Schedule delays and overruns are among the most common and costly problems in project management. They can damage your reputation, increase your expenses, and jeopardize your deliverables. How can you avoid them, or at least minimize their impact? Here are some tips to help you manage your project time and schedule more effectively.
One of the main causes of schedule delays and overruns is scope creep, which means adding or changing requirements without adjusting the time, cost, or quality of the project. To prevent this, define the scope of your project clearly and document it in a scope statement or a work breakdown structure (WBS). Also establish a change control process that specifies how to handle any requests for changes and how to communicate them to stakeholders.
Once the scope is clearly defined it is imperative that the stakeholders understand the impact of further changes on the project schedule. This should be communicated to them early and often to ensure it remains at the forefront of their mind.
I am of the opinion that project time schedule should be realistic. When project time schedule should be worked out based on the elements on the critical path and risk associated with it. Sometimes even the elements that are not on CP could pose serious problem. Therefore, Plan B should also be prepared for the project. Project Manager should think that he has to complete the project at least 6 months ahead of schedule. This will make him to take quick decision on all important elements and keep a close watch them. Another important aspect of project is fix a intermediary goal and monitor it closely that ,it is achieved.
When embarking on any project, it is crucial to define the scope clearly from the outset. This ensures that all parties involved have a shared understanding of the project's goals, objectives, and deliverables. Without a clear scope, projects are likely to experience schedule and cost overruns, which can be detrimental to the success of the project. By defining the scope early on, project managers can set realistic timelines and budgets, allocate resources effectively, and ensure that the project stays on track. Clear project scope also helps to manage expectations, reduces misunderstandings, and minimizes the risk of scope creep.
Communicating with Stakeholders: Effective communication with stakeholders is paramount in the change control process. Transparently conveying approved changes and their implications helps manage expectations and keeps everyone informed about the project's progress.
In my experience Triple constraints - Time, Cost and Scope are the critical factors which drive the project. Most of the stakeholder are not aware of this, they feel the Scope can be changed any time, schedule and cost can be decreased. It’s the role of the Program Manager to ensure stakeholder are made aware of these constrains and any scope changes has a direct hit on time and cost. A well defined and documents process for Change Management Process plays a vital role here. It’s also important to keep the project core team involved through the planning phase of the project to effectively communicate the specific program goals they should focus on.
Another common cause of schedule delays and overruns is unrealistic or inaccurate planning and estimation. To avoid this, use reliable methods and tools to estimate the duration, effort, and resources necessary for each activity in your project. Also consider the dependencies, risks, and assumptions that may affect your schedule. You can use techniques such as historical data, analogous estimation, parametric estimation, or three-point estimation to improve your accuracy.
A really dangerous practice is to arbitrarily "pad" your estimates by a fixed percent. Here's why. You add 10% to your estimate. Your boss sees that, and they add 10% too. (Sometimes this happens again!) In the end, you have an estimate that is way above what it should be. That sounds great, except for the documented trend that people typically use ALL the time they are given to complete a task. This is called Parkinson's Law. You may see this as "contingency." They will see it as their real due date. Since people also wait until the last minute to start their work (Student Syndrome), they are just as likely to be late on your padded estimate as your realistic one.
Taking advantage of this topic, I believe it's important to talk about Reserves applied to tasks in estimating effort to perform work. Reserves are important because they can give you leeway, just in case your time and effort estimates fall a little short. With a reservation, you can add extra time to your schedule. However Task reserves need to be used more sparingly on tasks under the project team's control. For example, you can choose to include reservations only for tasks that are difficult to complete or that have an element of unpredictability, such as the time it takes for grass to grow (lol). In this case, there is another type of reserve, the project reserve, which can bring about a more conscious use of this type of tool.
Allowing management to solely determine a project deadline can lead to potential downfalls such as unrealistic timelines, insufficient planning, and increased pressure on the team. It may result in rushed decision-making, compromised quality, and higher chances of project failure. Moreover, the team's well-being and work-life balance may suffer due to undue pressure to meet aggressive timelines. Collaborative input from both management and the project team is essential for setting feasible and successful project deadlines.
To keep your projects on track, accurate planning and estimation are paramount. The best way to achieve this is to leverage real data from past projects and create data repositories for future reference. This equips you with valuable insights to plan and estimate realistically. Also, it is important to meticulously document your assumptions and conduct a thorough risk assessment. As a project manager, you can't be an expert in everything, so having a team of reliable specialists is key. Tap into their expertise to gather precise data and make informed decisions. By combining historical data, expert input, and vigilant risk management, you build a solid foundation for project success.
surprisingly, I noticed many project managers are still not aware of the project estimation techniques. There are as many as 12 techniques that I know off. The some of the more reliable estimation technique that I use in projects include bottom-up, 3-point estimation technique, and parametric estimation. Try avoiding techniques that are not measurable or based on assumptions (such as analogous). While it may work, the environment of the project may change from time to time and it may be costly to use this technique for your project estimation.
