No matter how well planned your project schedule may be, there is always the possibility for delay. Delays can occur for any number of reasons, some good, and some bad. Whether mandated or self-imposed, deadlines bring clarity to a project. For the customer, deadlines set expectations for product delivery. For the project team member, deadlines set expectations for work effort and performance. For the project manager, deadlines create a time-bound framework for management, providing working goals, benchmarks, and milestones. But, deadlines are not goals in and of themselves. The value of a project is determined by the business need, and it is the project value that should drive the project. To a certain extent, project delays are quite common and to be expected. The unexpected nature of the project delay relates not to a possibility, but to the type, source, probability, and timing. Certain types of delays are highly predictable and can be factored into the schedule before project work begins. Other types of delays may be foreseeable, but cannot reasonably be factored into the schedule in advance. If every possible delay were factored into a planned schedule, planning would take too long, projects would be deemed too lengthy and costly, and would never be approved. The best way is to be proactive to minimize the unexpected. Be aware, schedule wisely, follow a process and communicate often.
Delays are bound to happen, but steps can be taken ahead of time to minimize the magnitude of them. In Dr. Simon's lecture, he mentioned building a shed as an example. The planning phase is crucial to decreasing potential delays by properly accounting for the amount of required materials, strict time required for certain steps (like glue/adhesive drying time), and parameters/spec. When gathering the materials and resources at the start of the project, the team should buy an excess of the estimated amount wood required to build the shed. If more wood was required than originally determined, or if some planks are damaged in process of building the shed, an additional trip to the shop won't be needed. Materials left unused by the end of the project can be stored for future projects or simply returned. It will also help to start the project closer to the ES than LS date, since it will create a larger buffer of delay for each following phase and increase the chance of project completion before the LF deadline.
I agree that delays are unavoidable. There will always be an obstacle in the way whether being a product problem. But if there is a scheduled plan on how to go about the project then the risk of delays will reduce. The plan shall consist team mates schedules, test plan, fabrication schedule, and other like buying materials. There should also be constant communication so there would not be any misunderstanding, everyone should be on the same page in order to follow the schedule plan. Group members should also put in the effort in the project because everyone has a task and if one is having trouble, it is always best to help. The leader should choose the right members if they have a choose if not they must be on the members back in order to assist.
Although task scheduling is very essential in the project process during the planning phase, setting a risk management plan and a backup strategy is a must. these risks could be caused by the organization and management, the development internal/external environment, customers, contractors, FDA regulations, etc.
Risks with these dates can be minimized so that the task is minimally affected by lateness by many points such as:
- setting realistic “expected" dates for each task instead of "optimistic" dates
- balance all necessary and unnecessary tasks according to the timeline, time needed for each task, and so on.
- set an alternative plan to in case of any sudden issue or situation with any team member
- define dependent tasks and plan how to avoid any lateness in performing the main tasks to avoid any later risk
- lower the schedule pressure in order to increase team productivity and avoid any lateness.
etc.
Preplanning is the review of planned operations before and during construction in order to identify and eliminate potential loss. The goal of preplanning is to reduce hazards, which will minimize disruption, increase efficiency, and lower costs. Pre-operational safety planning involves the integration of safety into the construction procedures or work processes and either eliminates them or provides for controls that will minimize their adverse effect. Preplanning looks at the when, how, who, where, and what of the construction process with an eye on safety outcomes.
Effective risk management strategies enable you to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of your project. By planning unexpected problems , you can be prepared to respond and deal with them as quickly as necessary if they arise. To ensure the success of your project, you must determine how potential risks will be dealt with so that you can identify, mitigate or avoid problems when you need to do so. Successful project managers believe that risk management is important, because achieving project goals depends on planning, preparation, results, and evaluation that contribute to achieving strategic goals.
In order to minimize errors with dates so that the task is minimally affected by lateness, it would be efficient to see previous projects that are along the same vein and have a similar scope and compare them. It would allow the team to estimate how long their project would take. In addition, taking into account of the team member's potential vacation/ off days would be important to keep track of for task scheduling of a project. Projects can be pushed back because of availability of a specialist or if someone who needs to present certain deliverables is not present. It would also benefit the project manager to confirm if these dates are reasonable and to have back up dates if tasks do get pushed back. To minimize risk is to take every scenario into account and finding a reasonable timeline for tasks.
