Towards the deadline
Everyone smiles and makes the right noises.
You walk away from the meeting with a warm glow and a jump in your step. You’ve shaken hands and…
As you get towards the deadline, everything looms larger.
All the elements of the deliverable are clear, the processes are coming together, the components are nearly there and everything is good with the world.
Except it’s not like that.
More likely, the nearer to the end point the more you see the issues.
Things you didn’t consider, or considered but minimised, or ignored. Things you forgot to do or order or deal with.
Worst of all, the things you didn’t think through at the start.
Now, in the end game, they threaten to sink the project if you don’t thrash about trying to fix or paper over them in a final flourish.
Thrashing is inevitable in every project, it’s never pretty and always painful.
Do it early.
Go slow at the start to go fast at the end.
Skippy strategy: The time to thrash? At the beginning.
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Category:
Skippiness
On their side of the table … you have very little control.
Sure, you can bring some jeopardy to bear, some time pressure, some decision gateways. But…