To clarify, we break projects into SD, DD, CD, CA. SD is the most fun, so we spend a lot of time screwing around and making big mistakes. Those mistakes get shoved into DD, where we try to scramble to fix both the design and schedule that was broken in SD. DD can't fix it, so they push their mistakes into CD. CD pushes their mistakes into CA. CA becomes constantly reacting to problems created by everyone else.

If software could fix the problems created by not thinking through the pictures we color in SD, everything else becomes easy.

Hi curtkram,

Thanks for responding. 

Sounds like the project is broken into different phases. How do you guys track what phase the project is in?

 Do you guys have a centralized place of keeping track of the project and it's requirements?

Also what is the requirements before the project goes into the next phase (SD --> DD) and does it go backwards if it needs to (SD <-- DD)?

Thanks

Do you guys have reviews before the project is promoted to the next phase?

at the start of the project we set a fee. the fee translates into the number of hours we have for the project, which is divided by percent into the four phases. we work out a schedule that defines when each phase ends, and put together a list of deliverables we expect to have at that time. When we hit that date, we issue a set of documents to the project team showing our progress. the review would be of the deliverable set after the project is promoted to the next phase.

we use deltek vision for tracking. we have some sort of scheduling software to track the schedule, but i forgot the name. we track a lot of the financial stuff in an excel document, and the deliverable list along with meeting agendas and minutes are tracked through word. we also have newforma, but i don't really use that as much as i should.

i think the last question is can phases go backwards. they cannot. however, if SD is incomplete when we enter DD, we have to do the SD work within the DD schedule, which is the problem i started with.

curtkram,

curtkram, Thanks for answering all my questions. I really appreciate it. You gave me some good information to work with. It sounds like you guys are using multiple tools to track things that should all be tracked under the same tool. The project tracking, scheduling, financial, deliverables, and agendas have a coupled relationship with each other and it doesn't make sense to track them individually. Plus I'm sure having to share excel/word docs with other team members is a nightmare. Unless you guys are using the cloud version. I'm curious why you are not using newforma? Is it another tool that you just don't want to deal with and learn?