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Vol. XI Issue IV - April 2009
Project Management eJournal
VIEWPOINTS:
How long is your planning horizon?
By James Brown, PhD
When project managers are asked the question about the length of their planning horizon, they usually frown in disgust or say ”What do you mean by planning horizon?” I define planning horizon as the length of time you can plan into the future with validity. Validity meaning you know what work needs to be accomplished; you know what resources are required for the work that can be accomplished; and you know what resources are available for the work that needs to be accomplished.
Knowledge of the work, the resource requirements and the resource availability enable the project manager to create a detailed schedule.
If one of the three factors above is lacking, a properly detailed schedule cannot be put together. For some organizations the planning horizon is a month or longer. These environments are very stable. Work is planned out in detail and executed per the plan for the month with only minor changes. Still other organizations have a planning horizon that may be a week and the schedule is very stable for that week.
To read entire paper (click here)
 About the Author
Dr. James T. Brown president of SEBA® Solutions Inc., a Registered Education Provider for the Project Management Institute, has provided training and consulting services for dozens of companies nationally and internationally. SEBA® Solutions also provides OnePdu.com http://onepdu.com for online project management training. A recognized authority in project management, Dr. Brown is a frequently invited speaker on project management areas of interest. He is the author of The Handbook of Program Management published by McGraw Hill and is a member of the Project Management Institute and the National Speakers Association. Dr. Brown has a patent for a project scheduling methodology, and has received numerous awards including "Engineer of the Year" from the Cape Canaveral Technical Societies and is a recipient of the "NASA Public Service Medal" for exceptional contributions to NASA’s mission. He is a member of the Project Management Institute and the National Speakers Association. He has a Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from the University of Central Florida, a MS in Engineering Management from Florida Institute of Technology and a BS in Electrical Engineering from Tennessee State University. He is a licensed Professional Engineer (PE), a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and a certified speaking professional (CSP). To learn more about SEBA®sup> visit www.sebasolutions.com. You can contact James directly at jtbrown@sebasolutions.com.
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