Preventing Failure

Preventing Failures Discussion

CPMGT/301

January 24, 2016

Preventing Failures Discussion

       “No matter how hard we try, planning is not perfect, and sometimes plans fail. Typical reasons include:

● Corporate goals are not understood at the lower organizational levels.

● Plans encompass too much in too little time.

● Financial estimates are reduced.

● Plans are based on insufficient data.

● No attempt is being made to systematize the planning process.

● Planning is performed by a planning group.

● No one knows the ultimate objective.

● No one knows the staffing requirements.

● No one knows the major milestone dates, including written reports.

● Project estimates are best guesses and are not based on standards or history.

● Not enough time has been given for proper estimating.

● No one has bothered to see if there will be personnel available with the necessary

skills.

● People are not working toward the same specifications.

● People are consistently shuffled in and out of the project with little regard for

Schedule” (Kerzner, 2013, p. 548).

Why plans fail as described in Ch. 11 of Project Management.

      According to "Knowledge Net" (2013), “Properly defining and sequencing project

activities allow a project manager to answer two fundamental scheduling questions –

What activities are required to develop the end product? And how should the activities be

sequenced for optimal results” (para. 1). There are several reasons why plans fail in

relation to defining and sequencing activities.  

      Plans can include too much with not enough time in which a reasonable timeframe has

not been established to include all of the work described in the planning process.  The

project manager should establish an appropriate timeframe for each activity.  Another

reason why programs fail is that plans are based on insufficient data. With insufficient

data, critical activities could be left out of the plans and activities could be sequenced in

an incorrect order leading to plan failure. Milestone within a project is an important tool in the

planning and outcome evaluation of the project. These signs can be utilized to measure the