How do you create an effective retroplanning calendar?
Tired of looking for the best way to meet tight deadlines? If you are looking for an efficient method to organize your projects in business, retroplanning or backward planning may be relevant. Indeed, this simple and effective method will help you stay on track and meet deadlines, while avoiding unnecessary stress during project execution. To help you set up reverse planning, we provide you with some practical advice to take full advantage of this planning method.
What is reverse planning?
The term backplanning refers to an approach to project management, used to plan and organize tasks and activities in a logical order. However, its specificity is that it starts backwards from the date of completion of the project.
This type of schedule is therefore ideal when your customer sets a due date. If the latter is in no way negotiable, it is then preferable to opt for retroplanning. You will thus be able to ensure that the project will not suffer from any delays and that all the specifications will be respected.
What are the advantages of retroplanning?
If retroplanning is so common in project management, it is because it allows you to benefit from significant advantages. When used properly, this method can help you significantly improve the performance of your team.
Respect delivery deadlines
Above all, the main advantage of retroplanning is to respect the due date. In fact, starting from the delivery date, you can plan all the tasks to be done within the allotted time.
You also accurately determine the ideal date to start the project. Of course, it is always advisable to add a deadline to remain flexible in case of unforeseen circumstances. You will thus not be caught off guard and will maintain considerable leeway.
Check these delivery times
It is important to note that some delays are simply unsustainable. Unfortunately, some teams sometimes realize this in the middle of a project.
In this respect, the use of retroplanning is a lifesaver, as it makes it possible to identify this pitfall as early as the planning phase of the project.
Optimize project management
Retroplanning gives you a global view of the project and its essential deadlines. It is then much easier to plan all the tasks and to define a deadline for each of them.
By calculating the deadline for each task as best as possible, you can adjust the durations, if necessary, to ensure compliance with the overall deadline.
Use resources effectively
By projecting yourself from the start to the delivery date of the product or service, you can better define the resources required.
As you plan each step in advance, not only financial resources but also human resources are evaluated in advance. In this way, you avoid being taken aback during the actual implementation of the project.
How do you design a retroplanning calendar?
If you decide to use the reverse planning technique for one of your projects, it is necessary to follow certain steps. This is an important point, because it is by carefully planning your project that you put all the chances on your side to make a quality deliverable.
Define your goals
The first step is, of course, the definition of goals. By determining the conditions for success in advance, you can better plan and prioritize tasks before you start working. Project preparation is fundamental, as it subsequently influences all the other stages of your project.
Create milestones and deadlines
The next step in creating your calendar is establishing specific milestones or milestones. These will allow you to measure the progress made over time. Thanks to these intermediate steps, the team can know if it is meeting the deadlines, but also the budgetary constraints set initially.
In addition, it is essential to set firm deadlines for each stage in order to promote the involvement of employees and unite the team towards a common goal.
Break tasks down into steps
Instead of having a long-term goal or an overall task at the top of your calendar, you should think about how tasks can be divided into sub-tasks that are easier and faster to complete.
Each larger task should then include various components (research, design, coding, etc.) divided into manageable steps that have their own due dates assigned as part of the overall calendar.
Allocate resources and staff
Once you've created your calendar with milestones and deadlines, it's time to start allocating resources or staff to each scheduled task.
It is important not only to assign tasks, but also to delegate some tests so that everyone involved can move quickly towards completion without having to go back once execution has begun.
Evaluate performance
Even when the final goals are set from the start, projects may require changes, either because of difficulties encountered along the way or because of new advances made during execution.
For this reason, it is essential to monitor the effectiveness of teams. By using relevant performance indicators, you can decide to adjust your planning if necessary.
What tool should I use to carry out a retroplanning?
If you want to carry out functional retroplanning, you must have the right tool. However, the best solution for this is to use a collaborative project management platform.
Indeed, these platforms allow you to create usable tasks, schedule deadlines and monitor the progress of work with clarity. They also allow milestones and team progress to be monitored, ensuring that goals are achieved in the most efficient way possible.
With such a tool, it becomes easy to create Gantt charts. With these, you will be able to better visualize the process, prioritize tasks, and monitor performance indicators throughout your project.
Finally, your team will gain fluidity and agility thanks to collaboration features. In particular, we can mention instant messaging, video calls or even the sharing of documents.
