When dealing with project risks, there are two common countermeasures, one is overtime and the other is overtime. Can these two countermeasures effectively solve project risks? In fact, it is quite debatable.
Many software projects work overtime from the very beginning. I thought it would be easier to work overtime later. Why? The reason is:
I. The role division of the project team is unreasonable and lacks a sense of responsibility. Many members of the project team have been delivering the system from the preliminary design. In this way, some people will be used for minor purposes, and some others will be encouraged. It is normal for a project team to work overtime, but it is abnormal for everyone to work overtime at any time. At different stages of the project, different people should be working overtime (if needed). If everyone is working overtime, it means that some people enter the project team too early or some people should leave the second-line to rest;
2. The schedule of the project is unreasonable. In this case, we need to communicate with the customer in a timely manner to try to delay the schedule. It is better for the project team to work in an orderly manner than to work overtime, which is more conducive to ensuring the quality of the project;
3. The project member's ability level may not match the difficulty of the job. We may think that every project is difficult and everyone can overcome it. This idea is not necessary. If many difficult problems cannot be solved in a timely and effective manner, it only leaves hidden risks for subsequent jobs.
Adding a person, on the surface, the workload is broken down, reducing the workload of existing workers. Otherwise, the volume of jobs to be decomposed will return to the project in the following form.
1. The communication time has increased. For new members, we need to clarify the content of their jobs, the specifications of the project team, and the main application technologies ......;
2. added time for new members to understand the job content. It is difficult for new members to fully understand complex jobs in a short time;
3. It increases the review and management time and difficulty of deliverables. For software projects, it is quite difficult to unify more people's ways of thinking and work habits into one platform.
So what measures should we take when risks occur?
First of all, we must clarify the cause of the risk. overtime or recruitment is an effective countermeasure when the customer cannot postpone the work, the job objectives are clear, the job content is clear, and the job methods are clear, in this way, we can finish our jobs on time with quality and quantity. However, when most risks occur, it is because we have such or such ambiguity that one-sided overtime or recruitment is not advisable;
Second, change the conventional job methods, and focus on the risks, and then refine the solution one by one until the job objectives, job content, and job methods are clear, fuzzy points cannot be ignored in this process. There is no chance of being confused about risks.
3. strengthen risk control and share risks with the customer, so that the customer can recognize the seriousness of risks and the importance of changing operation strategies;
4. Develop a complete risk-related strategy to make customers feel their confidence and ability to cope with risks. This is especially important if we only work overtime and add people, in the end, the customer will feel that our risk prediction and Response Control Capabilities are insufficient.
