While planning is the foundation of project success, various tools will have varying degrees of success, depending on the nature of the project, the expertise of the users and their timing and way of application.

Let's take the Gantt tool for example. It really is a useful planning and monitoring tool, but unless the project PM and team have the discipline to control the schedule and sequence, there will be no advantage achieved from its use. Similarly, a WBS works best when project teams are handed specific responsibility for work packages so that there is clear accountability.

Consequently, in your reflection and eventual analysis, do think about some of these contextual and behavioral influences (contingency factors) on the impact of project planning tools. What are the conditions of application of these tools?