Simply put, schedule control is to compare the difference between the actual state and the plan, and make necessary adjustments to make the project develop in a favorable direction. This actually shows that there will always be some differences between the plan and the actual state, that is, "the plan can't keep up with the changes", and some people have come to the conclusion that "the plan is useless". So, in the face of changing realities, is planning really useful? What is the use?
In fact, there is no "change" without a "plan", that is to say, the plan is just a benchmark, it is a "prediction" for the future, or the plan is like a crosshair, the direction it specifies can hit the target, but when the bullet flies The process will be affected by various factors, and there is no guarantee that the target will be hit. But for sure, the chances of missing a reticle hit are greatly reduced because you can't record the deviation and correct the ballistics. The role of planning at work is to coordinate work and analyze changes, and planning is meaningless if it is not executed according to the plan and the necessary controls are in place. That is to say, planning can only play a role in the control process.
Progress control can be divided into four steps: Plan (plan), Do (execution), Check (check) and Action (action), referred to as PDCA. We have discussed a lot about Plan in previous chapters, so I won't repeat them here. But don't expect to print out the plan and hang it on the wall and everyone will follow it. There is an important part before execution: the delegation of tasks.
Delegation plays a very important role in the control of the schedule, and many times the plan gets out of control not because someone is not working hard, but simply because the requirements are not clear. There are three key points in the correct delegation activity: timing, deliverables, and who is responsible.
The time point refers to the clear start/end time of the task, and at the end, the upstream and downstream relationships of the work are clearly explained at the same time;
Deliverables are the results of tasks, generally work products. Deliverables should clearly indicate specific requirements;
·The responsible person refers to "the person you should go to when there is a problem". If several people are required to collaborate to complete the task, it is necessary to clearly indicate who is responsible. It is not possible to make them share the responsibility for balance, which may result in no one being responsible.
It is best to have a written record of task delegation. If the task is relatively simple, it can be described by a responsibility matrix, and for complex tasks, everyone can be given a task book. No matter which method is adopted, it is best to communicate and confirm face-to-face when delegating, and get the commitment of the responsible person. In order to ensure that the person in charge really understands the task, you can ask the person in charge to repeat it after explaining the task. The interesting thing is that usually you will find inconsistencies or omissions. If the organizational structure has more than one level, you should also “look down one level” when delegating tasks, that is, to see if your subordinates have correctly delegated tasks to their subordinates. Practice has proved that “looking at one level” can improve the control of the project. Power is very effective.
After the task delegation is completed, of course, it is executed (Do). During the implementation process, the project manager communicates the situation and progress in a timely manner, schedules and coordinates resources, handles changes and copes with unexpected events. This process is easy to say, but it is difficult to do in practice, so I won't discuss it here.
Checks can be performed at checkpoints during execution, or at specific points in time. The purpose of the inspection is to compare the actual situation with the planned variance to determine the current status. More formal inspection methods include regular meetings, weekly reports, and reports; informal methods include oral inquiries and non-working hours exchanges. In addition, the quality and submission of deliverables, and change records are also important means of checking.
In the formal inspection method, the regular meeting is a very simple and effective way. Regular meetings can be held on weekends or on Mondays. Personally suggest that Monday is better. First, after the weekend, things may have changed again, so we should re-update together; second, we don’t have to let everyone start to bear the pressure of next week’s tasks on the weekend. The following points should be kept in mind when holding regular meetings:
·Regular meetings are mainly based on inspection and confirmation. Is the inspection task completed? What's the reason for not finishing it? How long will it take to complete? Don't blame, complain, or talk about things unrelated to the project plan.
·After confirming the current state, discuss how to adjust the work or plan, and be sure to implement it on a specific action plan.
·For issues that need to be confirmed, a series of topical discussions can be arranged for only relevant personnel to participate, and it is not necessary for all people to discuss some local topics together.
·The results of regular meetings should be formed into meeting minutes or filled in weekly reports. These documents should be kept and possibly used as a premise and basis for the next meeting.
In order to facilitate the inspection, it is necessary to pay attention to the moderate granularity of tasks when making plans, that is, the duration of the task should be less than the inspection period as much as possible, so that the completion of the task can be judged more accurately at the regular meeting. For example, if the regular meeting is once a week, the task duration should preferably be less than 1 week, so that a task can be clearly determined whether it is "completed" or "uncompleted" without the occurrence of "Oh, about 85% completed..." This situation.
After the inspection, if a "change" is found, it is necessary to take action. If the project is delayed, the commonly used adjustment measures include the following categories:
·Increase investment: increase human resources, work overtime, or assign more experienced people, generally this will lead to an increase in costs;
·Reduce output: reduce the scope of work or reduce requirements, of course, this requires the consent of the customer;
New Approaches: Employ new approaches and technologies, but this may introduce new risks;
No matter what measures are taken, there are several basic principles that must be paid attention to in the adjustment process:
· To "adjust in time", that is, to prioritize tasks that have started recently, and do not allow risks to move backwards;
Prioritize the adjustment of tasks with long durations, because compressing the same percentage, tasks with long durations save more time;
·To comprehensively evaluate the impact on time, quality, cost and risk, and avoid "demolition of the east wall and repair of the west wall";
After the adjustment, a new work plan may be generated, and the relevant parties should be notified of this plan in time. At this point, the project will enter a new round of PDCA process. In fact, the progress control of the project is constantly repeating two actions:
·Looking backwards - determine the current state because "If you don't know where you are, a map won't help".
·Look forward - adjust and update the plan because "Plan is nothing, Planning is everything".