Page 54 - Straight Talk On Project Management IV

A friend’s mother went to the doctors with a condition that the GP thought might need long term
treatment, perhaps medication for life and monthly appointments to assess whether her condition
had changed. Three months in and the doctor was amazed at how well she was responding, and the
following month declared her ‘cured’. She didn’t have to be assessed every month any longer, so she
asked the receptionist to cancel the rest of the blocked-out appointments. The computer system
decided it didn’t want to do this and months later, she got a call from the doctor’s receptionist
reminding her how much missed appointments cost the NHS! She is a strong-minded northern
woman of a certain generation who, when wronged, is unlikely to take prisoners. That doctor’s
receptionist learned the folly of recurring appointments right then, maybe we all should too!

In conclusion, I return to my opening point. Project Management depends on increasingly stretched
resources. If you have a Project Manager on your books or through a Project Management as a
Service partner, you should treat this resource and their time as precious.

Every second lost is a second that could have a positive impact on your project and your strategic
business goals. Don’t waste that second asking them to watch as you give Joyce in HR another bottle
of wine.

Sources:

https://www.inc.com/justin-bariso/elon-musk-knows-how-to-run-a-meeting-heres-how-he-does-
it.html