Failing to Plan, Planning to Fail
11/03/2020
Failing to Plan, Planning to Fail
Planning isn’t all about what we want to achieve. The biggest problem is actually implementing something that can be achieved and in a way that this will deliver the outcomes and benefits we want. For some things we can immediately see that the world is complex. Solving world hunger or stopping climate change are two examples of desired outcomes we would all agree are extremely difficult to deliver. But this is also true of smaller projects.
How many times have we thought a simple process or system modification will deliver the change we require? Then what happens? We find that we have not truly understood the process or system we are interfering with. We find that others have a different view of what is best and a different view of how this can be achieved. Suddenly a supposedly simple project starts to hit the buffers and we are have to back track, re-engage with people and re-launch our project.
So, if you are about to make an announcement about a change that is going to be implemented, just think again before you do it. The change may be a “Grand Challenge” and that is fine as long as you acknowledge that you don’t know how it is to be delivered and are making the announcement to engage others in the process. The change may be a new policy or strategy, but if you announce this without knowing how it will be delivered and if you haven’t planned the execution, then be prepared for a rocky ride. Announcing something to be delivered by a certain date and within a certain budget makes a great headline as long as you are not planning to be around to be held accountable for the results.
Categories & Tags:
Leave a comment on this post:
You might also like…
Getting started on your School of Management thesis
Writing a thesis, business plan, internship project or company project can be a daunting task, and you might have some uncertainty or questions around how to get started. This post will share some ideas and ...
Sustainability by royal request: Managing an event fit for a King
The Coronation of King Charles III on May 6th 2023, was watched by millions of people around the world with tens of thousands of people travelling to Central London to witness the pageantry firsthand. ...
Getting started on your Master’s thesis
Please note: This post is intended to provide advice to all students undertaking a thesis in the Schools of Aerospace, Transport and Manufacturing; Water, Energy and Environment, and Defence and Security. There is separate advice ...
Finding your tribe: “Joining the sustainability community was the best decision”
For students on Cranfield’s Sustainability Business Specialist Apprenticeship, community and camaraderie is a vital component for success. Designed in consultation with industry, the part-time Level 7 apprenticeship aims to deepen participants’ knowledge of the ...
“My sustainability studies gave me the confidence to take on Amazon”
Not everyone would have the confidence to challenge a big global power like Amazon but, for Colin Featherstone, Senior Technology Manager and Tech Sustainability Lead at Morrisons, his Cranfield studies equipped him with the ...
My Apprenticeship Journey – Broadening Horizons
Laura, Senior Systems Engineer at a leading aircraft manufacturing company, joined Cranfield on the Systems Engineering Master’s Apprenticeship after initially considering taking a year off from her role to complete an MSc. Apprenticeship over MSc? ...