffed on this type of project may also lose visibility for their accomplishments.

Solution : make sure to add every project, no matter how small, to your resource management software. Even though it may seem like an extra step, it can be really helpful to keep track of how long projects actually take compared to what was estimated and know what your team is working on each day. This information helps you plan for the future and decide how to balance the workload among your team members.

Tools & resources you’ll need to manage and execute ad hoc projects

Despite your best efforts, you may inevitably find yourself saddled with an ad hoc project at some point. When this happens, try not to stress too much—as long as dealing with ad hoc projects is a temporary, periodic situation and not a constantly recurring phenomenon, you’ll be able to handle them without causing too much disruption to your existing portfolio.

Here are some things you can do to improve the execution of ad hoc projects:

1. Allocate resources appropriately

You can use resource planning software like Float to determine resource availability and then create a schedule for your ad hoc project that minimizes disruption to tasks already in flight. Where possible, you should also fast track the schedule to execute multiple tasks in parallel.

To speed up your return to business as usual, it’s also best to staff ad hoc projects with a small team, ideally composed of high performers familiar with the subject matter. A pitfall with this approach is that organizations tend to tap the same people over and over for this type of work, reducing team productivity and organizational visibility and risking burnout .

Use Float’s historical project data to expose who may be getting “voluntold” to work on ad hoc projects a little too often.

Then, to combat this tendency, pair more experienced employees with junior staff that can shadow them. Now, you have a pool of staff equipped to handle these challenges. In the meantime, find ways to publicly acknowledge the fixers for the value they bring.

2. Apply project management processes

With ad hoc projects, you may not be able to spend as much time on planning as you normally would, but that doesn’t mean you get to skip planning altogether.

For example, ad hoc projects should still have:

• Defined goals and objectives
• A curated project team with defined roles and responsibilities
• A project schedule that you communicate throughout the organization
• Lessons learned that you can apply to future projects, both ad hoc and planned.

3. Take on ad hoc projects for the right reasons

While the above tactics can help you minimize the disruptions that ad hoc projects will impose upon your portfolio, ad hoc projects remain disruptive. Taking one on may require your team to go into over-work mode for a couple of weeks to get something important out the door. It may shift deadlines on ongoing projects that are deemed less critical.

The key is to make sure you are doing these projects for the right reasons and that ad hoc project management doesn’t become your default operational mode. Remember you have the option to say no to an effort that isn’t worth the time and cost—and that there are dedicated project planning tools that will help you along the way.

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Manage your ad hoc projects without disrupting ongoing projects

Float allows you to view your team's capacity well in advance and assess the impact of ad hoc tasks on ongoing projects. The visual Schedule helps you prioritize ad hoc requests and schedule them without overloading your team.

<cta-button> Try Float for free → </cta-button>

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Balancing ad hoc projects with ongoing responsibilities requires effective time management, delegation, and prioritization. It's important to communicate openly with supervisors and members about your team’s workload and resource allocation constraints to ensure that ad hoc projects don't negatively impact other commitments.

Improving ad hoc work management skills requires team-consuming practice, reflection, teamwork, and continuous learning. Seeking feedback from colleagues, studying case studies, and participating in training or professional development opportunities can all contribute to growth in this area. You can also use resource management software to improve how you handle ad hoc requests.

Improvisation is often a necessary skill in ad hoc project management, as it involves making decisions and taking action in real time with limited information. While improvisation can be valuable in responding to unexpected challenges, it's important to maintain a balance between agility and strategic initiatives.

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Navigating ad-hoc projects: best practices for success.

January 5, 2024

Sure, we’d all love the stability and predictability of knowing exactly how the rest of our work year will pan out. But in a disruption-prone world, that rarely happens. In fact, in most modern workplaces, project managers and team leaders often face unexpected challenges that throw standard operations into disarray.

We call these challenges ad-hoc projects. They arise out of nowhere, demand immediate action, and sometimes, you have to run them in parallel with your planned initiatives.

Ad-hoc projects, depending on their scale, can push the boundaries of conventional project management . They also test your agility and adaptability, as they force you to juggle multiple competing priorities and ambitious deadlines. The most skilled project managers may take them in stride, but for many others, ad-hoc projects strain their mental resources and time. 

But worry not. We’ve curated time-tested strategies and tools to help you turn ad-hoc project management into a springboard for success and innovation.

What are Ad-Hoc Projects and Requests?

Why is tracking ad-hoc projects important, common challenges in tracking ad-hoc projects, 1. prioritize tasks, 2. allocate resources with agility, 3. ensure clear communication, 4. use project management tools, 5. share regular updates, 6. set realistic deadlines, 7. embrace flexibility, 8. document everything, 9. delegate wisely, 10. conduct a post-project review, what happens if ad-hoc projects are not tracked, embracing the unpredictable: mastering ad-hoc project management.

Ad-hoc projects are unexpected tasks that typically require immediate resolution. They can be urgent client demands, sudden flare-ups of technical issues, or unanticipated market opportunities that demand a quick response.

Unlike routine tasks, ad-hoc projects are not part of the standard workflow and often lack a clear process or precedent. For instance, a software development team may suddenly find a security vulnerability that needs an urgent fix, or a marketing team might need to pivot strategies in response to a competitor’s unexpected product launch.

These projects require quick thinking, rapid assembly of resources, and a task management style that can respond to the sense of urgency without sacrificing the momentum of other ongoing projects.

Ad-hoc projects challenge the status quo of project management because they operate outside the realm of regular planning and control systems. They are the outliers in your project portfolio, often characterized by high stakes and the potential for significant impact on your organization’s performance and reputation.

