Holy mackerel! It’s almost June. I’m not even sure why that’s shocking, but it is. It already feels like it’s been a very long year and yet, somehow it seems odd that it is, indeed, almost June. Perhaps it’s just the preconditioned response to observing that half a year is nearly done. Maybe it’s that I can still remember the unsettling way that the last few months of spring used to drag on back when I was a kid, waiting for school to finish. Either way, I’m sure at least a few of you are feeling the same thing as I am when I ponder this passage of time: Stress.
Yes, stress. The stress at realizing that with five months in the books you’re still somehow behind on projects you were certain would be done by now. You’ve worked hard. You’ve managed your time well. You’ve leapt, stunningly, over obstacles that would’ve blocked any normal human being. You’ve navigated the treacherous rapids of internal resource constraints. You’ve done everything right and yet you’re still playing catchup. How on earth is this possible?
Well, it just might be that your initial plan was flawed. Heresy, I know. You’re reading this blog because you’re a black belt at project management (or at least are on the verge of taking your test). You know project management like nobody’s business. And yet, you’re in trouble. So rather than pulling out your hair, stop for a minute. Take a breather and refresh your understanding of the basics of project management. The suffering you save next time around just might be your own.
Of course, this doesn’t do anything for your (or my) current state of affairs. But hey, I, I mean, you have still got June to finish up those critical 1st half projects. Get back to work!
-Andrew Trent, Journyx Director of Web Content