MISSION CONTROLLED

THE 5-STEP GUIDE TO PLANNING PROJECTS

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FAIL TO PLAN, PLAN TO FAIL

(SO PLAN TO SUCCEED)
Nobody launches a new project and
intends for it to fail. But time and
again projects do fail, for a vast
range of reasons.

For people in charge of projects, big

and small, it may seem that the stakes
are high, and often they are.
But there are ways of stacking the
odds in your favour. Among the most
important is resisting the very human
urge to jump straight in. Good planning
is vital for success.
In the following pages youll discover
the five steps that will ensure that
your planning hits the mark to deliver
successful projects.

RESIST THE VERY HUMAN

URGE TO JUMP STRAIGHT
IN. GOOD PLANNING IS
VITAL FOR SUCCESS

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STEP 1: Create the guiding light

UNDERSTAND WHAT
YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE

So your organisation has spotted

a need, perhaps to improve a
product or service, or even launch
something new. Its easy to get
carried away and jump straight in.
But you should stop and ask yourself
one simple question: Why? What do
I expect to happen after investing
considerable time and effort on this?
What does success look like?
For a sense of this success, you
can look back to a wet night in
August 2014 in Glasgow. Despite
the rain, the thousands of fans
who congregated in Scotlands
national stadium, Hampden Park,
showed no signs of the weather
dampening their spirits. If anything,
the roar of the crowds at the final
events of the 2014 Commonwealth
Games must have given the
organisers confidence that the
competition was surely a triumph.

As the track dust settled and the

jubilation subsided, Scotlands public
funds watchdog, Audit Scotland,
stepped in to give its assessment.
And it was good. In fact, it was great.
Not only were around 1.2 million
tickets sold, but, in the end, the
Games were also delivered under
budget, with 34 million left in the pot.
Audit Scotland identified many reasons
for the success, but chief among them
was that a shared vision agreed by
the strategic partners allowed partners
to work towards a common objective.
Whether your project is a colossal
celebration of sport or a small product
upgrade your starting block will be the
same youll need to figure out what
you want to achieve.

A SHARED VISION
AGREED BY THE
STRATEGIC PARTNERS
ALLOWED PARTNERS
TO WORK TOWARDS
A COMMON OBJECTIVE

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It may seem obvious that you need

to establish your overall objectives,
but not everyone is doing it properly,
according to survey results published
by the Project Management Institute
(PMI) in its 2015 report Pulse of the
Profession. The PMI looked at the
reasons for the projects of its member
organisations failing in the previous 12
months. It discovered that the primary
reason in 30 per cent of cases was the
absence of an adequate vision or goal
for the project.
Some may call it a vision or a
guiding light, but, when you boil
them down, they do the same thing.
Its a statement that reflects the
core of your idea, and its worth
spending time crafting this guiding
light into something meaningful
that reflects the core of your
idea in simple language.

This is what will win hearts and

minds. But, crucially, it can also be
used as a reference for decision
making further down the line.
Lets say the chief executive wants
the new product youre working
on to include an extra feature,
but you think that it isnt in keeping
with the scope of the project. You can
simply point to the vision and ask:
Does your request fit with this?

30
OF PROJECTS FAILED,
PRIMARILY DUE TO
INACCURATE VISION
OR GOALS
Source: PMI

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PROJECT TEAM

REASON, NEED,
RATIONALE

TIMESCALES

OBJECTIVES

WHAT TO CONSIDER FOR

YOUR GUIDING LIGHT
ASSUMPTIONS

KEY
REQUIREMENTS

CONSTRAINTS

EXPECTED
OUTCOME

Create a guiding light for success

Discover how to get started

STEP 2: Capture requirements, expectations and assumptions

DONT LEAVE ANY

STONE UNTURNED

Ever heard the phrase: Theres no

such thing as a wrong answer?
Well its worth bearing that in mind
when youre gathering together
information during the planning
phase of a project.
Youll need to identify key players
in the project and, where possible,
get them all together physically or
virtually. In reality, getting a full
house may not be possible, so you
may need to catch up with some
people individually.
At this point there should be no filter
every point is valid, every idea has
a place. Encouraging a free flow of
information should be your main
goal. And dont forget to capture
expectations and assumptions as
well as requirements. Youll need
to manage all of these during the
life of the project through effective
communication (more on that later).

