Date for a Date?

admin — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 01:55:02 GMT

The first time I heard a fellow colleague ask for a "Date for a Date", I laughed so hard I nearly blew coffee out my nose. Surely, we had become too Dilbert-esque? But since that time, I've grown to appreciate this question as an important project management technique.

During the project implementation and delivery phases issues may arise that defy simple resolution. For example, an application may randomly lose connectivity to a database or become unresponsive after varying intervals. Reproducing the problem proves elusive and the next steps are unknown. Resolving this issue could turn into a black hole of time spent isolating the problem and sink your schedule. What can be done here?

Ask for a "Date for a Date".

The request is for a date at by which time, the investigator will be have a high confidence and understanding of the resolution, and will be able to provide a target date for the completion.

While this is not an empirical method for obtaining the best or optimal solution, it allows the PM to obtain accountability from those involved and provided the date for a date, and minimize the churn and randomization associated with these open-ended troubleshooting tasks.

Projects are always filled with unknowns and uncertainties. It is the job of the PM to identify and mitigate these risk. Using the "Date for a Date" question is another technique in a successful Project Manager's toolkit.

PM Hacks

Date for a Date?

Ask for a "Date for a Date".