Effective Project Management: Traditional, Adaptive, Extreme, Fourth Edition

Chapter 8. The Need to Plan: Conducting the Joint Project Planning Session

This report, by its very length, defends itself against the risk of being read.

—Winston Churchill, English Prime Minister

Learn to write well, or not to write at all.

—John Dryden, English poet

If you don't get the reader's attention in the first paragraph, the rest of your message is lost.

—Public relations maxim

How often have you heard it said that planning is a waste of time? No sooner is the plan completed than someone comes along to change it. These same naysayers would also argue that the plan, once completed, is disregarded and merely put on the shelf so the team can get down to doing some real work. In people management, the planning activity involves deciding on the types of people resources that will be needed to discharge the responsibilities of the department. That means identifying the types of skills needed and the number of people possessing those skills.

The Importance of Planning

In TPM the project plan is indispensable. Not only is it a road map to how the work will be performed, it is also a tool for decision-making. The plan suggests alternative approaches, schedules, and resource requirements from which the project manager can select the best alternative.

Note

Understand that a project plan is dynamic. You expect it to change. A complete plan will clearly state the tasks that need to be done, why they are necessary, who will do what, when it will be completed, what resources will be needed, and ...