ROLE OF PLANNING IN A

PROJECT

Prepared By:
  
Contents
Introduction...............................................................................................................2
Knowledge Gap......................................................................................................2
Purpose of Study....................................................................................................2
Research Questions................................................................................................3
Hypothesis..............................................................................................................3
Conceptual Framework..........................................................................................3
Literature Review......................................................................................................3
Conclusion..............................................................................................................6
Methodology..............................................................................................................6
Sample Population..................................................................................................7
Data Collection.......................................................................................................7
References.................................................................................................................8
Introduction
The planning and analysis part of a project have always been considered to be an important one,
and planning is considered to be a significant factor in the successful completion of a project.
The overall time that is spent in these activities will help in the reduction of any risk while
increasing the probability of project to be a successful one. On the contrary failing to properly
plan and analyze the project can cause to the project to become an unsuccessful one (Naeem,
Khanzada, Mubashir, & Sohail, 2018).
The poor planning of the projects whether project being small or large can cause the company to
lose their investment. Nowadays companies are investing in developing their project
management strategies and teams for proper planning. Different techniques such as the Agile are
increasing in popularity among the project managers, and the philosophy of these technique
suggest that initial planning isn’t much effective and the planning should be done in an
evolutionary process so that it proves to become more efficient and effective. The Agile
technique considered initial planning to be not as much useful as the in process planning should
be done, as the initial planning can cause a terminology known as analysis paralysis amongst the
decision makers. Analysis paralysis occurs in decision making while when a lot of analysis has
been done and no actual work is started even when it starts it is not up to the mark (Munns, &
Bjeirmi, 1996).

Knowledge Gap
A successful project manager spends a large fraction of their efforts in planning, research and
analysis of the project. According to one of the most famous book on project management
known as PMBOK, it is stated that a project manager has to perform almost 42 processes in the
complete project life cycle, out of which 20 of the processes are consisting of the Planning part
of the project. This means that almost half of the executed activities by the project-manager
during the life cycle of the project includes the activities of project planning (Serrador, 2013).
However the professionals that are following the Agile method will not agree with the point of
view that more planning will be better for the project. Every project manager has to ask himself
a question that if he spends almost 50% of the projects time and budget on planning and analysis
of the project whether it will be beneficial for the project or instead it will play a part in
increasing the cost and time of the execution of project without providing any substantial
benefit? A few researches have also concluded that if too much time is spent on a planning of the
project it might cause the project to be a poorly performing one. The amount that is to be allotted
to the planning part of the project and the relationship of planning with the successful completion
of the project has been and subject of interest for many researchers and project managers, as it
helps in gaining the insight of the nature and characteristics of an individual project and this also
helps the professional project managers in defining the timeline and the structure of the project
(Szopik-Depczyńska, & Lanfranchi, 2016).

Purpose of Study
The main purpose of this study is to identify the role played by the planning in the successful completion
of a project.
Research Questions
This study will take into consideration the literature review written focusing on the topic of the
planning and its role in the project becoming successful. During this research the following
research questions will be observed:
1. Is the planning and important part in the apparent success of the project?
2. How much effort spent on the planning part of the project is most related to the success
of the project?
3. How much effort in the planning part of the project can be considered neutral or
counterproductive in the success of the project?

Hypothesis
The null hypothesis for this research is positively directly proportional to the success of a project.

Conceptual Framework

Independent Variables Dependent Variables

Project Size

Successful completion of
Level of Planning
Project

Quality of Planning

During this research the size of the project the level of planning in the quality of the planning in project
will be considered as independent variable while the successful completion of the project will be
considered as a dependent variable (Serrador, 2013).

