If PRINCE2 teaches us that “everything can be managed as a project,” then why not organise vacations systematically and think of them as a project? This will surely help to arrive with more serenity to this much discussed period of relaxation. Thanks to impeccable organisation everyone will be able to enjoy the holidays even more.
In this article we understand how this can be put into practice thanks to several principles, best practices and concepts!
Involving Stakeholders and Defining Roles and Responsibilities
When going on holiday as a group, it is right to utilise the skills of each member who will be taking part in the trip and to assign tasks in such a way that responsibilities are spread. Because everyone is involved in decisions, this is a more strategic way to distribute the ‘tension’ over several people.
In addition, this method also helps to keep everyone up-to-date on the unfolding sequence of events. The progress of the planning is followed and awareness among the group about the activities during the trip is created. By dividing the responsibilities, the pressure of the organisation is not placed on just one member of the group, but it is shared by everyone.
Key factors in this step are:
- Creating efficient workflows (establishing a precise itinerary and place of arrival, as well as booking the hotel and cars to rent, etc.)
- Ensuring smooth communication among those in charge of the different aspects of the holiday
- Managing tolerances efficiently
Applying an Iterative Approach
One of the ITIL principles is precisely to proceed in projects in an iterative manner, i.e. to break a project down into smaller, manageable sections by steps:
- Destination
- Route
- Flight
- Accommodation
- Car hire
These and many others are some of the sub-projects into which the organisation of your holiday can be divided.
Establishing Tolerances
Another fundamental element of organising a holiday is to define the tolerances for its main elements, which can be identified by:
These are the 3 main elements for organising a holiday. Establishing the tolerances for each of them is fundamental to completing the project.
Organising Brainstorming Sessions
The whole team must be able to express their preferences regarding the fundamental elements of the holiday (destination, itinerary, dates, method of travel, attractions to be visited, …) and be constantly updated on the progress of the organisation (what has already been decided, what has been booked and what is still being defined).
This certainly helps to prevent last-minute problems (e.g. we have rented cars but there is too much luggage) and to avoid stress or tension during what should be well-deserved days of relaxation.
Being Agile
Everyone knows that problems or moments of crisis happen even in the best organised and structured projects. In the event that accidents or problems of any kind happen during your holidays, maintaining an Agile mindset is crucial: being able to adapt to evolving situations and understanding how to act is the best solution.
Lessons Learned
This will not be applicable the first year you are organising holidays in this manner, so the first step is to take a look at the experience of the past years: what went well? What could have gone better? What really didn’t work?
Putting into practice what you have learnt from past experiences and previous projects is one of the first principles of working successfully on a project.
Conclusion
This type of organisation will help you to better manage your holiday planning and stem any problems as much as possible. Combining the best practices of different methodologies so that you can implement those that best suit your situation and needs is very important in cases like this.
Once you have organised the perfect holiday, you just have to enjoy it!
If you are interested in applying Project Management to your daily projects, read our blog “Improve your Barbecue with Project Management”
