Project 2010 For Dummies®

Chapter 15

You’re Behind: Now What?

In This Chapter

Reviewing your plan versions and notes to understand what went wrong

Trying what-if scenarios

Understanding how getting more time or more people can help

Adjusting your timing going forward

In almost every project, there comes a time when you feel like the floor dropped out from under you. Suddenly — and this one just snuck up on you — you’re $20,000 over budget. Or, you’re going to miss that drop-dead finish date by two weeks. All the aspirin in the world isn’t going to solve this one.

Of course, you have a general idea of what happened because you’re smart, you kept in touch with your team, and you have Project and all its columns of data. Still, somehow things are off track, and you need to take action at this point. First, you have to justify what occurred (abbreviated CYA), and then you have to fix things so that you can go forward and just maybe save your project, your job, or both.

How do you save the day when things go off track? What you have to do at this point involves analyzing your options and making some tough choices. This is stuff you did before you ever heard of Microsoft Project. However, Project can help you try some possible solutions and anticipate the likely results. After you decide what to do, you have to implement your solutions in Project.

Justifying Yourself: Notes, Baselines, and Interim Plans

If you’ve kept interim plans, multiple baselines, and task notes in Project, it’s much easier to explain ...