In this article about shortening project schedules, they say that every project manager can construct a good project schedule. But, great project managers can take that same body of work and deliver it more quickly without reducing scope or compromising quality. We like their quoting of Parkinson’s Law which states, “Work expands to meet the time available for its completion.” And, the project corollary is that tasks are not completed before their planned finish date. Here are four easy ways to reduce the duration of the project and improve time-to-market without compromising quality or scope:
- Establish Scope Before the Project Starts
- Eliminate False Dependencies
- Develop a Comprehensive Testing Strategy
- Shave Days
The first 3 really boil down to good project management, but the fourth does a good job of combatting Parkinson’s law. Here’s an adage from our good friend Steve Conquergood, who built and eventually sold his NI system integration company … “a day at the beginning of a project is just as valuable as a day at the end of the project.”