Chapter 15: Getting Your Project Back on Track

Chapter at a Glance

Resolve missed deadlines by shortening task durations, page 333. Reduce resource costs by reducing their assignments on tasks, page 339. Replace resources assigned to tasks in a project plan, page 341. Compress the duration of tasks by assigning overtime work, page 344.

In This Chapter, You will Learn How To:

• Assign additional resources to tasks to reduce task durations.

• Edit work values for resource assignments and replace resources assigned to tasks.

• Assign overtime work to assignments and change task relationships to compress the overall project duration.

Tip 

Do you need only a quick refresher on the topics in this chapter? See the Quick Reference entries on pages xxv–xlviii.

After work has started on a project, addressing variance is not a one-time event, but instead is an ongoing effort by the project manager. The specific way in which you should respond to variance depends on the type of variance and the nature of the project. In this chapter, we’ll focus on some of the many variance problems that can arise during a project as work progresses. We’ll frame these problems around the project triangle described in detail in Appendix A, “A Short Course in Project Management.”

In short, the project triangle model frames a project in terms of time (or duration), cost (or budget), and scope (the project work required to produce a satisfactory deliverable). In virtually any project of any complexity, one of these factors will be more important than the other two. The most important factor is sometimes called the driving constraint because meeting it drives your actions as a project manager. For example, for a project that must be concluded by a specific date, you might need to make cost and scope compromises to meet the deadline. Working with the project triangle provides you with a good method to analyze the trade-offs that nearly always must be made in projects. Just as importantly, it gives you a clear way of explaining the pros and cons of trade-offs to the project’s resources, sponsors, and other stakeholders.

In the project triangle model, time, cost, and scope are interconnected; therefore, changing one element can affect the other two. For purposes of identifying, analyzing, and addressing problems in project management, it’s useful to fit problems into one of these three categories.

The specific issues that we’ll focus on in this chapter are not necessarily the most common problems you’ll face in your own projects. Because every project is unique, there’s no way to anticipate what you’ll run into. However, we’ve attempted to highlight the most pressing issues at the midpoint of the short film project’s duration and apply solutions to many common problems. Note that some of the features you’ll use in this chapter are those that you might also use when planning a project. Here, however, your intent is different-getting the project plan back on track.

Important 

Before you can use the practice files provided for this chapter, you need to install them from the book’s companion CD to their default locations. See “Using the Book’s CD” on page xix for more information.