8/3/2019 Tricks for Handling Unrealistic Schedules

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Copyright © 2010 by Rita Mulcahy, PMP. All rights reserved.RMC Project Management, Inc. • 10953 Bren Road E. Minnetonka, Minnesota 55343info@rmcproject.com • www.rmcproject.com • (952) 846-4484

The copyright owner hereby grants permission to make copies of this handout for personal, noncommercial use only.

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Tricks of the Trade®

So, you have been given a project completion date rom management or the customer that youthink is unrealistic. Did you know that this is the project manager’s ault? Yes, I mean that. Tisonly happens i a project manager is not using the tools o project management properly. Hereis how to handle this situation once and or all.

When given a date by management or the customer or project completion, a great projectmanager will do the ollowing:

1. Ask, “How was this date determined?” Ten ask, “Is the date a desired date or based on areal business need? What is that need?” In other words, push back to get clarifcation.

2. ell management you will get back to them i you discover a problem in meeting that dateas you plan the project.

3. Ignore the desired date and plan the project (charter, WBS, network diagram, risk,estimate, budget, schedule, and a schedule reserve to account or risks). Determine a dateor project completion based on those actors.

4. I the planned date is within the desired date, get approval o the schedule rom the teamand team members’ bosses and publish it. I the planned date is later than the desired date,work with the team to compress the schedule, i you can, by crashing, ast tracking, andre-estimating some o the activities on the critical path. (You know what these activities arei you are a PMP, right?) Come up with the best schedule that you can based on meetingthe project charter and controlling the overall project risk.

5. Create options that management may be able to implement to save time.

6. Present the actual end date needed to management and explain how it was derived(charter, WBS, etc.).

7. Ask or the end date to be changed to what you have determined. Tis is an importantstep. Management is learning that the project manager has tools to create project schedulesthat are standardized, internationally used, and make logical sense, and that the projectmanager is the only one who can compile a project schedule.

8. Ask i that schedule is acceptable, “So, can we go with a project schedule o 30 months?”I you do not ask, you will not get it.

9. I management says, “No,” present your options. Options are usually choices that only management can make. Tey take the orm o, “I have looked at ways to make that enddate, and we can do it i you eliminate this activity rom the project, give us this many more resources, get commitment rom the customer that they will give us this inormationby a certain date, or decrease project quality in this way.” I the actual project date islater than the desired date, something must change to get everything desired within therequested time-rame. Under this process, any option selected leaves a viable project andmanagement is involved in a way that benefts the project, rather than hindering it.

10. Invite yoursel to be involved when the next project is being discussed to avoid thisproblem in the uture.

Tricks of the Trade® for Handling Unrealistic Schedules by Rita Mulcahy, PMP

8/3/2019 Tricks for Handling Unrealistic Schedules

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Copyright © 2010 by Rita Mulcahy, PMP. All rights reserved.RMC Project Management, Inc. • 10953 Bren Road E. Minnetonka, Minnesota 55343info@rmcproject.com • www.rmcproject.com • (952) 846-4484

The copyright owner hereby grants permission to make copies of this handout for personal, noncommercial use only.

Page 2 of 2

I you ollow this process, you can get these valuable results:

• Youhaveproofthatprojectmanagementworksandshouldbesupported.

• Youlookcompetentandincontroloftheproject.

• Youhavepushedbackinawaythatmanagementwants.(Inmystudies,yes,100percentofmanagementsay they want their project managers to push back.)

• Managementhasbeeninvolvedinprojectdecision-makinginapositiveway,insteadoftheless-than-

positive way that requently happens, and the project manager has gotten management buy-in.

• Youachievearealisticprojectschedulethateveryonecanbelieveinandyouhaveasensethatthe

project can be completed successully.

Yes, this process is part o the project management process. I you are a PMP, you are proessionally responsibleor managing realistic schedules, not just living with unrealistic ones.

With a few Tricks of the Trade®, any project manager can improve their project.Good luck!

“PMP”and the PMI REP Logo are marks of the Project Management Institute, Inc. RMC Project management has been reviewed and approved as a providerof project management training by the Project Management Institute (PMI). As a PMI Registered Education Provider (R.E.P.), RMC Project Management hasagreed to abide by PMI-established quality assurance c riteria.