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A day in the life................

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Luke Hayman
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As someone who is relatively new to planning, could anyone enlighten me as to what a typical working day in the life of a planner would entail (comical anecdotes welcome!)?

Obviously planning planet may have a small part to play for some people, but only during lunch hours i am sure........

Thanks in advance

Replies

Izam Zakaria
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thanks for wish eid fitr to all muslims...
yes we were celebrate eid fitr last week...now coming back for works....
Armando Moriles
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It’s a holiday here in the Philippines tomorrow 12 October 07 in observance of the Feast of Ramadan (Eid;l Fitr)...

So, Happy Holiday to all Muslim members of PP!!!

Resume work on Monday...And again A Day in the Life of Planner... THINK PLAN CREATE!!!


Best regards to all!

Arman
Oliver Melling
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Clive

I think the majority of PPlanet planners operate self-funded initiatives.
Oliver Melling
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I think the majority of PPlanet planners operate self-funded initiatives.
Clive Randall
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To eleviate the excessive overspend as well as raining in the cost centre, requiring the cost centre to be partial self supporting is worth investigating.
Marc Borburgh
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"With regard to the overspend on the sub-primary resource: Yes, I have considered outsourcing certain elements of the main contract. Unfortunately, running two such activities in parallel tends to cause a further overspend as well as additional physical exhaustion. However, should one consider terminating the main contract, the overall Exit Cost is likely to exceed the existing baseline value + forecast overspend. Tis probably better to attempt to impose a cost-control system that applies significant constraints on the expenditure portfolio."

No insurance for that :(

:D
Izam Zakaria
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wow...u wasting ur time like that...it’s a lot u can do on planning wise....u can learn a lot..and for me...time is running out...thus I will chase time ....
Oliver Melling
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This post started out so fun!

Admin,
Please can we start a forum category for job preservation, self-justification and planner counselling?
Umerfarook Deshmukh
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Bill & James,

No management would give fat pay unless untill you have something in you. Also to grow up you need to work Hard......and like you I also want to grow up up and up and to acheive the peak I also work hard.

I have given so many points in my earlier post. Some might have triggered to your interpretation in the other way....I will never blame you for that.....I believe planning is regular time job but coordination of project & planning is regular time + overtime job and right now I am into it and the difference is that coordination can not be measured and people from other side think that your doing nothing. But as always grass is always greener on other side.

Cheers.....No complains
James Griffiths
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I appreciate your sentiments, Bill - and yes, if I thought for a moment that he was being serious, then I’d be the first to gaze at him in a mode of incredulity. Maybe he is - but we’ll never be able to prove it - so it’s up to us as to how we interpret such postings.

Cheers.

James.
Bill Guthrie
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of course James,we all do,
but sure as heck do not brag about goofing off all day like our friend in India did. would be ashamed of myself.like to work hard, play hard,and enjoy my work
James Griffiths
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Oh William........do you ever have any fun, waste a bit of time gossiping, indulge in an element of silliness?

I’m sure that we all do it....and still go home with a good feeling and fat(adequate) paycheck. Life cannot all be serious all the time.

James.
Bill Guthrie
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thats why you are still working in the uk, not on a project

on a real project, work 11 hours a day and contribute to the project and assure you earn my pay. Go home with a good feeling and very very fat paycheck and turn down 2 or 3 jobs a week.

get to work if you want something out of it all
Umerfarook Deshmukh
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James,

I hope my Boss is not aware of this thread..........haha
James Griffiths
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Nah......it’ll expose too many secrets!
Clive Randall
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Maybe this thread should be titled what I should have done/what I did do
Umerfarook Deshmukh
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Hired as planning Engineer
Working as project coordinator
Reach office at 9:00AM
Go through tons of emails in inbox....forwards are most attractive...but read them last
Have a sandwich and coffee
Call Girlfreind
Have a walk on the work floor, give some instructions
Oh my goodness its Lunch time...the one awaited
Reply some mails
Go thru schedule for 5 minutes
Go to floor for follow up for 5 minutes
Call Girlfreind
Have Coffee
Write mails
Shutdown Computer.....Day is over

Clive Randall
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Wake up
Go to the office
read the paper
attend meetings
organise the planners
answer their questions
more meetings
read a few blogs over lunch
more meetings
look at planning planet and other areas referenced by Charlie
go home
have a beer
Jerome Atkin
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Very well said James,
Made me smile this morning !
James Griffiths
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Oliver,

You’re quite right in that "working the plan" is driving discipline behind achieving the primary objective (whatever that may be). Unfortunately there is a continually changing workscope (precluding the kids from beating-the-hell out of each other, constant additional energy infusions, avoidance of asset destruction etc). All these are randomly occuring activities that, although have a statistical probablity of occurence, have an unknown duration. This induces a scope variation that diverts the primary resource from the baseline activities - thus inducing a further reduction in the SPI and CPI values.

With regard to the overspend on the sub-primary resource: Yes, I have considered outsourcing certain elements of the main contract. Unfortunately, running two such activities in parallel tends to cause a further overspend as well as additional physical exhaustion. However, should one consider terminating the main contract, the overall Exit Cost is likely to exceed the existing baseline value + forecast overspend. Tis probably better to attempt to impose a cost-control system that applies significant constraints on the expenditure portfolio.

James.
Oliver Melling
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James,

I suggest ’planning the work and working the plan!’ if you need to get something done.
If the marital cost centre is taking a hammering, then maybe you could mitigate your anger by placing a ’sub-contract’.
Luke Hayman
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"If you fail to plan, you plan to fail" - thats a belter - heard on numerous occasions no doubt? James I sympathise with you, I am not married so cannot comment.
James Griffiths
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My day tends to go in reverse. "Plan a bit of doing......" But for some reason I’m always behind schedule...and the wife is overspending.

James.
Chris Oggham
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Oliver,

Strange how similar our days are, except for that "Do a bit o planning.........." stuff.

Chris
Oliver Melling
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A likely excuse.
Luke Hayman
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I knew I had seen your name somewhere before.............. the phone cut out itself, honest.............
Oliver Melling
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Luke,

Normally start off by logging on an opening email inbox.

Usually have several PPlanet posts in there, one or two about solving real problems people have with planning issues, and a few written by a guy called Charlie who rants about imperialistic native born English speaking planners.

Do a bit o planning..........

At around 10 o’clock Brad Lord usually posts about the wonders of being a contractor, gives me a bit of abuse, then disapears.

Do a bit o planning..........

When dinner time arrives Gwen Blair makes witty remarks on a few threads, which is usually the time Clive Randell appears on the scene and tries to romance her with some poetic planning procedures.

Do a bit o planning..........

Mid-afternoon, an agent calls asking you if you want a job at the place you already work at but on more money. You tell him that you already work there, they hangup.

Do a bit o planning..........

Go home.