When we consider the benefits that detailed planning adds to the outcome, it is rather strange that we still fail to see the relevance of it when starting a new task/project. Too often we skim over the planning stage and just focus on two things:

1. Deadline.

The deadline for completion is what seems to be the top priority when we start or so-called Planning. This overrules everything and our focus is on what we will need to do to meet this target.

1. Material

The next part is where we skim through the materials we will need and get orders placed to get them asap.

Sound familiar? Don’t feel too bad though, this seems to be a trend and we need to find ways in which to address it. Running a project is not just about meeting the deadline. We need to consider much more than just that. In order to meet the deadline, there are a number of factors that could cause less than desired results. Let’s take a look at just some aspects of planning:

Human Resources

Base this planning and allocation on the resources required to complete the task in the desired time frame, and to the desired quality standards. Do not merely assign people to a task because they are not occupied elsewhere. Your decisions need to be based on the particular skills required and also whether there is an opportunity to train a person to gain this skill by other team members.

Identify your ‘champion’ in every team. These ‘champions need to form part of your planning stages to ensure they know exactly what the deliverables are on this project.

Risk Management

Identify possible risks to the project. What are they, what impact would it have on the project should they eventuate, what measures can you implement to mitigate these risks. Once again, this is an area that is largely overlooked when planning a project. It is almost a case of “if something happens, we will find a way to deal with it”. This approach may work sometimes, but when the risks are severe, the impact on a project can lead to cost and/or schedule overruns or worse, it could spell the end of the project with huge financial losses.

Procurement

Instead of the method mentioned at the start, we should pay more attention to the procurement plan. Combine your schedule, financial forecast and delivery periods when you work on this.

We all would have heard the saying that “cash-flow is king” in business, and we possibly all agree that this is important to any business, yet when we ‘plan’ our project we disregard it completely. Look at your schedule. When will you need to have specific materials on site to complete a task? What is the delivery period on these materials? Have you set up you claims schedule for the project? How soon after buying materials will you be in a position to submit a claim? Set up your financial forecast for the project. In other words, when will you have to ‘spend’ funds and when do you expect to receive progress payments. This information is vital for the Financial Manager.

Looking at the delivery time on materials, make sure you place your order(s) to allow sufficient time for this delivery to be on time for the particular stage of the project. Determine how you will ensure you get the best price for your materials, how are you going to ensure quality, what are the payment terms, can you negotiate an early settlement discount etc. These are all things you need to establish during your planning, not midway through your project.

Quality Assurance

How are you going to manage the Quality on your project? Set up a very clear plan as to how this will be done and identify specific procedures like audits, test plans etc. Something to note here is that you want to make sure these procedures are followed in a systematic way throughout the project execution stage, not at the end of a phase as this does not give you any room to rectify issues that may have arisen.

Also show how you will deal with non-conformance issues. How will it be addressed, rectified and documented? Don’t skip the QA on materials ordered. Ensure they are checked prior to being installed. Remember that you are responsible for the quality, not the client. If you have installed equipment that later need to be replaced, you will need to absorb the cost!

Other areas that needs to be carefully planned and detailed include:

Scope Management

Cost Management

Time Management

Communication Management

Sound like a lot of time to spend on planning? You may be right, but the time you spend on planning will contribute to successful project delivery.

Ready for your next project? Do your Planning Well!