I

t’s often been said that project management really consists of

two majorphases—doing the right project and doing the proj-

ect right. Ensuring that your project is based upon a true need

and that it’s justified from a business standpoint are two impor-

tant aspects of doing the right project. Project planning, on the

other hand, is all about doing the project right.

Project planning gets more attention than any other aspect

of project management—and justifiably so. It’s hard to imagine

how a project could be successful without some planning.

In addition to being important, project planning is also an

enormous subject. I often think of it as consisting of two compo-

nents. The first is almost strategic; it consists of understanding

some of the principles and philosophiesof planning. The sec-

ond component of project planning is tactical—almost mechani-

cal;it consists of the step-by-step process of creating a detailed

project plan, using estimates as raw material.

Brad will soon realize that he’s transitioning from doing the

right project to doing the project right. He’ll need to prepare

97

An Overview of

Planning and

Estimating

6

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