The most common reason why project plans are unrealistic is that they are based on unrealistic estimates. Often the vendor is influenced by the buyer's timescale and budget expectations and, as root cause RC05 tells us, the buyer's funding and/or timescale expectations can be unrealistically low. Once poor estimates are enshrined in a plan which has been presented to the buyer, a troubled project is more or less inevitable. All projects require a master project plan, prepared using an appropriate project planning and scheduling tool. The master project plan should be constructed at activity level. A plan constructed at a very detailed level cannot be maintained by one person and the plan rapidly becomes out of date. Separate low-level plans must be prepared for each area of project activity. These should be constructed at the task level and used to control progress. It is vital to establish whether the plans are being used to control the project. It is also important to establish whether the team members regard the plans as realistic and achievable.

Inspec keywords: DP industry; strategic planning; team working; scheduling; contracts; budgeting; project management

Other keywords: budget expectation; funding; project scheduling tool; project team members; project planning; troubled project

Subjects: Financial computing