By definition, ad-hoc projects don’t fit neatly into your scheduled roadmap. Yet, they have the power to influence business outcomes significantly. So tracking ad-hoc projects is vital for several compelling reasons:

• Resource allocation and optimization: Ad-hoc projects can be resource-intensive, and without proper tracking, project managers can overutilize or misallocate their team’s capacity. Monitoring these projects ensures that you’re deploying your team on the most impactful tasks, optimizing human and financial resources
• Maintaining project continuity: Regular projects and ad-hoc tasks compete for the same resources. Tracking ad-hoc projects helps ensure they don’t derail the planned initiatives essential to your long-term strategy.
• Risk management: Ad-hoc projects inherently carry more uncertainty and risk. By keeping a close eye on these projects, you can identify potential issues early and implement corrective actions. This proactive approach to risk management can save time, costs, and the company’s reputation
• Performance metrics and insights: When you track ad-hoc projects, you gather valuable data that can inform decision-making. Understanding the time, cost, and outcomes associated with these projects can lead to more accurate forecasting and improved strategies for handling similar projects 
• Client satisfaction and trust: Many ad-hoc projects arise from immediate client needs or problems. If you can track and manage ad-hoc projects effectively, your clients will love you for it. They will come to trust you with their most urgent and important issues 
• Enhanced team morale: Teams thrive in an environment of transparency and clear goal setting. Tracking ad-hoc projects gives your team a sense of direction and purpose, even amidst chaos. It allows team members to see the results of their hard work and understand how their contributions fit into the bigger picture
• Accountability: Tracking ad-hoc projects creates a system of accountability. It sets clear expectations for delivery and performance, ensuring that team members understand their responsibilities and the importance of meeting deadlines
• Learning and growth: Finally, tracking ad-hoc projects offers a learning opportunity. By reviewing completed ad-hoc projects, teams can reflect on what worked, what didn’t, and how processes can be improved

Despite its many benefits, tracking ad-hoc projects is no mean feat.

Managers running ad-hoc projects must contend with challenges like defining the scope, balancing resources, and integrating them into regular workflows. Understanding these challenges is the first step to overcoming them and turning potential chaos into a structured, manageable, and, if possible, standardized process

• Undefined scope and objectives : The lack of a clear scope or end goal causes ambiguity and leads to scope creep. This is where the project’s requirements expand beyond the initial expectations, causing delays and resource strain
• Lack of integration into regular workflow: Ad-hoc projects typically arise without warning and need to be integrated into the team’s existing workload. Balancing these sudden projects with ongoing tasks without overwhelming the team or impacting productivity is a big challenge
• Misallocated resources: Ad-hoc projects can disrupt resource allocation because they are unplanned. They might need you to reallocate resources committed to other projects, leading to a cascade of delays
• Competing priorities: Determining the priority of an ad-hoc project relative to scheduled tasks can be difficult. There’s always a risk that prioritizing the ad-hoc work can derail priority projects
• Lack of documentation: Establishing a system for tracking progress and maintaining documentation for ad-hoc projects is challenging because they may not fit into the existing frameworks or tools designed for standard projects
• Communication overheads : You often need to make decisions on the fly in ad-hoc projects. This can lead to increased communication overheads, which need to be managed efficiently to prevent miscommunication and burnout
• Ill-defined success: Defining and measuring the success of ad-hoc projects can be complicated. Traditional success metrics may not apply, and new criteria often need to be developed on the go
• Compromised quality control : With the pressure to deliver ad-hoc projects quickly, quality may be compromised
• Learning and improvement : Capturing lessons learned from ad-hoc projects is essential for improving future responses. However, due to their spontaneous nature, taking the time to review and learn from each project can make it difficult to prioritize

Burnout risk : The urgency associated with ad-hoc projects can lead to increased stress and the risk of burnout for team members who may already be managing a full workload . To avoid these pitfalls of managing ad-hoc projects, we’ve compiled 10 strategies that can show you the way.

10 Strategies to Effectively Manage Ad-Hoc Projects

Managing ad-hoc projects requires a blend of strategic planning, flexibility, and the right tools. Reign in the chaos of ad-hoc requests with these proven strategies:

Determining which tasks should be handled first is critical when dealing with conflicting priorities and deadlines. Use a task management tool like ClickUp Tasks to assign priorities. This ensures that your team focuses on what’s most urgent and impactful, keeping the project momentum going.

You can also make use of widely available prioritization templates to ease the process.

Be prepared to reallocate resources swiftly. A dynamic tool can help project managers visualize where resources are committed and facilitate quick adjustments.

Keep your team informed with regular updates when an ad-hoc project comes to you. Use ClickUp’s custom statuses feature to provide rapid visibility into ongoing and completed tasks. Clear communication reduces confusion and aligns everyone’s efforts toward the project goals.

Leverage a robust project management platform to keep track of all the moving parts of your ad-hoc project. ClickUp offers a suite of features that you can customize for managing both regular and ad-hoc projects.

Ad-hoc project requests often come with specific and critical requirements from stakeholders. To keep things on track and satisfy their expectations, provide regular progress reports to stakeholders. This not only keeps everyone informed but also helps in tracking the project’s impact and resource allocation.

Ad-hoc projects often require quick turnarounds, but it’s essential to set achievable deadlines. This will help you manage team workload and expectations. An overly stressed team won’t be able to meet tight deadlines without compromising the quality of deliverables. 

Adapt your plans and strategies as new information comes to light. Being flexible is the key to managing the fluid nature of ad-hoc projects. 

ClickUp enables agility through features like priority tagging, task dependencies, and customizable workflows. As changes occur, you can rapidly reprioritize work, shuffle task sequencing, and update workflows to match the new plans.

