You can only plan the future...

Before a project starts you can plan to do new activities anytime in project time frame. But when you are in the middle of the project and a new activity pops up - you have to plan to do the activity in later half of the project. And if you discover a new activity when you are 75% through you only have the last quarter of the project to use.

Obvious?

Probably. But since "finding new activities" in project is common you may always end up in projects where most of the acivities get stacked at the end of the project.
And the longer time you spend in the project - the more you learn - and the probability for finding new tasks or activities increases.

So - even if it is obvious that you can only plan the future - this have some serious implications when planning and executing projects.

What are your plans and thinking?

Learned 2004...

Did I learn anything about creativity and innovation during 2004? Yes - lots. I am also trying to bring my thinking together about the "tsunami disaster" - but that will have to wait...

Here are my two most important lessons learned 2004 about creativity and innovation:

1. When working in group the 'creativity tools' and 'whack level' must be adjusted to the level of the group. A group that consider Post-it notes as the best tool for creativity might not enjoy making snow sculptures representing the corporate mission. And the other way around. Best result comes when tools and whack levels are adjusted to group experience & expectation.

2. Not! This is a word that is more useful and powerful then we first might think. Many time we describe what we are, what things are, what we are to achieve, what the project is going to deliver. But equally interesting - and often very thought provoking - is to reverse and consider what we NOT are, what we NOT are trying to achieve - and what the projects NOT are going to deliver. The "not" here is not a restriction - but actually more of an opener and widener (assuming that 'widener' is a word...)."

What did you learn in 2004?