Development of the SMART™ Project Planning framework

This paper presents work on development and testing of the SMART™ Project Planning framework. It is based on research into causes of both project failure and success. An empirical study of what industry practitioners think is important for effective project planning formed the basis of the study. Using this study, and other resources, a planning approach was developed that was designed to be holistic, integrated and risk sensitive. Field tests of the approach on live projects followed. The framework presents a unified approach to project planning, integrating both hard and soft aspects, enhancing current tools and techniques, and improving the project planning process by providing internal validation. Competence in project planning is reinforced as a cornerstone to effectively managing and leading projects.