Communicating the Project Timeline (Workshop Part 11)

Create flexible project schedules with clear milestones based on efforts, priorities and buffer times.

You will not find this area in Leadtime as a separate module, but rather use the existing information from project components, expenses and the document system to present customers with a realistic schedule. This guide shows you how to present schedules in a pragmatic and negotiable manner without committing to details too early.

In our workshop example “Website EcoNomic Innovators”, Web4Coach reaches the point of contract negotiation. The customer expects a specific schedule. Leadtime provides all the necessary effort data, but we recommend communicating a plan with clear milestones to the customer

Milestone structure

1. Project initiation

   • The schedule begins first with the commission.
   • If the decision is delayed, the planning automatically falls behind.
   • This logic protects against unrealistic expectations.

2. Acceptance of the specifications

   • Depending on the scope, speed of feedback and availability of the customer.
   • Stagnant information flow noticeably delays the start of the project.

3. Implementation

   • The sum of the work packages defines the total effort.

   • Example from the workshop:

     • Total effort: 400 hours
     • One full-time developer: approximately 10 weeks
     • Planned reserve: 2 weeks
     • Total duration: approx. 3 months

   • Basis: Efforts from the configured project tree in Leadtime.

4. Test phase

   • Internally and by the customer.
   • Recommended: at least 15% of the implementation period.
   • Includes functional, integration and acceptance tests.

Agree priorities with the customer

[!INFO] Find out what is most important to the customer – Budget, deadline or quality – and align your entire project planning with it.

• If the deadline is a priority: If meeting the deadline is the customer’s top priority, we recommend developing the project plan backwards from the deadline. Think about which steps need to be completed by when. If additional resources are required, either the price must increase – or the scope must be reduced at go-live.
• If budget is a priority: If the customer has defined the budget as the top priority, planning should be consistently trimmed for efficiency. Start the project when there is enough capacity available to implement it with minimal effort.
• When quality is a priority: If a realistic budget has been planned and there is no hard deadline, we recommend adding generous buffers to the schedule - this way you can ensure quality and avoid unnecessary stress.

Recommendation during the course of the project

As a discussion guide in the workshop:

• Agree in writing that the schedule will change if feedback arrives late.
• Convey that quality and adherence to deadlines can be in conflict.
• Use versioning in Leadtime to transparently reflect changes to offers.

Click here for part 12 of the workshop:

Work packages, tasks and operational implementation (workshop part 12)