I believe:
- That too many project teams focus on the When instead of the Why. They are too taken with how they think they can deliver the project, instead of first understanding why success matters. That makes the project one without vision
- That too many teams work in isolation, preferring to work alone on their “stuff”, instead of working together on a joint attempt to succeed That makes delivery difficult because of unexplored dependencies
- That too many projects set off with an inadequate view of what needs to be done. As a result they fail to get the funding necessary to deliver. That sets them up for failure as soon as they get started
- That project schedules can take so long to get produced that they are already out of date. Even worse the project plan created at the start of a project is not kept up to date. That means that the team are without the very thing that should steer them to the end goal. Instead they are blown off course without any idea of whether they are on time or not.
- That it doesn’t have to be like this.
I know:
- That project planning is a skill that can be learned and that can be passed on to others. We need to make it a priority to pass on the lessons of good planning to others. If we don’t we don’t do that then how can we expect the level of project failure to fall?
- I know that people who plan a project together learn how to work with each other. The process of jointly planning a project helps people to understand the perspectives of everyone involved. That makes for better plans and better relationships.
- That planning a project doesn’t sound like it can be fun, but it can. Getting together at the start of a new project should be like the start of a great new adventure. I know how to inject fun into planning.
- That the approach that I use to plan projects is fast, it’s fun and it works!
My advice to you is:
- To understand first why the project is needed and what the business stands to gain from success. Then you can work on how you will deliver it and whose help you need
- To spend as much time as you can developing a shared vision of the project and what success looks like. The shared vision unites the project team. The unshared vision doesn’t divide the team but prevents them form having the same motivating power
- To develop a schedule that includes both high level and detailed plans and incorporates project governance review activities. Otherwise they won’t happen and the lack of oversight will come back to haunt you
- To develop a plan that accepts the project’s constraints and tries to work with them. Then, if you feel the project is not achievable, say so. You won’t be popular, but you will earn respect
- To build relationships. Planning is only partly about tasks, dates and resources. It’s much more about building relationships based on honesty, mutual support and trust. These things will sustain you even when the plan fails to
- To learn as much as you can about how to create an effective plans. Plans that work. Plans that everyone knows and can follow, because they created them. There is enough information on this site to help you get started.