NOW &THEN #13: POWER AND LIMIT OF PLANNING

 Sunday 7/3/2021


The Power and Limits of Planning

There’s a popular mantra in project management: “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.” As engineers, we know this like the back of our hand. Every day, we’re involved in one or more projects—planning, coordinating, executing. Without a proper plan, execution becomes guesswork. We need to define the scope, estimate the cost, and schedule our timelines. It’s as essential to us as our daily glass of teh tarik.

But after nearly 40 years of managing projects, I’ve learned that even with a solid plan, things can still go wrong. Planning doesn’t guarantee success—it only increases the probability of it. In other words, planning doesn’t eliminate failure, but it does tilt the odds in our favor.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, as the Movement Control Order (MCO) dragged on, life became unpredictable. But recently, we were finally allowed to go out again. So, I planned a long-awaited cycling trip in KL—my first in almost a year. I even prepared everything the day before, eager to reunite with the road, and more importantly, with my cycling friends over a hot cup of teh tarik.

But on the day itself, the skies opened up—it rained cats and dogs across KL and Putrajaya. The trip was cancelled, and I found myself stuck at home, writing this reflection instead.

It reminded me of my early days in the 1980s, when opportunities were plenty. Many young professionals were leaving government service to venture into business. I, too, left after nearly nine years with JKR. I didn’t take the plunge into private business immediately but joined GLCs and PLCs to gain experience and financial stability.

After about a decade, with enough experience under my belt and some savings set aside, I started my own business in construction and water engineering. There were successes—and there were failures. Looking back, I earned more consistent income working in PLCs, even though the business brought in more revenue. But much of that revenue went into salaries, overheads, and capital expenses. When the construction sector slowed in the late 1990s, I had to pivot.

My exit strategy was to sell my companies. Then, with a few associates, I launched a project management consultancy offering both training and advisory services. That venture turned out to be a great success—we earned well and enjoyed the work.

Now, in the age of COVID-19, I’ve adapted once again. These days, I provide business coaching to young artists, helping them navigate entrepreneurship—all done virtually via Zoom. That’s life. To survive, we must remain flexible and open to change.

So, what are the lessons learned?

As Woody Allen once joked, “If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans.” While we may plan diligently, ultimately, we believe in a higher will. As a Muslim, I embrace the concepts of Qada’ and Qadar—Divine Decree and Predestination. We do our best, but we must also accept that some things are beyond our control.

Plans give us direction, but faith gives us strength to navigate the unknown.





Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

NOW &THEN #15 : SCHOOL LIBRARIES

Image
  Tuesday, 9 March 2021 During a business discussion with Dr. Ghazali Mohd Fadzil on the role of Knowledge Management in government departments and corporate bodies, he shared with me his ongoing project with Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (UMK), focusing on supporting school libraries in Kelantan. His efforts struck a deep chord in me—it reminded me of the dire condition of school libraries in my hometown district of Bachok. Bachok, like much of Kelantan, is burdened with long-standing socio-economic challenges. After more than three decades of PAS-led government, meaningful development is minimal. Many communities seem caught in a comfort zone, perhaps resigned to a status quo that offers familiarity but little progress. But what about the children growing up now? In 20 years, they will become adults, carrying mindsets that may diverge dramatically from their parents’. What kind of foundation are we laying for them—intellectually, socially, and spiritually? Frankly, I’ve lost hope ...
Read more

NOW & THEN #18: TGIF

  FRIDAY 12.3.2021 TGIF is famous for many reasons.I love the steaks at Restaurant TGIF at Alamanda. Today, I am writing on Friday for a different reason. Pandemic COVID19 began in March 2020. It is almost one year has passed. Now , we are still in COVID19 period and I donot know when it is going to end. This is the first time I experienced living in physical isolation and movement restriction imposed by government MCO. What comes to my mind, my parents had to go through WW11 experience fearing for their lives from Japanese Occupation and now my turn fearing for our lkives from COVID 19 virus- unseen and very quiet. As Muslims, we have to attend Solat Jumaat at our masjid. Considering my age 69 years old, I prefer to pray only at my home.  Any thing happen if I go to the masjid.  A few of younger friends got inflicted with Covid19 after attneding solat at masjid.  One of my friends died because he got it from his wife who went shopping.
Read more

NOW & THEN #02: REFLECTION ON MY CAMERA AND PHOTOGRAPHY

Image
  Thursday, 25 February 2021 I woke up at 4 a.m. and, as usual, checked my Facebook. To my delight, I saw two compliments from friends who appreciated the way I had composed a photo taken at Taman Saujana Hijau on 24 October 2010. This stunning, multi-million-ringgit elevated garden, located in Presint 11, Putrajaya, was once my favorite place for walking and cycling before the Covid-19 MCO banned outdoor activities in public parks. Photography has been a long and evolving journey for me. My first DSLR, a Canon 400D, was a major purchase in December 2006. As a beginner, spending RM3,500 on a camera felt like a bold investment, especially since I had no clue how to use it properly. But this was not my first expensive mistake in photography. That honor goes to my Nikon F3, a film camera I bought in 1998 for RM2,500 to capture family memories, especially our holidays in London. Excited at first, I used the Nikon F3 for family events like weddings, but after a few months, I stored it i...
Read more