We have the phases there without any dates. Sometimes I don't need the dates, because the uncertainty of the amount of work, and the details are too unknown, so it is just a rough sketch. I use dependencies to mark connections between important tasks, so that I can observe those key points on the critical path to make sure there won't be a delay. Then I bring the detail in, and sometimes I see we have overlooked something, and it will take longer. I would add dates to the top-level tasks, so we have a high-level roadmap, which still needs to be verified. We have a kickoff meeting with the stakeholders and key people from each team, where we try to build an overview and see how long running the project might be. I use these as starting points, and do a rough roadmap: "okay, we can start in 3 weeks time, we can do the preparation in 4 weeks, but there is a risk that the contract phase may require more time if the legal team is overloaded". Depending on the project, if I have any specific due dates for particular tasks, then I put them in as well - usually, the start date is known, and sometimes the end date if the client says "we need this done by December", and so I need to see if its feasible.įor a rollout project like this, we have a preparation phase, a pilot phase, and then a go-live phase. I start with the Spreadsheet View, because I can quickly hack in the tasks without any specifics, and then I work them out later. When we spoke to Michael, he was in the initial stages of a high-tech communications rollout across a company with hundreds of branches, and building expectations early in the project is crucial to gain the customer's trust. Starting from what is knownĪ key for Michael getting a project off the ground quickly is Aeon Timeline's flexibility to quickly assemble task lists on limited information, and only introduce or work out dates when they become relevant. Aeon Timeline is actually the only tool I can use directly, where all the interconnections and different project aspects are integrated into one tool. I can drag stuff around and edit dates, I can make changes in Relationship view. That's what makes Aeon Timeline valuable - it is presentable while still being interactive. If I fire up JIRA in a management meeting and I say "okay, let's find the task we're discussing now, because I need to change the dates", it isn't feasible. At the end of the meeting, it is already done, and I just attach it to the meeting notes. They are often heated in some respects, so if we can change dates, structure and responsibilities immediately and show the results, it helps bring efficiency and accountability. It helps me to be agile in those meetings and not forget things. Live edits without the glazed eyesįor Michael, it is when he takes the timeline into customer meetings that Aeon Timeline really stands out as a tool that allows him to present information visually, and update it on the fly, during client discussions.Īeon Timeline is beautiful, because you can tailor it to a certain scenario using the customer's language, and still have all the interconnections and flexibility in there. I don't need to take screenshots and make it beautiful - because the interface is well designed, I can use the tool itself without scaring management out of the room. I group tasks to create a "management view" of the timeline, so when I have board meetings I can collapse those groups to show a high-level roadmap. When I sit with a client and discuss certain aspects of the project, it is ideal - when people look at a timeline, when they see the relationship matrix, they understand inherently what it is. In most cases it wasn't possible to do this while they were at the table, it was just too inconvient or cumbersome.Īeon Timeline is my secret weapon to bring us together. I would sit in a meeting with 14 other people, and they would note down changes, and go back to their tools to refine it. They had screenshots or printouts from Microsoft Project, and it was very clunky. In the past I have worked on a project with 15 or 16 child projects, each with different project managers running around.
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