While you may not see last night’s Presidential Debate as a learning experience for construction managers, you can actually apply a few principles to CPM scheduling. So, no matter where you stand on the political spectrum, here are some takeaways from last night: prioritize and plan for setbacks.
In prioritization, you’ll see that both candidates made mistakes. At times, they waited too long to bring out strong points, at times having to talk over the moderator in order to get the point out. Thankfully for them, the moderator didn’t exactly have the personal constitution to actually cut them off when their time was up. Nevertheless, those points could have come across a lot stronger were they not talking over the moderator. The same goes for scheduling: prioritize. You know this, I’m sure. But, make sure the most important tasks get done first and you’ll find success a lot easier.
As far as planning for setbacks goes, you have to know that something will go wrong. So, estimate anything that could possibly go wrong, and plan solutions to fix issues quickly. In the case of the debate, each candidate pointed out flaws in the other’s rhetoric and solutions, so they had to devote time to defense. While this tactic will look a lot different for construction planning in San Antonio, you will still have the same principle. Know where your schedule can be “attacked” and plan to make amends if an “attack” occurs.
Aside from learning more about construction scheduling, the debates also teach us something about the two individuals who could lead our country. So, watch the debates, become informed and vote next month!
