Off the Rails

Off the Rails

plan-a-plan-b

No matter how intent we are at trying to deliver a project on time all the time, there will always be causes for delay that are due to forces that are beyond our control. The possibility of delay can stem from various reasons, some of them are terrible lack of foresight, some are due to bad time management, some are blessings in disguise, and some are just dumb luck.

 

No one has managed the perfect project. You know, that one project where everything falls neatly into place at every single milestone. The one where not a single deadline was missed along the way. One where every task was completed and every report was handed in on time. Have you  ever had a project that went by so smoothly that you felt it was too perfectly surreal? Yup, I didn’t think so.

That is every project manager’s dream – to be able to deliver EVERYTHING on time. But the reality is, there are projects that are so big, there are just too many tasks and too many dependencies to manage all at the same time. With a massive juggling act going on, some balls are bound to fall from the air. Keeping them all up to be delivered just in time is an almost impossible task.

When we plan our tasks or our projects, we don’t usually plan for them to go off the rails. We plan to stay on track all the time, to reach those small milestones, to accomplish those goals, to deliver those reports, to hit the critical deadlines. But then you discover that you have underestimated some task and have overestimated your capabilities.

So now you find yourself missing the deadline and being unable to deliver the project on time. How do you get out of this mess? The simple answer is that you turn the project in late. Let’s face it, you missed the deadline and unless you push it back and work overtime, you’d have to turn the deliverables in late.

If you absolutely have to turn in a project late, apologize to the client profusely and try to reassure the client that this will not happen again. You have to acknowledge that you missed the deadline and the resulting delay as soon as possible. Act as quickly as you can to mitigate the consequences. Accept responsibility, avoid blame, and always be ready to respond. Offer reasons for the delay but NOT excuses. Be honest, fair, and tactful. Saying that you had challenges in obtaining the data is very different from saying that a team member did not send in the report on time.

You have to sound like you had the whole thing under control at all times, even if that isn’t true. Offer alternatives and suggestions on how you  could’ve handled the delay better (e.g. better time management, more resources  etc.). Communicate with your client. Hurdles like these are unavoidable and keeping communications open and honest will make your business relationships stronger.


Ok, so that’s that, water under the bridge. Let’s not worry about the delayed project anymore. Let’s move on and try to do better the next time. The key is to strive to actually deliver on time from this point forward.

Here are some tips on how you can achieve the perfect project – you know, the one where we actually deliver everything on time.

Give Yourself Realistic Deadlines: Remember what they always say in business? Don’t overpromise and under deliver. Understand this: deadlines bring clarity to a project. They are goals and benchmarks for business. Deadlines are not some arbitrary dates on a calendar. Stop yourself from agreeing with unreasonable client deadlines. No one else knows the project and the gravity of the tasks involved as well  as  you do. So, if you know it’s going to take a while to deliver a knockout project – ask for time!

Gather Your Resources: In this case, you must gather the right resources. Also, be extra prepared and take a look at alternatives as well. Don’t spend a lot of time nitpicking and dwelling on alternatives though. You have to have a concrete plan and a lot of faith in your original plan. How exactly does this work? So let’s say your plan is to deliver 10 articles in the next three days. Create a  schedule and plan to carve out time to write 3-4 articles per day. Gather your resources and get right to work instead of relying on a backup plan like rehashing your old articles or completely missing the deadline.

Murphy’s Law: Murphy’s Law states that: anything that can go wrong will go wrong. And in most cases, it is most likely to go wrong at the most inopportune time possible. So be ready for Murphy’s Law and expect the unexpected. Pad your schedule for delays. You can never predict what will  cause the delay, but you can be ready when delays happen. So allow for some breathing room when planning your project or task and schedule wisely. Be sure to identify all dependencies, needed resources, benchmarks, goals, and needed key information. Incorporate them into a workable schedule.

With these tips, I hope you never miss another project deadline. Do you have tips to share? Let me know in the comments. As always, remember to: Stay Humble, Hustle Hard. Good luck!

 

Written by Jaie O.- The Help