The Cost of Poor Programming
Project programming often becomes a secondary thought for most developers and at best it is considered a construction issue not a development issue.
This article focuses on Development programming not Construction programming.
There are significant inherent risks in not producing development programming that identifies all the projects key milestones, all project risks, potential variations to timing, and key stakeholder requirements.
The obvious tangible element (and some people think this is the only element) of Time Slip, causing holding costs to increase, is rightfully an important element, but there are several other key elements that cause intangible problems leading to project cost increase and poor long term outcomes.
Programming is intrinsically linked with Targeted Marketing. This is critical in longer term master planned projects that may move through various stages of the property cycle. Product in a Master Planned project may change throughout the life of the project, to reflect what the market is demanding. Poor programming or programming that does not take into account the changing property cycle, may end up providing misleading outcomes for the marketing team, and potentially the wrong product in the market at the wrong time.
Proper programing means setting up the project with all relevant links and pre or post required tasks. A program with incorrect Linkage is a recipe for disaster. This does not mean linkage is a ‘set and forget’. When changes to a project occur the impact on the program is seen through linkages. But this is where a good project manager works to adjust tasks, timing, and resource allocation to mitigate lost time in one area of the project by changing or improving another.
Stakeholder Management is one of the key elements of project management and the program is a tool for not only setting the stakeholders expectations, but also of managing those expectations as changes occur. Correct programming gives you the opportunity to show the impacts of an issue, but more importantly show the stakeholders how those impacts can be mitigated through different approaches as the project progresses. This is the basis of pro-active project management.
Failure to make the program a ‘Living Document’ results in poor time control and poor stakeholder management. Too many people set a program at the inception of a job and it then goes in the bottom draw and a ‘management by reaction’ process takes over. The program must be updated weekly and must be a key tool in reporting to stakeholders and driving participants.
Finally, having said all this, you must apply the KISS principle (Keep It Simple Stupid). The program is important and must be a critical document, but make it a useable document. I have seen so many project managers spend countless hours in detailed programming, with the only subconscious outcome being to show the client how smart they are….but no one else can use the program, and the project manager has lost critical focus off the big picture and from driving the project forward.
Remember the keys to a successful project -
Plan your project…….
Have a clear action plan.….
Don’t be afraid to change the plan
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