I’ve been working on chapters for Definitive Drupal 7 about project planning and managing a major project. It’s supposed to come out this fall, we hope!, and this one’s been on my plate for awhile. I’m about half-way through the “Planning a Project” chapter, and I’m noticing a theme in my writing. It’s very subtle.

It goes a little like this:‘Don’t kill yourselves off. You are no good to us dead. Make reasonable goals. Don’t do anything you don’t think you can do.’ Which is fun, because there’s also the theme of ‘Drupal can do almost anything. Be really excited about all of the stuff that it can do.’ (The hard part is figuring out where the hell that ‘almost’ lies, and your own limitations, and what else you’ve got to go learn.)

And then I scurried off to a meeting and sortof lived it. ‘Tell me stories. Oh, holy god, that is more than I can do, you do need an experienced team. Stop right there while I make a call. Ok, these people! Go!’
I had really mixed feelings about calling Uncle and we find someone else to play, because it could have been a lot of fun. But it’s all about delegation right now, finding those things where I’m doing exactly what I’m good at, other people are doing what they’re good at, and it’s sortof like Plato’s idea of Justice is coming alive in the world. (Lyza will appreciate the strange parallels. As near as I remember it, Plato’s ideal of justice was everyone doing exactly what they were meant to.)

But when ultimately, it can work out for the best and you’ve pointed folks down the right path, it’s the point where you invoke the ‘Glass of Wine’ rule and call it off for a bit.

The Glass of Wine rule is a post all its own.

As is how I’m working in Jersey Shore references into the Planning a Project chapter. We’ll see if it stays in.