It has been observed that many team members of project ,especially in India , behave as if planning is more a documentation rather than understanding the importance of it and how it make their project sucessful if they regularly monitor , update and take corrective actions . It is alos observed this has become more a formality for Project documentation as per Tender clauses.
Unless you document the planning strategies and schedules, tracking of the project will become difficult. Without proper documentation, it will be difficult ot monitor the progress as well as slippages in a project. So the documentation part of planning is also equally important in project planning.
Planning for a project is the 1st step towards the execution of a project. Without a plan there can be no monitoring and most of all no proper execution. However, we should also realize the fact that all construction projects are unique and hence we should not spend huge time and money in preparing detailed plans. This is so because when a problem arises then we try to stick to the already developed plan and schedule which is not correct. Efforts must be made to develop a draft master schedule and comprehensive schedules should only be prepared for a week or probably a month. All partners / suppliers should be invited to prepare the weekly work plans. This will increase the reliability of the plans prepared and there will be less cost and time over runs. Failure to finish the weekly work plans should be invistigated and this will lead to continuous improvement.
By
Ankit Bhatla, B.Tech/B.E. student, Indian Institute Of Technology (IIT), Guwahati
| 08 03 2009 11:59:41 +0000
Planning is not a mere document. It is the bench mark of targets for achieving the objectives. Controlling is done using the planning as standard. Progress is analyzed, discussed and backlogs are debated. Planning engineer holds a constructive role as an adviser to team leader; counselor to field staff notes the constraints and suggests overcoming them. He is the fulcrum of project team in the achievement of project goal. In my view the planner should have field experience as well as conceptual knowledge to serve as Alma matter to the company.
There should also be wide spread seminars and work shops on planning if various projects and papers on planning of the projects .There is also immediate need of putting the Project planning as main subject one of the semesters in Syllabus for Engineering graduation.
I agree for the planning part...but along with that what necessary is to go and sit on the site of project...take your project manager and your boss...and just discuss by imagining that you in actual are building the whole project one by one,,,and then see,,,how and what are the hindrances coming your way...planning is not finished on basis of assumptions....harsh ground realities are always in way of projects....every small activity can cause a loss of time...leading to time lag in projects...better forsee the project from roots...
By
Mayank Gaur, Assistant Manager, Adani Power Ltd
| 07 20 2009 09:08:58 +0000
Planning helps one to find drawbacks while implementation of project. At the same time how to overcome this drawback can also be planned in order to make plan implement successful. Therefore Planning Engineering is must in order to make project successful.
By
Diwan.Mohammed Talha.N, HR , ATLAS INDIA - CANADIAN CONSULTANCY SERVICES
| 06 17 2009 13:32:03 +0000
Planning is all pervading,Planning is continuous,Planning is effective with Goal setting Specific,Measurable,Achievable,Realistic and Timed.Planning becomes more effective with periodical reviews taking into account deviations of time and cost.Catchup plans reflecting the revisions in cost and time due to changes in resource mobilization are imminent and important for fol proof Project implementation.Planning engineering is vital for the success of the project.
Planning or strategy is a age old technique commonly used during past on the battlefeilds. Proper planning and scheduling of projects will ensure smooth running and timely completion of project.Construction planning can be cost oriented or be schedule oriented.while planning various considerables such ashuman resource plan, communication plan,risk management plan has to be taken into view.To plan a project properly we must first know thourougly what the project goals areand then from these goals we go for the project deliverables and then we schedule the project. planning has to be done at the corporate level, the buisness level and the operational level. Planned projects always reduces overheads and saves costs .Manpower and resources are efficiently managed and maximum output is derived.
By
Joy Ranjan Hiwale, Construction-Sr.engineer .vascon engineers limited
| 04 14 2009 10:45:01 +0000
Mr.Valliappan i agree with all your points. Moreover Planning is the process of analyzing the situation, determining the goals/ objectives that will be pursued in the future, and deciding in advance the actions that will be taken to achieve the goals.PLANNING PROCESS in a project helps in Reviewing the current operation situation,Conducting the current operation strengths/ weaknesses,Studying the External environmental factors affecting the operation,Studying the expectations of the operations,Determine the opportunities for improvements/growth and negatives constraints,Based on the above analyses determine the goals and objectives for the operation for the future period,Based on the objectives determine your strategy, Based on the strategy determine the action plans that has to be implemented ,Your action plan will determine the resources required manpower,finance,materials etc. Finally a system to monitor the plan/its progress.
Planning helps in achieving your project goal and on scheduled time.
Mr.Nagasheshu i completely agree with you that planning is the essential part of a project and if done properly can done wonders for the project. But i would also say that with planning proper execution is also necessary otherwise all of that planning is a waste. what do you say?
Project Planning is the heart of any Project. The success and failures of any project could be attributed to the skill level and experience of the project planning team.
Project planning is all about foreseeing, forecasting, implementaion of corrective and preventive actions all of which are the key drivers to a project's success.
