The majority of task completion time is not used for the actual work, but is waiting or queue time. ...
Why Do Projects Take So Long?
We add too much time to the original plan. We allow x amount of time, so it takes x amount of time.
Our resources multi-task, adding unnecessary work (additional setups) to the project
The Student Syndrome causes us to waste whatever buffer we did have, adding more time to our already generous estimates.
Parkinson’s Law blocks us from taking advantage of any favorable variation (tasks finishing early) the project experiences.
...We can overcome deliberate padding, student syndrome, bad multitasking and Parkinson’s Law through better management and communication.
If we can eliminate these behaviors from our projects, the time to finish the project is reduced.I noticed that most projects are delayed by communication queues; waiting for someone's input rather than moving forward. The project should have a life of it's own, with participants working in parallel or at least not getting in the way.
Steve
