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WSuggestedremedySuggestedremedySuggestedremedyWhenanewproductisbeingintroduced.Whenthestakesareveryhigh.Whenthepriorityisverylow.Whenmanyindividualsareinvolved.Whenlastminuteinforma-tioniscrucial.Whenyouredealingwithawimp.Temperyouroptimism.Putatimelimit.Helpthemvisualize.THECOMMONSITUATIONSTHINGSYOUCANDOWORKINGAROUNDTHOSEPROJECTDELAYShatevertheproductorresultbrandingadswebsitesbrochurespublicityinessencecreativebusinessesselltime.Themoreefcientlyandfasterfunctionscanbeper-formedthemorepotentialformakingmoney.Littlewonderthenthataprojectdelaycanbesofrustrat-ing.Itupsetstimetablessapsinitiativerequiresreschedulingdisruptscashowandincreasescosts.Yetdelaysarealsopartandparcelofservicebusinesses.Theycanneverbewhollyelimi-natedbuttheycanbemini-mized.Carefulplanningnotwithstand-ingnearlyeveryprojecthascontingenciesandunknownsthatcouldderailit.Somesitua-tionsthougharemorelikelytobeproblematicthanothers.Beforewarned.Theresanodds-onpossibilityofsignicantdelayinthefollowing.Fewnewproductseverfollowaclientstimeline.Theresabudgetshort-fallabetatestfailsmanufactur-ingcantdeliverontimedistrib-utionturnsouttobenotreadyandsoforth.Andevenwhenintroducedontimesupportingactivitysuchasadvertisingandproductliteratureusuallymustbeproducedonacompressedlast-minuteschedule.Someprojectssuchasbrandingaresoimportanttoaclientthattheresadegreeofinternaldiscussionandcon-tentionthatwillmakemooteventhemostrealisticofschedules.Expectprojectionstobeconstantlyrevised.Theothersideoftheaboveiswhenprojectscantseemtorisetoalevelthatrequiresatten-tion.Updatingawebsiteisacommonexample.Itsimportantbutprobablynotcrucial.Theclienthasbiggerissuestocon-tendwithrightnow.CBsLawofGeometricDelaypredictsthatmisseddateswillincreasegeo-metricallyasthenumberofindi-vidualsinvolvedintheinputandapprovalprocessincreases.Clientswithlargebureaucraciesandthoseinthenot-for-protsectorarerepeatoffenders.Inevitablyitwillcomelaterthanexpected.Yettheprojectsduedatecantbesetbackforlegalnancialormarketingreasons.Soitsnecessarytoburnthemidnightoiltocompensate.Anyonewhoisinvolvedwithannualreportsorpressconferenceshasexperi-encedthis.Clientindividualswhoareunsureoftheirauthorityorotherwiseindecisiveareapre-scriptionfordelay.Whenthebossisawayorunavailabledecisionmakingwillgrindtoahalt.Watchfortheminorganiza-tionsofallsizes.Howeveritmightultimatelyaffectthemclientsareseldomassensitivetotheimportanceofkeepingtoascheduleasaresuppliers.Compoundingthisisthebeliefthattheresusuallyenoughexibilitythatmissingadateortwowontbeaproblem.Avoidingprojectdelaysismostlyuptoyou.Goodintentionsoftenbackre.Youdontdoyourselforclientsafavorbyacquiescingtounreal-isticrequestsorpreparingopti-misticschedules.Someactivitieswilltakelongerthanprojected.Andwhatcangowrongoftenwill.Tocom-pensatefortheoptimismfactorinherentinnearlyallplanningadd10to20toaprojectsschedule.Bettertomeetorbeatalongerschedulethanenduphavingtoexplainwhyamoreoptimisticonecouldntbemet.Schedulesandestimatesarewrittenbasedonconditionsextantatthetimeandundercurrentcircum-stances.Theyshouldneverbeopenended.Besureeveryproposalstatesthatitspricingandschedulingareonlygoodforalimitedtime.Typicallythisis30dayspriortobeginningaproject.Anydelaysbeyondthiscouldrequireanewestimateandschedule.Theinterrelationshipbetweenactivi-tiesandthecascadingeffectofdelayscanbedifculttoappre-ciatefromawrittenschedulealone.Thisisespeciallysoforlargecomplexprojectsextend-ingoverlongperiods.Includeavisualizationofthescheduleintheproposal.Thiscanbepre-paredeasilyusingoneofseveralprojectmanagementorschedul-ingsoftwareprograms.Seetheinsetintherstcolumn.8CreativeBusinessMarchApril2008BECOMINGMOREPRODUCTIVEThisarticlesupplementsAvoidingCostlySchedulingMiscueswhichappearedintheMarchApril2007issue.A.PDFcopycanbedown-loadedfreeuntilMay1statwww.creativebusiness.comCB178.lasso