Keep a detailed log of decisions, changes, and progress. No piece of information is too insignificant to document. Team members can use ClickUp’s Docs to document all pertinent information.

Assign tasks to team members based on their strengths and current workload. Use ClickUp’s Workload View to ensure no one is over-capacity. Then, assign tasks based on skills and availability. Effective delegation ensures tasks are completed efficiently and without overburdening individuals.

Once an ad-hoc project is completed, objectively review its success and identify areas for improvement. This reflection is vital for continuous learning and development.

ClickUp’s Form View can be particularly useful for managing ad-hoc projects. Create or submit ad-hoc requests through ClickUp Form View , so that these ad-hoc requests are automatically recorded and can be converted into tasks within your project management software dashboard. This streamlines the intake process and ensures every ad-hoc request is tracked from the outset. 

You can also use ClickUp’s Project Review Template to analyze each phase of the project, identify risks and successes, and evaluate team performance. 

Integrating these strategies with the capabilities of a comprehensive tool like ClickUp can significantly enhance the efficiency and success of managing ad-hoc projects.

The short answer: workload confusion, resource mismanagement, missed opportunities, and disgruntled colleagues and clients. Here’s what can happen when these ad-hoc projects go untracked and inefficiencies slip through the cracks:

• Increased workload confusion : Without tracking, it’s impossible to gauge the workload balance within a team accurately. This can lead to confusion over who is responsible for what and when tasks are due, resulting in important actions being overlooked or unnecessarily duplicated
• Resource mismanagement: Ad-hoc projects consume resources without prior notice. When they are not tracked, decision-makers have no visibility into which resources are being used where, leading to potential over- or under-utilization and, consequently, inefficiency and increased costs
• Missed opportunities : If time-sensitive ad-hoc projects are not tracked and prioritized, they can be missed entirely, which could mean forfeiting potential revenue, customer acquisition, or other strategic opportunities
• Quality degradation: Juggling ad-hoc projects on top of regular duties without tracking can lead to rushed work and corner-cutting. This compromises the quality of both ad-hoc tasks and regular projects, potentially damaging your company’s reputation
• Strategic misalignment: Ad-hoc projects may either support or detract from an organization’s strategic goals. Without tracking, it’s difficult to align these projects with your broader business objectives, possibly resulting in wasted effort and tactical missteps
• Stress and burnout: The additional pressure of untracked ad-hoc projects can increase team members’ stress levels. Over time, this can result in burnout, higher staff turnover, and all the associated burdens of recruitment and training new personnel
• Inability to forecast and plan: The insights gained from tracking ad-hoc projects are crucial for forecasting and planning future initiatives. Without them, organizations lose out on valuable data that could inform better decision-making
• Accountability issues: How can you hold anyone accountable for the outcomes of ad-hoc projects if there’s no record of who did what and when? This lack of accountability can foster an environment of indifference and lower overall team morale
• Inefficient processes: Not tracking ad-hoc projects leads to inefficient processes. There’s no way to analyze and improve on these projects if they’re not documented, meaning teams are doomed to repeat the same mistakes

The expert management of ad-hoc projects is key to navigating the complexities of the business world. Managers who get it right can drive success—both for themselves and their organization—and foster a culture of agility and responsiveness.

In an age of dizzyingly fast business pivots, mastering ad-hoc project management is also a significant competitive advantage. 

Armed with the strategies and best practices outlined in this guide, you and your team can transform how ad-hoc projects are perceived and handled. By effectively tracking and managing these projects, you can ensure they serve their intended purpose—driving success and innovation—without compromising the integrity and flow of ongoing initiatives.

Comprehensive project management tools, such as ClickUp, allow you to quickly create frameworks within which even the most unpredictable, ambitious projects can be executed to perfection. These tools provide the visibility, control, and flexibility needed to allocate resources wisely, maintain clear lines of communication, and uphold accountability.

Steer your team confidently, knowing that with each ad-hoc project tracked and completed, you are building a stronger, more nimble organization. Start mastering your ad-hoc projects today with ClickUp .

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How to Handle Ad Hoc Projects (When You Really Don't Have Time)

There are only so many hours in the day - and for Project Managers, most of those hours are likely already accounted for. That's why it can be so disruptive and pressuring when ad hoc projects or requests get pushed onto your team. You're suddenly in a position where you have to make time open up out of nowhere.

And because they don't come through the official channels, ad hoc projects are vulnerable to missing those important parts of the planning process that protect projects from going awry. What sounds like a fairly straightforward project at first can contain hidden complexities. But these might get missed if the project is accelerated past the initial checks and procedures that would otherwise be standard practice. This is particularly a risk when time is scarce.

It certainly isn't an ideal set of circumstances. But, as a Project Manager, it's inevitable that you will face ad hoc projects occasionally. Let's look at some things you can do to rein in the chaos and make a success out of a challenging situation.

What are Ad Hoc Projects?

How to tackle an ad hoc project when time is limited, the benefits of tracking ad hoc projects, how tech can help you handle ad hoc projects.

Any unscheduled, unexpected project that ends up on your desk can be thought of as an ad hoc project. Ad hoc projects often arise reactively, as the result of a particular issue or problem that has been identified. And for this reason it might be even more time-pressured than a regular, scheduled project.

Examples of an ad hoc project might include a PR or customer education campaign responding to an issue that has suddenly come to light in the media, or a sudden need for IT systems improvement - perhaps in response to a security threat that had been overlooked.

Because you don't know when an ad hoc project is going to crop up and what the nature and scope of the work might be, preparing ahead of time is extremely difficult. 

