The Seven P’s – Proper, Prior, Planning, Prevents, Piss, Poor, Performance.
The first time I ever heard of the seven P’s was from an ex-military type that I was dealing with who was working on some satellite communications work we were doing.
Though this is supposedly a British military adage, I think we all get the gist of it.
Educators and trainers in the non-military world find it useful.
The humour and shock of the mild expletive help make the adage memorable and it is most often used in project planning, or when training people to function in life-or-death situations.
There are other versions
- Proper Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance
- Prior Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance
- Prior Proper Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance
- Piss Poor Planning Promotes Piss Poor Performance
- Prior Preparation and Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance
- Positive Pre-Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance
The phrase evolves in order to fit certain scenarios in a better way, such as :
- Proper Planning and Practice Prevents Piss Poor Performance
- Prior Proper Planning Prevents Painfully Poor Production
- Prior Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Production
The message is clear though, just as for Boy Scouts – ‘Be Prepared’ means being ready for anything, by planning ahead you may avert misadventures.