BLAMING THE PLANNER FOR THE PROJECT DELAY

Hi,
can you clarify the followings:-
did you make the project construction program properly and realisticly.
did you make the necessrary monitoring and following up in reasonable and periodical time.
did you prepare and submit to the project manager the up date weekly progress report.
did you explained to the project manager the status of the project and which activities are in delays and what is the reasons of delays and how to mitigate these delays.
did you agreed with the project manager about the mitigation plan and the action have to be taken in order to coverup the delays.

Ashraf

Thank you for your reply & questions.
I really don’t want to go into too much details about this, but yes I did the things you are asking.
I am just curious to know how does it work when a contractor desides to blame the planner? Can there be any leagal cosequences for the planner?

M M,

If there is a delays in the project people start to make excuses and escape goats.

I dont know the legal consequences on the planner since even in the Mirant case even if they they dont have a clear schedule the lawyer can reconstract from other documents what have happened, to get the real pictures on what have happened and computed the claims and damages accordingly. Why not blame your superior instead... Just kidding.

Regards,

Hi MM

You wrote that you worked the last 18 months for a 3 years project, so:
- Half of the project’s duration
- The plan was already prepared when you joined

As a planner you have some responsibilities; among others: to make aware of possible delays. Now there is a question to you: When did you realize the delay - or were you able to realize - and when did you inform - in writing! - the project manager?
Regards and good luck
Dieter

Hi MM,

You should at all times have your papers (schedules, reports, etc..) prepared and ready, this will support you in the hard times.
You should never hide the facts.

Karim

MM

your concern seems to be your own personal liability for this delay.

Question; who do you work for? If you are an employee of a company (the maincon or a consultant) then that company may have some liability if it can be demonstrated that they did not fulfill their contractual and legal responsibilities. This, however, could not be translated to you personally beyond the termination of your employment contract, and even then, you may well have a case against them for unfair dismissal (assuming it was unfair, of course...). This depends largely on where you are working. In most places in Asia, for example, you’d be SOL as labour laws there often don’t apply to phigherpaid or managerial posts. In some places in Europe, OTOH, they’d burn the company at the proverbial stake for firing you even if you had been incompetant, and then there’s everywhere else, which lie between.

I can only imagine that you could be exposed to some legal liability if you are self-employed or have your own shell company which you work through. Even then, self employed there’ll be little they can do except sack you and through a shell company ... well depends how much is in the shell ... so to speak.

My management professor once told me "no-one sues a poor guy, so be sure to appear poor"

Probably you’re just being scape-goated by your PM who’s trying to save his own arse. If you are in a country with reasonable labour laws then you will be able to fight this if they fire you unfairly. OTOH, if they are shitting on you, you’re better to get out and go find somewhere decent to work.

Deiter’s point about the fact that you’ve only been on the project for 1/2 the execution is very relevant. you should be able to argue your way out of any blame based on that alone.

I would concur with the general theme here. It is my understanding that generally (in my industry anyway) that the Project Manager "owns" the programme and the Planning Engineering "owns" the planning process. We act as advisors and as long as we perform in our role and advise on what we see, interpret and feel, then we are fulfilling our obligation to the project.

No one wants to say "I told you so" when a project goes t*ts up but it doesn’t do any harm to record those times you did!

In my opinion, the Project Manager is ultimately responsible for the project.

If it’s gone bad, I see two "outs" for the PM:

1. If the problems were outside the PM’s authority, AND the PM notified the client/sponsor (whichever was appropriate.)

2. If somebody (i.e. the planner?) deliberately supplied incorrect information, and the PM had no reasonable way to know the information was wrong. (How can a good PM not realise work is significantly behind schedule, even if the planner is lying?)

Unless you were very good at hiding the truth from the PM, I’d say they can’t do much beyond terminate your contract.

Good luck,

Scott

I agree,

The Blame Game...it’s nasty business.

It sounds like you have done your job accordingly, and you have supported the PM throughout the project life cycle. Is your company’s getting flogged by client because of late delivery? in that case I would suggest that your management team is trying to find reasons for the 6 month delay on project.

That is terrible practice for Management (Blaiming your Planner)at the end of the day the planners job is to monitor delivery date and flag delays etc. If you have done this its considered the PM’s job to resolve delays (Planner should assist)

It sounds like you shouldn’t work in for that company anymore, bad environment I think - Project closure should be a celebration not a legal battle!!!

Regards
Ben Hall

I perfectly agree with Scott, seems like u are the victims in the end. Project Manager suppose to understand either apprehend everything about project contract, etc...otherwise a lot of subordinates keep bluffing him...

Planners are responsible to control the time aspect of a project. The word is ‘control’. Independent on the project complete on time, ahead, or behind programme – planners job is to stay in control of project progression and forecasting at all time. Control implies proper documentation of events, proper schedules, proper reporting, etc. If this is not fulfilled, clients have every reason for grievance.
As previously mentioned in this thread, if you appear to be ‘poor’, a claim is not likely to be forth coming. However, if you have Professional Indemnity insurance, they might see scope in recovering some of their losses.
I would guess that the Contractor is not looking to sue you - it’s just their senior management who want to use you as a scapegoat to take some pressure off them.
/Larry

Larry,

I agree with your comments, though I believe the Planner can only do SO much with controlling the progression of the project – the Plan is only as good as its used, and I do not think the Planner has the power to influence the actual progression of the project, but I do believe Planners are in control of forecasting as this is dictated by the actual progress. I am also a Project Manager and by being a PM I have realised how much more influence the PM has on a project as apposed to the Planner, as all information flows directly to the PM and not the Planner i.e., sub contracted Procurement issues – this meaning the Planner is in some respect limited to his/her information to implement into schedule.