Though ad hoc projects come out of the blue and you've got limited time to play with, there's no reason to abandon procedural thinking in order to get them done. The key is to find a methodical approach that you can action quickly, supported by the right tools.

1. Determine the real urgency of the request

As previously mentioned, ad hoc project work often arises as the result of a problem that needs to be fixed, right now. Whoever brought you the ad hoc request would no doubt like for their work to take priority - but project management is a perpetual balancing act.

Your time is precious and everything else that your team is working on will not simply disappear just to accommodate this request. You need to be realistic and determine a delivery timeframe, but you can only do this once you have understood just how urgent the work is.

Is there a specific deadline that needs to be hit? Is it just “as soon as possible”? What risks would be associated with pushing this work back? All of these considerations will help you determine the objective urgency of the work. And if the work can be pushed back to fit a more realistic timeframe, it should be.

2. Assess the risks

Even if you are extremely short on time, it is not worth skipping risk assessment. But, in order to keep the timeframe for your risk assessment manageable, you will have to be realistic. The assessment might not be comprehensive, but it should certainly capture the main risks that could arise from undertaking the project. Prioritize contingency planning for these primary risks.

Learn more about how to create contingency plans and assess risk using an Impact-Probability Matrix.

3. Consider your resource capacity

Amidst the regular project work they have going on, your team might not have room for the ad hoc project without something else taking a hit. It might be that the ad hoc project has to take priority - but, in that case, you should try to assess whether this will result in delays on a different project.

It can all get very complicated very quickly, unless you have a clear method of visualizing your resourcing . A resource heatmap, such as the one below by Forecast, can help you quickly determine how much capacity your team has for additional work. 

A dynamic resource heatmap will help you quickly visualize your team's capacity

If possible, you want to make sure that only some of your team are allocated to the ad hoc project. It’s ideal if most of your team can keep working towards their regular, scheduled project work to avoid setbacks as far as possible.

4. Don't skimp on planning...but let automation lend a hand

Once you’ve figured out how urgent the work is, and your resource availability, you can estimate how long the work is going to take. Depending on how complicated the project is, producing a work breakdown structure can help you make an accurate assessment of the time it will take to complete the project.

Creating the work breakdown structure might be time-consuming, so if you're short on time, the key is to get the most value out of this activity. If you break down the work in a project management tool like Forecast - scoping out the work from top-level phases, down to individual tasks  - you can leverage the power of automation to turn your WBS into a fully mapped out Gantt Chart at the click of a button.

5. Complete (and track) the work

If work comes in off the cuff, it might be tempting just to treat it in the same casual manner - fit it in around everything else, and don’t put much thought into tracking it. This might seem like the most time-saving option in the moment, but over the long term it's not going to do you any favors.

Just because the work was unscheduled does not mean it should not be tracked through your regular project management software. Your team’s time is valuable. Just because a team member is working on a quick fix or unscheduled request does not mean that this work should go under the radar- even if they don't see the need to record it.

Encourage them to record their time on these ad hoc tasks as normal - we’ll dig into why later.

6. Do a retrospective

Again, just because the project was unscheduled does not mean you should abandon your regular retrospective or post mortem process. There is value to be found in going back and reviewing the project, from start to finish, and even if you are short on time, there might be particular lessons to be learned from an ad hoc project that could help save time down the line. For instance, did the additional time pressures reveal that your team is struggling to collaborate quickly and effectively?

Reviewing how your team has dealt with an ad hoc project might help you achieve a more streamlined workflow for the future, so don't lose the opportunity to turn the project into a learning opportunity. Make sure you plan the retrospective in ahead of time, so the team knows that it's coming up. Ideally, schedule the meeting to happen within a few days of the work getting wrapped up, so the project is fresh in everyone's minds.

By definition, ad hoc projects are initiated to serve a particular purpose; they may be a one-off scenario, significantly different from the work your team typically undertakes. But even if this is the case, there are plenty of benefits to be had from tracking the project, much as you would with your regular work. 

When you’re caught up in the day-to-day, you might not necessarily notice the recurring patterns that lead to persistent problems. But tracking can help you see the bigger picture.

Perhaps ad hoc requests keep hitting the same one or two functions on your team. Maybe it’s your graphic designers who keep getting roped into unscheduled projects, for instance. Track their time on these ad hoc tasks - if there is recurring additional need for their skills, this is the best way to notice it. 

Your records can help you build a case: if it’s not more hires that you need, maybe it’s process improvement? When you have sudden crisis requests landing on your plate every other week, this is a sign that something isn’t working quite right. Ad hoc projects are, by their nature, reactive. Improving the processes and creating a more proactive approach to planning might be the solution. For instance, perhaps your organization needs to work on  identifying potential risks to help limit the amount of ad hoc work needed to fix problems. 

Tracking your ad hoc projects is a time investment - but if it leads to process improvement, it may well be an investment that saves you time in the future.

The frustrating reality of ad hoc requests is that often the person requesting the work wishes it could have been done “yesterday”. Under this kind of pressure, it is tempting just to dive into the work as fast as possible just to get it done. But, equally, if you fail to do any preparation and planning before getting your team to tackle the work, you invariably (as the saying goes) prepare to fail.

The sweet spot is in finding a way to plan and track ad hoc projects as robustly as you can, without it taking too much time. You should be using technology to help you. By using Forecast to automate your project schedule and allocate tasks based on resource capacity, the planning that could take hours or days is cut down to a matter of minutes. Get ad hoc work turned around fast, but do it with a plan.

If you want to try Forecast for yourself, it's free for 14 days. Sign up below, and see how much time you can save.

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What does "ad hoc" mean?

