Senior Roles' Context Revealed in the Calendar

#calendar #schedule #management

Summary

The activities of senior roles may be a black box, but calendars are truthful. You can gain some insights just by looking at them.
Manually comparing schedules is tedious, so use API to retrieve it, convert it into Markdown, and let AI analyze it.

Background

Activities of Senior Roles: A Black Box

The activities of managers and senior engineers are often shrouded in mystery. Discussions among senior roles are typically closed, and the outcomes are communicated top-down to the team.

It is not uncommon for them to listen to field opinions or have partial dialogues, but don't be misled. The real decision-making discussions are likely closed. This is why it's often likened to politics. If it weren't political, it could be transparent. The lack of transparency renders such organizations and their actions political.

The Need to Know Senior Activities

There is a significant difference between adapting after receiving a top-down directive and having foreknowledge to prepare for it. It also affects both physical and mental workloads. Hence, being aware of what's coming down the pike can make things somewhat easier.

Pay Attention to the Calendar

In conclusion, the context of senior roles is reflected in the calendar. Calendars are honest.

While this may not apply universally, in reasonably large organizations, schedules are typically managed in an open manner company-wide. For example, organizations using MS365 allow all employees to use Outlook calendars, where anyone can freely view the schedules of all employees. Adding entries is also possible. Naturally, this includes the schedules of senior roles.

Start by Monitoring the Calendars of Nearby Senior Roles

The simplest solution is to just monitor the schedules of senior roles you are close to.

Simply checking once a day can reveal a lot, and you can also keep more frequent tabs as you would for company notifications. It's insightful, but be careful not to get too absorbed like internet surfing...

Ideally, Collaborate with AI

However, manual work is cumbersome, and it would be great if a generative AI could perform the analysis.

The idea is simple, as follows:

1: Use an API to retrieve schedule data for specified individuals within a specified period.
2: Express the information from step 1 in Markdown format.
3: Provide the information from step 2 to a generative AI for analysis (you'll also need an analysis prompt).

Generative AI can assist with steps 1 and 2. Here is an example:

We have an organization-wide contract with Microsoft 365. I want to retrieve the scheduled events for specified employees over a designated period.

For example, if I want to obtain the schedules for individuals A and B for November 2025, the format should be as follows:

    ```


    # (Name of A) (Email of A)

    ## 2025-11
    - 2025-11-01
        - hh:mm Event Name
        - hh:mm Event Name
        - ...
    - 2025-11-02
        - ...
    - ...

    # (Name of B) (Email of B)
    ...


    ```

In other words, create a main heading for each person, sub-headings by month, and list daily events with the event's start time and name.

I would like to create a script that generates this output.

While specific implementations or prototypes are not provided, this method allows for the analysis of the context surrounding senior roles. Depending on how you craft your analysis prompt, you should be able to track their activities quite comprehensively.