Bite the bullet... and just do it!

"JUST DO IT" - the Nike slogan... "Feel the Fear, and Do it ANYWAY"... "Paralysis by Analysis", "Don't lose site of the prize" and all of the other catch-phrases... all have one thing in common.  They refer to the well know fact that nobody wins a race... if they don't start... nobody builds a house unless they finish the design first, dig the first hole, lay the first block, nail the first nail, etc.

Projects are the same.

You build a project plan based on reasonable expectations, and then you execute the plan.  You continually measure to make sure you're on task... that the project is progressing as expected, and make adjustments as necessary.  It helps to get ahead... where possible.  However, DON'T change your commitments, who knows when a new requirement emerges that can't be delayed, that you missed, or another critical resource is impacted to erode any of your unexpected momentum.  Successful project management is achieving the desired state... using the expected resources... and at the expected time... or preferably earlier.

No customer will ever be upset if you deliver a product in advance of a deadline. However, if you move your deadline forward because of "unexpected progress", and then have a hurdle to overcome, and move it back to the original date, your customer WILL BE UNHAPPY.  You've turned a customer that would have been very satisfied into one that is not... because you changed HIS/HER expectations.

Some basic guidelines when managing a project... all common sense:

1. It could rain.. so build in slack... and don't let it go until the end.  (Look at your past projects, and figure out what is reasonable... are you usually 10% behind, 20%... 15% early?  That's a good basis for your slack factor.)
2. People take vacation, get sick, and have other things that pull them off task.. plan for them.
3. Know your critical path -- I've posted on this before... it can change as the project evolves, so keep your eye on the project pulse... and manage to the critical path.
4. If you're late on a specific task... this can quickly become your critical path, so see #3.
5. If new requirements arise, negotiate their impact the project timeline... these, or other tasks may be able to be moved to a future phase, to keep this phase on time.
6. Look forward, and act forward.  If you know you have upcoming requirements, make sure that they are ready when needed... and that you're ready for them as well.
7. Know when to be flexible... and even more important... know and communicate any potential impact. If a project can't succeed without a critical piece of functionality that was overlooked, taking a hard stance is suicide to the project.  If you can communicate the impact to the project, your sponsors and stakeholders may find it acceptable to either postpone other tasks, or determine that a slight delay in delivery is acceptable.

Personally, I know that in my dealings, I'd rely a tremendous amount on my instincts for what is realistic both from and effort perspective, and from a slack time perspective.  This is from years of planning, managing, and adjusting project schedules for everything from software design, MRP/ERP implementations, new product manufacturing, and building a house.  If you can learn the concept in one area... with a little help from someone with knowledge, you can transfer the skills to other areas.

I do find it particularly helpful if you actually manage your resources, or have very willing and committed partners that manage the resources.  Never try to make your crisis someone else's, nor accept their crisis as your own... at the expense of your projects... without first making sure that this is acceptable for your sponsors and stakeholders, and then use the situation to further build trust, and bank emotional capital.

Creating Project Plans and Critical Paths

When you create a project plan, think of yourself as a general contractor trying to build a new home. As the general contractor, you’re not necessarily going to physically perform each task. By yourself, you probably would not dig the trenches, mix cement, lay blocks, plumb pipes, wire the electrical, frame the house, set the drywall, paint, lay carpet, install siding, shingle the roof, and many of the other tasks which are often associated with building a house. You either have crews of specialists that are necessary to complete the tasks… or you have sub-contracted different parts of the project to different people.

What would happen if the roofing contract came before the foundation was built? He’d have to go home… or you’d have to pay him until everything else was done and he could do the roof. If the excavator doesn’t complete his task at the beginning of the project… and waits until toward the end of your 180 day contract… nothing else gets done. The general contractor won’t be in business long if they can’t optimize their resources… which we refer to as Project Management.

With any project, it’s basically the same thing. There is a natural order and sequence to everything, and the absolute best performance you can hope for is called the critical path. Why is it critical? It’s critical because anything that get’s delayed on the critical path will automatically have a ripple effect and delay the overall project by the same amount of time unless you have sufficient slack in the schedule. Without slack in the schedule to absorb a delay, if an item on the critical path is a week late, then the project is a week late. That is barring some heroic effort to reduce the time required to complete a downstream task on the critical path.

When managing a project, make sure you know the critical path. Manage the critical path, and you will manage the project. If other tasks not on the initial critical path become delayed… they could easily become the new critical path… and should be managed appropriately.