Critical Path

In Project Management there is a process whereby you create a visual map of all the deliverables you need to produce in your project. The deliverable is built via a list of associated tasks. Those tasks requiring the most time to build/create/manage the named deliverable are therefore considered most critical to the successful outcome of your project, and are aptly referred to as being on the "critical path." In Project Management lingo, this map is called the "WBS," or Work Breakdown Structure, although I'm sure we could come up with a fun new interpretation for the Work BS. At any rate, using Post-it notes and wall space it's pretty easy to map out a project, break things down, and make it all seem more manageable. But why am I talking about work in this sacredly not-at-work blog space? Let me connect the dots:

The past several mornings as I've been getting ready for work (packing lunches, laying out clothes, making sure teeth [3 sets+my own] get brushed and shoelaces are tied) I've realized that my PMI course instructor might be right when he says, "Everything is a project, and the desired outcome of every project is to change human behavior." In fact, he may even have something useful for mothers in that GBC bound coursepack. I wondered if it might be fun to create a little WBS for my daily a.m. project, which for the purpose of this exercise I've named, "Project 1.0: Getting Out The Door On Time." The start of my project? 5:45 a.m. The end time? 8:00 a.m. with my left hand on the doorknob and my right hand toting my bag/purse/lunch and changeorder inducing Pillow Pet/handful of Matchbox cars. You get the picture. Or do you? Let's take a look:

Core Project Team:

Project Manager - Mom

Contractor - Dad

Sub-Contractor for Tasks Affiliated with Children No's 2 and 3 - Child No. 1

______________________________________

Step 1: Buy some Post-it notes in your favorite color(s).

Step 2: Name your project, and list all deliverables. Deliverable are things. (Think nouns.) My named deliverables are Child No. 1, Child No. 2, and Child No. 3, and Workplace-Ready-Mommy complete with polite, smiling demeanor, okay, with a touch of cynicism for good measure.

Step 3: List all tasks associated with each deliverable. This is all the BS you have to go through to get the W done. (Think verbs.)

Step 4: Order tasks sequentially beneath each deliverable.

Step 5: Freak out about the fact that there are more tasks you could list within each deliverable, but you don't know what they are yet (assumptions/risk) and move on to fret over lack of resources and scheduling.

Step 6: Consider the amount of time each task will take. Write it on each task. (Child No. 1 will take 5 minutes to get ready for school, but Child No. 2 will take a full two hours and 15 minutes.)

Step 7: Order the tasks sequentially. (To the left is the start of your project. To the right is the end of the project.)

Step 8: Share your WBS with someone else so they can point out all of the pieces you've forgotten, and validate whether you're on track with naming the critical path. ("Man! What is up with that? Why is there so much more to do with Child No. 2?) Reassign ownership of tasks if needed.

Step 9: Freak out about the time you spent on the WBS that could have been spent completing the tasks.

In Project 1.0: Getting Out The Door On Time, there are known risks. Child No. 1 may not feel like reading Child No. 3 a board book while the Project Manager is in the shower. If the PM assumes that Child No. 1 will be helpful every morning, it may cause breakdowns in later phases of the project. Child No. 2, despite numerous attempts to wake him, may not get out of bed (even for waffles with strawberries on top) until, well...until he feels like it. Child No. 3 may have a stinky diaper after pink attire has been snapped, buttoned and zipped. (Time estimate, 5 minutes for diaper change, nb. estimate contigent upon willingness of child to cooperate.) The Contractor may sleep through his alarm, and the PM may be exhausted from a busy week at her other full-time job. It gets complicated real fast.

So what's the point of the process? To have a picture of the work you need to do. To determine what is most critical to the successful completion of the project. To direct your attention to the big picture so that you don't get mired down in the details. To lend perspective. The Getting Out The Door On Time project may contain 90-95% of the very same tasks each day, but when you're dealing with an 8 and 5 year old, and a 16 month old, all bets are off. I guess in the end all that really matters is that once you're at the door, you're not too frazzled to forget to blow a kiss or call out with joy, I love you!

Step 10: Ruminate on the fact that "life is what happens while you're busy making other plans." (John Lennon)