From Planning to Performance: Why the Best Projects Are Won Before Execution Begins

From Planning to Performance: Why the Best Projects Are Won Before Execution Begins

Why do strategically important projects continue to experience delays, cost overruns and repeated contract amendments, even when the technical need is clear and financing has been secured?

This challenge is not confined to one country, region or sector. Governments, development institutions and corporations around the world frequently begin procurement before the conditions required for successful delivery are fully in place. Land may not be available. Financing conditions may not align with implementation schedules. Supplier markets may be poorly understood. Stakeholder concerns may remain unresolved. Contract-management systems may not be ready. The consequences emerge during implementation as delayed payments, stalled work, contractual disputes, repeated amendments and escalating costs. What appears to be an execution failure is often a planning failure that has travelled downstream.

In the second issue of the AISCR Thought Leadership Series, Prof. Marcus Ambe examines procurement planning as a strategic institutional capability that connects project objectives, financing, market conditions, supplier capacity, risk allocation, stakeholder interests and contract execution.

Drawing lessons from the Yaoundé–Douala Highway and Babadjou-Bamenda Road projects in Cameroon, and connecting them with wider international experience, the article identifies lessons that apply to major infrastructure, healthcare, technology and public-service investments globally. The central argument is clear: projects do not begin when contractors arrive on site. They begin when leaders align the conditions required for successful delivery.

Key insights for global leaders

• Procurement planning is a strategic management responsibility, not merely an administrative or compliance requirement.
• Financial readiness does not necessarily mean that a project is ready for execution.
• Financing, land access, compensation, stakeholder engagement and procurement schedules must be synchronized before major commitments are made.
• Market intelligence and supplier-capability assessments should inform the procurement strategy before an organization approaches the market.
• Contract management begins before contract award, when performance expectations, risk allocation, governance arrangements and monitoring systems are established.
• Strong regulations produce results only when institutions have the capability and discipline to implement them consistently.
• Projects should be designed for uncertainty rather than reacting to foreseeable risks after implementation has begun.

The article concludes with five practical leadership principles for moving from planning to performance. These principles provide a framework for governments, development partners, corporate executives and project leaders seeking to improve delivery performance and convert strategic investments into sustainable public value. The defining question is no longer simply: “Are we ready to tender?”

It is: “Are we ready to deliver?”

That distinction can determine whether a project delivers its intended value or spends years managing problems that could have been anticipated before contract award.

Author: Prof. Marcus Ambe
Founder and President/CEO, Advanced Institute for Supply Chain Research
Associate Professor of Supply Chain Management, Jackson State University

Download the full Thought Leadership Article