you're like me, you probably have a to-do list at
home that gets more projects added to it than crossed
off. For me, such a scenario always brings to mind the
Hydra from Greek mythology—an immortal water
monster where every time someone cuts off any one
of its heads, two more grow back in its place.
Unfortunately, important work projects run the risk of
morphing into a never-ending to-do list or sometimes
taking on the look and feel of a giant Hydra. Once the
project is started, obstacles present themselves,
priorities or people change, energy deteriorates, and
momentum is lost. Just visualizing the finish line gets
more and more hazy as the very idea of project
completion becomes mired in details and delays.
To quote William James (the "Father of American
psychology"), "Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal
hanging on of an uncompleted task." One of the best
ways to ensure a project's completion, without losing
its initial gusto, is to set an ironclad schedule from the
start. Project teams must agree to do everything they
can to commit to and stick to the schedule while
tracking cost, performance, and results.
This rings especially true when it comes to new
technology implementations in the warehouse. If one
project milestone is delayed enough to cause the
original implementation timeline to expand, it can
create a snowball effect that impacts other project
milestones down the line.