How can you create a realistic timeline for an enterprise software project?

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Enterprise software projects are complex, costly, and often involve multiple stakeholders, requirements, and dependencies. Creating a realistic timeline for such projects is crucial for managing expectations, resources, and risks. However, it is not easy to estimate how long each task, phase, and milestone will take, and how they will affect each other. In this article, we will share some tips on how to create a realistic timeline for an enterprise software project, based on best practices and common challenges.

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1 Define the scope and objectives

The first step to create a realistic timeline is to define the scope and objectives of the project. What is the problem that the software will solve? Who are the users and beneficiaries? What are the features and functionalities that the software will provide? How will the software integrate with other systems and platforms? These questions will help you outline the scope and objectives of the project, and avoid scope creep and ambiguity later on. You should also document the assumptions, constraints, and dependencies that will affect the project, such as budget, resources, regulations, and technical specifications.

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Miguel Pinilla

Technology and Supply Chain Executive @ Salduba Technologies | PhD, Manufacturing Information Systems
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The emphasis on a "realistic timeline" is at the source of why this is a difficult topic. At the beginning of an Enterprise project the emphasis should be on risk discovery and management. People are notoriously bad at reasoning in the presence of uncertainty and any "point" estimates (like a timeline) at this stage are going to be deeply flawed. The right question to ask at the beginning of a project is how can the project go wrong and how will the team discover and mitigate those risks at the earliest. The approach that I found most successful is to create a "thin-thread" or "walking-skeleton" mini project to shake out Market, Technology and Organizational risks and challenges, then organize the plan to minimize their impact.

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Bharti G.

VP- APAC, SAP COE & Services| Digital Transformation | Intelligent Industry |
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Which peak r u climbing decides what goes in the backpack, how many days will you train for, what will it cost and what duration. Enterprise Applications are no different. The starting point of the scope is always the "Business Objective"- down to KPI. KPIs translate to the BPML "Business Process Master List" of each line of business and CXOs that will help achieve the KPIs and business objectives. A good BPML is the right balance between the Clean core and the unique "Nuances" of the business. Other factors include the implementation approach - Greenfield, Brownfield or Bluefield, the geographic location, company codes, and entities involved.

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Millan Sanchez

Global Black Belt Data & AI
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In every project there are 3 main view points: The customer/business view, the seller view(if a software factory/provider is involved) and the developers view, that usually are not the same. Customer/business requires the project to be delivered soon, with perfect quality and with all functionalities. The seller wants to achieve a quota so they need more money to come in, so the longer the project, the better for them. The developers want a good work/life balance so they don't want to overcommit. This means that all parties are looking for different objectives and that makes the timeline complex to agree to.

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Sacha Vandermeersch

Business Development Director | SaaS | Management Solutions & Services | Brand Growth
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1. **Problem Identification**: Understand the core problem your software addresses, using user engagement and market research for a focused solution. 2. **User/Beneficiary Identification**: Identify users and beneficiaries to tailor the interface and functionalities. 3. **Feature/Functionality Specification**: Define and prioritize features based on user needs and business goals to prevent scope creep. 4. **Integration Considerations**: Ensure compatibility and seamless integration with existing systems. 5. **Documentation of Assumptions, Constraints, Dependencies**: Record project assumptions, budget constraints, and dependencies

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Rajesh Tammana

Technology Executive | SaaS | All Things Data | ML/AI | Cloud Infrastructure | CyberSecurity | Advisory Board Member
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* At a macro level, understand the 'What, Why & How' of the project. These could prove super handy in making trade-offs later on. * Leadership needs to think about clarity from multiple angles. 1) Have clarity on the scope of the project 2) Provide clarity on the scope and what's expected from each member. * Identify risks/unknown areas upfront and create plans to either de-risk them or to put mitigations in place. * There are mainly 3 levers to play with for any project: Scope, Schedule, and Metrics (quality/latency etc..). Figure out which of these three areas has flexibility for the given project. * Continuous learning - At the end of each sprint/project, conduct a thorough/blameless introspection and identify areas of improvement.

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2 Break down the work

The next step is to break down the work into manageable and measurable units. You can use a work breakdown structure (WBS) to identify and organize the tasks, deliverables, and subtasks that are needed to complete the project. A WBS will help you estimate the time, effort, and resources required for each unit, and assign roles and responsibilities to the team members. You can also use a WBS to track the progress and status of each unit, and identify potential risks and issues.

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David Lee

Founder OnTheCorner Media Group | Host of the Identity Jedi Show | Editor-in-Chief Identity Jedi Newsletter | Author | Speaker | Troublemaker
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A WBS is a good way to go, just don’t go too crazy with it. Basically you want to get enough detail for you to understand all the tasks involved to get something done. From there you sum up the tasks and add 20%. Because something always goes wrong.

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Sean McLean, PMP

Founder | Fractional CIO | AI | Digital Transformation | Intelligent Automation
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Agile work planning is quite different from WBS but is becoming more popular in #enterprise project management. Utilizing detailed task capture, story points can be a similar approach to estimating resources and velocity.

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3 Use a suitable estimation method

The third step is to use a suitable estimation method to calculate how long each unit will take. There are different methods to estimate the duration of tasks, such as expert judgment, analogy, parametric, or bottom-up. Each method has its advantages and disadvantages, depending on the level of detail, accuracy, and uncertainty involved. You should choose a method that fits your project context, scope, and complexity, and apply it consistently. You should also consider the factors that may affect the estimation, such as dependencies, risks, quality standards, and contingencies.

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Pablo Junco Boquer

Executive Director, Data & AI ?? HOLA WW ERG Co-Chair
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On my experience, I've found that having a mix of both optimistic and pessimistic viewpoints within a proposal team, and sharing these perspectives with those who will execute the project, consistently results in the development of a more realistic timeline for an enterprise software project. Furthermore, initiating actionable milestones at the project's inception proves vital for validating estimations in comparison to project ambitions and for monitoring the team's velocity, ultimately contributing to successful project management.

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Robin Farmer
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Programme managers need training to identify and eliminate group think in the estimation phase. If people 's opinions are ignored or they feel pressured to agree in this phase a number of problems will emerge later - lack of ownership, passive resistance and a blame culture will damage what was sold as a collective aim.

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Arvind Suryakumar

Engineering Leader
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Remember that any change you bring involves a learning curve across everyone involved. Bake the learning into your estimates and schedules to ensure your team is not on a date driven death march. Carefully assess the nature of changes you plan to bring in and harmonize differing views among the team to instill a sense of strong ownership at the ground level.

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4 Create a schedule

The fourth step is to create a schedule that shows the sequence, dependencies, and deadlines of the units. You can use a tool such as a Gantt chart, a network diagram, or a critical path method to visualize the schedule and identify the critical activities, milestones, and buffers. A schedule will help you communicate the timeline to the stakeholders, monitor and control the execution, and adjust the plan if needed. You should also review and update the schedule regularly, and report any changes or deviations to the stakeholders.

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How can you create a realistic timeline for an enterprise software project?

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1 Define the scope and objectives

2 Break down the work

3 Use a suitable estimation method

4 Create a schedule