LEADERSHIP

STICK THE LANDING • 137
schedule. And an accurate schedule is the project manager’s
best (and sometimes only) friend! It exposes the project’s hidden
resources, slack time, and flexibility. It provides the primary
baseline for successful monitoring and control of the
project. It allows you to gain meaningful commitments by and
for stakeholders. And the single best source of accurate duration
estimating is from your own history file.
So, even if you have to dig through the trash to get them,
save all the time records for every project you work on. You
don’t have to compile or evaluate the data right now. Just save
it. If a similar project is in your future, you’ll be glad you
turned into a time-card collector!
If you’re likely to do a similar project in the future, create a
project template. The work breakdown structure, workflow
logic, duration estimates, and resources can all, with minor
edits, be ready to go.
Capture Historic Information
It’s also a good idea to maintain a complete set of project
communication documents. On rare occasions, I’ve been asked
to explain what happened or who did what, several years after
a project has been completed. It’s amazing how much you can
recall with a few dated meeting notes, memos, or archived
email messages to jog your memory.
Depending on the size of the project, you may want to use
a clear plastic file folder, a three-ring binder, or perhaps cardboard
file boxes. Whatever you do, keep the project records in
one place and label the container with the contents and a
shred date. In addition to a copy of your project journal, gather
the original concept checklist, project charter, statement of
work, project initiation document, scope statement, baseline