I don’t know about you, but I always find November and December very busy months. At work there is the daily job to get on with like writing report, meets sales criteria, dealing with issues, updating plans etc. At home there are the normal activities to perform like the school run, making the school lunch, going to swimming lessons, parties, etc.

Then 1st November (latest) an email arrives in your inbox at work, setting up extra meetings to discuss what has to be completed by the end of the calendar year. For a Project Office this can include gathering information on:

• How much budget projects will not spend, or
• How much extra budget projects will require to until the end of the calendar year
• Understand which projects will over run into the next year.

Under Pressure To Complete Everything By End-Of Year

All of a sudden, those monthly meetings become weekly then daily meetings to squeeze out the relevant information, collate the results in multiple formats, and then present the findings to senior management. It can feel stressful, and overwhelming.

How I have handled the year end push, is to ask those who have been in the company for a while and been through a year end what is going to be required?

• What additional project information is going to be required?
• When will it be required?
• Who is likely to be asking for additional information?
• Where will the answers come from?
• Who can help with the extra work load?
• What can be stopped to accommodate the extra requests?

I like to start asking these questions well in advance, usually September. By finding this information out as early as possible, it is possible to plan and prepare for the year end events.

Ask yourself:

Who can you approach to understand what is going to be required from you and your team for the end of the year? When will you ask the relevant questions?
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Thank you for reading this blog – Under Pressure To Complete Everything By End-Of Year. If you would like more information or to get in touch, please fill in the contact form.