Planning vs. Putting Out Fires

"In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable", Dwight David Eisenhower

Planning a Project

There are two ways to plan an architectural project. Proactively and reactively. Proactively means creating a plan and following it. Reactively means doing things on an ad-hoc basis, as the necessity arises. The necessity usually arises from a request or demand from an outside source, not self-generated.

Each method requires elements of the other. Even if you plan proactively, you must often respond to immediate and unanticipated needs. And even the most ad-hoc plan requires some proactive up-front planning, otherwise nothing would get done at all. In any real project plan, there are both proactive and reactive elements involved.

Putting Out Fires

We characterize reactive planning as "putting out fires" because (1) tasks are not anticipated, (2) we have to respond to an outside source, (3) we have to respond immediately. We view unanticipated tasks as disruptive -- disruptive to our normal work flow.

We also view unanticipated tasks as budget busters. If a project runs over budget, it's usually because of unanticipated tasks, not because of inaccurate estimates.

Planning in XPM

In XPM, we try to maximize the proactive and minimize the disruptive elements. We believe it's important to be proactive; to follow a plan -- a flexible plan.

To reduce the need to put out fires, we plan on several levels, re-plan often, and supplement our planning with other practices.

• Project Plan. We create a plan for the overall project, composed of release plans for each of its phases. The project plan lets us see the big picture and overall goals.
• Release Plans. We create a release plan for each project phase: schematics, design development, contract documents. The release plan focuses on deliverables for a shorter, more current time frame.
• Weekly Plans. We create a weekly plan, based on project and release plans, that lets us respond to short-term needs. Tasks for the current iteration are assigned by priority during the weekly planning meeting. We know exactly what we can expect to achieve each week.
• Daily Stand-Up Meetings. We review current tasks daily. Problems are discussed and dealt with immediately.
• Working Cartoon Set. We know what deliverables we must produce and what we can expect from our consultants. We can see, at any moment, where we are heading and how close we are to getting there.
• On-Site Customer. We work closely with our customers, that is, our clients, consultants, contractors and other associates, by actively soliciting feedback. When customers cannot be on-site, we discuss progress and issues by updating and reviewing the working cartoon set at least once a week.

Unanticipated Tasks

Even with this level of planning, unanticipated tasks pop up. In XPM, we incorporate them into the process, in an effort to minimize their disruptive effects.

When an unanticipated need arises, say as a result of an outside request, the person receiving the request makes a task card. The task card serves as a reminder that something must be done. It won't be forgotten. The task may have to be done now or later, but it won't be forgotten.

If satisfying that request need not be done immediately; need not be done in the current iteration, the card writer puts the card in the "new cards" deck, for selection later. The task card will be reviewed, along with other remaining task cards, prioritized, and selected during a subsequent weekly planning meeting. There is virtually no disruption to XPM processes.

If something must be done immediately, the person who wrote the task card announces the task in an ad-hoc or regular stand-up meeting. Team members discuss the task, deadlines, and related issues, and post the task card on the task board, ready for the next available team member to select and complete the task, in the normal XPM fashion. Disruption to the team, again, is minimal.

In XPM, we identify these disruptive tasks and track them each week, to see if there are patterns we can identify. We actively try minimize unanticipated tasks on an ongoing basis.

Benefits

Compared to reactive planning methods, XPM planning and related practices provide:

• More control. We can anticipate workloads and make financial projections, then monitor them to assure that our results reflect what we expected.
• Less stress. Team members can work at a steady pace, with minimal disruptions.

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Document Information

• Original post: October 7, 2004, written by Dennis V. O'Neill.
• Last revision: October 29, 2004.

Copyright 2004, Dennis V. O'Neill