Whenever a conflict arose, the entire team compared estimates and discussed them. The purpose of this exercise was to identify potential weak links in the schedule and then to plan for them. Ultimately, the project manager allowed each team member to determine his or her own estimate within a phase. The only estimate he imposed on the team member was to complete the phase while adhering to the deadline for the entire project. For some projects the area of responsibility dictates not only tasks but responsibility for an entire phase. For others, one phase will encompass work for several, even for all, of the members. In.
