Disney’s purchase of Lucasfilm last year brought the announcement of a new, long-awaited Star Wars trilogy to take place after the events of the original three movies. Disney set an aggressive schedule and plotted the release of Episode VII for the Summer of 2015.
Just yesterday, it was announced that writer Michael Arndt had left the project to move onto other things. There are rumors of other issues behind the scenes that are delaying progress, but CEO Bob Iger is adamant: the show must go on, the release date must be met, despite the delays.
So why wouldn’t Iger want to budge on the project deadline?
Project Deadlines Set a Precedent
Going overtime on a project has some dangerous side-effects. It can often make you go over budget. Things always come up, the job gets delayed even more, and more materials and time are needed.
It can also become habit-forming. Once you fall behind on one project, it’s that much easier to fall behind on the next.
Worse still, every other project after that is dependent on the completion of the one that’s gone over. You might lose customers by making them wait too long, which would be bad for your revenue stream and bad for your Google Business Profile.
So how can you make sure you’re hitting your milestones and on track?
Using Project Management Software to Hit Your Dates
The best way to manage one or several projects at a time is with even a simple project management software. Getting teched up will help increase communication between the project manager and team members, help you organize your workflow with tasks, and give you greater visibility into the status of each phase and task.
Even managing just the most basic process with software can immensely help you stay on budget, stay on time, and deliver a quality project.
What If Quality Is at Stake?
There are always exceptions to every rule. Sometimes, hitting your deadline isn’t the right thing to do.
The perfect example in the media today of a project that stuck to a deadline to its own demise. That example is the website Healthcare.gov, a site that’s unpreparedness is becoming more apparent every day.
Sometimes, meeting a deadline at all costs can cause you to sacrifice quality. However, even in these times, project management software can help you see the big picture on a macro and micro scale, allowing you a better understanding of how to fix the issue efficiently and improve for the future.
