![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Sooner or later, you’ll face a project that’s set to overshoot an inflexible deadline.Ī surefire way to shorten the schedule is to shorten the critical path, a series of tasks whose last task finishes on the project end date. The project might be in trouble, but at least you know it’s in trouble and you have a good starting point to rethink the project’s goals or quality standards. If all three sides of the triangle are stuck, don’t panic. That’s the beauty of the project triangle there’s always room to make changes For example, if your project has to finish on time and it has grown in scope, you can still adjust cost by adding resources. If the fixed side and the problem side are different, don’t give up. For example, if you discover that a software feature will take longer to complete than forecasted and you have signed a contract saying you will deliver that feature (scope), you either have to move the finish date out or add resources to finish it on time. When the problem occurs on a fixed side, the course of action is often clear. And you really need to be clear on this for when problems show up (and they always do). Sometimes it’s on your shoulders to decide which element is most important to the project’s success. Often, the fixed elements of a project are dictated from above the project manager, but not always. ![]() (Sound familiar?) Or maybe the product absolutely has to go on sale by a certain date. In most projects, at least one side of the triangle is fixed in place. That might be the definition of quality for that project in your company. In the previous example, you could simply finish the product early with fewer features, getting it into the marketplace ahead of your competitors. A project manager needs to know how quality is defined for the organization and the specific project. For others, getting it to market on time matters more. For some companies, keeping a project on budget is the most important measure of quality. For any given project, quality is defined within the project itself. One key point: There’s no universal standard for quality. With this additional time and scope, the end result might be a better product. It sits at the center, where any change to any side affects it.įor example, if you’re ahead of schedule, you might be able to replace cut features or allow more time for existing tasks. Quality is the fourth part of the project triangle. To add features to a product (scope), you could extend the deadline to make time for the new work (time) or add people to get it done faster (cost). To finish the project under budget (cost), you could get rid of overtime and finish the project later (time) or cut features (scope). To bring in the finish date (time), you could spend more in resources (money) to finish the work faster or cut features (scope) so there’s less work to do before the new deadline. The project triangle is also known as the “iron triangle” and, less poetically, the “triple constraints.” Whatever you call it, it amounts to the same thing: You can’t change a project’s budget, schedule, or scope without affecting at least one of the other two parts Fourth, finish the project and celebrate! In this article Third, adjust what you can to fix the problem and optimize the project. How? First, when a problem comes up, locate it on the project triangle - is it about time (schedule), money (budget), or scope? Second, figure out which sides of the triangle you can change and which are “fixed” in place. The project manager’s job is to keep the whole triangle from falling apart. In slightly different terms, every project balances a “triangle” of time, money, and scope - you can’t change one without affecting at least one of the others. Pick two.”Įngineers have been saying this to project managers for decades. This is useful for tough battles as even if you lose, your units will be stronger after every defeat as long as they can earn experience points.“You can have it good, fast, or cheap. However, if you lose or quit a battle, any experience points, Kudos, or Convictions that you have received during the fight will be retained. Experience, Kudos, and Conviction Retained ![]()
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