Gantt – 1

For its apparent ease of displaying complex situations, the use of Gantt’s diagrams could be considered a flag in the project management’s methodology dispute.

• From one side, traditionalists see in the bars a tool for organizing the future. Framing any source of risk in order to obliterate them.
• On the other side, the “agilists” try to substitute neat tags and figures with more friendly panels covered by leafy post-it.

Both wings have in common the disrespect of the rules supporting this tool. The first and most important forgotten rule is about the information that feeds the model.

This is a very short list of questions that should shed a little light on the nature of Gantt’s diagrams:

1. How the project’s benefits are managed?
2. Are the stakeholders’ interests being taken into consideration? If yes, where is the strategy for answering to their interests and desires?
3. Where the list of tasks does come from?
4. How the listed tasks are linked to the product’s features?
5. Who is accountable for the figures forming the estimations?

Next posts will be dedicated to share a series of connected points of view. The aim is to produce valid answers.

How is Gantt’s diagram working?

It is based on a Cartesian concept. The total time allocated by the project is split into segments (which each length represents task duration). The logic that fastens the tasks together is highlighted by arrows that could start either from the end or start of each element.

The milestones’ added value

Can you build solid controls on milestones?

In order to make easier the readability of time flowing, “milestones” are added as perpendicular lines. These are set as boundaries for checking out the “readiness” (in front of clearly stated quality criteria) of the various tasks.
The choice of setting the Milestones should be taken considering both business and production needs. To them should be associated reviews and decision points. Milestones can be associated to one or more work-packages or springs.

WBS is the main source, Business Case is the major reference

Starting from the B.O.M. of the product (service) to be created, each feature and all the required operations to obtain it have to be detailed. The granularity of this process shall be tuned with the distance in the future of the examined item (farther the target, bigger the scale).

A bit of stakeholders’ analysis

Whether the customer’s forces are sufficient – for maintaining these lines – or not it has to be cleared during the subsequent iterations (negotiations) that follow the process of issuing the plans’ baseline. Sometimes the choice of  COTS, that fulfills most of the main constraints (Iron Triangle) could introduce a bias on the vendor and/or producers’ skills.
In other situations (i.e. where web is predominant) customers are a subset of users. Notwithstanding their potential power in the project, the customers’ voice is feeble. Other professional figures (e.g. SME and BA) can gain the sponsor’s ears.
Whatever would be the stakeholder importance during the process of designing the Gantt’s structure, it is paramount that a clear strategy will be followed.
The target for this process, that builds the project’s foundations, is to make available to the people responsible for the next steps (BA, then designers) a structure strong enough to be put it through all risks.

Conclusion

Since the first draft, the plan has to be designed with a clear strategy. This will make it robust enough to be put through all incoming pressure. A coherent logic shall be sustained by the stakeholders’ interests to receive the benefits produced by the project’s outcome. Gauging their willingness and capacity to supply the wanted resources offers a good measure. These can have multifarious natures and shapes. Here below a simple list:

1. Money – benefits vs. costs
2. Skills / Resources (e.g. premises, machines etc.)
3. Information

At the beginning of the process for preparing the “baseline”, the only constraints to be considered are:

1. Time (delivery date)
2. available budget and cash flow
3. Scope (logically-bound features)

In this way, the priorities are forming the project’s strategy.

“Bad planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part”

More readings

lessons-in-software-from-alok-srivastava