Sep 17, 2009
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“When Will My Project Be Done?”
This question is central to project managers and clients.
Its a tough question because every project has its own unique characteristics. Even if its something that you’ve done before, many factors can throw off a schedule. As a friend of mine says:
Its not the stuff you know that throws you off. And its not the stuff you know ‘you don’t know’ that throws you off -you can cover that by doubling your estimate or so. Its the stuff you don’t know that you don’t know that can throw you off, 5x or more.
Nevertheless, an estimated due date is a reasonable thing to ask for. In fact, it is critical to successfully scheduling work, achieving goals and managing people.
So, what’s the best way to answer the question?
First, understand that a due date is a best guess of how things will turn out. It should be based on the most accurate information available like:
- past estimates of the amount of work tasks took
- past estimates of the calender days tasks took
- comparisons between those estimates and the actual data from past projects
- familiarity with the strengths and weaknesses of the project team and
- the current resources available for the project.
But when you present the schedule to your client, frame it as a basis for communication. Let them know that, while based on the best information available, it is not a definitive prediction of the future. What it does do, though, is become a definitive guide for you to provide them updates on the schedule and for them to ask for the status of the project in very specific terms.
Second, carefully understand the constraints at play on your project. Every project has at least three constraints:
- Time,
- Money and
- Scope - all of which should center around
- Quality.
Explain to your client that each of those constraints directly impacts the others.
If your client requires a hard deadline, you need to have the right amount of resources and a limited scope. Your ability to meet deadlines further improves if you can scale up the resources allocated to the project to meet unforeseen challenges or pressures on the scope.
In any case, it is the project manager’s job to help control these factors and, most importantly, to communicate to the client how changes, challenges and surprises impact the estimated due date of a project.
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