ABSTRACT
Planning brings out options for actions which allow choice and proactivity, rather than reaction to circumstances as they occur. The process allows for planned coordination of effort which reduces the amount of resources needed. Project planning is done very close to the implementation of that plan; it will be put to the test—it is ‘active planning’. Project planning is akin to completing a well constructed cryptic crossword or putting together a particularly complex jigsaw puzzle. Experience of project management indicates that thorough planning takes between 8 and 10 per cent of total project time. So a task that will take about a month to do (20 working days) should have two days set aside for planning. In comparison with other types of business planning, project planning is paradoxical. Although, by definition, all projects are different, the structure of one successful project plan can act as a very effective template when planning another.
