The eight planning threads: the frame behind the course and Sen
A plan is not one document. It is eight threads that must run together. The Krong course is built around them, and Sen is laid out to hold them.
Why threads
A thread is a line of thinking that runs through the whole plan. Pull one and the others move. A plan that treats them as separate chapters looks complete and still fails, because nobody checked the joints. A plan that keeps them connected tells one story from the sponsor's goal to the last task.
The eight threads
| Thread | The question it answers | Where it lives in Sen |
|---|---|---|
| Mandate | Why are we doing this, and who authorised it? | Business case |
| Outcomes | What will be different, and how will we know? | KPI and evaluation |
| People | Who is affected, who decides, and who does the work? | Stakeholders, RACI, Resources |
| Work | What exactly must be delivered? | Schedule and work breakdown |
| Time | When, and in what order? | Schedule, critical path, milestones and gates |
| Money | What will it cost, and when is it spent? | Budget and EVM, Cash flow |
| Uncertainty | What could go wrong, and what have we assumed? | Risk and contingency, Assumptions, Issues |
| Adoption | Will people actually use what we deliver? | Adoption tasks, stakeholder engagement, KPIs |
Five principles
- Connect the threads. A figure lives in one place and is used everywhere.
- Prove it. Every number has a source and a method.
- Value is measured, not claimed. Benefits have a baseline, a target and an owner.
- Built to last. The plan survives handover and audit.
- People decide and own. AI and software help. People are accountable.
How the threads connect
Work connects to Time: every task has a duration and a predecessor. Work connects to Money: every task has a budget. Work connects to People: every task has one accountable owner. Uncertainty connects to all of them, because a risk threatens a task, a date, a cost or a person. Mandate and Outcomes sit above the rest: they say why the work exists, and how you will know it paid off.
What you see on the guides
Each guide shows the eight threads at the top and highlights the ones it covers. The critical path guide lights up Work and Time. The earned value guide lights up Work, Time and Money. The point is to show how any one technique is a view of a connected plan, not a stand-alone skill.
Where the course fits
Sen lays the threads out as tabs, so you can see them. The course teaches how to build each one well, and how to check that they agree. Read the guide on Sen and the course for the difference.
Questions people ask
Are these threads a standard?
No. They are the frame used in the Krong course. They are a way of checking a plan is complete and connected.
Do I need all eight on every project?
Every project has all eight, even a small one. A small project may need only a line or two on each.
Where should I start?
Begin with Mandate and Work. Everything else hangs from why you are doing it and what you must deliver.
See it in a real plan
Open Sen and explore the Caldera Freight example. Every figure on this page comes from it. Copy it, change a task, and watch the plan move together.
Open Sen, free About the course