I Dont Need Glasses

A project timeline is a central component in any good project management strategy. But as many management consultants have learned the hard way, creating and sticking to a timeline is not as easy as it sounds. Depending on the type of consulting engagement, many project elements – from people to technology to operational and market factors — can generate unexpected complications and delays, quickly throwing a project off-track.

Regardless, a project timeline is an important early step in time management planning and a necessary project management tool for educating your client and keeping your project on schedule and on budget. Whatever your consulting project entails, a detailed timeline enables a management consultant to:

“If we lived in perfect world, there wouldn’t be a need for managers.
However, the reality is, we live in an imperfect world.”
- Bryce’s Law

INTRODUCTION

There is an old joke whereby a new manager had been hired by a company to
take over an operation. As the new manager was moving into his office he happened
to bump into his predecessor who was preparing to leave. The new manager asked
if there was any advice the former manager could offer on assuming his duties. The
former manager said he had written down advice for his successor and placed them
in three envelopes in the desk marked “1,” “2,” and “3″, and that they should only be
opened in the event of an emergency. The new manager laughed, shrugged it off,
and went about his business thinking nothing about the envelopes.