Blog : Operations

How to Easily Estimate Project Timelines

I just need you to tell me what to do and how long it will take. 

I am sure you’ve asked your OBM, PM, or VA this before. While it seems like that new welcome sequence should have a black and white answer, there are so many variables to consider before you can have a doable timetable.

And those variables? They are the difference between 2 alarm chili and 4 alarm chili, if chili were a project. 

 

As I yell from the mountaintops, don’t create plans in a vacuum. In order to have an executable plan (even with a stretching or ambitious goal), you need to make it happen in the real world not just how it looks Trello or Asana. 

Frequently requested project timelines in 90 day planning.

I’ll be working off of 4 general project categories of my most popular projects to plan: Content & Marketing, BTS, Live Events, and Regular Mode.

I’ve included a STANDARD time frame (that I use as a starting point for clients) then factors that will ADD time and-on the flip side- how you can SHAVE off time.

This is how I get you from A to B in the best route for your business, team, and project. 

Content & Marketing

Welcome Sequence | 10 day sequence with 4-6 emails

  • STANDARD 2 WEEKS: This typically includes updating an existing sequence or cloning a new sequence for similar product / service.
  • ADD 4-10+ DAYS:  If you are creating an entire sequence from scratch, adding new tech or tagging systems, or if the product or service is not completely finished.
  • SHAVE OFF 4-7 DAYS: If you can reduce emails or number of days span, edit very little content, have very little tech touches, and if your team is assembled and ready.

Funnel | Opt-in and Thank you page, plus a 3-5 email sequence

  • STANDARD 2-4 WEEKS: If you are updating an existing funnel or cloning a new one for similar product / service, normally includes email marketing, tech, webpages, and light copy edits.
  • ADD 5-12+ DAYS: If you need custom pages (not leadpages or templates), brand new email copy, new or different tagging system and other tech pieces, or have new or in additional video / trainings. Don’t forget the testing phase!
  • SHAVE OFF 3-5 DAYS: If you use a template or clone existing pages, light tech touches, and reuse or light edit on email copy.

BTS / Operations

Workflows, planning, and documenting

  • STANDARD 2-6 WEEKS: If documenting and planning from scratch and using easy to use software (Loom, Trello Asana, Google Docs, etc).
  • ADD 5-10 DAYS: If you are creating brand new documentation and workflows (video and text), planning both regular mode tasks AND additional projects.
  • SHAVE OFF 3-5 DAYS: If you plan in stages (30-60-90 day Gameplan), divide conquer with VA or other team members.

Hiring and Onboarding

  • STANDARD 2 WEEKS: Normally includes 1 week for standard training and onboarding and general “situating”  and 1 week of active dedicated presence and working together.
  • ADD 2 WEEKS: If this is a brand new position, your first hire, or a brand new project (that is not hired for a specific purpose or role specific).
  • SHAVE OFF 7-10 DAYS: If you have existing onboarding and training system or Team Lead to take care of onboarding / training.

Live Things

 This is IMPORTANT! As a house rule, I only want to be doing LIVE things when they are live. Not in addition to regular stuff, launch content, and other projects while something is being executed live. 

Retreats, Conferences, Online Summits

  • STANDARD 3m-6m+: If planning done in stages, following a project timeline and major milestones.
  • ADD 3 MONTHS: If this is your first time, have a small team or not outsourcing the legwork, or it is a large in-person multi-day event.
  • SHAVE OFF 1-2 MONTHS: If you hire additional event help, have a Team or Project Lead, or it is a smaller retreat / summit.

Live 5 day Challenge or Group Challenge 

  • STANDARD 3 WEEKS:  This includes 2 weeks creating (tech and implementation), 1-2 weeks marketing time, + 5 days LIVE execution.
  • ADD 2-4 WEEKS: If more involved challenge (creating and delivering workbooks or trainings), or if this includes a competition, gamification, or points scoring system.
  • SHAVE OFF 1 WEEK: If the content and delivery is uber simple, not adding competitive element. Even more if this is a repurposed challenge.