Even with a clear scope and a realistic plan, your project schedule may still face delays and overruns due to unforeseen events or changes. So it's important to monitor your project schedule regularly and compare it with the baseline. Also use key performance indicators (KPIs) such as schedule variance, schedule performance index, or critical path method to measure and report your progress. Tools such as Gantt charts, network diagrams, or dashboards can help you visualize and communicate your schedule status.
This seems like a given, but I think it's worth mentioning...Schedule time to monitor and control and the schedule. The biggest killers to executing a project schedule is the time management of the project manager. Be vigilant and ritualistic about weekly and monthly progress updates, with yourself as the manager, and with others in a meeting setting. Don't take for granted that you "know the schedule" and assume everything is on track. A clear mind and space to re-evaluate the schedule progress can often reveal inefficiencies or opportunities for new efficiencies.
As a project manager, you should be thinking well ahead of the team. It's tempting to only look backward, but to truly monitor and control well, you need to be looking foward too. And while the team may only be thinking about the next 2-3 weeks, you should be looking at the next 2-3 months. Identify and act on risks as early as possible.
The importance of project monitoring and control is often underestimated. It is easy to forget that they're the linchpin to keep your project on track. The key is to start by dedicating time and effort to establishing a robust project control system right at the project's outset. It cannot be stressed enough. Once the project is in full swing, the rush only intensifies, and without a system in place from the start, it becomes a race against time. Delaying the setup of a project control system early on can lead to perpetual timing issues. So remember, the best time to ensure smooth monitoring and control is right at the beginning, ensuring your project stays the course.
One vital lesson I have learned from top managers is, "If you can't measure, you can't manage." Thus, creating meaningful Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) is non-negotiable for effective monitoring. However, most projects adhere to the 80/20 principle, implying that a significant portion of outcomes (80%) is often due to a small proportion of inputs (20%). Therefore, it's crucial to understand this principle and construct KPIs that encapsulate the critical 20% of efforts.
An effective way to actively control project progress is applying and periodically using the Earned Value Method (EVM). Using this method gives valuable insight about the progress of the project against the baseline, and can uncover schedule or budget overruns early in the project, allowing corrective action when there still is time. To make use of this method, one must track planned vs actual spent effort, and it's very important to periodically reassess the remaining estimates for the WBS.
Another common cause of schedule delays and overruns is poor risk management. To avoid this, identify, analyze, prioritize, and respond to the potential risks that may affect your project schedule. Then develop a risk register that documents the risk sources, impacts, probabilities, and responses. Use strategies such as mitigation, transfer, or acceptance to deal with the risks. Review and update your risk register periodically and implement contingency plans if necessary.
This article forgot two important potential risk responses: Avoid and Escalate. Avoid means to take the probability of the risk down to 0% (or, in the case of a positive risk/opportunity, take it to 100%.) An example would be to totally remove a scope item that is deemed too risky to tolerate. Escalate means that the potential impact of the risk is so big that it needs to be escalated beyond the project manager. A good practice is to know up front what your sponsor wants to weigh in on, and what you can handle yourself. This is called establishing tolerances.
Create a thorough risk management plan that includes a risk register. When managing risks implement the risk response plan and be sure to stay on top of communication with all necessary stakeholders. Proactively assess project risks and try to uncover hidden risks when you have downtime. What work is ahead of us, and what could go wrong? How will this new risk effect my scope, budget and/or timeline? Develop contingency plans for these possible scenarios. I find nothing more rewarding then when something that negatively impacts my project occurs and I already have a solution for it.
Effective project management hinges on proactive risk management to thwart schedule delays and overruns. Foreseeing pitfalls, teams must identify, assess, and prioritize potential risks. This involves crafting a comprehensive risk register that delineates sources, impacts, probabilities, and mitigation strategies. By employing tactics like risk transfer, acceptance, or mitigation, projects fortify themselves. Regular reviews and updates to the risk register, along with contingency plans, ensure adaptability. Through strategic risk management, projects can navigate uncertainties with resilience, ensuring schedules remain intact and overruns become a rarity.
Ensure to capture risks regularly. Ensure proper risk mitigation approach . Use Risk mitigation approach and tools.Make sure to evaluate proper risk mitigation methodologies.
One person's trash is another's treasure. Remember that a risk in not just an adverse event, but it could also be a positive opportunity. A Project Manager must always look at the opportunities that the risk brings about. There are 5 methods of responding to a risk opportunities.
To avoid ineffective communication, share your project schedule clearly and consistently to all stakeholders involved in your project. Also establish a communication plan that defines the frequency, format, content, and channels of communication. Use feedback loops, escalation paths, and stakeholder engagement techniques to ensure your communication is timely and accurate.
