Over and over we hear how inadequate we are in planning our projects. Lots of people judge it to be this way because they think project managers do not know how to plan. Supposed experts say we need to be more rigorous in our planning. As a result, templates and forms are beefed up to give the impression of planning strength but really don’t produce any tangible value.
Two misunderstandings need to be considered when evaluating our planning success. The first overarching misunderstanding is that projects should be completed just as they are planned. This never happens and thinking it is possible is living in a fantasy land. The second misunderstanding is that people do not spend time planning because they don’t know how to or lack a rigorous process. Most people actually do know how to plan but like to design and build (produce) more than they like to plan and analyze (prepare). Management encourages this behavior because they want to see results sooner than later. Very few people really like to plan. Those that do would rather plan for a vacation than go on one. Be honest, these folks are a rarity.
A good plan takes what is currently known and expected by all project stakeholders and formalizes the scope of the project. The scope is never perfect, but is enough to develop a strategy for delivering on the expectations. From this resources can be forecasted and a time schedule developed. The end result is a baseline that is approved by all stakeholders; and, one that is the best that can be developed given the current knowledge. The initial planning process should never take any longer than 10% of the overall project duration.
The only way to ensure proper planning occurs in your organization is to have a formal planning review process that does not let a project continue unless the project manager has produced an appropriate plan. The person in charge of the process should be a very detailed and systematic person who has the support of top management. That way project managers who do not like to plan will have a tough time circumventing the policy.
As projects progress and issues come up that cause them to veer off-plan, make sure when looking for the cause-effect relationships, proper analysis is conducted. It is way too easy to conclude it was the result of poor planning, often the default reason in organizations. The only way this could be the case is if all the knowledge and insight gained after planning and prior to the issue coming about was stripped away and those involved in the planning process could have foreseen this issue.
Given that projects will veer off-plan it is important to ensure planning adjustments are made and new expectations are established with stakeholders throughout the life of a project. This is the one shortcoming rarely discussed in articles or organizations. It should be discussed since 90% of the project’s duration needs to be continuously executed, controlled, and re-planed by the project manager.
We live in a world dominated by chance resulting in a lack of foresight. Shouldn’t our expectations and processes be in alignment with this reality? That way we will be putting our energy and resources into areas that can make a difference rather that butting our heads against a brick wall.
feedback
I agree with your comments. I’d like to point out as well that, in my opinion, what makes a good Project Manager is the ability to capitalize on schedule variation. It’s going to happen. There are just too many variables in most situations to think of them all. If we were to plan enough risk into our schedules we’d be doubling or tripling them!
The skilled PM sees that some things are not going to be done as planned. He/She looks for non-dependent tasks that can fill the void thus continue moving forward.
I can say that on one huge project (54,000 man hours) I produced no less than 500 versions of the schedule. Yet, we got it done…on time with an earned value (if you like that sort of thing) of 114%.
The whole planning topic is always an interesting one. Pursuading the powers that be that planning is important is often the first barrier to overcome there are a few quotes that help me “fail to plan, plan to fail” and “measure twice cut once”
I am one of those PMs that does enjoy the planning and prep. Initial plans rarely come to fruition but are essential to drive a delivery along. Its the only way we learn and find out where the holes are in a delivery. Managing change is the key and Identifying risk early in the project lifecycle. I dont know how many times I have had the discussion ” what assumptions have been made? because this is going straight into my risk log!”. We can plan for the Knowns and the know unkowns a good PM will also try to anticipate some unknown unknows but these are the things that will come and bite us. So that initial plan is critical to try to eliminate as many unknowns as possible.
If plans we set in concrete from the start then most projects would fail, but we all need this baseline, a start point that can mature and become more accruate as the delivery develops, but it must be seen as a start point not the end point. It must be a living, maturing and developing process. I agree somewhat with the statement that “The initial planning process should never take any longer than 10% of the overall project duration” INITIAL is they key word here….but planning continues over the life of a delivery, not just at the start
[...] “Enough is Enough: Planning is Important, BUT… – Systemation Over and over we hear how inadequate we are in planning our projects. Lots of people judge it to be this way because they think project managers do not know how to plan. Supposed experts say we need to be more rigorous in our planning Click here to continue reading [...]
There are so many different types of forms and schedules and other documentation that it can bury a project if not done with some practical limits in mind. Some clients require specific documentation. Most barely – or rarely – read the anything unless you are in the room.
Each project requires some amount of detail. Some require much more than others. Some require different documents or forms than others. Choose the communication tools you need for each audience: developers, designers, project sponsor, business analysts (yours and theirs), business stakeholders, political stakeholders (without a business reason), other technical, etc. And only produce what you must. I generally have 4 to 8 projects active at a time plus sales support and ongoing support for completed projects. I don’t have time to waste over-documenting what is usually a straightforward planning process just to satisfy someone’s cover-your-butt fears.
Nice article. Thanks