How to Avoid Overpacking (and Over-planning) for Your Project
To cut a very long story short, I went to assist a clients client for a few weeks, based in the Pilbara, Western Australia, with the preparation of their Turn Around, due to run during the second half of June. They wanted to do a dummy run with the various applications supplied to them. I felt it was almost pointless to be there physically as I could have done everything remotely. Boy, was I wrong?
Preparation is always worthwhile.
The preparation involved for the trip was, on the face of it, pretty straightforward. Apart from the usual clothing and toiletries, I mainly concentrated on packing everything I could possibly need for my mobile office. All this was done from memory, and, not surprisingly; I forgot a critical piece of the puzzle. Fortunately, I picked this up during the stopover in Perth, and the only full day I had before flying north was a Saturday. Fortunately, I found the missing item locally and averted a show-stopper situation.
Of course, if I had practiced what I preach, I would have prepared a checklist, or procedure, well in advance to ensure that nothing was missed. Preparation for a Turn Around Project can be similarly planned for well before actually starting to prepare the project itself. Thus, procedures and checklists can help to ensure that everything required is covered and nothing is forgotten or overlooked.
For this project, the client wisely decided to keep it super simple as this would be the client’s first Turn Around with a new suite of software applications. Namely, Planning of the Activities or Tasks required and the provision of all Materials that would be needed for a successful project.
Perfect Planning
In an ideal world, a high percentage of the work packs for the project would have been ready to be copied into the Turn Around project from an archive. This gives the work preparators a head start, but unfortunately, this was not an option in this case which meant that everything had to be hand entered from scratch.
Ideally, only when the work packages are as complete as possible are they reviewed by the contractor doing the work. But unfortunately, my understanding was that the pressure to produce an actual plan meant that much of the project was prematurely exported to the scheduling package.
Naturally, when the Contractors reviewed and amended the work packages several times, the rework involved was not insignificant. Thus, adding even more pressure to an already stressful environment.
Regardless of the state of this particular Turn Around, a detailed evaluation phase is a must once the project has been completed. Things that went well should be saved and ready for the next Turn Around. However, where things did not go well, immediately after the completion of the project execution is the time to address these issues and identify how things went wrong and what to do to avoid the same pitfalls the next time.
Missing Materials
You may have a perfect plan, but if the Materials required for the plan have yet to be properly provisioned, then your perfect plan means nothing.
The Human Element
Within this context, as previous Turn Arounds have all been completed relatively successfully if somewhat late and/or over budget, it is human nature to resist changes intended to improve things. Improvements are an iterative process fueled by successes and, especially, failures. But people don’t like change even though the improvements will reduce future stress and pressures.
We all tend to think of our future selves as somebody else and are quite content to remain in our comfort zones. The future is somebody else’s problem; “I’m happy with how things are now” is a typical attitude. All we are doing is storing up unnecessary stress and pressure for ourselves at some point in the future. The time to deal with helpful changes is always now, not tomorrow or the day after.
To overcome the very real problem of resistance to change, it is vital to persuade people to see that an extra effort and investment of time spent now will pay off many times over for them personally for all future projects in which they will be involved. By encouraging a culture of blameless review after each and every project, we foster a feeling of ownership which naturally rewards those involved with the satisfaction of a job well done.
Most people don’t actually like to work, no matter what they say. True, every job can have rewarding days, but stressful and boring days are never far away. But, in modern society, we have to work to function within that society. So, why not make your work as enjoyable as possible? You have to do it anyway.
Final Thoughts
What did make the trip most interesting was how the project preparation was being approached. I like to call it The Benelux Method, which has been developed over the last 25 + years, combining all vital disciplines into a single coordinated system. This seems to be having a global impact which is immensely satisfying from a personal point of view, having worked in this sector since the mid-1990s.
Oh yes, and I got to see a part of Australia that most foreigners are not even vaguely aware of. I saw a lot and did a lot in the short time there, but there is so much I did not have the time to visit. I would love to go back again.