EVERY POINT IS VALID,

EVERY IDEA HAS A PLACE.
ENCOURAGING A FREE
FLOW OF INFORMATION
IS YOUR MAIN GOAL. AND
DONT FORGET TO CAPTURE
EXPECTATIONS AND
ASSUMPTIONS AS WELL
AS REQUIREMENTS

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Frances national train operator

SNCF certainly knows how it feels
to have missed a crucial piece
of information after hitting the
headlines in 2014. It launched
a 15 billion makeover of the
countrys regional express trains,
which included a fleet of shiny
new rolling stock. Any commuters
waiting excitedly at platforms for the
new carriages to arrive would have
been disappointed. It turned out
that the trains were delayed
because they were too wide for
some 1,300 platforms which
then needed to be shaved at a
considerable cost to the state.

According to reports from the BBC, the

problem was due to the rail operator
RFF giving the wrong dimensions to
the train company. The measurements
were for stations built 30 years ago,
but there are plenty more stations
that are 50 years old, and they had
wider platforms.
Its likely that this could have been
avoided with one simple I should
mention... (or je dois mentionner),
but that means getting the right
people involved. You should create
the right environment to encourage
people to share, so you can tap into
the deep reserve of their collective
knowledge and experience.

15 BILLION
FRENCH RAIL OPERATOR
SNCFS INVESTMENT
IN NEW TRAINS...
WHICH WERE TOO BIG
FOR PLATFORMS

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PROTOTYPES

INTERVIEWS

MIND MAPPING

FOCUS GROUPS

WAYS TO GATHER
REQUIREMENTS
QUESTIONNAIRES

BRAINSTORMING

GROUP
CREATIVITY

FACILITATED
WORKSHOPS

Gather your requirements

Discover how to get started

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STEP 3: Decide on the deliverables

SORT THROUGH WHAT YOU

NEED (AND DONT NEED)
So youve gathered a gold mine of
information from the people who
matter. Its now time to dig into the
information to figure out whats
precious, and what isnt worth
its weight in gold.

In other words, what do you need to

deliver? The simple way of thinking
about your deliverables is to take
everyones requirements and
measure them against your vision.
Youll start by taking the wish
list, prioritising it and focusing on
everything you absolutely need.

And this is a chance to decide on

what wont make the cut. This
list of deliverables will give you
your project scope.
Youll then need to let your
stakeholders know what youve
decided and why, again using
the vision to help justify your
decision and to get agreement
from all parties. By managing
expectations youll avoid lengthy
confusion at the delivery stage
when the CEO is wondering where
that exciting idea of theirs went.

THE SIMPLE WAY OF THINKING ABOUT YOUR

DELIVERABLES IS TO TAKE EVERYONES REQUIREMENTS
AND MEASURE THEM AGAINST YOUR VISION

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By communicating the scope to the

stakeholders, this is also a chance
for them to spot any gaps. Despite
the best efforts from the best minds
in your organisation, some things can
be missed, but as you build up an
understanding of how the project will
develop, those missing links should
become more visible.
What youll be left with is a highly
focused scope. Its something you
want to get correct up front before
rushing in to kick off the project,
and with good reason, according
to experienced project manager
Dr Andrew Makar, consultant at
Tactical Project Management. A
projects scope has a direct impact
on the other two elements of the
projects triple constraint time
and resources, he said. If the
project team cant agree to the
scope, the other two elements will
keep changing despite the project
managers best intent.

Imagine the scenario: youre

building the house youve imagined
for years. Youve saved just enough
to make your dreams a reality.
Youve got plans which have been
approved and construction is under
way, except youve forgotten to add
something at the outset. After a bit
of head scratching and a cup of tea
(or ten) your contractor comes back
with a new cost which is wildly more
than if it was planned from the
start. Your budgets burst, your bank
doesnt want to know and you end
up with a shell of a house without a
roof. And you really need a roof.

