Sequence

What has to happen before what, what the project depends on that it does not control, and which chain determines the date.

The idea

How it works

A plan showing only the work implies the date is set by effort. It is usually set by dependencies, several of which the project does not control.

The chain that determines the date is frequently not the one people are watching, because attention follows the visible work rather than the waiting.

Working with it

01
Map dependencies before durations
What has to be finished before each thing can start. The order matters more than the estimates.
02
Mark what you do not control
External approvals, supplier lead times, another team’s work. These are where the date actually slips.
03
Find the chain that sets the date
The longest path through the dependencies. Improving anything off it changes nothing.
04
Start the long-lead items first
Regardless of their position in the plan. Something with a twelve-week lead time started in week eight has already delayed the project.

One level in

A component is something that exists afterwards which did not exist before — a deliverable or a mechanism, not an intention.

Start the long-lead items first, wherever they sit in the plan. That is what actually protects the date.