Live Application Review 

  • STANDARD 10 DAYS: This includes only LIVE execution and reviewing.
  • ADD 2 WEEKS: If this part of the review includes 1 or 2 initial sales, primer, or bonus calls.
  • SHAVE OFF 3-5 DAYS: If the review period is shortened, have enlisted help, or zero or quantity limited of calls.

Regular Mode

Every business should have seasons of “regular mode” where you are not promoting or launching. This is great because it allows you to spit ball new ideas, take a breather, and even push a little harder to make room for new ideas you love.

Blogs, Newsletters, Standard Connection & Engagement on social 

  • STANDARD 2 – 4 WEEKS AHEAD: Generally speaking (unless you are a content superhero) businesses I work with are a couple weeks to 30 days ahead.
  • ADD 2 WEEKS: If you are trying to make room for an additional project. Meaning, you will be doubling up on weekly content for two weeks in order that you have two weeks of project dedicated time.
  • SHAVE OFF 2 WEEKS: If you are working beyond the just-in-just-out content mode and have room to absorb an off week.

What I love about having this Standard, Add or Shave is it helps you frame your projects and compare to your ideal time frame and calendar (which is the #1 thing you should look at).

It also helps you make a quick decision when it comes to resource management. Would it be nice to have all new graphics and copy for that funnel? Well, ya! Is it really necessary if the service will be phased out in 6m? No. Should you reuse the same challenge that doesn’t feel aligned with your newly refined service? NO! Is it ok to get ahead with blog posts BEFORE you create a new welcome sequence? Absolutely! 

Nobody just straight up tells you these things, but I think they are so important to know from the get go. As the leader of your business, you need to figure out how to create your own recipe for progress and how to manage your resources to the best of your ability. 

If you want to figure out how to breakdown your ideal time frame and create your best progress gameplan, then Your Progress Gameplan 30-60-90 Day Plan is the place to start.You’ll not only learn planning, but how to manage your resources and quickly get from A to B. 

5 Essential Project Planning Answers to Have Before You Start

Your projects plans, especially for launches are a like a strawberry trifle. Layers upon layers. You have to have the graham cracker crust, the cream, the macerated berries, and finish with flair. Just like a project, you have to have the foundation, the development, the real time launch, and the follow up. It’s never just a simple as it looks.

Many times we jump right in and then scatter off to complete each layer, but its so chaotic that your trifle ends up being a big layered mess.

To keep your team on point there are certain questions that help you (and your team or project manager) frame out the plan. Once you have answered these and have a firm grasp of what’s in front of you, the planning aspect and coordination (let’s face it, all hands on deck) is much easier.

IDEAL DATE OF COMPLETION. 

In an ideal world, when would you like this completed? Please be realistic, Rome wasn’t built in a day and this project needs room to breathe. Just like that cab!

DOES THE CALENDAR MATCH?

Consult your calendar! The most important part of the ENTIRE PLANNING PROCESS is to look at not only your business calendar, but also your personal calendar. You need a good sense of how much time you have in between family happenings, busy work season, and other important dates. This also gives you a sense of how hard you have to push or helps put in perspective how hard you are willing to push to complete it. (EXAMPLE: I’m ok with putting in 10-20 extra hours this month, because next month we have visitors, out of town, etc).

WHAT OTHER MOVING OR ACTIVE PROJECTS OVERLAP?

I typically don’t like to have more than 2 or 3 active projects, or 1 depending on how involved it is. If you are running a live course, hitting the pavement with speaking or podcasts, or overhauling your website (which requires all new copy) you may not have the bandwidth to incorporate another active project. You may have to remove or pause another project to make room. Or start the project after other projects are further along. 

TEAM AVAILABILITY

While you may be planning to put this into development and marketing within 6 weeks, if key team players have scheduling conflicts then your dates may need to be shifted or stages extended to absorb some of the conflicts. Bring your team into your initial framework so they can give you more perspective on ideal dates (AND priority).

