How Do You Eat An Elephant?

One day I was in a Navy course and the instructor asked a question.  This question was "how do you eat an elephant?" We scratched our heads, what do elephants have to do with construction projects? Well, the answer is something that all successful project managers know; "one bite at a time."

I was reminded on this simple concept today when I received this graphic from Dave Ramsey in my email.

It is true that many great things are started by small steps.  Projects need to be divided into manageable chunks, this allows two things.  The first thing that smaller chunks allows the project team to earn work complete on a more regular basis.  This is important because it allows the project manager to accurately estimate when the project might be completed and it will show upper management where the budget went.  The other thing that small chunks allows the project manager to keep the team motivated.  By seeing the project tasks getting done, the project team keeps motivated.  Keeping the team motivated to project end is very important.

One word of caution is not to make the chunks too small.  This will prove to me too time consuming for the team as they are constantly finishing tasks and going through gate reviews and other acceptance criteria.  I prefer something around the 2 week or 80 hour time frame.

This concept of eating an elephant one bite at a time has helped me to control and manage projects.  It allows me to explain to upper management the project status and to keep the project team motivated.