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In an older podcast concerning project management, I think, Mark discussed briefly queuing theory and the ramifications of delays. I am a Director at a CPA firm and we have struggled keep our staff focuses in getting projects done outside of our "busiest" time. What they have failed to understand is the ramifications of delays which then causes projects to be pushed up against deadline. While we have discussed and provided feedback, they just don't seem to understand or accept are reasons. Does anyone have any good articles or short books in regard to queuing theory?
Thanks
Late Starts
Welcome to the forums, MWHERY -
I've had a passionate concern for this phenomena over the past 5 years of practice - it's well known in project and behavioural management as the Student's Syndrome. The theory goes like this - with a basic knowlege of the task duration, wait until the last possible moment to start and complete at the very last opportunity. The problem, as you have seen, is that real life isn't deterministic and variance has a way of showing up. When that happens, the delivery slips with all the accompanying baggage.
Some of my more notable client successes came from management paying attention to the starts as actively as the completions and monitoring Work In Process (WIP) inventories for aging. When work starts on time, you can consume buffer if variance shows up. As a manager, your attention to starts and then actively monitoring progress will drive the outcomes. In your staff/status meetings, announce starts and completes using MT's color codes.
One of the better sources for the notion of on time starts is Goldratt's Critical Chain (Goldratt, Eliyahu (1997). Critical Chain. The North River Press. p. 246. ISBN 0-88427-153-6.). WIkipedia provides a reasonable summary as well (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Student_syndrome) If you need further help, feel free to contact me directly.
Cheers!
Ken McFetridge