While working in a mega-project with one of the biggest North American construction outfit, a number of our construction planners/schedulers were brushed aside more than a few times by their respective supervisor (foreman).
Two foremen sarcastically said they need no plan or schedule. One added thatplanners and schedulers are just pencil pushers who are good only at recording what they have already done.
Figure 1 – Project Y: The Planner and His Plan
The field foremen even insinuated that these office boys and girls are somehow taking the limelight from the people who really do the job. The general feeling of these field supervisors is that they can plan and schedule the job themselves without an office worker hovering over their heads and looking over their shoulders.
It will surely make project management professionals cringe, troubled by suchsharp yet honest commentary. The charges and implications were dead serious. I suddenly imagined Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker singing the familiar song “War: What is it good for? Absolutely nothing!” but the foremen replacing the word “war” with the word “plan or schedule.”
Let us throw it on the table for all readers to reflect on. Do you have anything to say? Do you agree or disagree with the foremen? Does this mean that the foremen failed to see that planning and scheduling has value? The big question to such criticism then is: “Why? What made them feel that way?”
A page from the book “Plan to Schedule, Schedule to Plan (Frago, R., 2017)/Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/RUFRAN-C.-FRAGO-PMI-RMP/e/B01055MPYI
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Related sites:
- https://www.amazon.com/author/rufrancfrago
- https://youtu.be/LDESPW6OYkg
- Indigo/Chapters
- Your World, Our Risk Universe: WordPress
- LinkedIn Professional Website
Other books authored by Rufran Frago
- Risk-based Management in the World of Threats and Opportunities: A Project Controls Perspective.ISBN 978-0-9947608-0-7.Canada
- Plan to Schedule, Schedule to Plan.ISBN 978-0-9947608-2-1.Canada
- How to Create a Good Quality P50 Risk-based Baseline Schedule.ISBN 978-0-9947608-1-4.Canada
