Address the Project Team’s Mood then the Impossible Deadlines
February 6th, 2003 by HalHere's another piece on deadlines. You'll remember Aubrey Daniels said look to the system when deadlines are missed. Tom Mochal provides a different take on a similar issue What to do when impossible project deadlines are common procedure.
A reader asked, "How do you handle a business unit's impossible deadlines?" I love Tom's answer, "Take control of your project and stop being a victim." Unfortunately, the rest of the article can be summarized as make the most of your situation.
Tom offers these prescriptions for "taking control":
- Risk management
- Issues management
- Scope management
- Proactive communication
He doesn't address the leader's and team members' moods of frustration, resignation, and detachment from the purpose of the project. Even if the above four actions could work (I doubt it), it will show up as hard work for those involved rather than an opportunity to be enthused. The project will fail.
Decide for yourself. Read the article and leave your rating. I did.
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