Shifting Gears

"The key is not to plan for everything... its knowing when to stop planning and start doing."

Oftentimes, I've been asked the question as to how much planning should be done on a project. Typically newbie project managers don't do enough planning. More seasoned project managers do way too much planning. The best of the bunch know when they have enough information to move forward. For those who drive stick, its like knowing the right RPM to shift gears, too little and you underpower your engine, too much and you overburn. There are no hard and fast rules to doing this. There are various conditions that determine when enough is just about right. However, there are certain truths to project management planning that a project manager needs to put to heart in order for him to have a better understanding on when to shift gears.

Truth #1. You will need to replan, again. This is an inescapable fact. Things change, and so should your plan. You can never plan for everything and so don't plan like you can.

Truth #2. Planning is a diminishing activity. The effect of planning is at its peak when you actually start planning, and goes downhill from thereon. It does not mean however that you "plan" at the start and then leave it at that. As I've mentioned earlier, the key is knowing when to stop planning.

Truth #3. The more you plan, the lesser the risk. It is for the most part, the reason why planning is performed, to reduce unknown events in a project, and hence increased preparedness. This is inverseley proportional to Truth # 2. Hence getting to the "This is it!" point is what project managers need to aim for.

So far, I've done fairly well on knowing when to shift gears. This concept is not limited to projects but rather to almost anything that involves some form of planning. Applying these truths on your everyday activities help you become an expert in identifying when to shift gears. Be it in the work place, personal activities, relationships, and all other planning-intensive activities.

Am currently looking at what's happening in the workplace and calibrating the things that I see. Sooner or later I will need to shift gears.