I agree, trying to make sure you are as prepared as possible with gantt charts etc. will make a project flow smoother. With a project like this weeks simulation where most of the development has been completed already I would try and get as much preliminary literature research done as possible. As soon as details become available from the other company or upper management extensive due diligence should be done to make the time in between tests smaller and make the tests we do run less wasteful. Some resources that are used to run tests that fail could have been avoided with more research. With fast approaching deadlines, any time that can be saved is important.