So to tie this into this topic I believe the Project Manager should take on the responsibility of delay on project not the Planner – Planner is a project tool and a very useful one if used correctly.

Thanks & Regards
Ben Hall

At the end of the day the site / project / contracts managers have to take ownership of the contract programme. It is their responsibility to build the project, and therefore reasons for delays will ultimately lay with them.

If you are confident that you did all you could as far as reprogramming etc, and all papaer work is in place then there can be no comeback on you, and it sounds like your boss is looking for a scapegoat, and deflecting the heat from himself.

Legally the buck stops with the Directors etc.

Ben,

A small misunderstanding. When I say ‘stay in control’, I do not mean ’Controlling’. ‘Controlling’ implies being in charge of events. We planners provide advice to senior management and the construction team.‘Stay in control’, I would argue, implies "proper documentation of events, proper schedules, proper reporting, etc".

Best Regards,
Larry

Hello all
By reading Mr. MM case, i found escaping point for him.
Generally we talk about DELAY and the Delay has causes .this causes come from
Clint or
Consultant or
Contractor or
Others (like governmental associations ....etc)
May be all !!!!!!
Whoever causes the delay, the project planner (main contractor planner =MM) should notice his direct manager for any completion date exceeding the target one. By sending to him internal memos (as i do) addressed to PM cc to contract manager cc to technical manager cc CM cc to MEP manager ...etc.
If you do these, you will not held any responsibility, because you alarm them and now Mr. contract manager should send a delay notification to the client, consultant and the project management company .

Advice:
The planner should be work carefully and record every think in a special file

Naeem

hi everybody,

Project delay is not solely caused by project planner. However, the planner should notify the project manager the potential delay because he is the person responsible for the project progress from A to Z.

*i also had kick my planner’s ass because the delay....

H.M
Project Manager

Yes Naeem,

I 100% agree with you. Project planner should be working with pre caution. Every critical event with the date should be recorded. Every correspondence email should be kept. But, to be honest, even all these pre caution has been done, you still will be smashed by your project manager, but not that harsh.

That’s one thing i don’t like project manager. Always blame on his planner and the project team. When thing messed up, i think we as a team should take responsibility not blaming each other. But, that’s the reality.

Strive for excellence,
Farhan
http://projectmanagement2u.com/

When a project is 6 month ahead of schedule who takes the credit/Blame ?
When the project is 6 month behind schedule who takes the blame.

When you went for the interview what was the interview like. Do you deliver the project on time or do you follow the Processes. It would be interesting MM comments

What did you sell yourself as....


Was the schedule (baseline) unrealistic ? Duration to short or to long ? How was the schedule validated ?

I have been on project that is ahead of schedule behind schedule etc.

I always ask myself what have I done on the project and when ?

I believe you have two ways of doing project. Lot of stress in the beginning or a lot of stress in the end.

The effort you put in the beginning will pay of.

What is this noise all about "Blaming the planner for the project delay"

I can only smell Amatuerism on the part of the planner in the situation wherein he is to be blame

It should not be the case for professional planners or planning engineer

because for amateurs, something is lost in the process calles

Project Control

The point im trying to tell is that planning is only a small steps

there is a project control system or process in place for exemplenary project execution

otherwise, if nothing or no project control process

then, and only then, the project manager should take the blame

because project control process is more higher in activities, in stature than a simple planner or planning

Thank you,
Scarlett

If it’s an amateurism is the case, i believe the planner should not be blamed. He / She should be given more chance to develop the planning capability and turn to professional. I agree with Scarlett. Project control is more important. It is how you look the project from bigger view. To control the project, you have to plan, execute and track/monitor. Without control, i think project will be easily devastated.

Over all there is saying

Victory is an orphan where every one could share and defeat & blame is point where every one focus

well indeed shahul :)

i think the blame will still be with the project manager. planner as s support function for the team. no blame should be put to him.

steering capacity is made by the top management(project manager)

regards
ian

To me, the reason why there are so called planners is because most PMs are incompetent to do this part of his job. PM are supposed to be planners. What a PM need to put his plan in paper is a competent scheduler.

The buck stops at the PM.

WOW it is nice to hear the real planners

But this did not help MM.

Since MM is now in this situation, I would suggest the technique called "reverse trap" or "the hunted now becomes the hunter"

The reverse trap is a very common story during the Vietnam war wherein special forces conducting special ops but were betrayed to the point that they were trap. The Viet Cong trap them. So the reverse trap concept is sensing a trap, the special forces will reverse the trap and end victorious because it was now the viet cong that was trap and annihiliated. Still mission accomplished.

The "hunted now becomes the hunter" is a story about the German Battleship "Bismark". The Bismark was a very powerful battleship prowling the atlantic and hunting for convoys and destroying a lot. The end of the Bismark happen when he was sighted by the RAF and hunted till it lie down beneath the sea. End of story.

This are simple concept of survival, planners or planning engineer survival.

The fundamental of project management is that we have a lot of so called project managers who do not know project management. If you ever happened to encounter one good project manager, then, you should be thankful to the Almighty.

and if your project manager resorted to blame game, then, you should be happy because at least the project you are in are just like the other projects: full of non achieving or non performing project managers.

And if the project manager conspired with the commercial manager/contract manager for your to conduct forensic schedule analysis using imaginary events and hullicinary occurence of events and much worst, insisted their ideas should be the truth, then, you should be more happier.

The practical steps is left for you is to send your cv to recruitment agencies and be happy to leave the project team because the project is a failure and the top project executive are only using you as scapegoat for them to perpetuate employment and receiving highest pay.

But before you go, execute a "reverse trap" or "the hunted becomes the hunter"

How?

Thank you,
Scarlett