Tim PodestaDirector of PM/PMO| Former BP- now IndependentPenn, Bucks, United Kingdom
First of all make sure you have a complete and ideally resource loaded schedule that is reasonable in order to meet the agreed deadline. Front End Planning is very helpful in getting to the point of having an effective schedule. Saving Changes...
Jeremiah McEnerneyProgram Manager| Connected LogisticsSpringfield, Va, United States
Begin with the end in mind. Have a very clear picture of what the end of your project looks like with your client. Break the project down into meaningful phases as milestones...with your client. make sure the team knows what the end stated looks like and what the milestones look like...then create that resource loaded schedule tim mentions above...good luck! Saving Changes...
Eric SimmsSenior Program ManagerBaltimore, Maryland, United States
I do this mainly in two ways: 1. Make as detailed a schedule as possible. The more detail I include, the less the chance of something unexpected occurring that takes me by surprise. 2. Communicate with stakeholders daily. Just a quick word with relevant stakeholders can alert me to potential problems, and I can take steps to see they don't manifest. For example, each day I might send an Engineer working on a task a quick instant message asking how things are going. One day she responds that she sent an email to a subject matter expert a day ago and still hasn't gotten a response. The task might be due two weeks from now so she might not see this as a problem. However, I'd contact that subject matter expert ASAP and get the Engineer the answer she needs, so that this delay didn't stretch out and eventually delay the entire task. PMs who wait and check on tasks once a week don’t have the opportunity to prevent delays like this from arising. It takes more effort on my part, but I find it’s worth it.
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1 reply by Arnulfo Hernandez
Aug 03, 2018 6:08 PM
Arnulfo Hernandez
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agree and have risk contingency as part of the schedule
Yes as Eric said. making sure the schedule is as detailed and accurate as possible, and then continually checking against the schedule baseline. Saving Changes...
Sergio Luis ConteHelping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based OrganizationsBuenos Aires, Argentina
Schedule is a list of events and times. All that events and times are impacted about one simple thing: information. Information comes from multiple sources, internal and external source, and the only thing that people do not accpet from a project manager is just feel that she/he is not in control because it does mean a lack of management. So, the first thing to do is to punt on the table that all related with schedule will be impacted by information (you can take a look to things like Barry Bohem´s Cone of Uncertainty) and information will help you to be more or less close to the expected time. Second thing is because of that schedule and expected time will vary along the project. So, my recommendation, is not use the word "ensure" because the only thing you can ensure is you will stay in control. Saving Changes...
Drew CraigSr. Agile & Product Coach| VanguardPhiladelphia, Pa, United States
Great compliment of answers above. It begins with creating a strong plan, then effectively tracking and managing the plan through daily updates and communication. Additionally, some may use EVM to help with tracking and as part of their reporting. Saving Changes...
Depends on your planning approach. You can always fix time and let scope and/or cost be flexible but that assumes that a minimal solution can be delivered to meet business objectives.
Other than that:
- Effective risk management including reserve analysis and management
- Break the work down to a controllable level and develop and maintain an optimized network diagram
Kiron Saving Changes...
Drake SettsuProject Manager / BloggerHi, United States
I created a weekly Deliverables spreadsheet from tasks on my MS Project plan. I would review the task deadlines that will be due in the next two weeks to make sure that they are being worked on and not stalled. I then add the tasks that are on the radar now with the owners of the tasks and request an update at the end of the week. This method allows the team members to see what everyone is working on. I send out the spreadsheet to the team every Monday morning.
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2 replies by Ashley Bonner and Osama Sadi
Aug 03, 2018 4:45 PM
Osama Sadi
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Seems interesting Drake...
What other information do you include in the spreadsheet other than the task and the owner and due date?
Nov 26, 2018 12:35 AM
Ashley Bonner
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That's what I would like to do. I've seen many different templates but none that I've found friendly enough to tailor to my liking.
Saving Changes...
Osama SadiProject Manager| planned percentageAjman, Select An Option, United Arab Emirates
Aug 03, 2018 9:49 AM
Replying to Drake Settsu
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I created a weekly Deliverables spreadsheet from tasks on my MS Project plan. I would review the task deadlines that will be due in the next two weeks to make sure that they are being worked on and not stalled. I then add the tasks that are on the radar now with the owners of the tasks and request an update at the end of the week. This method allows the team members to see what everyone is working on. I send out the spreadsheet to the team every Monday morning.
Seems interesting Drake...
What other information do you include in the spreadsheet other than the task and the owner and due date? Saving Changes...
Arnulfo HernandezProject Manager and Controls specialist| FCAGroupSaltillo, Coahuila, Mexico
Aug 02, 2018 8:03 PM
Replying to Eric Simms
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I do this mainly in two ways: 1. Make as detailed a schedule as possible. The more detail I include, the less the chance of something unexpected occurring that takes me by surprise. 2. Communicate with stakeholders daily. Just a quick word with relevant stakeholders can alert me to potential problems, and I can take steps to see they don't manifest. For example, each day I might send an Engineer working on a task a quick instant message asking how things are going. One day she responds that she sent an email to a subject matter expert a day ago and still hasn't gotten a response. The task might be due two weeks from now so she might not see this as a problem. However, I'd contact that subject matter expert ASAP and get the Engineer the answer she needs, so that this delay didn't stretch out and eventually delay the entire task. PMs who wait and check on tasks once a week don’t have the opportunity to prevent delays like this from arising. It takes more effort on my part, but I find it’s worth it.
agree and have risk contingency as part of the schedule Saving Changes...