I believe the most effective way to minimize risks associated with deadlines is to give a longer period between the early start date and the late start date, and to actually start the project as soon as possible. Due to emergencies arising that may interfere with the project, having a longer leeway period allows for lower risk of not completing the project on time. Furthermore, I believe communication is key for lowering the risk of delays, or even when a delay seems unavoidable. If there needs to be a different solution to a task due to delays, then communication between the team members and the PM should be clear. On the other hand, if a delay is unavoidable and is understandable, then there should be clear communication between the project members, project manager, and the stakeholders, before passing the deadline.
As it was mentioned before its unavoidable risk, there is no thing such as a perfect planned project. Now a day, I believe non of the companies have predicted the corona virus, which considered a risk that affected the companies and they can not control. in addition, projects got delayed and it will be hard to meet deadlines.So it is not about planning failure it is all about how to adapt to changes when they happened.
knowing the scope and identifying the risks connected with each task or even sub-tasks (inside or outside) the organization and preparing a plan to avoid them will minimize the risks.
I agree with @sallirab opinion, sometimes circumstances present themselves that no way it could have been anticipated during the planning phase of the project. For example, with the coronavirus Pandemic, most of the companies have asked their workers to stay home because it is a huge risk to take of getting whole staff infected with the virus. Timelines of the project can be pushed back when the reasons are justified.
When planning a project, time management is key for the success of the project. A schedule must be set for each task, to be completed by a certain time frame. In terms of risk management and ES, EF, LS, LF the project should be started at a early start time so that it may be completed early. Risk can also be managed by identifying the critical path at an early stage, because this allows the PM to understand the amount of time each tasks takes. Understanding multiple paths that you make take in order to complete a project prevents a late finish.
Hello,
One way to minimize risks associated with task scheduling and ensure that tasks are completed on time is to develop a realistic project schedule that takes into account all potential risks and uncertainties. This involves identifying critical path activities and ensuring that they are properly sequenced and allocated the necessary resources to meet their scheduled completion dates. Project managers can also use scheduling techniques like buffer management, which involves adding extra time or resources to critical path activities to account for potential delays or setbacks. This can help ensure that the project remains on track even if unexpected issues arise. Another approach to minimizing scheduling risks is to use agile project management methodologies, which prioritize flexibility and adaptability over rigid timelines and schedules. Agile approaches focus on iterative development, constant communication and feedback, and continuous improvement, allowing the project team to adjust course as needed in response to changing circumstances or new information. Ultimately, effective risk management in scheduling requires a proactive approach that anticipates potential problems and takes steps to address them before they occur. By developing a robust project schedule, using appropriate scheduling techniques, and embracing agile methodologies, project managers can minimize risks and keep their projects on track.
The risks with these dates can be minimized so that the task would not be significantly affected by lateness through allowing for slack. Slack allows for extra time to be assigned for tasks to compensate for any potential delays that may arise. Through allowing for slack, the project manager would be able to assess the issue and address the problem. Additionally, the project manager should take into consideration how much time tasks would need in order to be able to devise a successful timeline. This can be done through asking different team members that work more on the technical side how long they would think the task would require. For example, in a medical device project, it may be difficult for the project manager to be able to map out how long a task in research and development or manufacturing may take to complete if they are not familiar with those departments. Therefore, the project manager would have to rely on the project team to be able to design a timeline that suits the project as well as the team.
Unfortunately when dealing with projects its hard to avoid some kind of risk. The best measures to minimize risk utilize the risk management plan properly along with communication. When going through each task it's important to keep risk documented. This helps team members understand which risks have occurred or that were originally unaccounted for during the initial planning. This is important because during different phases of a project the risks will not always be the same, and if there is proper understanding of which risks could occur; the team can be proactive rather than reactive.
https://www.northeastern.edu/graduate/blog/project-risk-management/
In terms of risk management, how can the risks with these dates be minimized so that the task is minimally affected by lateness?
While risk can never truly be eliminated with certain projects, minimizing the risks associated with deadlines and ensuring that a task is minimally affected by lateness is an important part of project management. To do this, a PM can perform a few actions. One option is to set realistic deadlines. When setting deadlines, it's essential to consider the time required for each task and the capacity of the people who are responsible for completing the task. Setting unrealistic deadlines can lead to unnecessary stress and anxiety and increase the likelihood of delays. Another option is to develop contingency plans. It's important to have contingency plans in place in case the task is delayed. This may involve developing alternative approaches to completing the task or identifying backup resources that can be deployed if needed. Additionally, one can set up a method to monitor progress. Regularly monitoring progress can help identify potential delays before they become significant problems. By keeping track of the task's progress, you can take corrective action as needed and ensure that the task is completed on time. These are just a few choices available to a PM when trying to manage a project effectively.
