Introduction

It can be argued that in today’s environment more and more of the major projects in Australia and other countries are failing much more than they used to. Just look at Boeing with the extensive delays and overruns of the “Dream Liner aircraft and Lockheed Martin with the JSF, and not forgetting our own disasters such as Pluto, Desalination Plants in Sydney and Melbourne, the new trains in New South Wales.

In my view this is happening because the major companies have lost focus in managing their projects using the traditional Critical Path Methodology and have been developing very complex project cost controls management plans to cover every eventuality. As well bad practice has been allowed to grow through the use of Gantt Charts rather than using simple Critical Path logic diagrams

Some bad practices: or Six common mistakes to avoid

Improving your skills in developing project planning and scheduling plans cases will be helped by following best practice and focus on using Critical Path techniques. A useful complement is to see examples of bad practice that can slow down your project plan or even cause it to be rejected. We've seen all of the following!

1. Building Plans and Schedules on shaky foundations
2. Losing the big picture
3. Failing to get buy-in
4. Rigorously following the PM BOK and Templates
5. Risk mis-management
6. Getting too attached to your Plan

Industry comment

"A corporate project plan is only as good as the assumptions it is based on. Tracking what's best practice for project development of your company’s product sector world wide may stop you failing. Given our unique focus as Planners and Schedulers we're regularly called upon to provide specialist planning and scheduling input to support the assumptions made in your client's plan and Project Scope and Objectives to ensure it will deliver the expected outcomes”