I’ve had my head in various project plans for most of the last 12 years.
In my current partition job, I’m there again.
I’ve always looked at project management a little differently to the purists- those who know me won’t be surprised by this…I look for my mini rebellions where I can find them.
Anyways, I do the usual project things up front- determine my scope, end point and CTQs- those things that are critical to quality.
Then I go to the end and work backwards.
What has to happen immediately before the end, what dependencies hang off that, what are the possibilities around this? This helps me get my milestones- then I fill in the detail.
Using Scrivener I’m writing my nanowrimo book in the same way. It’s an experiment- part of the let’s see if this idea’s going to fly scenario.
I have an opening chapter- that’s given me my scope.
I also have an ending.
Now I’m working backwards.
I’m 18,000 words in and so far it seems to be working.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not planning it out- I’m way too Piscean for that, but the general theory of working backwards is what I’m talking about.
Sure I’ll need to go in and fill in the detail around sub-plots etc etc, but using Scrivener takes the guesswork away from remembering what chapter certain events occurred in, or when names appear.
Rather than writing as I read, ie what comes next, I’m thinking about what could possibly have come before.
It’s an interesting change of perspective.
And Anyways... 
Wow, almost starting at the end is an interesting concept. I must also have a look at Scrivener to see how it works. When I started working on a Young Adult novel as part of a course I was doing, I used the snowflake method (via an excel spreadsheet) and found it useful.
Interesting idea, and probably not as silly as it sounds when you think about it.
I think that’s really innovative Jo. It’s certainly one way I never thought of! Well done you.