Plain English Meaning

Deciding what needs to be done, in what order, and giving each job the right amount of attention so nothing important gets dropped while flying.

Full Definition

The pilot skill of identifying, prioritizing, and sequencing the various tasks required to operate the aircraft safely, so that attention and effort are directed to the most important task at any given moment and no critical task is neglected.

Context Anchor

Used in resource management discussions, especially when the pilot must handle several duties at once, such as flying the airplane, checking instruments, using checklists, talking on the radio, and making decisions.

Derivation

Task comes from an older word meaning an assigned piece of work. Management comes from a word meaning to handle or direct. Together, the term points to handling the pilot’s pieces of work in a way instead of reacting to them randomly.