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Project Plans in the New World – A Review
In the business world today, project planning is regarded by many people as instrumental in ensuring successful completion of a project. Therefore, many companies invest in project planning at the beginning of their projects. However, some clients, as well as a number of employees in companies, view project planning as a waste of time. They assume people should just embark on doing the project, without planning it (Carmichael 14). Nonetheless, project planning ensures efficiency in the way a project is run, and therefore, I would recommend that companies invest more in project planning.
In this article Project Plans in the New World by Rosenwinkel, the argument presented bases on the relevance of project planning in the contemporary world. The author observes that the global economy has changed in many ways, and this has ushered in a new world, where probably everyone is struggling to survive, with greater difficulty, not as before. He claims that today, more people are knowledgeable and empowered, therefore, time and money is of great importance to them. The author feels that not all projects need project planning, as some can be successful without planning. This saves money and time, which are among the most valuable resources today. Whether a project requires planning or not, is dependent on different factors, including its size (Rosenwinkel WEB).
I agree with some of the sentiments by the author. First, the economy today needs to grow further. Therefore, it is important for companies to invest more time and financial resources in their businesses to ensure their profitability. Therefore, doing project planning for small projects that, even after assessments are proven to be not in need of planning, is a waste of time and money, which could have been invested somewhere else within the company. According to the author, apart from the project size, planning may be used as a tool to control the free-wheelers in the company. This is true, as some individuals in a company will be against planning, because of their own selfish interests. Since a project plan is specific with roles and budgetary allocations, it will be hard for any employee to mishandle finances meant for the project, or evade their duties. However, I consider that in as much as this is true, employees need to be dignified and discipline enough, so that project planning is not used as a control measure for their vices. Finally, the author considers the cost of the project plan as another determining factor of whether a plan is necessary or not (Rosenwinkel WEB). It is unfair to have a high-cost plan in a project that will not influence a company’s customers. This is true, as some companies spend a lot of money on plans that result in futile projects (Chitkara 60).
The author thinks that project plans are restrictive. He therefore, advises that people should not stick to the formats of the plans. Instead, they should use any strategy that they feel will control the project appropriately (Rosenwinkel WEB). This is an important fact the author observes. The pre-defined ways of doing things in the society has limited people, as they cannot explore other opportunities apart from those provided. This applies to plans too. Employees might have good strategies to apply in a project, but since there is no provision for these in the plan guidelines, they have to give them up, despite the fact that these could have had positive influence on the project and its outcomes.
Rosenwinkel emphasizes the importance of measuring project variables. These include people variables and project variables. Reviewing these and rating them on a scale of 1 to 10 will reveal if a plan is worth the project or not. He also addresses accountability and commitment in the whole project process (WEB). All employees involved in a project must show commitment and be accountable for every single step and decision they make. Lack of this will ruin the whole project, or lead to undesirable outcomes. This is unethical, a waste of money, waste of time, and waste of human resources. This is therefore a valid point that all employees must be aware of, as the project’s success largely depends on their efforts and commitment.
Ultimately, project plans remain a crucial part of projects in companies. These come with a cost, therefore, raising the question about their relevance. In some cases, these are relevant, while they are irrelevant in other cases. Therefore, it is necessary that a company assesses and examines different factors of the project, to determine whether it will need a plan or not. This saves money, time, and labour, which is great, as these are valued and needed more in the contemporary world economy.
Works Cited
Carmichael, D. G. “Project Planning and Control.” New York: Taylor & Francis, 2006. Print.
Chitkara, K. “Construction Project Management: Planning scheduling and controlling.”London:
Tata McGraw-Hill Education, 2002. Print.
Rosenwinkel, James. “Project plans in the new world. (Systems development project planning).”
Journal of Systems Management, March 01, 1995. Web.
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