Fool Me Again and Again!
October 3rd, 2002 by HalArticle Series - CPM: Fool Me Once, Fool Me Twice
Task durations depend on the quality of the conversations.
Schedules are not commitment. We have been fooled enough to know that! Just because we say a task is on the critical path doesn't mean it will get done. Only when the intended performer promises to perform will it get done (and even then, maybe not). Commitment is produced in conversation. When people freely promise there is a possibility of commitment. Absent conversation, tasks will not complete as desired.
Declaring complete — saying, "I'm done" — is the step to keep work flowing.
Declaring complete is the key action for keeping any project on track. People do not do what the schedule says they should do. Yet, project managers too often expect that people will do just what the master schedule says they should do. Why? We can't do tasks that are not ready to be done. Tasks on the critical path necessarily must wait for the task preceding it. Unfortunately, performers in sequence may not be in conversation with each other. They don't know that a task is complete therefore releasing the work for the next person in line. These performers may work in different divisions, companies, or just not be aware that another person is dependent on them. Declaring complete — saying, "I'm done" — is the step to keep work flowing.
One-way communication doesn't work. Project members are informed of the schedule. Performers are told which tasks they should do. Status is given as a report by someone other than the performer. None of this produces commitments. You must be in two-way conversation to have people perform to the schedule. Only the fool thinks "telling" suffices.
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