Planning is Overrated

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On June 15, 2010, in Management, by Brett Duncan

General Dwight D. Eisenhower once said “Plans are nothing; planning is everything.” You could take that idea several different directions. I’d like to take it one step further: Planning is overrated; response is everything.

I actually think this is just another way to say what Ike said. Once you hit the battlefield, whatever your battlefield is, your plans mean nothing. You simply can’t expect the unexpected. But you can respond. And you can actually prepare to respond beforehand. You may not know what for, but you can at least make sure the things you could possibly need are available and ready when the time comes that you may need them.

I’ve yet to experience a project that follows its Gantt chart to the last detail. I’ve actually not ever seen a project manager who accurately estimated a buffer zone into a project. The fact is curveballs are coming, and it’s not plans that will deal with them. It comes down to decision and focus and action and calmness.

In my experience, people freak out more over deviating from the plan than the actual unexpected item that wasn’t planned for. Our natural reaction is to scrap a whole project once it gets off course, when a simple response and action would do the trick.

You Suck at Planning

Of course, this all assumes that our plan was good in the first place. But “the best laid plans of mice and men do often go astray.” In other words, we naturally suck at planning. We aren’t made to think too much into the future. This is why all hell breaks loose once a project nears its launch date. We humans simply can’t truly understand a concept until it’s more concrete. And that usually happens about three weeks prior to launch. I daresay we finite beings have been created by an infinite Creator who, while giving us the ability to plan and think ahead, continually makes it clear that we’re best at simply dealing with now. (He also seems to like reminding us of just how little we control, but that’s a whole other post).

So planning manages to be everything and nothing all at the same time. The key to getting the most out of planning is to put it in its place. The point of a plan is to get to a destination. A means to an end. Yet so many times, the plan is treated as though it’s the accomplishment. In the meantime, a better way to get to our destination could be passing us by as we lament falling short of our crummy plan.

The point? You suck at planning, and even when you plan well, things change. So plan on planning a poor plan, and pave the way to respond when the obstacles come.

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Personal note: I was part of a team this past week that enjoyed the rush that comes with completely missing a plan, and still making great things happen. We faced what was already a formidable giant and watched it grow to epic proportions as deadline after deadline passed us by. And we came together, divided and conquered. And we made greatness happen. How we feel about the whole experience now couldn’t have happened if we’d stuck to the plan. I’m proud of my team; moreso, I’m proud to be a part of it.