You might have heard the project management mantra, “Failing to plan is planning to fail”. That’s only one way in which a project can fail. Two other ones are over-planning and under-planning. And as a bonus, pretend-planning.
Why do we even plan?
We expect that thinking ahead about what needs to happen (and how) will help us to determine the right steps to take. Then we expect to execute the plan and reach the end goal. Ideally on time, on target, and all goes well. 🎯
Reality is more complicated than what we imagine, but we value the project plan as a guide and as a coordination mechanism for the project team.
1. Over-planning
Over-planning is when we write down every last detail in the plan before we take the first step.
We break the project down into tiny steps, add lots of forecast values and KPIs, and try to sort out every dependency in advance. By going overboard on the planning, we lose its strength – which is to break down the goal into tangible steps and get people to do them.
Too much effort spent on planning delays the start and takes energy away from executing the project. Besides that, reality shifts as you execute, and then you have lots of re-planning to do. The plan is so heavy that it slows down execution. 🪨
The fix for over-planning is to select from the existing plan what are the critical steps that need to happen, what it takes to execute them, and who will do what. Then go do it.
2. Under-planning
Under-planning is when we have a general goal in mind but aren’t specific about how we are going to reach it.
Different people are trying to achieve different things, or the activities are poorly coordinated so they don’t build on each other. There’s a lot of activity but not a lot of progress. When we try to understand why, no one has the full picture to be able to pinpoint what to do about it.
Under-planning happens when people have a “don’t talk, just do it” preference. They don’t have the patience to plan and believe that planning will slow them down. They’re not entirely wrong because planning does take time. But they spend so much time winging it that they’re not making progress. 🪽
The fix for under-planning is to put the project team together for a coordination session. The team should agree on what the goal is and how what they are working will lead to that goal. Then they can focus their energies on doing the right things.
3. Pretend-planning
Pretend-planning is when we have a plan that looks good on paper but isn’t actually going to lead to anything.
Also known as ‘templatitis’, this occurs when we have filled in a project planning template with generic or meaningless content. The plan basically says that someone else will solve the problem or come up with the answer later.
This can happen when the project team lacks the expertise to make a good plan, or is highly process-focused at the expense of content. Executing it requires someone else to specify what actually needs to happen. The plan isn’t a real plan, it’s just words on paper. 📄
The fix for pretend-planning is to change the project team. Bring in people with the right expertise to make the plan tangible, and let them execute it.
Plans that work
I have seen all of these planning failures in my work as a consultant. If planning were easy, we would have good plans that get results every time. And after the plan is made, no plan survives contact with reality.
This is why the best plans are those that get the team moving in the right direction with the flexibility to adjust to changing circumstances. 👟
This is the kind of work I love: helping teams create and execute their plans to achieve their strategic results.
Are you looking for better project planning right now? If so, I’d love to talk.
© Veridia Consulting, 2025
