{"id":9902,"date":"2012-06-25T16:20:47","date_gmt":"2012-06-25T23:20:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/svapm.org\/?p=9902"},"modified":"2012-06-24T16:21:32","modified_gmt":"2012-06-24T23:21:32","slug":"manage-deliverables-tasks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/svapm.org\/?p=9902","title":{"rendered":"Manage deliverables, not tasks"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of our most basic tools for regaining control of a project that is at risk<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Via Flikr by Horia Varlan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

is the deliverables list or deliverables-based work breakdown structure.\u00a0\u00a0 Not a task list, but the most basic list of what the project is chartered to produce.\u00a0\u00a0 It starts with the product <\/em>and then flows from there.<\/p>\n

With your deliverables in front of you at all times, you will be able to assess whether stakeholder demands, tactical activities or overly-narrow application of methodology may be introducing risk or leaving gaps in the project outcome, or product.<\/p>\n

Complex projects can be very “noisy” with multiple stakeholders making conflicting demands.\u00a0\u00a0 Project management tools often emphasize task lists over deliverables with durations and reporting on percent complete.\u00a0\u00a0 Methodologies include granular checklists of documentation to fill out and review.\u00a0\u00a0 Management utters utters general pronouncements of urgency or panic as deadlines loom.<\/p>\n

However activity is not progress and documentation is not delivery.\u00a0\u00a0 General declamations of urgency can backfire and lead to chaos.\u00a0\u00a0 Methodologies, no matter how well spelled out, can leave gaps when applied to any specific unique project, introducing risk.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
via Flikr by vl8189<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A recent example that I observed involved the delivery of an integrated system of multiple software and hardware packages.\u00a0\u00a0 The methodology in question called for multiple testing groups to exercise the system which would, in theory, validate end-to-end operation.\u00a0\u00a0 However in this particular case, although all groups executed their activities according to the methodology completely and flawlessly… there was still a gap and the ultimate product would not have been delivered.<\/p>\n

A lead who was “outside” the methodology stepped back, acknowledged that everyone had done their job, and simply asked if the ultimate product would be delivered.\u00a0\u00a0 The answer was “no.”\u00a0\u00a0 Because no one had focused earlier on the deliverable, but only on their activities, an unnecessary risk had been introduced to the project.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 In fact the product was threatened to the extent that the project might have had no business case.\u00a0\u00a0 Subsequent activity focused on meeting that deliverable — other activities received lower priority.<\/p>\n

Managing to deliverables can help you sort through the “clutter” of your project and identify gaps, avoid risk, and appropriately prioritize your activities.\u00a0\u00a0 Ultimately keeping an eye on your deliverables will help you protect the business for your project.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One of our most basic tools for regaining control of a project that is at risk is the deliverables list […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1520,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,7,8,846,5,10,20,9,1,854,855,856,849],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9902","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-leadership","category-goals","category-priorities-2","category-scope-2","category-time-management","category-cost","category-quality","category-risk-management","category-miscellaneous","category-pmbok-process-planning","category-pmbok-process-executing","category-pmbok-process-monitoring-and-controlling","category-team-leadership"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/svapm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9902","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/svapm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/svapm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/svapm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1520"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/svapm.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9902"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/svapm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9902\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9949,"href":"https:\/\/svapm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9902\/revisions\/9949"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/svapm.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9902"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/svapm.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9902"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/svapm.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9902"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}