Q. How much time should planning take?

Times taken for individual projects differ considerably frequently due to circumstances beyond the project manager's control such as changes in market demand or economic conditions. But studies have shown that good planning for projects in new surroundings takes approximately the same amount of time as that required for implementation. Ten months of conceptual development as well as planning is not unreasonable for a project that will take ten months to construct. On the other side planning for a well arranged plant maintenance shut-down may take several times as long as the shutdown itself.