IS A PROJECT PLAN WORTH THE PAPER IT S WRITTEN ON? Viewpoint 4. Published by PA Consulting Group Project & Programmes Centre of Excellence

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1 IS A PROJECT PLAN WORTH THE PAPER IT S WRITTEN ON? Viewpoint 4 Published by PA Consulting Group Project & Programmes Centre of Excellence 0

2 IS A PROJECT PLAN WORTH THE PAPER IT S WRITTEN ON? Almost everyone involved in the management of projects and programmes will cite the old adage fail to plan, plan to fail and know that good planning lies at the heart of project management. Despite this we repeatedly see a lack of robust planning being used throughout the project lifecycle. In this piece we explore the common pitfalls and the key steps that need to be taken to put effective project planning in place. Before they take any of these steps they need to secure buy-in from all stakeholders so that they feel a sense of ownership of their tasks and deliverables. This can only happen if the plan is developed through a rigorous planning process. Undertaking this process and then actively using the plan should be a key part of the project manager s approach throughout the lifecycle of the project. As long as a robust process has been followed, sponsors and project managers can be relaxed about the level of detail that is written down and embrace flexible styles that are tailored to the particular project. There are five key actions that should underpin this approach: The insights and recommendations in this article are based on the findings of our latest survey. We asked our most experienced consultants, working with some of the leading organisations within their sectors, about their clients experience of creating and managing against project plans. Their responses have helped us to identify four key features of effective plans. The first of these is that they reflect an understanding that the real value is in the process, not in perfect outputs or Gantt charts. Second, those drawing up the plans recognise they will be worthless if the team does not understand what it is doing. Third, the plans are appropriate for the scale and complexity of the project. The final element of a successful plan is that it should tell a story, clearly communicating what needs to be done. There are a number of steps that organisations can take to ensure their plans reflect these features and make it more likely that their project will be delivered successfully. As Sir John Harvey-Jones once said Planning is an unnatural process; it is much more fun to do something people naturally focus on the things that they enjoy or are knowledgeable about. However, planning is essential, not least to develop an understanding of what you don t know and what your organisation can deliver. If this is not done, deadlines are often imposed from the top to meet convenient end dates rather than being set as a result of the planning process accurately determining deliverable dates and what the organisation can realistically achieve. Of our survey respondents, 85% agreed or strongly agreed that organisations plan towards convenient end dates rather than using planning as a tool to accurately determine deliverable dates. 1

3 When initiating projects, organisations plan towards an end/completion date rather than using planning as a tool to determine deliverable dates Yet, without effective planning, many client organisations still focus on holding project managers accountable for scheduled deadlines, followed by cost, and then to an even lesser degree the quality of project deliverables or business outcomes. In many cases this results in benefits not being realised as well as anticipated in the business case. Organisations hold project managers to account against the commitments in the project plan Too much focus on the project end date means expectations (time, budget and scope) are set at the concept phase (before initiation) and there is often little appetite to reset the expectations as more information becomes available. Project managers then have to work to deadlines that may never have been realistic or logical. Planning backwards from a given completion date is not uncommon or indeed wrong for many projects the end dates are fixed by external factors (eg the Olympics). This method works well when the scope is well understood and the approach familiar. In this scenario, the plan should be used to highlight the risks and to justify the inclusion of mitigation activities and development of contingency plans or to support argument for moving dates and/or compromising objectives. If project managers are to be held to fixed end dates it is important to give them the ability to manage the other constraints (cost, quality and scope) - It is ok if time is fixed as long as the other constraints are not. This can only work if planning is used to understand the extent of flex in the constraints and the likelihood of success. Our experience shows that a clearly understood and deliverable plan can only be developed by first carefully articulating the scope and defining a delivery approach. Once this is done, a comprehensive schedule for delivery can be put in place. Senior management often want plans that offer certainty, supported by a significant level of detail. Yet, this may not always be the most effective way to draw up a plan. Effective planning does not focus on a series of tasks but on how the plan has been put together and the story it tells about delivery. For simple projects a degree of certainty may be achievable but in more complex programmes the various risks and uncertainties invariably result in some (if not 2

