You’ve agreed on your destination: a quaint cabin on a tranquil pond in a remote national forest. The weekend is here and the quicker you get to your retreat, the quicker you get to relax and enjoy the ambience, taking a break from the rat race. You throw your gear into the back of your SUV and begin driving. Right turn. Left turn. Straight for a bit. Lots of road choices here. You know it’s generally south, so you head that way.
Wait a moment. We’re missing something. Minimally… a map. Yes! That’s better. Now you have the beginning of a plan on how to reach that wonderful destination. You now have a sequence of short routes strung together and you’re well on your way. Until…
Argh! Traffic jam. This can’t be good. You’re wondering how long it’ll last. Then, construction. How much delay now? Who wants to start their relaxing off weekend with stress like this? Uncertainty is stressful.
The map doesn’t answer the “how long” questions. It can’t tell you the impact of the traffic delay or construction or weather. It shows alternative routes, but you need to know which route is best. If you make the wrong choice, it’s going to cost you precious time.
You need a GPS. And your projects do as well!
Traveling to a destination is an apt metaphor for creating and managing a project. Imagine beginning your trip and immediately turning the wrong way out of your driveway — wasted time, right? Without a roadmap, you may not even be sure what your first step should be. So, you create a map, perhaps in an Excel spreadsheet. A good start, but, like the above roadmap, terribly inadequate once you get underway. Tasks may be listed, but dependencies aren’t defined or honored. And when the inevitable surprises pop up (failed prototypes, delays in raw material deliveries, resource bottlenecks), that excel list little helpful guidance on how to best way to work through that. It’s truly surprising how many projects don’t have a working priority-setting system.
Just as travel directions require a sequence of shorter routes, your project plan must include a sequence of tasks that honor dependencies. When this data is entered into the right software, this “task network” serves as the equivalent of a GPS! It will clearly show 1) the most important path through the project plan, 2) tasks requiring focused attention and 3) tasks can simply be monitored. Further, when Murphy’s Law strikes, the software will “recalculate” the best way forward, just like the GPS does. This feature allows you to develop and explore “what-if” scenarios, testing out the ways to tackle Murphy with mathematical precision, just as your GPS shows you alternate routes and timing around construction or traffic.
Time’s too precious to risk leaving on your weekend getaway without the proper tools to get you there Quickly and with low stress. I’m pretty sure you’ll be guided by your GPS. Be sure to lead your project the same way – with proper tools to reach the destination quickly and with low stress.
So what are you using for your project’s GPS?
