Topic Teasers Vol. 25: Wooing Functional Managers

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  Estimating   Resource Management   Schedule Management   Scheduling   Talent Management  

My team is made up of people who work for several different functional departments. When not working on my project work, they also produce for other project teams. How can I estimate how long my project will take when I never know if people are available when I need them?

A. Add a +15% pad to the project estimate, then meet with functional managers to set up an on-demand workflow system.

B.  Ask each potential team member to vow to put aside what is on their desk if your project work needs to be done.

C. Ask Human Resources to institute a 10% bonus for the workers if your project meets the original project estimate deadline.

D. Demand a dedicated team from upper management, as this is the only efficient way to do a project.

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Answer: A. Add a +15% pad to the project estimate, then meet with functional managers to set up an on-demand workflow system.

This is a more common scenario than you may realize. There are project managers who never experience the luxury of a dedicated, collocated team. Perhaps projects are not common in this organization, or it could be that resources are stretched thin to try to do operational work as well as several projects at a time. In cases of expected issues that will no doubt occur, adding +15% to the estimate is acceptable, and realistic.

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