Quality of Planning = Quality of Execution: 7 Lessons

When a project is executed, a plan is established. Work is broken down into smaller pieces and a neat schedule is created. Team members (often referred to as “resources”, unfortunately) are assigned, milestones are created and the schedule is circulated to all concerned.

Then the execution begins with a great zeal. As the time passes, things like schedule slippage and effort variance show themselves up. Everyone then tries find out why the schedule slipped. Different areas are evaluated and a consolidated status report is created. But the core point is missed – and that is quality of the planning itself.

Constant and comprehensive planning is the secret of many successful projects because planning provides a direction to the team. It helps in setting a precedence on what’s important. It gives a message and tells a lot about what matters to you on the project.

Here are 7 most important lessons I have learned on effective planning:

• Quality of execution largely depends on quality of planning. Unfortunately, we invest very little effort in verifying the quality of the plan itself. (In software development world, inaccurate estimates are a major cause of project failures.)
• Planning and estimating, according to me, is not just about putting dates against tasks. Planning is about taking a comprehensive view of how work will be performed, how quality will be built, how challenges will be addressed and how communication will flow.
• Planning is never a one time activity. Planning has to be done continuously and plans have to stay fluid. If re-alignment in plans is not done periodically, you will never know if you are on the right track. Agility is the key to good planning.
• Further, for longer projects, you cannot plan the entire project together. Identify key milestones and create a plan for only first few milestones. This helps you remain agile. A comprehensive plan for whole project over a period of one year may look cool, but seldom works.
• When plans are re-aligned, expectations management is the key. It is important to ensure that changes in plans are known to all.
• Whenever possible, involve people in planning process. This not only motivates them to think about their work, but also ensures a better buy-in of plans.
• In projects, planning provides a direction and demonstrates your intent. If you want to get something done, plan it. E.g. If you want quality outcome, make sure you have adequately planned quality related activities. Things that get planned get done.

In a way, these lessons also map with the fundamentals of agile planning. In my view, Agile is not just a software development methodology, agility is also a mindset.

So next time you plan your project / initiative, remember that quality of execution depends on quality of planning. If you don’t plan for quality, you will never get quality.

Probably that is why a wise man named William A. Foster said, “Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction and skillful execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives.”

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QAspire Blog extends warm Diwali wishes to all the readers. Thanks for all your support so far!

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Thanks to Becky Robinson for including my pair of posts on delivering great experiences to internal and external customers under October’s theme "A Leader Focuses On Customers" on Mountain State University’s LeaderTalk blog.

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Thanks Dan McCarthy for featuring my post "Quest of Better Outcomes: Hierarchy & Process" in Early Bird Edition of Leadership Development Carnival

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Have a GREAT start into the week!