In every area, planning is very important. Calculating deadlines correctly and adhering to them, or at least trying hard, is highly regarded in any business. No one is immune from force majeure, postponements and additional work, and everything from the opening of bridges to the release of video games is being transferred in our world. In this article, we will look at how to minimize the chance of meeting deadlines and look like a hero in the eyes of the customer.
Calculate your strength
The first and most important rule is to know what you and your team are capable of. This indicator can be obtained empirically, because the longer people work in one team, the more results they can achieve. It's always worth considering team morale, project-mindedness and enthusiasm. Moreover, it also affects the openness within the team, which will allow everyone to "be at ease", not afraid to make comments and present their ideas, which also allows the product to grow due to the individual abilities of each team player.
It is also worth remembering that in real life there will never be compliance with the plan. The project plan will never cover all aspects, and the scope of tasks for projects, especially large ones, is not constant. This is shown in the definition of Parkinson's Law.
Any work will take exactly as much time as it is allotted or more.
Do not chase the "wishlist" of the Customer
It's no secret that all Customers want to see the result of their work yesterday. In fact, such a claim is not justified 90% of the time. There are seasonal cases (projects) that need to be completed on time, orders with the involvement of third parties, specials. proposals for a specific date, etc., when the timing really matters. In such cases, it is quite normal to raise the price for the speed of work, since there is a possibility of overtime payments or additional specialists.
In other cases, if you are not sure that you will cope on time, it is better to say it directly. Most likely, the Customer has time and will be able to concede to you in terms of terms, if they do not greatly exceed his expectations. If you agree to the underestimated deadlines for yourself, it will be morally difficult for the team to work in conditions when “time is pressing”. And even if you and your team invest in the deadline, you will most likely be mentally depressed, and this state will not pass quickly. Be guided not only by the interests of the Customer, but also by your own, when determining the scope of work.
Take planning
It may seem strange, but not all companies are skillfully planning their work. There are times when timing is when the manager has figured that "it usually takes so long." In this case, the likelihood of going beyond the deadline is very high.
For planning, different methods can be used (in IT the most popular are SCRUM, Kanban, Agile), tables, meetings with the team, creation of a project architecture, consultations with analysts or architects, communication with the Customer and combinations of these methods. Approach the issue seriously and carefully, take into account the current projects and the likely tasks that will appear during the project.
Leave time in reserve
There are several prerequisites for this rule. The first is planning error, which is always present. No matter how carefully we prepare the plan, it is better to take 15% of the time from above, so that there is room for maneuver and space for additional, unplanned work. The second is the human factor. What is peculiar to a person is to do everything in his own way, using the technical task - like a navigator. Even highly qualified specialists are subject to the tricks of our psychology to make optimistic forecasts for small tasks and pessimistic ones - for large ones, insuring themselves.
The principle that a person can effectively perform only one task at a time also remains important. This requires clearly breaking down large tasks into small ones and tracking results, for example in daily or weekly team meetings. Keep in mind that most likely during the work on the project, additional tasks, edits, errors will appear, and all this takes time and attention of your team. Include in your plan the possibility of part-time work for team members, as well as force majeure and your decisions in such situations.
Find a compromise
If you cannot agree on a deadline with the Customer, try to offer to cut the amount of work or break it down into stages, prioritizing each of them. There are often cases when only a part of the functionality required by the Customer is actually needed to launch a project. Having managed to show and explain this to the Customer, it is possible to break the project implementation into stages and increase the time frame.
You can also resort to more responsible and bold steps - declaring your intentions in the contract. A common practice is a penalty that the Contractor pays in case of a project delay. For the customer is an indicator of confidence and professionalism, which can allow him to agree to a longer project duration.
Summary: Basic Planning Skills
Project planning is, without exaggeration, the most crucial stage of the robot. You need to clearly understand the working conditions and the capabilities of your team in order to start estimating the deadlines. The calculation of the terms should not be influenced by the Customer's phrases “as soon as possible”, you can listen to them and look for alternatives, and not cut the terms of work. The very process of planning a project should be regulated and put into the framework of any methodology, digitize the process or introduce a clear list of all planning stages.
Always leave a little time on top of the one that turned out during planning, on average, this is 15% of the time that will be spent on force majeure, revisions, changing the TOR during work or other tasks of your team. Listen to each member of the team and his opinion, do not forget about the human factor and be ready to compromise with the Customer. It will not be superfluous to consult with architects and project managers, with the Customer himself and with the team, and the more and more often you do this, the better. Also prepare a work plan in such a way that each of its points can be easily justified, and each task is as much as possible broken down into simple subtasks.
And remember that no matter how hard you try, there are no ideal plans, we live in such a chaotic and unpredictable world. And if the plan is broken or you will not keep up, you are not alone. The less panic, the more we can get done. We wish you successful projects, flexible plans and understanding Customers!
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