Agreed with the comment by Elizabeth Harrin. I review the schedule with my team before confirming the launch dates as there shouldn't be any surprises to all parties. Reviewing task duration with my team for each project is sometimes viewed as a soft approach but it gets me the buy in and commitment from the team.
Way before you share a schedule with stakeholders, they should have seen it anyway. The people doing the tasks should be involved in the creation of the schedule as it's them who will know how long things will realistically take. Communication is a way of reiterating what people have already heard once, as often they need to hear it several times, and in different formats and from different people.
Make the most of regular team meetings, by simply planning effectively for them. Don't overlook the importance of a clearly communicated agenda. And lead meetings like you would a project kick-off meeting, by connecting action plans to the bigger picture/project charter or vision and goals of a project. Check-in with all participants for their feedback on topics and get their buy-in regarding task assignments. A sluggish meeting is an indication that the team is dis-engaged from the project or have other priorities top of mind. Whoever is leading a meeting has the opportunity to bring the group together and motivate everyone to look under rocks unturned.
Communicate with defined methodology , Use proper communication channels and plans . use effective communications.Be proper and concise in communications.
Effective communication with stakeholders necessitates a proactive approach, prioritizing thoroughness and repetition to ensure that progress, planning, and any existing or potential challenges are clearly communicated in advance. Additionally, tailoring the communication according to each stakeholder's expertise and comfort level is crucial. Adapting the communication style based on the stakeholder's level, whether an executive or a first-line manager, ensures that the information is appropriately comprehended. Furthermore, it is essential to complement spoken or presented communication with written documentation to reinforce understanding and provide a reference for future interactions.
One of the best ways to avoid schedule delays and overruns is to adapt flexibly to the changing circumstances of your project. Be open to feedback and suggestions that may enhance your project schedule. And use agile or adaptive approaches that allow you to deliver value incrementally and iteratively. Also embrace change as an opportunity rather than a threat and learn from your mistakes and successes.
To achieve effective project delivery, reducing the cone of uncertainty is vital. Agility, irrespective of the method used, forms the ideal foundation to manage project scope and schedule efficiently. Embracing change and adaptability ensures successful outcomes.
From my experience, the write-up has hammered on “flexibility” really well. However, it overlooks the critical role of stakeholder communication. Once, one of our projects fell behind schedule because we didn’t promptly update stakeholders on key project changes. So, alongside embracing change, ensuring clear, prompt and consistent communication with all involved is essential to staying on plan and avoiding schedule delays. This ensures project management not only adaptable and “flexible”, but also transparent, accountable and auditable.
Adapting flexibly to changing circumstances, being open to feedback, and embracing agile principles are essential ingredients for avoiding schedule delays and achieving project success. By adopting an agile mindset, we empower ourselves and our teams to respond nimbly to challenges, deliver value incrementally, and seize opportunities for growth. Additionally, fostering a culture of open communication and continuous learning enables us to learn from our experiences and continuously improve our project management practices. Embracing these principles will undoubtedly position us for success in an ever-evolving business landscape.
This depends on the project types as some projects are following the traditional project management approach "waterfall" and agile methodologies couldn't be applied effectively to these projects, so other techniques should be employed e.g. focus group, brainstorming sessions and nominal group technique and many others. Large infrastructure projects that follow in the vast majority waterfall approach, scrum methodology could be applied effectively
It is important to phase out the project, if possible, early on which can defer any form of scope creep. Having a regular cadence of discussions with stakeholders to make sure things are on track
On top of all valid key points, it's good to always have your 'plan B' ready (doesn't mean you have to deploy it) and take opportunities to walk through the team with lesson learned... great way to buckle up and ensure your project is delivered successfully.
I my oppinion to avoid shcedulling delays, all the outcomes and key objectives must be well studied and discuss with the steakholder, also a past project experience would also help to figure out possible problems and delays that could happen
A lot of good points made here, for me one other thing to consider is can we deliver something of value earlier than scheduled. As part of regular governance (e.g. Programme and Project Boards) on progress, issues and risks etc., for new systems or enhancements a regular checkpoint should be done with the Stakeholders to demo anything that is 'Done' or 'WIP' that can be demod, to confirm the teams producing what the customer actually wants (which may be different to what they thought they wanted at the outset). Agile del is more aligned to this but even with waterfall/wagile you can look to see if you can introduce this 'review' session. Getting something of value into 'live' op earlier than scheduled is beneficial for many reasons.
One crucial task at every project's conclusion is to perform sincere and unbiased lessons learned exercises. Such lessons, harvested from previous projects, are critical in circumventing schedule delays and cost overruns. They offer clarity on what tactics succeeded and what failed, guiding you to avoid the recurrence of the same errors. A key challenge for organizations and managers is the proper documentation of these lessons and utilizing them to establish a baseline for future projects.