planning quotes

couple of quotes about planning that i find useful: "In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable." Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969) i've seen many variations of this, and even attributions to other people. but this one is from the columbia world of quotations, so i think it's more authoritative. it's a pithy summary of how the mental discipline and attention to detail required by planning is usually more important than the plan produced. "the contemporary advanced-technology project demands advances that cannot depend on accident or chance; breakthroughs are increasingly the result of steady, planned, technological pressure under economical and political conditions which demand advances -- on ever-shortening time cycles. we have arrived at a point where we must _schedule_ creativity and invention, as well as the production which follows right on its heels, and must attempt to predict with some accuracy when operational hardware will be delivered and what it will cost." archibald and villoria, network-based management systems (pert/cpm), p. 77 i like the way this quote rejects the attitude that creative advances are haphazard and serendipidous. if i can plan well enough, i can predict and depend on them.

the success or failure of projects is determined in the first 10% of their lifetimes. fergus o'connell "how to run successful projects" (1994). very true in instructor's experience. you have to start the right way and know how you'll get there.

definition: a project is a unique exercise which aims at a defined outcome. it is not part of otherwise routine operation.

don't use microsoft project; it is useless. people are notoriously bad at estimating time required for tasks. ususally it takes about twice as long as you think. visualizing task dependence can help to envision concurrence and keep track of the critical path (longest minimum time, not necessarily most important) which can change.