I read so many blogs and articles about project failure, I thought it might be nice here at the end of the year to write a short post about a project I just completed successfully: my daughter's wedding.
This was a short term project (2 months, start to finish) with NO wiggle room on delivery date, a limited budget, and the seriously high expectations you would expect from a bride-to-be. We did not have the benefit of project software or even a formalized work management plan; we had two kids who couldn't make a decision (the stakeholders), a couple of headstrong moms (the PMs), and more than a few A-type personality aunts (the team). We met, made a task list, created a time line, divvied up the tasks, exchanged email addresses, and went to work.
We set up a fairly typical project based work process, where everyone knew what they were to do and by when. We communicated at least weekly, and kept the lines of communication open at all times. We brought in social Media – texting photos when we needed feedback and posting the announcement on Facebook. We pulled in the bride when approvals were needed, and just powered through. Cost overruns in one area were immediately compensated for in another. Change requests that made no sense to anyone and added nothing to the final product were either worked in (for the most important stakeholder), or were turned down with a gentle "I'm sorry, but no." Side projects (Christmas) sidetracked resources for awhile, but we made up the time losses and kept going. Failure was NOT an option.
On Saturday the 26th we converged at the venue and brought all the disparate elements together. At 3:50 we declared the project ready to launch. At 4:00 the wedding march played and my daughter walked down the aisle and into a new chapter of her life. The project was successfully completed.
And yes, my other daughter caught the bouquet …
