Project management motto: Be prepared

While talking with some of the experts on project management for this issue'scover story, I was reminded of an old boss who had great ideas but often carriedthem to the extreme.I worked for a newsletter company and each newsletterwas reported and written by one person. Thus, eachnewsletter was a one-person show.The boss had a requirement that twice each year, theeditors had to update what he called their beer truckmemos.You might already know where I'm going withthis. The purpose of the memo was that if an editorgot hit by a beer truck, someone could pick upthat memo and still produce a newsletter thatweek.The memo included a day-by-day, step-by-stepdescription of how you did your job. There wasan extensive list of sources and contacts as well asa list of the hot topics of the day.Although this was more of a continuity-of-operations plan, I can't help butthink good project management applies ? you have to know what you do, howyou do it and what resources are needed.We don't have a beer truck memo here at Washington Technology, but themore I think of it, we probably should.One of the principles of project management that I learned working on thisissue is that the more you can institutionalize processes the better prepared youare for change.And as government contractors know all too well, change is always coming.