Conception bring us to a time before any recorded execution plan and schedule. It is the zero point in time where the fate of the project is most uncertain. From this origin comes initiation or Stage 1.

A feasibility study and a business case becomes the primary foundation of stage 1. It has to be strongly aligned to the business overall strategy. If it is not, it is best to kill the project before it takes further roots.

Interactive Planning (IAP)

Interactive Planning (IAP) is a methodology used by projects to engage important stakeholders and subject matter experts in a facilitated workshop setting.

The engagement process is through collaborative discussion of project plan and strategy to develop a reliable, complete, and successful project schedule.

Interactive Planning is also widely known as Participative Planning (PP).

Previously, we have discussed how schedule pressure and various schedule compression techniques may manifest themselves unpredictably and with adverse effect on the project. When pondering this correlation it might be comforting to recall the age old adage of, “haste makes waste”; my grandfather would always postulate. He would know. As a mechanical engineer working on high risk projects including the NASA Space Shuttle, to him it was important that it be done right the first time and every time. This precluded cutting corners to save time, especially with lives at stake.