before you build it . . .

new ala article: The Problem, the Balloon, and the Four Bedroom House that nicely sums up a best practice in pm.

75% of the work of every successful project is completed in the initial stage. In other words, every project has a balloon phase. And if it doesn’t happen at the beginning of the project, then you may get into some serious trouble.

great anecdote:

On 13 March, 1999, Habitat for Humanity in New Zealand made the Guinness Book of Records. They constructed a four-bedroom house from scratch. It took a mere 3 hours, 44 minutes and 59 seconds. (I’m sure there’s a reality TV show in there somewhere, but I don’t believe we need another one of those.) An incredible feat. The significant fact is that it took 14 months of planning to achieve.

this also reminds me of a quote I've seen in Ziya's signature:

Design is the art of gradually applying constraints until only one solution remains.

(via dave boyer)