Time and Timing

​Theories abound concerning the nature, substance or the very existence of time -- finite or infinite!   Dr. Stephen Hawking has speculated for a lifetime about the phenomenon.  Far be it for me to compete!
 
However, in the simplistic context of business and project delivery, time is a working factor that is one of the very basic, critical tools we must consider.
 
If there is a single powerful factor that impacts and drives a design project of any size, it is time and timing.  We have devised all sorts of secondary tools to keep us on track, on schedule, on point – on time.

Once in motion, the rhythms of your project take on a momentum that demands close monitoring of time and timing.

We can’t actually make it, save it, have it or lose it, although those phrases do serve to help us express our “time situation” of the moment.  Time is a phenomenon within which parameters we must function.   Furthermore, our timelines must cooperate with those of others.
 
As soon as we start to believe we can control and manipulate time, we soon discover we have only increased our frustration about our limitations within that concept.
 
What we can control is our use of the time cycles that history and society have constructed.  Those parameters cycle in and out of light and darkness which further limits our scheduling choices.
 
In project management, correct and appropriate use of our time is critical; we have a major responsibility to coordinate and merge our schedule flow with that of all the other coordinates.
 
Flow charts and critical path methodologies have brought us a long way toward smoother delivery and accuracy.  Factor in sophisticated computerized programming, and efficiency gets a huge boost.
 
In the simple, practical process of getting the job done efficiently, each member of your design team must consider all the factors, which must “line up” in order to allow each next process to kick in with precision.
 
Does it always work like clockwork?  I wish…   However, when a competent project coordinator has a good handle on the big picture, errors in timing can be kept to a minimum.  The unfortunate part of that picture is that inside coordination can be thrown off-track by unexpected outside interference or error.
 
The frosting on the risk cake is that humans are in charge, and we make mistakes where time and timing are concerned.  Our challenge lies in how to keep risk at a minimum. 
 
With even the most cutting-edge tools, methods, applications and equipment available, communication remains the critical glue.  Time factors and cross-coordinated timing is never foolproof, but with clear, definitive and consistent communication optimum accuracy is certainly possible.
 
Don’t make time your enemy or your nemesis!  Accept the limitations in some factors and the benefits of others by a reasonable commitment to team planning, coordination and regular re-grouping.  We all know the feelings of being pressured by time, feeling under-the-gun and racing to beat the unbeatable!
 
Do the homework.  Communicate.  Coordinate.  Make time and timing your ally with smart planning that includes fail-safe allowances.