How to Coach Yourself and Others Essential Knowledge For Coaching | Page 338

rather than sequentially, or simply cut out non-essentials. More drastic measures can be taken with your project sponsors such as reducing the scope of the project. Bringing a Project in on Time A study by psychologists at Sussex University shows that most people fail to complete projects on time. There are 3 reasons for this. First, we always look forward when making plans and rarely at what happened in similar situations in the past. Second, we ignore what can go wrong. And third, we concentrate on how early we would like to complete the project and use that as the estimated time. It doesn't matter whether the project is a big one or a small one. For example, the Channel Tunnel came in a year late and 100% over budget. The Sydney Opera House opened 10 years late and 1300% over budget. To succeed in any project, large or small, it is essential to meet your sponsor's requirements on time, cost, and quality. Only by managing the project efficiently at each stage and using the best estimating, planning, and scheduling techniques of time management is this possible. D/ Non-Doing Work The Industrial Age from which we are presently emerging had no time for non-doing work. Work was organised to fill up the time with as much productive activity as possible. In the Information Age into which we have now moved, productive work requires intelligence and creativity. Time to stop and think has become an essential feature of working. Let Things Happen One of the reasons why stress is at record levels in our workplaces is the belief that you must be active all the time for anything to happen. In fact, the contrary is the case. When you remove yourself and trust that things will happen as they should, 1216