Contingency Planning · Buffers · Component
The reserve
Time held deliberately, sized from the record and placed where it protects the commitment.
The deliverable
What it is
Time hidden inside individual estimates is consumed by whoever holds it. Time held openly at the end can be released deliberately.
The buffer belongs at the point that matters — usually before the external commitment rather than distributed through the plan.
One level in
What it is made of
Each element is a constituent part of the component. Follow one to see the attributes it carries.
Time hidden in estimates is consumed. Time held openly can be released deliberately.
The other components in buffers
The consumption
How much of the buffer has been used against how far the work has come — the earliest reliable signal that a date is in trouble.
LearnThe protection
What stops the buffer being planned away — because a visible buffer is a permanent invitation.
Learn