From Idea to Plan

The new year is upon us. It’s a time of rest, and of reflection. It’s a time of optimism, where we’re naturally led to draw up our plans for what’s to come. If you’re anything like me, ideas are numerous. There are a million things you could do. Write them all down! This is a time for brainstorming and creativity, not for filtering. The more, the better. Go wild. And yes, write that one down too. It’s goal setting in the large. Where do you want to head to?

We looked at estimating, and not doing R&D in production, which give us a framework for both coming up with a schedule and avoiding one of the main risks that it will face. We looked at personal productivity so that you can predictably move your projects forward day to day. I want to round out the year by talking you through a framework for getting from those first, high-level, ideas to the basics of a plan. Where that’s something with enough grain to it, so that estimating the work involved, and then matching that work to a calendar actually makes sense.

With those four pieces in place, you’ve got the foundations of everything you need for solid forecasting. Can you deliver on time and on budget? Yes, you can! There are more complex things you can do, but you have to do the first bits first. That’s why they’re “foundational”. If you’re doing them right, you’re in the top decile of all teams out there. For small teams in particular, you likely don’t need anything more.

That’s the plan. Let’s go!