Strategise and Deliver time-sensitive Projects

Brief

Every project some way or the other is time and task sensitive. After all who doesn’t want their work to be delivered as quickly as possible and on time.

With time-sensitive projects comes a crucial challenge of delivering them with priority and quality both factors that cannot be compromised. More often than not projects that are worked on and delivered in a short timeline lack the finesse they need.

Time sensitive projects can have tight budgets often ending up in resource constraints.

It all lies in the “P”

Planning and Prioritization are the absolute must have’s when it comes to managing time-sensitive projects. Of course other factors come into consideration too but the foundation lies in the “Profound P’s”.

Detailed Planning with respect to Tasks, milestones, deadlines, resources and budget. A well-defined plan helps prevent unforeseen situations and keeps the project on track. Capture the tiniest detail possible even if you feel it is something that can be overlooked. For example: I like to stick to a lot of traditional tools like Excel,Notes and I also keep a diary next to me to capture quick brain dumps when it comes to planning a project.

Prioritizing Tasks and Resources are the top two crucial aspects. I personally find it easier to club most important “priority tasks” under one category or project milestone to be able to give my full attention to it first thing and check it off from my to do list once its completed. This helps me clear out most of my brain space so I can focus on the remaining items.

When it comes to resource prioritization, I always believe in this: The success or failure of a project is always dependent on “the resources” who work in it. Therefore it is important to focus on resource prioritization even before project planning comes into picture.

In my past experience, I’ve been a contributor to the projects as a software engineer and also served as a project manager, i.e. I’ve been “assigned tasks” and I’ve also been the individual who “assigns tasks”. Being on both sides of the coin I clearly understand the challenges faced by both when it comes to fast paced projects.

• Primarily, Resource availability needs to be evaluated. Cross Training team members to handle multiple roles and tasks is important. This ensures there are more skilled personnel to handle multiple projects at any given point rather than assigning “one key resource” to juggle between different projects.

• Allocating experienced team members to manage critical tasks has a significant impact on project’s timeline and success. This ensures that key activities are handled efficiently.

• Provide a fair opportunity to inexperienced members to gain knowledge and deliver their potential.

• Maintain clear and transparent communication among team members ensuring everyone is aware of their priorities, deadlines and resource constraints.

• Allow scope for team members to “Fail”- With failure comes learning.

Final Thoughts

Have a contingency plan in place. Identify backup resources and develop strategies to address any bottlenecks. This acts as a safety net in the event of unforeseen circumstances that could potentially derail the project's progress.

Maintaining a continuous feedback loop with stakeholders helps to ensure the project is delivered according to their expectations.

The ability to strategise and effectively deliver time sensitive projects helps to build a foundation for implementation of future projects.