By
M NITIN SHENOY, PMP, IPMA-D, CEng MICE, Manager
| 03 24 2009 04:23:17 +0000
As the saying goes "If you fail to plan you are planning to fail". Planning is the heart of any project. Comprehensive Project planning must be completed well before start of any project. Only then the project team will be able to analyse the true status of the project, enabling the project manager to take proper corrective actions to mainly put back delayed activities and cost over run activities on track. This will undoubtedly deliver any project successfully. This is what I have experienced in my 33 years in projects at home and abroad.
Planning engineer is must for the projects. To complete the project within limited time frame & within the define budget you must need proper planning.
Planning is necessary and important in Time bound contractual projects. Planning is essential for preplanning about Cost, MME required for the project. The progressed program. will be compare with last & base prog. Status of a project is easily notified. The additional variance can be completed based on the target. Team performance can monitor easily. Planner can guide site, technical, procurement team smoothly with out interaction.
Planning is necessary and important in Time bound contractal projects and planning is nothing but preplanning about Cost ,Men,Machinery,Material required for a project.The progress and status of a project is easily notified with the help of microplanning. The achievement of the target and performance of a individual is accessible through weekly and monthly reports and work done as per program is also analysed.
Planning is necessary and important in Time bound contractal projects and planning is nothing but preplanning about Cost ,Men,Machinery,Material required for a project.The progress and status of a project is easily notified with the help of microplanning. The achievement of the target and performance of a individual is accessible through weekly and monthly reports and work done as per program is also analysed.
Yes i do agree with MR. Chada on this as planning and monitoring a project is more important, and this should be cultivated at every workplace as it gives less chance for a project to go wrong, and taking necessary corrective steps wherever needed, this helps the project to go hassel free and documentation is just a part of it but planning engineering is more required than anything else.
By
amit chaudhry, Senior Consultant, IML
| 02 16 2009 14:13:33 +0000
Planning and MOnitoring the same , and taking necessary steps will certainly make any project sucessful. It is inconsistency in Monitoring , updating and taking corrective actions which leads to such pessimistic view of importance of Planning in projects
Planning is not just documentation but the starting point for any project management. A planning document is the outcome of a complex thinking process that goes into details of foreseeable constraints, risks and other factors. Obviously, this document alone can not guarantee success and it needs to be monitored and modified on real time basis. One of the best practices is to make planning function a part of overall construction function so that planning and execution come under the same functional head. Execution planning will be done by the respective work package in charge and his input will be used by Planning function for updating/modifying/ projecting overall project schedule. The look ahead planning in Last Planner system also works on this principle. Therefore, planning and work execution are totally integrated and can not be viewed in isolation.
By
M.L.Suryaprakash , Regional Director, National Productivity Council
| 06 17 2009 06:47:43 +0000
A Planning document is a management
summary document that gives the essentials of a program/project/operation in
terms of its objectives, justification, and how the objectives are to be
achieved—including an overview of the time, costs, and people it will take to
get it done. It should also describe how the program/project/operation will be
conducted and managed, including controlling changes, handling issues,
and judging completion.
Why It’s Useful?
The planning document is a communication document. It captures what the
team understands the goals of the project to be and what the team has decided
to do, how, and by when, to meet those goals.
For large program/projects involving multiple organizations, the planning
document is useful for capturing in one place all the parameters of the program/project
and providing it to multiple organizations. It can evolve and be used as a working
document and communication tool during the early program/project investigation
and planning work, as the team works through aspects of the program/project.
For smaller program/projects, a very streamlined version of the planning
document can be created. The same benefits hold: clearly stating what the program/project
must accomplish and how the team will do so, and making sure all the involved
team members and their organizations are on the same page.
Regards
Mihir Kumar Jhaveri, PMP, CSCM
Senior Manager
By
Mihir Jhaveri, PMP, CSCM, Senior Manager/Pre Sales & Solution Lead/SCM/Strategy, Bristlecone India
| 04 11 2009 08:33:57 +0000
Dear Shaju i completely agree with you that documentation of planning is very necessary because it is initial step while doing any project as it represent the blue print of plan ,what strategies is to be followed & depending on the document we can judge whether our project is following correct path or not so that we can take corrective action.
Planning should always be documented. Also a plan should be supported by guidelines and checklist. This is because
1. A documented plan can lead to metrics and mesurement data which are required for future project.
2. Team members can well understand the plan but can remain reluctant to follow it or can try to add own idea in between. A guideline will keep them in line and a checklist will help to review.
Merely planning will not help any project but implementing it. Also a plan can never be prefect and will improve as the course of the project. So for each document we need to set baseline and have to maintain version controlling through proper configuration management.
Dear all Shaju is very right, documentation is the first essential step of planning, because you can not keep all things in your mind, specially in large projects. Without documentation of planning, planning is like a corpse and full of chaos.
Basically this debate itself a wrong or you can say not drafted properly. Planning is the documentation only then why we need planner and consultant for the subject. It is a different issue that you are not serious about planning and its implementation and believe in hapazard working.
By
Nitin M Aras, Head/VP/GM-Tech. Support, ODTIN Food Solutions Pvt Ltd
| 03 24 2009 13:13:36 +0000
