At this point, I have usually worked with the sponsor to make sure we haven’t taken the project in the wrong direction during our planning session. And now I’m ready to turn the information in to a schedule. That means creating a linear order out of the hierarchy. I start by translating the tasks into a list and applying the obvious sequential logic then I go to the team members to get their expertise.

Step one, have them validate the order and add any detail they want (yes, I know you don’t want too much detail because it’s not manageable – trust me it’s easier to take things out than put things in later. I’ll give you some tips on how to make it manageable).

Step two, gather their estimates on the time they need to take to complete the tasks. I usually ask them for the duration. The passage of time from start to finish. If you ask for effort, the amount of time it will take without distractions or waiting times, you also need to know how much of their time is assigned to your project. The effort calculation can be very useful in large complex projects, but for beginners, duration will work fine.

Step three – and final for this post- put all this information into your scheduling tool to see how long the project is going to take.

Of course, it is normal for the first cut of the schedule to be too long. You will still have to work to massage the schedule to a more reasonable timeline. The next post will deal with that. And you need to get the detail to a level where you can manage it without micromanaging or losing control. The final post for planning will cover that topic.

In the meantime, happy project managing.

Perry

Let’s start with a quick reminder of what the PM is charged with. Your job is to manage the project to a successful delivery. What gets in the way when you have a  project in addition to the day to day operational duties, is the conflicting demands. But, as the PM you are still expected to do both well.

This week we’ll talk about how to set your project up for success at the initiation stage.

Initiation, when you are discussion the project with your sponsor, is the best place to set expectations. You are hearing about the project for the first time. You are getting excited about the possibilities and you are trying to think through the team you need. Your sponsor wants to know how quickly you can do the work.

As an experienced PM you know better than to promise a date until you’ve finished at least the planning meeting.  But, in your mind you start doing the estimating. This is where you need to slow down. As a project managers we are used to helping team members work through their estimates, but many times we don’t put the same discipline around our own capacity.

In the initiation phase, take the time to think about your own time constraints. Is your operational job more busy at certain times of the month? Do you often have to drop everything to solve a problem? If the answers are yes, think about how you can protect time to be available for the project team. Is there a way to set up meetings that allow you to be flexible? Is there a possibility of delegating any of your operational duties? Are there meetings you don’t need to attend?

Working on how to balance your time in the initiation stage will set you up better for planning the project. Think of it like the safety message when you are on a plane. Putting on your own oxygen mask first will allow you to assist others. Planning to solve your own time challenges first will help to get the project plan balanced for everyone.

I hope this tip worked for you and I look forward to your comments

Perry

I want to continue sharing good ideas about project management through twitter, @perryawilson, by linking to other blogs.

Happy PMing.

Perry

It’s not them.

When you get under pressure, your little inner voice, the one you ignore otherwise, starts telling you how to act. It’s a lizard voice in your lizard brain. Rarely will your voice tell you ‘be patient’, ‘ask questions’. It usually comes in the form of “get it done and deal with the people later”.

My voice tends to tell me to ‘just get it done and don’t wait for people to figure it out. You can always show them how you did it afterward”. Not very empowering for the rest of the team.

The lesson I’ve learned over the years – and still have to remember to learn – is when that lizard starts talking I come to a stop and remind myself to ‘be patient’ and ‘ask questions’.

When you start to hear that voice, whatever yours says to you, take a breath think and then act.

What about when there’s a safety issue? I suggest that the best time to make sure you aren’t causing more problems rather than calmly dealing with the situation.

Happy PMing

Perry

He posted today – a short one, they are all pretty short and readable – on deniability and it reminded me of the post I did about creating a trusting environment.

Enjoy the post.

Perry

So I’m going to create a list of what I think would be good for projects in general.

1. Everyone communicates. If communication is really the most important thing, let’s get talking.
2. Everyone tells it like it is. Issues are raised and escalated without fear of blame, status is honest and timely
3. Sponsors will plan the project. No projects will lurch from week to week towards the next deadline for lack of forward thinking
4. People will stop worrying that there’s too much work and not enough time. It’s a project for crying out loud!
5. Team members will have priorities set and won’t need to do the project off the side of their desk – or worse do their day job off the side of their desk.
6. People will understand the value of project management before they get off track.
7. Project Management software will focus on enabling communication.
8. Projects will have budgets for celebrations again.
9. Google Wave will have some project application.
10. All projects will be successful

Okay, so maybe all my wishes won’ t come true but if we all focus on the first 2 maybe one or two others will come along.

Have a great new year!

What is important for NaNoWriMo project is the same as any project this close to completion. Focus on the work at hand, not on the new bright shiny project coming up.

I’ve assessed my progress towards my goal and after some heroic word counts (7,111 in a day) I’m on track to meet my goal of a finished first draft of 80,000 words. I will finish the month with the project printed and ready to be hidden from view for 2 months before revision.

This is the last in the series of novelist as PM blogs.

Next project – develop e-publishing business

Have a great week.

For instance, some writers get blocked in week 2. They have the time but not the inspiration.

Others find they don’t have much time or inspiration.

Others even find they get behind on purpose because they get a buzz about doing marathon sessions and heroic daily word counts.

For me it was shifting priorities. My paid work was taking more time than expected when I planned my NaNo book. The paid work takes priority over the ‘will be paid wildly obscene amounts of money for my novel and retire to write full time’ work.

In a non-writing project when priorities shift, I start by looking at how much the changes in priority affects the scope, schedule and budget of the project. I did the same with the writing project.

Can I change the scope. Yes, my goal is 80,000 words, the official goal (requirements) is 50,000 words. I can reduce my effort to the required amount.

Can I change the schedule. No, this is the month we write a book. November 30 midnight local time is my deadline.

Budget doesn’t exist for this project, and it’s one of those things that you can’t throw money at, I have to write the book.

My solutions;

1. I will not reduce my goal – 80,000 is a book and that’s what I want to write.
2. I can divide out the shortfall over the remaining days of the month to make it look manageable.
3. I can do a marathon at the library write in to minimize the shortfall.

The result – half the shortfall made up in one write-in and the remainder is achievable in one normal writing day.

Next week, quality management!