What does ad hoc mean? What is its usage? –Hong, Vietnam

Ad hoc is a word that originally comes from Latin and means “for this” or "for this situation." In current American English it is used to describe something that has been formed or used for a special and immediate purpose, without previous planning.

Ad hoc can be used as an adjective or an adverb. It is used more often as an adjective, especially in these expressions: 

• ad hoc committee
• ad hoc group
• ad hoc basis

Below are some example sentences with ad hoc that help illustrate its meaning:

ad hoc  used as an adjective

• The mayor appointed an ad hoc committee to study the project.
• We had to make some ad hoc changes to the plans. 
• We'll hire more staff on an ad hoc basis.

ad hoc  used as an adverb 

• The decisions were made ad hoc .

I hope this helps. 

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What is an Ad Hoc Committee? (Roles and Responsibilities)

• By: Tara Astbury
• March 8, 2023

When a government agency hits a roadblock, they often create an ad hoc committee to help resolve the issue. Whether it meets in person or conducts remote meetings , this temporary committee works together to support its organization. Read on for an in-depth look at the roles and responsibilities of an ad hoc committee.

What is an Ad Hoc Committee?

Also known as a select committee, an ad hoc committee is a temporary group of people who are brought together to perform a specific task or solve a problem. The term “ad hoc” means “as needed.” 

Ad hoc committees have different purposes, including but not limited to the following:

• Solve problems
• Develop ideas
• Make decisions
• Perform tasks

One may also be created as part of a larger project, such as a new strategic plan, or in response to a crisis. Once finished, the ad hoc committee is dismissed. If an ad hoc committee is needed on an ongoing basis, it becomes a standing committee. 

Ad hoc committees can comprise individuals from various backgrounds and disciplines. Some examples include:

• A team of lawyers, accountants, and business consultants
• A group of doctors, nurses, and medical researchers
• An advisory board made up of members from different industries
• A panel of experts in the field of education

Ad Hoc Committee Responsibilities

The purpose of an ad hoc committee is to address a particular issue or problem. When a committee is created, its members are assigned specific roles and responsibilities. These roles and responsibilities vary depending on the type of committee being formed. But here are the three primary roles that every committee member should strive to fulfill:

1. Serve as a Sounding Board

Sometimes an ad hoc committee is formed to serve as a sounding board. A sounding board listens carefully to others’ opinions, suggestions, and concerns, then helps the committee reach a consensus by providing input and guidance.

For instance, before an organization rolls out a new idea, it may pass it through the ad hoc committee. The committee will listen to the pros and cons of the idea, then give their opinion on whether they think the idea is feasible.

Here are a few instances where the select committee may serve as a sounding board:

• To determine which direction the company should take
• To decide whether a product should be released
• To develop a strategy for the next quarter

2. Resolve Specific Issues

Beyond just serving as a sounding board, an ad hoc committee is called upon to devise a solution to a specific issue. For example, if the organization wants to use new municipal government software , the members would vet solutions to find the right one.

3. Support the Goals and Objectives of the Organization

When you’re asked to join an ad hoc committee, ensure you understand your role and responsibilities. You’ll want to know what the committee is trying to accomplish and why. This information will help you ensure you’re doing everything possible to help the organization succeed.

This final role is crucial because the committee’s actions directly impact the organization’s success. But what does it take to support the goals and objectives of the organization as an ad hoc committee member? Here are some ways ad hoc committees support their orgs:

• Gather information quickly to make informed decisions on pertinent issues.
• Provide expert advice on your areas of expertise. For example, as a governance expert, you can provide insights on how to write government meeting minutes .
• Provide a diverse set of perspectives when making decisions
• Create a clear path forward for the organization by helping them define their vision

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the functions of an ad hoc committee.

An ad hoc committee has similar functions to a joint committee. However, unlike a joint committee, an ad hoc committee has no legal authority over the organization. Instead, it serves as a group of individuals who come together to discuss and solve problems within the organization.

What are the Benefits of an Ad Hoc Committee?

Ad hoc committees allow organizations to solve problems quicker by appointing a group solely focused on a specific issue. In addition, they also save money since they are temporary.

Who is the Chairman of an Ad Hoc Committee?

The chairman of an ad hoc committee is typically elected or appointed by the executive leadership. Among other duties, the chairman is responsible for setting up the meetings, scheduling the agenda, ensuring all attendees are present, and adhering to specific meeting procedures .

What is a Standing Committee vs. Ad Hoc Committee?

While an ad hoc committee is usually established for a limited time to address a specific issue, a standing committee is often open-ended and generally set to solve specific procedural concerns like new members’ admission. 

Hosting an Effective Ad Hoc Committee Meeting

Hosting an effective ad hoc committee meeting requires planning and preparation to ensure all members make the best use of the meeting time. A solution like eScribe helps streamline the process by providing a platform where everyone can share ideas and collaborate effectively.

Here are the most valuable features you should look for in government software solutions for meeting management:

• Effective security : Ensure only authorized users can access the system. 
• Easy collaboration : A Participant Portal tool provides members with access for searching for and reviewing content, downloading meeting materials, and keeping track of comments, notes, and action items, no matter where they are.
• User-friendly and accessible : Make sure the user interface is intuitive and easy to use. Also, look for tools with live streaming and automatic closed captioning to make your government’s work more accessible. 

eScribe meets all these requirements and more, offering a comprehensive suite of capabilities and features designed to make your school board, committee, or local government meetings as streamlined and hassle-free as possible. Our solution is Microsoft-ready and operates within the Sharepoint engine, so you can effortlessly access Office applications and integrate them into your existing processes.

The tiered pricing structure allows you to choose the right plan based on your budget. You can also enjoy Buying Group offers if you’re a smaller local government or school board/district. 

