plan first
A
friend of mine and I had to be somewhere, and we were late. We got in
the car, and I started the navigation system. I was checking alternative
routes when she told me, “Nader! We’re late! Come on! Let’s go!”
Well, I was spending more time than usual on the navigation system
exactly because we were late. We couldn’t afford any mistakes or a
less-than-optimum route. Was it a bad idea?
You probably agree
with me on this. However, when it’s time to manage our projects, we’re
so enthusiastic that we just start driving, without setting the
navigation system. Sometimes we get lost, and sometimes we just arrive
late. Both are undesirable.
We plan first, before executing the project. Execution, in the PMBOK Guide, is nothing but materializing the plan.
So, we’re going to plan our project before executing it. How do you
start planning? Please don’t tell me “I start preparing the schedule.”
