ABSTRACT
An overview of TPC planning How do projects get planned? The sad truth is that, far too often, they barely get planned at all. Like Topsy from Uncle Tom’s Cabin, a terrifying number of projects, in all industries, “just growed.” This is not the case in all cultures. In Japan, for instance, it would be unthinkable to start work on a major corporate project without spending many long hours on team meetings to discuss schedules, scope, resources, and other issues. However, U.S. culture is very different. We worship the television hero who, often through his own lack of foresight, finds himself surrounded and imperiled. A blazing .44 Magnum is a lot more exciting than avoidance of danger by proper anticipation, and the project manager who acquires the reputation as a wizard at firefighting tends to get more credit than the one who quietly and efficiently removes all combustibles before the conflagration.
