Stackranking is a valuable tool, simple to use, and it helps you concentrate on the very specific parts of a project. I do it because it helps me decide what criteria use to identify what to concentrate on. I like to stackrank pieces of my project by importance, cost, and risk. And I want a name on every piece so, in my head, I know who should know the answers.

Ah, plans are wonderful things - if only reality were more sensitive towards the tender ego of the planner! In twenty five years of planning projects I’ve never had anything with a horizon longer than three months and three people actually work. So why have I been successful?

Most projects suffer from a Catch-22. They really run on politics, not engineering.

No, not daylight savings time (which I hate, but only because it messes up the kids sleep) but early in a project is the only time where you can put some time in the Oh Crap Bank & Trust. Really, you know it's true.

When you were learning to drive, did your dad ever tell you to "brake early" or "shorten your sails before you dock?" Man, I just wanted the GO pedal and loud rock. I think your first startup is like that as well. Quit your job, hock your house, cancel your healthcare, work 1000 hours a week, and spend your money before your IPO. Then you run out of money, layoff everyone, and go back to work at your old job, slightly embarrassed at what a yerk you must look. But, oh, my, a little pause at critical points can really avoid a lot of that.

I'm not talking about the futile and overly detailed planning that takes place in most corporations. You know the kind: 80 meetings to determine the best rollout schedule for a new version of Norton Antivirus. Or, god forbid, the hundreds of thousands of hours spent trying to figure how to implement the next version of SAP. But planning can save YOU time if you do it right - and it doesn't even have to be boring.

“The time crunch in a big company feels slower than in a small one, but that is the difference between hitting an iceberg in an ocean liner and a telephone pole in a Ferrari. It's an illusion. There is never enough time.” I really like that line – it's all a great read.