ABSTRACT
Now we review the more general project management literature to see what it has to say about planning.
Thomas et al. (2008) state that the front end of the project has received less attention in the project management literature than the subsequent phases that deal with detailed planning and execution: “[T]he most effective team cannot overcome a poor project plan” (p. 105), and projects started down the wrong path in the early stages can lead to the most spectacular project failures. Morris (1998) similarly argued that “The decisions made at the early definition stages set the strategic framework within which the project will subsequently develop. Get it wrong here, and the project will be wrong for a long time” (p. 5). He argued that the role of the initiation phase in defining the project and its influence on project success or project failure poses a strong argument for integrating the initiation phase into the project management domain. This has now largely occurred with the planning and
initiation phases now encompassing many project and scope definition tasks. The PMBOK ® Guide now has the following task: “4.1 Develop Project Charter and 10.1 Identify Stakeholders” (p. 43) as part of the initiating process group of PMBOK ® Guide (PMI®, 2008).