Literature Review
According to the research Thomas, et al (2008: 105) it is stated that the even the most effective
of the project team can’t overcome the failures of a project plan that has started on the wrong
path and it can lead the whole project towards failures. In another research Morris (1998: 5)
similarly argues that a decision that is made in the early stages defines and sets the strategic
framework for the project and if the initial decisions taken are wrong the whole project will be
on the wrong path for a long time. Munns and Bjeirmi (1996) in the research stated that if the
project that has been flawed in the beginning, it will be seen by the whole organization as a
failure of the project and even the successful execution of the project will only matter for the
project team (Munns, & Bjeirmi, 1996).
Blomquist et al (2010: 11) stated in his research that the planning part of the project is a
dominant one according to the context of the project and all the plans are a cornerstone for a
project. In various researches it has been a recurring statement that the planning is an integral
part of the project success and without proper planning the role of project management will cease
to exist in a project (Blomquist, Hällgren, Nilsson, & Söderholm, 2010).
Shenhar (2001) in his research concluded that it is a normal practice to have a proper planning in
high technology related projects. This research was focused on the deliverables that would
normally be produced during the planning part of the project life cycle (Shenhar, 2001). Dvir,
and Lechler (2004) in their research concluded that the proper quality project planning had a
positive impact of 0.35 on the project efficiency and as positive 0.39 impact on the customer
satisfaction for a project (Dvir, & Lechler, 2004).
Dvir, Raz and Shenhar (2003), in their detailed research focused on the correlation b/w the
different activities of the planning phase and the successful completion of the project (Dvir, Raz,
& Shenhar, 2003). They found out that the proper defining of the technical and functional
requirements of the project was more important than the planning procedures while considering
the success of the project. According to research its results show that the correlation for
functional requirements was 0.297 and for technical requirement was 0.256. Zwikael and
Globerson (2006) in a study stated that the organizations that scored the highest ranking on the
successful projects they have executed also obtained the highest ranking in the quality of the
planning of their projects. In another research Salomo, Weise and Gemünden (2007) considered
the correlation between the planning and the project related to new product development. In their
research they concluded that the project planning and the risk management of the project had an
R2 impact of round 0.28, although according to the research findings the contribution of the
project planning isn't an important one. As the risk part of the project was considered in the
research, therefore the overall R2 was equal to 0.28. Furthermore the goal clarity and the process
formality of the project contributed a R2 of 0.33 towards the success of the project, all of which
are defined through the planning part of the project cycle.
Shockingly some of the research has been done to find out the amount of planning that should be
executed in the projects. Daly (1977) in his paper states that the scheduled planning of the
project should be around almost 2%, while the specifications of the project and the final design
should take around 10% and 40% respectively of the total cost (Daly, 1977). However now due
to technological advancement much of the designing in a project is done during the execution
phase of the project. Likewise Posten (1985) in his study states that the requirements of the
project and the project plan should be around 6% of the total cost of the project, while the project
design and the detailed design should be around 16% and 25% of the project cost respectively.
The empirical guidance regarding the amount of time that should be spent on the planning of the
project is becoming less popular over time, which might be due to the fact that this empirical
guidance was found to be ineffective or due to the increasing diversity in the technological
projects or just because this guidance is a vague one.
In a research done by Nobelius and Trygg (2002) it is stated that the planning activities should
all take around almost 20% of the total project time and total efforts to be spent on the planning
offer construction project should be at least 20% of the total man-hours of the project. It also
states that the proper project planning increases the efficiency and effectiveness during the
execution of the project identifying and reducing the bottlenecks that might occur during the
project and also reducing the overall cost of the project due to proper budgeting and estimation.
Reasons Not to Plan
In a research Andersen (1996) has questioned the assumption regarding the benefits of the
planning in a project from a conceptual point of view. In his research he has asked the question
that how can the planners prepare a detailed project plan in the initial phase of the project as
most of the activities cannot be foreseen or are either dependent upon the outcomes of some
predecessor activities? (Andersen, 1996). While in another research Bart (1993) points out that in
the R&D projects, extreme amount of Planning can also limit the creativity output of the project
(Bart, 1993).
Collyer, Warren, Hemsley and Stevens (2010: 109) in their paper points out the failed projects
for example the iridium satellite and Australia submarine projects as these projects proves to be a
useful guide on how an excessive planning in the initial stages of the project might be misleading
and problematic in a dynamic environment (Collyer, Warren, Hemsley, & Stevens, 2010). In a
study Collyer and Warren (2009) states that during the projects execution in dynamic
environments the creation of plans that are long term can be a waste of resources and time and
will also lead towards the fall expectation of the outcomes of the project (Collyer, & Warren,
2009). Aubrey, Hobbs and Thuillier (2008) states that in one of the project management offices
that were studied an overly detailed process of planning resulted in the delay of the project. It is
also stated in the research that most of the time senior management have the power of choosing
not to utilize the estimates made during the planning part of the project.
In research Zwikael and Globerson (2006) stated that even today the software and
communication organizations have a higher quality of planning in their projects but still these
projects have a lower rating on their successful completion. In a research Chatzoglou and
Macaulay (1996) stated that even extra planning done during the initial phase of the project can
lead to a chain reaction causing delay in the successor activities / phases of the project
(Chatzoglou, & Macaulay, 1996). Thomas et. al. (2008) states that in many projects there is a
pressure on the management team to reduce the effort and time being spent on the planning part
of the project which can cause the quality of the planning to be compromised.

