I used to think detailed project timelines were a waste of time, then a $5000 mistake changed my mind

Three months ago I was managing a website redesign for a local bakery in Austin and I told myself a simple spreadsheet would be enough. I had this idea that detailed timelines just stressed everyone out and I wanted to keep things flexible. Well, the developer got sick for two weeks and I had no idea how that pushed back the designer's work because I had nothing written down. The client ended up waiting an extra month and they demanded a $5000 discount to make up for lost holiday sales. That hurt my profit margin a lot and I felt stupid for being so casual about it. Now I use a shared timeline tool with task dependencies and buffer days built in. Has anyone else learned this lesson the hard way or am I the only one who thought timelines were overkill?

3 comments

3 Comments

juliaa6513d ago

Wait, a whole month? That's insane, lol. I can't believe one sick developer cost you five grand.

brooke44813d ago

Did you at least learn the hard way so the rest of us don't have to?

scott.alex13d ago

@brooke448 yeah exactly, 0% interest credit cards are a trap if you don't pay them off.