Page 106 - Straight Talk On Project Management IV

IT Project Management: The value of experts. A moving story

What is it they say? The two most stressful things in life
are moving house and commuting! People who live in
mobile homes must be perpetually stressed!
We just moved house and the process wasn't without
its fair share of drama. You'll have been there yourself:
the viewers who have just come for a nosey; the offer
that pulls out just before exchange; the weak link in the
chain breaking; the anxiety over whether you're making
the right move (a friend bought a house off a farmer a
few years back and it was only after she moved in, that
the farmer moved his herd of cattle into the quiet field
next door!).
The whole process reminded me of the value of subject
matter experts. Whether you’re moving home or delivering a market-disrupting piece of software, it
pays to have the best resources at your disposal.

As I alluded to, we were all set to go at an earlier stage. The offer on our dream home had been
accepted and we were really excited! The sale of our house was progressing nicely, in fact, the whole
chain seemed robust. Then ... our buyer pulled out. We were crestfallen and more than just a little
anxious: would we be able to find another buyer in this current climate; would we do it in time to
keep the hopes of moving to our dream home alive; did we have the stomach for more nosey
neighbours having a free tour of our house?

The estate agent didn't seem crestfallen, they didn't seem overly anxious. To us, a buyer pulling out
of a house sale is a once or twice in a lifetime event, a huge drama, to them, it was a bread and
butter, a regular occurrence. They assured us that they WOULD find another buyer and they were
infectiously calm as they set about doing what their years of experience had prepared them to do.
The fact that I am writing this from the kitchen table in our new dream home is testament to how
true to their word they were.

The solicitor’s work seemed to be done in the blink of an eye (now there’s a profession that doesn’t
mess about!). No fluff, no fat!
Then there is the removal firm. I think, chatting to friends, we paid a little over the average for the
removal service - but what a service! My wife and I have been together for many years and raised a
family. You accumulate a lot of stuff and much of that stuff is highly breakable and highly valuable,
not just financially, but sentimentally too.

When the estate agent called to say they had found a new buyer and that the whole process was not
only back on but able to proceed at pace, we had to make removals arrangements quickly. I'd been
super cautious about booking a firm and fixing a date in case things fell through and, although this
had been proved to be a good decision, I was now left with a dilemma. Is a removal firm that can
move you at such short notice any good, I wondered, I mean, if they have vans and men sitting idle -
is that a warning flag?