4 many) of the milestones moving. So the key task is to explain to senior managers that there will be some movement but that projects can be delivered without rigidly sticking to a plan. They need to understand that the value of creating a plan is to help the team understand what the outcomes are, what the journey will look like and where there is flexibility. That means if they encounter obstacles (risks and issues) everyone understands the priorities and how to work around the barriers. This underlines the need for a better understanding of the consequences of things moving, so that leaders do not panic about any deviation from the plan. That means recognising that project plans are, and must be, living documents that will change throughout the project lifecycle. However, project managers need to avoid too many or frequent changes which could undermine trust in the plan. Because proper planning focusses on the 'what and how rather than scheduling (the when ), project teams should always have access to a clear planning capability. However, this role should be appointed carefully, as 70% of our respondents felt that project managers do not have the necessary skills/experience to plan robustly. Project managers, in the marketplace, have the necessary skills and experience to plan robustly Qualifications and training help but are by no means a replacement for the good judgement and skill of being able to continuously reconcile the big picture with the detail - that comes from experience. The widespread use of the PRINCE2 qualification as an indicator of project management capability has resulted in a general improvement in project competence but it hasn t necessarily improved project delivery. The focus is all too often on creating the output a Gantt chart/ schedule rather than on the planning process itself. A good planner will act as the telescope, looking forward into the future to warn the project manager of forthcoming problems. This helps them to focus on the right things and concentrate on the day-to-day tactical management issues. In order to do this, the planner needs to be an integral part of the senior project management team. Effective planning can also be hindered by the fact that all too often project planners are seen as important but not essential; their work is not valued and the plan is not used as a key means to monitor progress and drive delivery. This is reflected in our survey findings, with the majority of respondents indicating that project planners are not respected and seen as a core part of the project management team, despite the critical role that they play. Project planners are respected and seen as a core part of the senior project management team 3

5 This situation is exacerbated by some breeds of planners themselves, who can simply be software-jockeys who know how to use one of the many scheduling tools but don t understand delivery. Good and robust planning relies upon good judgement, applying experience, and looking at the big picture as well as the detail. However, all too often project managers do not have the necessary skills/experience to plan robustly. The use of project plans varies widely across organisations. The benefits of the ongoing use of planning to drive delivery are either not well recognised or sometimes deemed less of a priority over task completion. Only just over half of the respondents indicated that plans are used once created even if used, this is concerning because the use of any plan isn t necessarily a good thing. We know that plans are regularly focussed on time rather than scope and approach, so the plans being used don t reflect reality the right plan, suited to the scale and complexity of the project needs to be used to be of value. Project plans are not used once they are created sharing large Microsoft Project schedules or Gantt charts. Ultimately, plans need to be able to tell the story of what needs to be done and they need to be kept live and relevant in order to do this. All too often, the quality of the plan is determined through the volume or level of detail in the plan rather than the story it tells. Without this clear direction projects become open to interpretation and success cannot be formally managed. Eisenhower had the right idea when he said "I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable." Our experience suggests that too many organisations have yet to recognise that project planning is critical to realising the expected benefits of their project Viewpoint survey The views represented in this article reflect the views of our senior team who are working closely with a number of prominent organisations around the world in both the private and public sectors. To find out more about PA s thinking on this topic please contact the authors: Trevor Birch Trevor.Birch@paconsulting.com Mike Wallace These plans also need to be consistently communicated in a simple, engaging and understandable manner not by simply Mike.Wallace@paconsulting.com 4

6 Corporate headquarters 123 Buckingham Palace Road London SW1W 9SR United Kingdom paconsulting.com This document has been prepared by PA. The contents of this document do not constitute any form of commitment or recommendation on the part of PA and speak as at the date of their preparation. PA Knowledge Limited All rights reserved. No part of this documentation may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise without the written permission of PA Consulting Group. 5 DSP