Planners vs. Doers

Often, everything from project plans to business development plans to career plans don't always work as intended.

D. Brown Management

January 6, 2019 2 minute read

To understand why, it is important to understand the psychological concepts of ego depletion and decision fatigue.

Quote: We are superior planners but become inferior doers as our environment exerts its influence through the course of our day. Marshall Goldsmith.

Many of us would simply prefer to “Get to Work” and start doing things, but we intellectually know that it’s important to create a plan so we can prioritize then execute most effectively.

Most things that come in “Off-Plan” are due to failures in disciplined execution rather than bad plans or lack of capabilities.

Focus heavily on the routine processes that will help you achieve your plan.
Create regular habits and routines that keep you and your team on-track.
Build motivation through disciplined execution.

Marshall Goldsmith does a great job discussing these in his book Triggers, including 6 Daily Questions we should all ask ourselves.

The Contractor Scoreboard - A Contractor Must Do 3 Things

This outcome-based scoreboard keeps everyone focused on what matters. Avoid metric overload and diffusion of resources. All other metrics throughout all levels of the organization fall into a hierarchy below these with priorities changing over time.

business management business planning cash flow metrics scoreboard succession

Change Orders and Average Cost Impact to the Project (Industry Survey)

Changes are a part of the construction process with many underlying causes. While we have all heard the average of 10% changes on construction projects, it is interesting to look at an industry study for validation.

change management foreman training project management

Leading Change Quote - Arthur Schopenhauer

If you see something that no one else sees you are either genius or crazy of some combination of the two. If what you see is so big that you can’t ignore it be prepared for a long journey through the process of change.