You Have to Do the Work

Abstract

Planning is perhaps the most important phase of any endeavor, and it’s certainly true of all programs or projects. Sadly, the planning phase is also the least appreciated and it’s not uncommon for junior PMs to cut this phase short, to produce a weak schedule and continue forward without a fully thought-out execution strategy. It’s my opinion that the primary reason projects fail is that the planning was inadequate. Of course, you can’t plan for every bad throw of the dice, but you definitely can ensure that you have a solid execution plan that allows enough flexibility to roll with those dice when the need arises.