Dictated dates…not!
We’ve all been there. “Here’s a project. It needs to be done in three months!” You get that sinking feeling that you are already late and you don’t even know what it is that the project is trying to achieve.
How do you handle these situations?
In my experience, the worse thing you can do as a project manager is accept the dictated date. By doing that you are just delaying the inevitable. You’ll be late and then you’ll be in even more trouble for not raising it earlier. So, just say no!
Posted by:
Jose Solera at 28 Mar 2008 under Planning, scheduling and budgeting, Risk Management
No Comments
There is a group of forensic chemists who gather periodically for something called “The Bite-mark Breakfast”, where they are treated to a slide show of various bite marks which they attempt to identify while enjoying their eggs, sausage and toast. (This popped into my head this morning as I was feeding my cat. She was in a nasty mood, and I made the mistake of picking her up to give her a little rub before heading off for a 3 week business trip.) In this same vein (pun intended!) I thought it would be fun to take a spirited look at the wounds incurred by projects, in particular those of the self-inflicted kind. While there are endless challenges rained down upon a project, the most regrettable are those we bring upon ourselves. These acts of self-mutilation and attempted suicide are largely avoidable, and it’s a pity to have any hard-working team suffer the consequences of such behavior on the part of a project leader.
The applause was thundering as the magician completed his performance. Proman A. Jecgert had hired the magician to help celebrate the completion of what would come to be called Phase One. The party included all participants across the organization. The grove in the trees was a perfect setting, and the sun shone brightly. Proman smiled in satisfaction about his meeting with the magician before hand. They tailored the presentation to make it fun and memorable. 