Planning for the unplanned sounds like a contradiction. How can you plan for an unknown? It seems like the definition of unplanned. In some ways this is true in that project managers do not always known the difficulties we will face on a project. Risk assessment and management goes a long way when we can be predictive about these potential unknowns or use our experience to identify potential future obstacles. All of these techniques remain germane and prudent.
At the end of the day, there is nearly always some obstacle that arises on a project that comes out of left field on us. Maybe it is an unforeseen illness of a critical resource or proven technology that is incompatible with the current environment, or even an external obstacle like another project needing a planned human or technical resource. I like to say there is going to be something we just do not yet know what it is. So we are back to the original question of how to plan for that which is unplanned?
Cross train all staff to increase flexibility in task assignments
In a typical project team, each individual has their role and even individual staff may have specialities. This single threading on technical or functional capabilities can work well especially early in the project where multiple tasks are available on which each individual resource can work. Later in the project and especially during the formal testing periods, the project manager cannot pre-plan or anticipate where the issues will be and what the level of effort will be in any individual functional or technical area. Given the unknown effort of an unknown number of issues in unknown areas, the project manager can best prepare for this situation by cross training the staff across functional and technical areas. Ideally, each individual should be able to work in each area but this is not typically possible. The best the project manager can hope for is to maximize the cross training possible. With each area where multiple resources can work, the project manager is best positioned to react to the unplanned situation when it occurs.
Front load any tasks with float and prototype when possible
In our project plans, we will inevitably have tasks with float. This float provides the project manager flexibility to determine the timing of when to accomplish these tasks. When combined with the cross training above, front loading the tasks with float provides the project manager an option to add staff to critical path activities or start a critical path activity early and parallel it with its predecessor to some degree as a mechanism to decrease duration and recovery some schedule. Early completion of float tasks frees the assigned resources to perform unplanned tasks.
Front load any highly technical or risky tasks
With any project, the project manager will identify those tasks with the most risk. High risk tasks are one of the largest sources of unplanned tasks. The high risk can come from uncertainty in the technical solution. With this uncertainty comes the possibility of unplanned work when the original thoughts on design or implementation prove untenable. By front loading these tasks earlier in the project, the project manager affords themselves a longer period of time to replan and recover.
Leave architect time for utility infielder tasks
In previous posts, I have described the concept of a project resource who can work across any functional or technical area and has the depth of knowledge to work on any task where it be a strategic task or a very tactical development or implementation task. When possible, capacity with this type of resource also affords the project manager some flexibility when unplanned tasks do occur. By having a resource with a wide skill set, the project manager can initially staff this resource on the unplanned task which provides stability to the efforts of other staff. Maintaining stable resources on tasks until completion is well known to be effective in maintaining planned durations and higher quality output of planned tasks.
In a nutshell, planning for the unplanned is about producing a solid project plan with minimal risk then monitoring and controling task completion to maximize available capacity within the team. By cross training, it provides the project manager greater flexibility when reacting to unplanned work. Having the senior resource with extra capacity not only enables assistance to be provided to more junior staff but enables the project manager to assign a senior resource the unplanned task so to minimize any negative impacts that may result.