A PROJECTS SCOPE HAS A

DIRECT IMPACT ON THE OTHER
TWO ELEMENTS OF THE PROJECTS
TRIPLE CONSTRAINT TIME AND
RESOURCES. IF THE PROJECT TEAM
CANT AGREE TO THE SCOPE, THE
OTHER TWO ELEMENTS WILL KEEP
CHANGING DESPITE THE PROJECT
MANAGERS BEST INTENT
Dr Andrew Makar, consultant at
Tactical Project Management

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PROJECT SCOPE
DESCRIPTION
PROJECT GOALS & OBJECTIVES

WHAT IS IN SCOPE

PROJECT DETAILS & CHARACTERISTICS

WHAT IS OUT OF SCOPE

PROJECT
DELIVERABLES
10

PROJECT
BOUNDARIES

SCOPE
STATEMENT

PROJECT
CONSTRAINTS

DELIVERABLE 1

TIME LIMITATION

DELIVERABLE 2

RESOURCE LIMITATION

DELIVERABLE 3

TECHNICAL LIMITATION
CONTRACT LIMITATION

USER
ACCEPTANCE
CRITERIA
PROCESS
CRITERIA
Develop a scope

Discover how to get started

PROJECT
ASSUMPTIONS

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STEP 4: IDENTIFY THE RISKS

PLAN FOR THE BEST,

EXPECT THE WORST
As the saying goes: hope for the best,
but expect the worst. Its the worst
part of the equation that you need to
spend time assessing.

11

Fixating on the negative may not make

you a big hit at parties, or anywhere
really, but it will give you a chance to
put measures in place to help reduce
that risk, whether thats having some
form of insurance or backup plan.
Youll have to think about the
risks from inside and outside your
organisation and understand their
potential impact ranging from small
knocks to the timetable to cataclysmic
changes in the marketplace that
makes your project irrelevant.

IDENTIFYING RISK STILL

ISNT SECOND NATURE
FOR EVERYONE MANAGING
PROJECTS

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12

For example, its worth keeping a

watchful eye on the enemy within.
Are there cultural issues in your
organisation or even office politics that
could throw a spanner in the works?
The day-to-day risks could range from
recruitment delays to a lack of training
on new technologies. And then there
are the bigger issues that youll need
to keep in view, such as the possibility
of funding drying up or suppliers not
delivering on time. And you may even
want to think about the impact of
global catastrophes, such as Ebola
outbreaks or hurricanes, if your project
relies on areas of the world where
these are possibilities.
According to the PMIs 2015 Pulse of
the Profession report, of the projects
that failed in the last 12 months
30 per cent were due to opportunities

and risks not being properly defined.

You would have thought that, over
time, the value of identifying project
risks would have been more widely
embedded, but actually the reverse
is happening. The report points out
that 64 per cent of organisations
report the frequent use of risk
management practices, down from
a high of 71 per cent in 2012.
It goes on to say that: 83 per
cent of high performers report
frequent use of risk management
practices, compared to only 49
per cent of low performers. In
other words, identifying risk still
isnt second nature for everyone
managing projects.

83
OF HIGH
PERFORMERS
REPORT FREQUENT
USE OF RISK
MANAGEMENT
PRACTICES
Source: PMI

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PROJECT RISKS

TECHNICAL

13

TECHNOLOGY

PROJECT
MANAGEMENT

INTERNAL

EXTERNAL

RESOURCES

VENDORS

TEAM

PERFORMANCE

ATTITUDE

SUPPLIERS

SCHEDULE

RELIABILITY

AVAILABILITY

REGULATORY

METHODS

QUALITY

EXPERIENCE

CUSTOMER TEAM

EQUIPMENT

COMPLEXITY

KNOWLEDGE

FUNDING

TOOLS

EDUCATION

MARKET

FUNDING
DEPENDENCIES
CULTURE
PLAN
MANAGEMENT
Plot out the risks
Discover how to get started

ENVIRONMENT

STEP 5: Communicate clearly throughout

KEEP THE PEOPLE WHO

MATTER IN THE LOOP

14

For anyone in doubt about

the value of crystal clear
communication at the start and
throughout the life of a project,
heres one sobering fact one
out of five projects fail due to
ineffective communications,
according to PMIs Pulse of the
Profession report.
To have a fighting chance of success,
the most crucial information
youll want to communicate with
stakeholders is the scope what
you are planning on delivering.