Conclusion
The planning has been considered to be an important part of the project management for at least
a century.
In a research it has been stated that due to many technical advancements in the computerized
tools related to planning and the development in the training regarding the project management
by the organizations has increased the level and quality of the planning that is done in the
projects, even in the projects that proves to be an unsuccessful project (Naeem, Khanzada,
Mubashir, & Sohail, 2018). Due to the fact that certain amount of planning is being done in all
the projects a proper statistical correlation in the data cannot be measured. It is even debatable
that the question regarding whether the planning is correlated with the success of the project or
not might be a moot point. The benefits of the planning have been noted in many researches and
have been confirmed through these studies and the practical implication in project management.
A proper planning can be considered as a health factor for the success of the projects. In
reference to the project management performance there are few hygiene factors that are to be
considered but even having a proper project management strategy cannot ensure an effective and
efficient performance of the project. But still in conclusion to all the literature review it can be
said that the planning has an important role in the project management and in the successfulness
of the project (Szopik-Depczyńska, & Lanfranchi, 2016).

Methodology
During the research on this paper we will take a post positivist point of view regarding the
relationship between the project planning and the overall perceived success of the project. In the
post positivism view both the natural factors and the over experiences regarding the relationship
between the project planning and the success of the project will be considered. Due to the fact
that observation and processes are at the least based partially on the subjective opinion, the final
results cannot be considered fully objective. Some of the concept of the research such as the
project success are not fully quantifiable and will be affected by the perception and judgment of
the sponsors and participants in this research. Therefore the most suitable approach for this
research will be post positivism, due to the largely understood fact that the positivism view
cannot completely tell the truth in a business research and the insights and experiences will be
equally useful (Munns, & Bjeirmi, 1996).
The previous research in this area has is broad but not extensive which made an attempt on the
exhaustive review on this topic feasible. The initial research for this study will include the
research from Google Scholars and other search engines. Furthermore, other sources of
information includes different business journals and the thesis and dissertations available online
were also researched. All the literature reviewed, their differences will also be reviewed and any
sources that would be considered relevant will also be added in the list of literature reviews.
Many researchers have described the project management body for research as an immature
field, which explain the lack of research done previously in this field. Different research that
includes a slide touch of planning and its involvement in the process of project will also be
included due to the Limited availability of searches done regarding this field.

Sample Population
The sample population for this project will consist of different private organization that are
project based such as software houses, construction companies, etc. and their project managers.
At least hundred different organizations and their project managers will be contacted.
Data Collection
This research will be carried out by using questionnaire method for the collection of data as
questionnaires are one of the easiest way and most effective and efficient ways to gather
information and in questionnaire responses can also be easily coded, and the results are less
researcher biased in questionnaire method.
References
Andersen, E. S. (1996), 'Warning: activity planning is hazardous to your project`s health',
International Journal of Project Management, vol. 2, no. 14, 89-94.
Bart, C. (1993), 'Controlling new product R&D projects', R&D Management, vol. 23, no. 3, 187-
198.
Blomquist, T.; Hällgren, M.; Nilsson, A. & Söderholm, A. (2010), 'Project-as-practice: In search
of project management research that matters', Project Management Journal, vol. 41, no. 1,
5-16.
Chatzoglou, P. & Macaulay, L. A. (1996), 'Requirements capture and IS methodologies',
Information Systems Journal, vol. 6, no. 3, 209 -225.
Collyer, S.; Warren, C.; Hemsley, B. & Stevens, C. (2010), 'Aim, fire, aim - Project planning
styles in dynamic environments', Project Management Journal, vol. 41, no. 4, 108-121.
Collyer, S. & Warren, C. M. (2009), 'Project management approaches for dynamic
environments', International Journal of Project Management, vol. 27, no. 4, 355 - 364.
Daly, E. B. (1977), 'Management of software development', Software Engineering, IEEE
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changes on project success', Research Policy, vol. 33, no. 1, 1-15.
Dvir, D.; Raz, T. & Shenhar, A. (2003), 'An empirical analysis of the relationship between
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domains', Management Science, vol. 47, no. 3, 394-414.
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