In “Goldratt’s Rules of Flow” by Efrat Goldratt-Ashlag, the author discusses taking precaution in projects in the form of buffer time. Buffer time is placed at the end of each project’s timeline to provide a safety net for when delays pop up. The prescribed time is 1/3 of the project’s lifetime. Of course, depending on the project’s difficulty level, this can be adjusted.
Causes for delays vary across industries, but some general ones are manager approvals, need for experts, and difficult problems. The project may come to a point where manager approval is needed to continue. Subject matter experts may be needed to consult on a step. Lastly, a difficult problem can be sneaky. What initially was budgeted as a 4 hour task can easily double or triple if the problem is developmental, mathematical, or highly technical.
Helpful Tips
- For a two-month project, make your tasks a week long. For a two-year project, make your tasks a month long.
- Have a global buffer time meaning all projects should draw from one bucket. Each project shouldn’t have its own buffer time.
- Reflect periodically to distinguish between genuine delays and wasted buffer time.
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