Most projects don’t fail because of poor execution. They fail because of poor planning. Projects with inadequate planning are significantly more likely to overrun on time, budget, or both. Meanwhile, planning remains an underdeveloped skill in the UK workforce. Let’s look at the topic of planning, and why it is key to Project Management and the success of a Project.
A quote from Brian Tracy, a self-development author and motivational speaker, exemplifies the importance of planning: “Every minute you spend in planning saves 10 minutes in execution; this gives you a 100% return on energy!”
Planning is a key aspect of how Project Managers achieve success. Rushing or ignoring the project planning process can be detrimental to the success of a project. The more you plan, the better you use your time and ultimately the more you and your team achieve.
5 reasons to plan
Planning can provide a clear roadmap for all stakeholders, here are 5 reasons to plan:
- Clarifies Objectives: Everyone involved in the project will understand what needs to be achieved and how success will be measured. Without clear objectives, how does the team know what to focus on?
- Resource Allocation: Project managers can ensure that necessary resources are available when needed. Unavailable resources leads to delays.
- Risk Management: Project managers can be proactive and will be able to identify potential risks and develop strategies to mitigate them. This keeps projects on schedule.
- Time Management: Projects can be broken into tasks and deadlines, ensuring they progress smoothly and are completed on time. Delays cost time, money and stakeholder confidence.
- Cost Control: Project managers need to plan to control costs and avoid going over budget. Unplanned cost overruns are common, but absolutely avoidable.
Understanding why planning matters is one thing. Developing it as a structured, practised skill is another. That’s where the Level 4 Associate Project Management Apprenticeship comes in.
How Project Management Apprenticeships Work:
The Level 4 Associate Project Management apprenticeship at The Apprentice Academy includes learning about Budgeting and Cost Control – two key elements of the planning phase.
Modules are broken down into scope, resources, budgets, risks, fixed and variable costs, direct and indirect costs, and tracking systems for actual costs. This helps Project Managers to monitor progress against consolidated plans and refine them as appropriate.
The benefits of apprenticeship learning are that project managers can come together from various backgrounds and sectors and share their experiences on how to best manage projects, with the discussions facilitated by an experienced trainer. These sessions are complemented with specific learning sessions and project work to demonstrate competence and skill.
Project Management Sessions at The Academy
The online learning sessions at The Apprentice Academy are very interactive and practical and make Managers re-examine and consider ‘best practice’ ways to manage projects.
The sessions cover:
- Planning & Governance – Building solid foundations before a project begins. Preparing business cases, aligning with organisational objectives, managing scope, and applying change control processes to keep projects on track.
- Resource, Cost & Budget Management – Understanding how to plan and allocate resources across the full project lifecycle, manage costs against budget, and use tracking systems to monitor actual vs planned expenditure.
- Risk, Issues & Quality – Identifying potential risks before they become problems, managing issues as they arise, and applying quality and continuous improvement frameworks to maintain standards throughout delivery.
- Stakeholder, Communication & Compliance – Managing stakeholder relationships effectively, using the right communication tools at the right stages, and applying relevant legislation, regulation, ethical procurement strategies and codes of practice.
All these areas connect back to planning. The more structured the plan, the better your outcomes.
Furthermore, the knowledge acquired from the apprenticeship supports individuals who are looking to go further with their learning, and sit the exams for the Association of Project Management PFQ or PMQ. Anyone wishing to do so can easily book and take these exams online via the APM website. Our coaches will be happy to give guidance on how to do this and how best to prepare.
Learn more about our Project Management programme.
Interested in developing project management capability in your team? Speak to one of our Learning and Development specialists, who will help you identify the right programme and walk you through funding options in a single conversation.