The Transition to Planning: From Framed Opportunity to Defined Project

What Project Teams Must Do After Authorization — and Before Execution

The Project Charter is signed. The project is officially authorized.

Now what?

This is where many teams make a dangerous leap: From high-level approval straight into execution — before the plan is ready.

But smart teams know: There’s a critical transition zone between initiation and execution. It’s called project planning — and it’s where the project gets real.

In this article, we unpack how to manage this transition with clarity, discipline, and purpose — so your team is building on solid ground, not wishful thinking.

The Purpose of the Planning Phase

Planning is not “just paperwork.” It’s where you translate vision into structure, and intent into control.

The goal of this phase is to produce a complete, realistic, and agreed-upon project plan — detailed enough to:

• Define what will be delivered

• Estimate how long it will take

• Project how much it will cost

• Identify key risks and constraints

• Secure full project funding or release of the next tranche

It’s also the foundation for control. No credible project control system can exist without a credible plan.

What Must Be Developed During This Transition

These outputs allow you to set the performance baselines that guide the entire project execution phase.

Common Mistakes in This Phase

• Jumping into action before the plan is complete

• Underestimating the time and effort needed to plan properly

• Failing to align internal stakeholders and external partners

• Treating risk management as an afterthought

• Using outdated templates or boilerplate plans with no real analysis

This is the moment to pause and plan — not to rush and regret.

Governance at This Stage

In major capital projects, this transition often includes:

• A formal Planning Gate or Stage Review

• Presentation of the Project Execution Plan (PEP)

• Approval of the baseline schedule and budget

• Final decision to proceed to execution and procurement

No contract should be awarded, no site mobilized, no procurement released — unless the plan is fully validated and approved.

Final Thought

The planning phase is not a pause in momentum — it’s where momentum becomes direction.

If you skip this phase or treat it lightly, you may still launch your project… But you’ll be managing surprises, changes, and confusion from Day 1.

So take the time. Do the work. Plan like execution depends on it — because it does.