How To Plan

Plan for reality

Well, what does that mean?Here's a list to get straight to the point:

• Define “done”
• Prioritize the work based on value to the project
• The map is not the terrain
• The plan is always wrong, A.K.A. your Gantt Chart
• Don’t plan years in advance, just enough to keep your teams at capacity
• Size things relative to what you know
• Get serious about logical fallacies to avoid groupthink, etc.
• Stop using "I think how much time this will take" and start using a point system to estimate tasks
• Humans think in narratives. Think of who, then why, then what
• Religiously measure project velocity
• Shoot first, measure results second, adjust third

When you get more in touch with what's real, you get more in touch with what works.

2 Minute Action:

Congrats on having a project.Now make a list of everything that will go wrong.Now estimate the likelihood of the 3 biggest risks.What might you do to mitigate?Now you're more ready for reality.