All things estimating, from costs to time. Key numbers, methods, and The Party That Never Happened.

There have been many moments that have literally made my palms sweat as a PM: the last-minute housing, sanitation, production, etc. Not to mention hearing, and knowing, that a project that size would normally be at least a year of planning and the team was given six weeks.

In that brief exchange, I have my optimistic and pessimistic estimates. I can ask another follow up to get an idea of the most likely number or use the average of the two. After some more conversation about the risks that could cause the large difference, I can feel comfortable that I have a decent estimate.

That’s why I believe that having a mentor is one of the three critical professional relationships. I don’t work for that executive any longer, but we stay in regular contact. In fact, we’re having breakfast this morning. He’s someone that I trust and can go to for professional advice and honest feedback.

So, if this were a project, it’d be tempting for the PM to think things went very well. After all, the requirements were correct and the service was delivered on time and on quality. But, we were left alone for much of the duration to wonder how things were going and whether we’d get what we needed in the end.

All of that is a great example of why you should think about, and involve as much as possible, the user while building your solution and completing your project. Of course you won’t have a customer on your project team. But, always try to have someone on the team who is relentlessly focused on the user experience and heavily involved in review and testing. You’ll save your customer from a bunch of pop-ups, reboots, and do-overs.

The idea for today’s PM Minute comes from the convergence of unique circumstances at my house. First, today is the Martin Luther King holiday and everyone – from our college-age son down to the grade schooler is home. Second, there was a substantial snow storm over the weekend so it’s unlikely that anyone will leave the house. Finally, I’m working from home today and am grounded at home due to the same storm.

In today’s PM Minute, Josh and I discuss how each stage production at The Players Guild Theatre in Canton, Ohio are truly individual projects.

In today's PM Minute, Josh Erichsen of The Players Guild Theatre in Canton, Ohio talks about how he manages schedule over a season.

With eight shows per year, Josh frequently has a production on stage, another in rehearsal, and a third in planning and preparation.

In today’s episode we learn that it’s ok to make mistakes, hear my wife’s reaction to a ten-year planning calendar, and Josh Erichsen, Producing Artistic Director of the Players Guild Theatre in Canton, Ohio explains how each live production is a unique project - even after twenty seasons.