Over to You!

Next time you need to solve a specific solution, consider forming an ad hoc committee. The best part? Your committee members don’t need to gather at a physical location to work together. Check out our tips and tricks for hosting successful remote meetings .

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Meaning of ad hoc in English

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• abrupt halt
• inadvertency
• inadvertent
• inadvertently
• inconceivable
• inconceivably
• spontaneity
• spontaneous
• spontaneously
• unsuspected

ad hoc | American Dictionary

Ad hoc | business english, examples of ad hoc, translations of ad hoc.

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If you call an ad hoc meeting of your knitting buddies, it means the meeting was formed for one particular reason — to knit. Anything ad hoc is either done for one specific purpose, or in an impromptu, last-minute way.

Ad hoc comes from the Latin words meaning "for this." Often the term is used as a criticism, in the sense that something done ad hoc is done hastily and can be ill thought out, serving only to address a problem in the short term. Government programs are often described as ad hoc, for example. But the term can also imply a sense of ingenuity, of impromptu brilliance, or of something happily care-free and devoid of fuss. Like your ad hoc knitting event!

• adjective for or concerned with one specific purpose “a coordinated policy instead of ad hoc decisions” synonyms: specific (sometimes followed by `to') applying to or characterized by or distinguishing something particular or special or unique
• adverb for one specific case “they were appointed ad hoc ”
• adjective often improvised or impromptu “an ad hoc committee meeting” synonyms: unplanned without apparent forethought or prompting or planning

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What Does Ad Hoc Mean and How to Use it in the Right Context?

There is often a lot of confusion surrounding the term ad hoc and what it stands for. In this following Penlighten article we will give you an explanation of what ad hoc means and how to go on to use it in the right context.

The English language has drawn several influences from varied languages of the world. That is why several foreign phrases make way into the English language and one starts to find a reference to them. But then it is just as true that while a sentence with a foreign phrase sounds all that important and interesting, it can get equally confusing if one has absolutely no idea what the word or phrase means. In this article, we will talk about the word ‘ad hoc’ and try to understand what it means and the context of its usage, and provide examples of the same. Continue reading to get a thorough explanation regarding what does ad hoc mean.

The Meaning

Ad Hoc is a Latin phrase and literally means ‘For this’ or ‘Towards This’ . When one confers from this term, it directly translates to ‘For this purpose (only)’ ―that is the ad hoc definition.

But what does ad hoc mean in context and what exactly does it signify?

Ad hoc is a concept that is designed such that it provides for a solution as, when, and how the situation demands it. It means that a particular action was not a part of the original plan and that it had to be designed to suit the demands of the task at hand. In that way, we do things on an ad hoc basis whenever a situation demands action, rather than it being arranged for from beforehand.

That is the reason why ad hoc is an impromptu action plan that provides for a solution to suit the needs of the task at hand. This then gives it that freedom of molding the situation to suit the needs and therefore allows for a semi free rein to ensure success. It is also to be understood that it is a temporary plan, created to meet the needs of a specific situation.

This also makes it clear that the purpose of the ad hoc is usually specific and specialized and cannot be carried over or adopted for other purposes.

Context of Usage

Another context that it can be used in is ― We deal with the problems that come up in our project report on an ad hoc basis . Meaning, as they happen.

Ad hoc is also used quite frequently in the contexts of information technology and in journalism as well.

Though ad hoc might not be used in an everyday context, it is a very handy word, and now that you know what it means and the contexts it can be used in, you can make use of it well enough.

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What Does Ad Hoc Mean?

Home » Phrase and Idiom Dictionary » What Does Ad Hoc Mean?

Ad Hoc Meaning

Definition: Done for a specific purpose; also improvised and impromptu.

Origin of Ad Hoc

This expression originated around the 1550s. It comes from Latin, and the literal English translation is for this .

Examples of Ad Hoc

Tina: Hey, Keanu. I think you should join this committee with me.

Keanu: Maybe. What is it?

Tina: It’s called Bring Pandas to Our Zoo .

Keanu: Uh huh. And I guess this committee serves only one specific purpose?

Tina: Yes! Our one and only goal is to help our zoo procure some pandas.

Keanu: I’m really not interested in being a part of that type of ad-hoc committee.

Tina: How could you not be interested? Pandas are so cute, and it would help our city earn money from tourism.

Keanu: I’m just not that into zoos. I’d be happy to join a more general committee. Perhaps we could join one dedicated to fixing up the city parks.

Jonah: This whole office is disorganized.

Tatiana: I know, but there’s really nothing that we can do about it.

Jonah: Sure there is! I’m sure there would be widespread support to make all the supplies easier to find.

Tatiana: Okay. What do you suggest?

Jonah: I think we should set up an ad-hoc closet that is only dedicated to office supplies.

Tatiana: Okay. That’s a pretty easy fix.

Jonah: I’ll go ask the boss for approval.

Tatiana: Great!

More Examples

This excerpt is from a photo caption. It describes the kitchens that were started exclusively to feed activists protesting an oil pipeline.

• A food line at the Soup Kettle House, one of many ad-hoc kitchens feeding the thousands protesting the Dakota Access pipeline. – Houston Chronicle

The second example is from an article about a teenager who died from starvation. There is a special committee that has only one purpose, which is to decide if children’s deaths were preventable.

• Chapter 92 of Iowa Code also allows legislators or the governor to call together an ad hoc Child Death Review Committee to determine whether DHS and other agencies responded appropriately. – USA Today

Ad-hoc is an adverb that means for a specific purpose or end .

What is Ad Hoc Analysis and How Does it Work?

