When managing a project using project management principles, it is necessary to have a project plan. While this seems reasonable, there are many potential problems that could arise, if this is not thought out carefully. For example, how detailed should the plan be, what should be included, who should prepare it and how and when should it change. The answer to all of these questions is that it depends. The great Chinese General Sun Tzu listed five factors to consider when laying plans. These included 1) The Moral Law, 2) Heaven, 3) Earth, 4) The Commander and 5) Method and discipline. General Sun Tzu had a methodology for developing his plans and strategies that made him one of the great strategists of all time.
When creating your project plan, what are the principles that you are using in determining what your plan should contain? When Sun Tzu talked of a Moral Law, he was looking for something that would ensure that the people would follow their leader. In today’s world of project planning, this is often called a project charter. A charter is simply a document that authorizes the project and names the project leader.
In listing Heaven as one of the five factors, Sun Tzu was referring to timing. Heaven represented Hot or Cold, Night or Day, Times and Seasons. When you create your project plan have you accounted for the impact that your environment will have on your project. Is the project in line with your company strategy at the current time, or how are external factors going to impact it? When creating your project plan, make sure that these questions are considered.
The Earth represents the chances of life and death due to the nature of the things you must pass through as you carry out your project. Sun Tzu knew that you must account for the risks involved in your endeavors. Do you have a risk management plan included in your project plan? This is a simply a document that discusses how risks will be handled on the project. It identifies a process to handle risks and issues that the project will endure.
The Commander represents leadership, wisdom, benevolence and courage. Do you have an organization chart for your project and are the leaders in it capable of leading the project to success?
Last but not least is Method and Discipline. In the times of Sun Tzu this referred to the actual carrying out of war. In project management this would equate to the control and execution phase. During this phase a process must be in place to describe how the project is being managed and how you are monitoring resources and time schedules.
In addition to the five factors, Sun Tzu also said, “according as circumstances are favorable, one should modify his plans” and went on to say in his section on Varying Tactics, “So, the student of war who is unversed in the art of war of varying his plans, even though he be acquainted with the Five Advantages, will fail to make the best use of his men”. Sun Tzu believed in varying his plans, even though they were based on the Five Advantages, to best account for the situation he currently found himself in.
In project management, you must therefore plan for changes and how to go about managing change. This is the most difficult part of project management because, just as Sun Tzu understood, things do not always progress as planned and only by being prepared to respond to them can a project be truly successful.
Written by John Ikeda Learn to Lead With Honor!