Failing to plan is planning to fail

Have you gone on a road trip without a map? Booked a holiday and not known your destination?

Just like when you go for a drive; a roadmap tells you how to get from point A to point B.  There even may be times when you experience potholes or detours, but if you don’t have a roadmap, how would you ever get back on track?

A project schedule is exactly like a roadmap for a project. If you go off track, you have your schedule as a guide to analyse where things haven’t gone right.

The Bushfires Portfolio Management Office (BPMO) recognises Microsoft Project skills can significantly improve your project scheduling. They have engaged expert consultants to deliver training for those who wish to expand their scheduling knowledge.

Naomi Vos, Project Manager from Operational Training and Volunteerism, who attended one of the scheduling courses, says;

“The instructor identified the different learning abilities of attendees and tailored the course accordingly. Microsoft Project is a fantastic tool for scheduling.It can highlight dependencies, house a lot of information, give you alerts, and adjust dates automatically for you. Once you’ve used one Microsoft application you can pick Microsoft Project up easily. They’re all very similar" Naomi says.

Project Managers are encouraged to talk to Program Managers in the BPMO for scheduling guidance if they are getting off track.

Linda Sharp, Program Manager, says;

“We’re here to help. Microsoft Project isn’t the only answer to scheduling. Smaller projects might use spread sheets or tables, there are many ways to create an effective schedule”, she says.

Scheduling can help you and provides many benefits. It gives your team a goal to look forward to, reduces delivery time, and identifies when you are getting off track. It reduces costs, and recognises your projects risks and problems early.

If you need assistance or want to learn more about scheduling; you can contact Linda Sharp or Steve Goodwin in the BPMO.

Always remember: “Failing to plan is planning to fail” – Alan Lakein