And youll want to keep them in the

loop regularly. Their involvement
can help you make the right
decisions, so you can ultimately
deliver a successful project.
Youll also have to make
sure that you are bringing
as much clarity to your
communications as
possible, and pitch
the right level of detail
to the right stakeholder.

1 IN 5 PROJECTS FAIL DUE TO

INEFFECTIVE COMMUNICATIONS
Source: PMI

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HI GH P OWER

KEEP SATISFIED
DONT BORE WITH MESSAGE
KEEP INFORMED

FULLY ENGAGED
GREATEST EFFORT TO SATISFY
MANAGE CLOSELY

PROJECT STAKEHOLDER
COMMUNICATION PLAN

L OW P OWE R

MONITOR (MINIMUM EFFORT)

DO NOT EXCESSIVELY
COMMUNICATE

L OW I N T E R E S T
Plan your communications
Discover how to get started

GIVE ADEQUATE INFORMATION

ENSURE NO MAJOR ISSUES ARISE
HELP WITH THE DETAIL OF
THE PROJECT
KEEP INFORMED

HI GH I N TER ES T

THE 5-STEP GUIDE TO PLANNING

SUCCESSFUL PROJECTS
STEP 1.

Understand why this project is needed and create a guiding

light so everyone can work toward a common goal.

STEP 2.

Identify and involve the right people and comprehensively

gather their requirements, expectations and assumptions.
Encourage a free-flow of information from stakeholders so you
dont miss a thing.

STEP 3.

Take the wish list from stakeholders and measure it against

the vision to determine what the project needs to deliver (the
scope). Agree it with your stakeholders.

STEP 4.

Take the time to find out the risks to your project. Involve your
stakeholders to draw from their collective knowledge. Look at
internal, external, technical and project management risks.

STEP 5.

Communicate with stakeholders with the right frequency

and at the right level throughout planning and beyond to get
information, spot gaps and get agreement on everything from
the vision to the scope.

Create the guiding light

16

Capture requirements,
expectations and assumptions

Decide on the deliverables

Identify the risks

Communicate clearly throughout

HIT THE LAUNCH BUTTON

Discover how to get started

www.mindgenius.com

REFERENCES
So youve read our highlights of news stories and reports in the previous pages and want to learn more? Heres our sources:
Well done to Commonwealth Games. Audit Scotland gives its assessment
www.audit-scotland.gov.uk/docs/central/2015/nr_150312_commonwealth_games_third.pdf

17

The Project Management Institute sheds light on the reasons for project failures, and the adoption of risk identification in its 2015 report
Pulse of the Profession: Capturing the value of project management
www.pmi.org/~/media/PDF/learning/pulse-of-the-profession-2015.ashx
Oops. Theres trouble on the railtracks in France. New trains are too wide for platforms, reports The Telegraph
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/10845789/French-rail-company-order-2000-trains-too-wide-for-platforms.html
The Project Management Institute points out the value of good communications for project success in the 2013 report The high cost of low
performance: the essential role of communications
www.pmi.org/~/media/PDF/Business-Solutions/The-High-Cost-Low-Performance-The-Essential-Role-of-Communications.ashx

This guide MindGenius Ltd 2015

www.mindgenius.com

PLAN FOR PROJECT SUCCESS

Make the complex simple with MindGenius, an intuitive
planning tool for people who manage projects.
Capture and organise your project needs to create a
plan that works, present it effectively to get the people
who matter on board and control your project through to
a successful completion.
For projects, its the start of something special.
www.mindgenius.com/plan