How to set achievable deadlines on a massive project?

Deadline are not dead! Make the schedule achievable with 3 steps:

1. Create a bird’s eye view with a 12-month calendar. X out holidays, PTOs & commitments. The holistic visual gives a REALISTIC look to what deadlines appear next to the Xs and is easier on the human brain, compared to the list view employed by most digital scheduling tools.
2. Stagger deadlines to create “more time” in the schedule. You don’t always need to have finished one activity until you can start on a new one. Figure out what can be concurrent – especially with help – so you can execute multiple activities and beat the deadline.
3. Identify ‘drop dead’ dates, i.e., when there’s no wiggle room after that date because future tasks depend on the completion of certain tasks in order for the project to finish on time. Everything else you might be able to lag or slack without delaying this massive project!

SEE ALSO:

How to avoid project scheduling mistakes?

How to manage deadlines without procrastination?

How to determine that a problem is “urgent”?

How to manage your time when working on multiple projects?

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