IS THERE A LIVE OR IN REAL TIME ELEMENT TO THIS?

One thing I apply in absolute-ness is if there is a live element to this project (live QA, calls, live marketing, 1-1 feedback, application review, webinar/masterclass, etc.) that is the only thing happening during that sprint. Everything else must be done before or able to wait until after the live or real-time element is completed.

Combining a live or real-time element means you probably need to add at least 1 week or 1 sprint to each phase to make sure it is “situated” or completed before the live or real-time thing happens. If you are continuing to write copy for sales pages WHILE doing 3 live webinars with personal outreach or reviewing applications and giving feedback. . . ultimately something will break and you will end up doing too many things at once.

Having these 5 answers will help you frame out the project with better clarity. You’ll see the dates, have some perspective if items need shifting, and be able to make the decision with a full picture.

If you want to learn more about to designate the right projects at the right time along with your regular stuff, then you need to meet Your Progress Gameplan: 30-60-90 day planning so you never have to ask what do I do next again! 

Progress Issue #4: Adapting too late

You’ve seen the picture perfect, color coordinated, works of art that are project plans following an agile system. I can’t function without the columns planned and coordinated like the rainbow, BUT I also see a different side of projects and 90 day planning, since I’m elbow deep in them each day.

The need to adapt and adjust on the fly.

The need for adjustments can be attributed to three most likely scenarios:
1. Planning well beyond 90 days.
2. The lack of planning.
3. Normal hurdles during the course of a project or progress.

Runners up would be: changing goals, making the call to scrap something, or hunkering down to absorb life and business bumps.

And it’s not always easy to make the call when you are pressed for time and red/green/yellow light decisions need to made like yesterday.

Here is why I LOVE working with progress in mind, specifically following the Progress System. You are planning 90 days out, BUT you are remaining flexible to adapt as you need paying particular attention to the timing of events.

A rule of thumb that I teach in the Progress System: Trello Edition is that you plan for projects and tasks 90 days out, but you don’t have to have every single task perfectly detailed out and accounted for. Rather, as you near the 60 day mark you firm up the details to 100% firm by the 30 days and current sprint. You are giving yourself room to make decisions at the 90+ mark, but you aren’t marrying yourself to that because a lot could change during that time.

What could change that would affect other decisions or work?:

*A break in tech
*A funnel that simply isn’t converting, calling for a retool sooner than expected
*Losing a key team member
*Adjusting current services (booked up or not booked at all)
*Change in marketing or strategies

Keeping things flexible doesn’t mean you aren’t forward thinking, rather it means that IF you need to adjust (add in another step, section out a part to delegate, bring in a new team member, etc) you are managing your resources (time, money, and energy) and making smart decisions that help you adapt BEFORE things blow up.

Adapting is the balance of: Not waiting too long to plan and having to make an important decision on the fly, but also not planning too far in advance that you’re wasting time/money/energy backtracking over work.

This is why Launch Debriefs, Sprint Reviews, team collaboration, and proper sprint planning are soooooo important.

BUT HEAR ME ON THIS:

Adapting doesn’t mean we don’t plan or just plan for the next few months out. We actually do a ton of forward planning and I am constantly going over if A happens, then we keep with B & C. If A doesn’t, then I’ll implement 1,2,3 that makes B move over and C is now on pause. It’s a constant evaluation based on progress.

Still sounds weird?

Here’s what I mean. . . I usually sprint plan for the regular ‘ole stuff beyond the 90 days. Blog posts, newsletters, IG, podcasts, important progress markers, etc likely have a standard day they release (those are easy). . . but other things like developing a new service, retooling a funnel, adding a bell or whistle- may need to be developed and planned for amidst other work. That also means you may have to be flexible in making room for the work AND be able to handle pop-up fires that occur naturally when operating a business.

So if you are little like me and like to plan but keep some options open, then I think the Progress System would be a great match. I mean who doesn’t love color coordination?