In modern business intelligence (BI), ad hoc analysis means a specific analysis that’s designed to address specific questions. It’s the ability to analyze your data to find a quick answer to a single, immediate question.

Say a CMO needs a quick comparison between Google search ad spend and Facebook ad spend so she can determine how much was spent last week. That can be done with ad hoc analysis. If she were to create a dashboard that provided a visualization of as spend over time, then we’d be getting into full-blown BI reporting and dashboarding territory.

Ad hoc analysis is all about immediacy and quick action. One quick chart to answer one quick question. Later, you might find that chart pretty useful and decide to fold it into a dashboard. But, overall, ad hoc is meant for now.

And ad hoc analysis is not a fancy buzzword or something only a select few can do. It’s vital to establishing a culture of data in your company. Understanding the role of ad analysis and how it functions will help your business intelligence efforts scale and mature alongside your organization.

Ad Hoc Analysis Is the Core of a Data-Driven Culture

Ad hoc analysis (aka ad hoc reporting) is the process of using business data to find specific answers to in-the-moment, often one-off, questions. It introduces flexibility and spontaneity to the traditionally rigid process of BI reporting (occasionally at the expense of accuracy).

BI reporting used to be (and still is, depending on the tools you use ) time-intensive and technically complex. The process of creating, updating, and sharing reports and dashboards required a lot of effort. As a result, BI was used to answer only the most important questions in order to inform decisions about the long-term health of the business (e.g., “How are we trending for ARR?”).

Ad hoc analysis is the opposite. It’s a quick dive into the data to find one specific answer to an equally specific question. This answer is usually temporary and is used to inform short-term decisions you can act on right away (e.g. “What drove the most marketing qualified leads last week?” ). The ability to do ad hoc analysis used to require deep knowledge of how your company data is organized and how to use the right tools to navigate it.

But the rise of self-service business intelligence made ad hoc analysis more feasible for more businesses. Self-service BI platforms focus on great user experience and powerful features that require little to no coding. Chartio’s own Visual SQL is a good example of this (if you’ll pardon the quick plug):

This much lower bar of entry makes it much easier for everyone in your organization to do their own ad hoc analysis. In fact, it becomes so easy that ad hoc analysis entrenches itself within company culture. Clever, an education technology platform, says 90% of their employees use Chartio to understand their data, and they even have a Slack channel named Number Munchers, where they share tips and tricks.

And the more number munchers (or whatever you decide to call them) in your organization, the better. A data-driven culture means everyone in your organization is empowered to find the data they need when they need it in order to perform their own ad hoc analysis.

The 4 High-Level Steps of Ad Hoc Analysis

Ad hoc analysis is best facilitated by a self-service BI tool (like Chartio 😉). When you use a self-service BI tool to do ad hoc analysis, there are four overall steps you’ll follow.

1. Connect Data Sources

It’s pretty straightforward: All the data you need to access to should connect to your BI platform. This step is often taken care of as you’re first setting up your BI platform, so it’s not something you’ll need to do every time.

But on the off chance that you have a new data source that’s not yet connected to your BI platform, you need to connect it. The benefit of connecting data sources is that you’ll more easily find the data you need and be able to compare it to other data sets using things like cross-schema joins (sounds more complicated than it is).

Ad hoc reporting, by its nature, needs to be quick and on-the-fly. You can’t get bogged down trying to find different data sets across different platforms. A good BI platform will allow you to easily connect to all your data sources and effortlessly explore them .

2. Explore Data on Your Own

The power to explore data on your own is one of the most important parts of ad hoc analysis because it used to be the sole domain of the data experts. The ability to quickly explore data without significant data expertise is the fulfillment of ad hoc analysis.

Data exploration used to require knowledge of the ins and outs of SQL. This bottleneck makes ad hoc analysis nearly impossible because any in-the-moment question from a business person has to go through multiple parties before it be can answered.

Now, you can explore data using visual SQL query builders , like our own Visual SQL , that don’t require any coding knowledge to use. All the data points in your data warehouse are yours to peruse without having to take any SQL lessons (though it can’t hurt to know the basics ).

3. Craft Your Visualizations

Once you’ve explored your data and found what you need, it’s time for the fun part: visualizing your findings. Sometimes, your visualization will be as simple as comparing two numbers to each other, while other times, you’ll need a full bar-line chart. It all depends on your audience and the task at hand.

Ad hoc analysis is fast and tends to be messy—and that’s OK. Don’t waste time trying to make the perfect themed chart ( though you can if you want to ) if you’re the only one who’ll ever see it. Your goal is to identify and communicate a message quickly.

To do so, pull only the KPIs and metrics you absolutely need. It’s OK to be brutally simple and pragmatic. Get to the point where you can confidently make a data-driven decision and move on. If you do want to dive deep into what makes for a great dashboard, we’ve written a whole book about it, which you can read here .

4. Build Your Skill Set

This final step is vague but vital. The more you do ad hoc analysis, the better you’ll be at doing it. Along the way, you’ll start to develop a very important skill set: data literacy.

Data literacy is now a core competency of many modern knowledge workers, from sales development reps to senior product managers. Knowing how to properly leverage data to make good decisions is a vital skill that can be taught (visit Data School to learn ) but is best when learned with practice. Ad hoc helps you build and test your data literacy in real-world ways that impact your day-to-day.

Can Your BI Tool Handle Ad Hoc Analysis?

If you plan to invest in BI for the express purpose of ad hoc analysis, you need to look for three characteristics:

1. It Should Be Self-Service

A self-service BI platform is the only type of BI platform that can facilitate ad hoc analysis at scale. Other more traditional BI platforms can facilitate ad hoc analysis, but usually only for a select few users with the technical know-how.

