2 management - School of International Business and ...

Wolfgang Cronenbroeck
A proper project plan contains:
Adjusted planning depth
Planning is future-oriented. The further a planning objective lies in the future, the more imprecise
the planning. Planning which is too detailed too far into the future creates the illusion of accuracy
which is not attainable. If planning approaches are too loose, on the other hand, there are no
bases for necessary project controls. The planning phase is an orientation, in which the next fol-
lowing project phase is planned in detail, while the rest of the plan remains approximate.
Planning truth
Hidden buffers in time and cost estimates can subvert trusting collaboration between the client,
contractor and project team. The additional element of risk and buffer times can only be planned
and shown by the project manager.
Relevance
Planning at the beginning of a project must be constantly updated, and detailed in conjunction
with the work progress. The presentation of project planning is not a one-time process, but rather
must be run through many times during project work.
Agreement
Only plans which have been agreed by all project participants have a real chance of success
to be implemented. This is one of the most important tasks of the project manager as it creates
transparency for all the participants, as well as planning certainty for the project.
Capturing the relevant planning objectives
Project planning must be complete and contain the following work steps, as shown in Fig. 14:
Figure 14 | Planning steps with dependencies
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