A quiet word about project management
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Project management is a thankless job. You're caught between the rock of unreasonable demands from above and the hard place of those pesky foot-dragging contractors below.
We'll let you cry on our shoulders for the next thirty seconds.
OK! Times up!
We're not going to give you the chapter and verse of project management, but we do want to point out some of the peculiarities of interactive installations.
Cost
You weren't expecting such a high price? Considering that the widget that you want is unique, and all the design and development costs (including the time spent in meetings trying to come to an agreement on what the widget will be) have to be covered in the price, it's damn cheap! Now if you were to order twenty, we could really achieve some economies....
Timing
The Grand Vizier, Ruler of your Destiny and Lord of all Lands is going to open it when?
Before you casually scribble that date into your diary, think about the complexity of the job itself. If it is complex, and it does have to open by a certain date, make sure you have a fall back plan in case everthing isn't ready.
Schedules slip for lots of reasons, despite everyones best efforts.
If you are provided with a Gantt Chart or other schedule, look at the commencement dates for each section of the job. These are often crucial - for instance, if approvals are not received by a certain date, subcontractors who have been asked to start on that date will go onto other jobs and may be difficult to get back again. A weeks delay here may easily balloon out to a month on the end of the job.
Is the building being built/renovated? If that schedule slips (as they so often do), don't expect the last contractors, namely the exhibit installers, to make up the lost time.
Is finance going to be available on time? How long does the approval of expenditure in your organisation really take?
After all your best efforts, other things can still go wrong. Equipment may not arrive on time, and there may be a shakedown period where the installation has to be tested and adjustments and alterations carried out.
Allow plenty of time (if possible), and turn paperwork around quickly (make sure you read it)!
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