Self-service BI makes ad hoc analysis possible with features that allow you to easily to connect, explore, and visualize company data. The result is that an end business user can leverage the BI platform however they need without having to go through their technical team.

2. It Should Be Easy to Use

It should not be difficult for your end business users to get fully onboarded to your BI solution. In particular, make sure it’s easy to query your data without using code . But at the same time, if your SQL wizards want to code their queries, your BI solution shouldn’t get in the way .

Once you have those queries done, turning your findings into dashboards should be quick . In Chartio, for example, once you have your findings, all it takes is two clicks and your chart is part of your dashboard. In short, your BI platform should make querying and visualizing data seamless and fast.

3. Iteration Should Be at Its Core

Your BI solution should not sacrifice customizability for speed and ease of use. Many times usability comes at the expense of customizability. What you do not want is a bunch of canned reports you have to work against to create what you need.

A good BI solution will have a free-form dashboarding tool that lets you customize to your heart’s content but can also predict what you want and then create it for you. This is how Chartio works. When you create a query, we know 88% of the time how you’ll likely want your data aggregated and grouped. You can customize and change as much as you want, but if you need to move fast, we’re right there with you.

You should also look for collaboration features, like in-dashboard comments . This will allow you to call out findings to your teammates and communicate on how to deal with them. Another thing to look for is the ability to share your dashboard wherever and whenever you need it to be . Interactivity is also a plus, so others (or your future self) can play around a bit without needing to go back and create a new query. Here’s an example of an interactive embedded dashboard:

Get Started with Ad Hoc Analysis

Ad hoc analysis is not something that should be locked away for the select few to use. It’s an integral part of creating a data-centered culture. And when everyone can make data-driven decisions quickly, your business will grow. If you have a burning question about your data that you need answered, create a Chartio account and get started right now .

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What does "ad hoc" mean in programming?

The term "ad hoc" is used in programming. What exactly does it mean?

• terminology

10 Answers 10

"Ad hoc" is a Latin phrase that can apply to anything, not just programming specifically.

It means something that was made up on the fly just to deal with a particular situation, as opposed to some systematic approach to solving problems.

Regarding programming specifically, it's probably similar to what Joel Spolsky recently called duct tape programming.

• 4 And the literal translation is "to this/for this/for that purpose" , or along those lines. –  keyser Commented Aug 12, 2014 at 17:33
• 1 I always think of it as the opposite of "generic solution" –  Pithikos Commented May 11, 2016 at 9:46

It basically means writing some quick and dirty code without the intention of reuse. User-entered queries are usually the main example. Another common occurrence is a utility to convert data sets from 1 form to another, which will have no use when the conversion is done.

• 4 This is very true about using Ad-hoc. Ad hoc queries is a common term in data base programming. –  siamak Commented Apr 2, 2015 at 16:34

Formed temporarily for a specific, non-continuing purpose, as an ad hoc committee on ice removal.

Impromptu, not planned, improvised, as an ad hoc attempt to remove the ice with a screw-driver.

Generally meaning improvised / impromtu / made up on the fly, such as ad-hoc reports or queries. Not pre-determind / pre-meditated

ad hoc means for one specific cause or approaching a solution in an unplanned way. In ad hoc we don't have any plan but have the deadline to finish the work. Ad hoc exists in different areas like programming, testing etc. In testing if perform ad hoc if the time assigned is very less and have to deliver the kit within that min amount of time then we will go for ad hoc.

In programming, it is basically that the developer is not working according to the plan but he is working bits and pieces from the whole code. Let me describe it.. there are 2 developers 1 and 2. they have to complete 3 module say A, B, C. If there is a plan then they can decide on which module they are going to work on it. but in ad hoc they can approach any of the modules in an unplanned manner.

The antithesis of "ad hoc" (which means, "specifically for this") might be "commercial off-the-shelf" (COTS) software, which is written to solve a general category of problem (e.g. word-processing or book-keeping) for several possible customers.

In the context of programming and software applications , ad hoc is typically used to signify that

some coding (or more generically, some definition/specification) is done at run-time,

rather than pre-defined and encaspsulated in the application.

Ad hoc items have the characteristic of being done to serve a particular purpose rather than a generic or pre-defined one.

Examples One may run some ad-hoc queries in SQL to familarize oneself with the the database content. (Equvalent expression would be " writing queries on the fly "). This differs from one's writing queries in the context of a program whereby the list of columns to get, the filters to apply etc. are driven by the application's specifications .

In a very similar usage, and end-user may request the ability to run ad-hoc reports (equivalent expression/underlying concept: " a custom report feature "), which indicates the need for the application to allow end users to decide, at run time, which elements of the report they wish to see (possibly in which specific order etc.).

One may also [typically] quickly "whip-up" a small program for to serve a particular purpose, such as say to parse some input for loading a database (Possible equivalent: "Throw-away code"). Such ad-hoc programs are expected to be used once or a few times, and in the limited timeframe which surrounds the a particular task. The opposite would be to write a generic import utility which may be reused in similar but different contexts (and be use/reused over time).

Programming for a specific purpose, usually without any planning. An example would be a macro or something which is designed to do a single task and nothing else.

• I've never heard the term "ad hoc" used to mean "well-factored." –  Chuck Commented Nov 23, 2009 at 23:22
• @Chuck: In this context, "designed to do a single task and nothing else" is being used to refer to an entire small program, not to the the components of a larger program. –  Jeanne Pindar Commented Nov 24, 2009 at 0:19

I've heard it used in reporting, where I take it to mean letting the user choose what columns, grouping, and aggregate functions to put into a report,

my synonym is ad hoc = case study

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