Comments on: Podcast episode 046: schedule killers – parkinson’s law http://pm411.org/2009/09/11/podcast-episode-046-schedule-killers-parkinsons-law/ Project management internet radio show, templates, and webtools Sat, 24 Jul 2010 19:01:25 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Cranky Middle Manager asks me "so, why do projects slip?" | The pm411.org Project Management Podcast http://pm411.org/2009/09/11/podcast-episode-046-schedule-killers-parkinsons-law/comment-page-1/#comment-853 Cranky Middle Manager asks me "so, why do projects slip?" | The pm411.org Project Management Podcast Tue, 04 May 2010 21:16:08 +0000 http://pm411.org/?p=666#comment-853 [...] Parkinson’s Law (see Episode 046) [...] [...] Parkinson’s Law (see Episode 046) [...]

]]> By: Ron Holohan, PMP http://pm411.org/2009/09/11/podcast-episode-046-schedule-killers-parkinsons-law/comment-page-1/#comment-558 Ron Holohan, PMP Thu, 22 Apr 2010 17:56:49 +0000 http://pm411.org/?p=666#comment-558 Amen, Don! I am amazed by the project managers I know that don't believe that creating weekly status reports are necessary! The free template I provide on pm411.org (http://www.pm411.org/wp-content/uploads/templates/Weekly_Status_Report_Template.doc) allows you to just report on the exceptions from week to week. I use this on my own projects and spend less than 30 minutes each week updating it... Yet, it is such a valuable tool for helping team members stay ahead of upcoming tasks and milestones and to quickly assess if something is slipping. My reasons for doing this weekly are actually pretty selfish - it keeps me apprised of how the project is doing so when an executive stops me in the hall with a question, I know I can provide them with the latest information since I just reviewed it. Thanks for your comment, Don! And thanks for listening! Ron Amen, Don! I am amazed by the project managers I know that don’t believe that creating weekly status reports are necessary! The free template I provide on pm411.org (http://www.pm411.org/wp-content/uploads/templates/Weekly_Status_Report_Template.doc) allows you to just report on the exceptions from week to week. I use this on my own projects and spend less than 30 minutes each week updating it… Yet, it is such a valuable tool for helping team members stay ahead of upcoming tasks and milestones and to quickly assess if something is slipping. My reasons for doing this weekly are actually pretty selfish – it keeps me apprised of how the project is doing so when an executive stops me in the hall with a question, I know I can provide them with the latest information since I just reviewed it.

Thanks for your comment, Don! And thanks for listening!

Ron

]]> By: Don Santos http://pm411.org/2009/09/11/podcast-episode-046-schedule-killers-parkinsons-law/comment-page-1/#comment-555 Don Santos Thu, 22 Apr 2010 17:05:50 +0000 http://pm411.org/?p=666#comment-555 Thank you for the great post. I would like to share what I believe to be the biggest schedule buster of them all: It is the monthly schedule update. Schedules need to be updated weekly in order to use them to manage day to day operations. The schedule is the map. A bad map, makes for a bad trip... Thank you for the great post. I would like to share what I believe to be the biggest schedule buster of them all: It is the monthly schedule update. Schedules need to be updated weekly in order to use them to manage day to day operations. The schedule is the map. A bad map, makes for a bad trip…

]]> By: Ron Holohan, PMP http://pm411.org/2009/09/11/podcast-episode-046-schedule-killers-parkinsons-law/comment-page-1/#comment-418 Ron Holohan, PMP Sun, 18 Apr 2010 16:17:35 +0000 http://pm411.org/?p=666#comment-418 Very salient points, Ashraf. I completely agree with you that there are a multitude of other behaviors that can cause projects to be late... Some that come to mind include behaviors surrounding team communication as well as seeing the "big picture" surrounding the project. Then there are an infinite number of things that can derail a schedule surrounding risk strategy, change control, planning, etc. Thanks for the insight, Ashraf! What other things have you found on your own projects that challenge the project schedule? Very salient points, Ashraf. I completely agree with you that there are a multitude of other behaviors that can cause projects to be late… Some that come to mind include behaviors surrounding team communication as well as seeing the “big picture” surrounding the project. Then there are an infinite number of things that can derail a schedule surrounding risk strategy, change control, planning, etc.

Thanks for the insight, Ashraf! What other things have you found on your own projects that challenge the project schedule?

]]> By: Ashraf Awaad http://pm411.org/2009/09/11/podcast-episode-046-schedule-killers-parkinsons-law/comment-page-1/#comment-413 Ashraf Awaad Sun, 18 Apr 2010 10:52:29 +0000 http://pm411.org/?p=666#comment-413 Thanks for pointing this, it is a habit now adays where people get stressed and tired so their mind structured for doing tasks LATER. I still see that the prescribed actions are not a full relief for the situation, I think more scientific and psychological points should be added or discussed that definitely will enrich the solutions. Appreciate your topic. Ashraf, PMP Thanks for pointing this, it is a habit now adays where people get stressed and tired so their mind structured for doing tasks LATER.

I still see that the prescribed actions are not a full relief for the situation, I think more scientific and psychological points should be added or discussed that definitely will enrich the solutions.

Appreciate your topic.

Ashraf, PMP

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