Ethan McNamara

Shift

Move the milestone. Understand the consequences.

A planning tool that shows what else needs to move when a key project date changes.

Role
Designed and built, start to finish
Status
Concept
Area
System integrity

48s · 5 beats

Drawn in the browser. It plays while it is on screen; pause or scrub it at any point.

The problem

A launch moves two weeks. Relative preparation should follow it; a fixed supplier booking should not. Moving every date makes a plan look coherent while breaking it.

The idea

Make the relationship behind each date explicit, then explain every consequence before anything is applied.

How it is built

Relative offsets resolve over a validated dependency graph and an explicit working calendar, and the result is a preview.

Read the diagram as text

A project manager moves a milestone. The preview moves the linked dates against the working calendar while fixed bookings stay put, and the manager resolves any clash. If the approved plan is still current the reviewed dates are applied; if it moved, a fresh preview is required.

Working calendarFixed bookings stayStill currentChanged meanwhileProject managerMoves a milestoneSchedule previewLinked dates onlyProject managerResolves the clashesApproved planstill current?Project scheduleReviewed dates appliedPlan changedReview a fresh preview

Diamonds are decisions. Indigo marks the path that matters. Scroll across to see all of it.

Scope

A design proposal using a fictional October schedule; no date is changed. Fixed commitments stay fixed and clashes are surfaced for a person to resolve. Shift calculates consequences; it cannot renegotiate a booking.