1. IS LATE REALLY BETTER THAN NEVER?
We’ve all experienced the excitement that comes
from a new product announcement from a
company we really like. It is often associated
with a generous portion of marketing glitz and
glam that get our mouths watering for the next
great piece of tech, software or whatever. When
the company delivers on that promise in an
expected timeframe, we as consumers are
satisfied. However, when a business continually
delays a release, we are left feeling angry, as if
the business has been dishonest in some way.
We know rationally that there are a number of
factors that can result in product delay, but
when we were really looking forward to a
release, we just don’t care.
Some setbacks have been so disheartening, so lengthy, that they actually become a running
joke. In the video game industry, the game Duke Nukem Forever was intended to be
released as a sequel to its 1996 predecessor. Then the delays began and they continued to
occur for years. People joked about getting things done “when Duke Nukem comes out”
(i.e., never). Then, against all odds, the game finally did get released...in 2011, a full fifteen
years after it was slated for distribution. Unsurprisingly, people felt it had missed its
window and that the constantly changing scope of the game made it a disappointment.
So, what does this mean for your business? While failure on that level is quite rare, scope
creep is not. If you do not accurately forecast project budgets, personnel availability and
resource usage, your project can very easily get delayed past the point of no return. When
customers or stakeholders inevitably lose interest, you are left with nothing more than lost
time and missed opportunities. It is frustrating when projects miss deadlines, but it is even
worse when a business continues to sink money into a lost cause. Accurately tracking time
and resources can often curtail scope creep, but it will also allow you to cut your losses if a
project is drastically off the mark.
Reference Link: http://journyx.com/node/2110