P.A.C.E. Planning for Your Project

Why do you need P.A.C.E. planning for your project? Well, contingency planning for projects, special events and even our personal lives is key. In this episode I share the basics of Primary Alternate Contingency Emergency or “P.A.C.E.” planning and its importance to Project Management.

LISTEN HERE: ‘Foundations Friday 23: Set the P.A.C.E. for Your Projects

Sample Key Concepts from New System Go-Live P.A.C.E. Plans:

P.A.C.E. MODEL Below please find the P.A.C.E. model explained as well as continuity and decision making guidance for all-hazards event planners and incident responders.

Breaking down P.A.C.E.:

Primary Plan
- The “sunny skies” plan focused on main objective of on time go-live
- Most desirable option
- Full functionality with all systems
- Yields most desirable results
- Examples: Go-Live plan, Project Management Plan (PMP)
Alternate Plan
- A “partly sunny” plan that closely supports Primary plan
- This one is less desirable, but still viable
- Partial functionality, but still going live
- May be less desirable, but still supports Primary plan
- Examples: revised Go-Live and PMP
Contingency Plan
- This plan focuses on going live with one, but not all components
- Not desirable
- Partial go-live
- Examples: Manage event, downtime or other incidents just before, at time of or during Go-Live
Emergency Plan
- Focus on back out and complete delay go-live
- Last choice
- No go-live
- Examples: How do we go back to pre-system change; Can we go back? We cannot go plan
Continuity and “Paying it Forward”
- Good leaders have trained “two levels up and two levels down”
- This means knowledge and information sharing two levels above you in the org chart and two levels below you in the org chart
- Prepare others for success by empowering them with knowledge
Consider the “Time Wedge”
- The more time you allow to pass, the less options you may have when making a decision