I tell this story to illustrate the truth of the statement I heard long ago in the Army: Plans are worthless, but planning is everything. There is a very great distinction because when you are planning for an emergency you must start with this one thing: the very definition of “emergency” is that it is unexpected, therefore it is not going to happen the way you are planning.
– Dwight D. Eisenhower

Variability is a fact of life in just about every facet of life, development and business not withstanding. A plan, in and of itself, is a static thing. Your plan will be 100% effective if you anticipate everything correctly and all of your assumptions prove true. However, cognitive biases get in our way most of the time. Continue reading