To understand what project planning is, we need to know the project management cycle. There are four phases in the cycle: initiation, planning, execution and closure. Planning phase stands second.
Project Planning Phase Goal: Define project scope, timelines, costs, deliverables and schedules.
Project planning is a highly disciplined activity and is at the heart of effective project management. It is an essential skill for the project managers to be able to plan and build an accurate timeline for the project. It is primarily concerned with deciding what, how, when, and who will take the required actions to accomplish established objectives.
1. STAKEHOLDERS NEEDS: Stakeholders will include anyone affected by your project – employees, clients, users and project sponsors. Identify these stakeholders and prioritize their needs. Make sure you keep it on point and focus on only that which is important for the project.
2. PROJECT OBJECTIVES: Create the project objectives from the stakeholder’s needs. These objectives should be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely(S.M.A.R.T). For example, create an objective of “get two more clients each month” instead of “get more clients.”
3. DELIVERABLES AND DUE DATES: Your deliverables are the products or services you need to deliver. Each deliverable should include a timeline.
4. PROJECT SCHEDULE: Projects schedules specify the deliverables, tasks for each deliverable, the time frames for completing the tasks and who will complete them.
To help create these schedules, brainstorm on a whiteboard or use modern methods such as collaboration apps.
5. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: Specify who oversees the projects, handles each deliverable and what client roles are. Defining roles ensures everyone understands what’s expected of them and also that they remain accountable.
6. PROJECT COSTS: Understanding project costs helps you allocate budgets and aids in identifying shortfalls early on in the project.
7. COMMUNICATION PLAN: Your communication plan should detail how often you communicate with stakeholders. Also, what type of communication they want. Mention any project checkpoints that require client approval before proceeding.
8. TRACKING AND MANAGEMENT TOOLS: How will you communicate with stakeholders? How will you deliver what your client wants? Decide on all the tools that you want to use.
8 Comments
Trisha Badlu · February 22, 2021 at 5:30 pm
Great post Manogna. I really like how you go through the project planning elements and provide an explanation for each of them. It’s very important for project objectives to be specific and measurable, like you said. I don’t have real-world experience with project management, but when I took the software engineering courses, Dr. Hussain really made us understand that these objectives need to be measurable or quantitative so that you will essentially know when you have reached a goal. Identifying roles and responsibilities is also important. When something doesn’t go according to plan, people tend to be quick to point fingers. By making everyone’s responsibilities clear, assigning tasks to team members to fix mistakes will be a lot easier.
Autumn Coulton · February 23, 2021 at 7:25 am
This was a very good and clear explanation of the different elements for project management! I like your use of the photos throughout the text to relate the next topic. For project objectives you had a good example of a simple change that could be made in order to quantify a goal. This is an important change because it is a goal that can be achieved, whereas “get more clients” is a range that could differ from person to person.
Sean Kinneer · February 23, 2021 at 1:11 pm
You did an awesome job, Manogna! I love how provided the four phases, where planning fit into those phases, and then defined project planning at the start. The 8 step picture is a great visual and guidance for the rest of your post. It is very organized. Project Planning is important to getting the job done properly. It is important for the project manager to be keep things focused when preparing objectives. I like how you gave a specific example in getting two new customers rather than just get new customers. Giving an objective a concrete number makes it seem more realistic and becomes more achievable. Organizing and laying out a calendar of all the deliverables and their due dates makes setting goals for the day, week, or month easier. Scheduling and use of modern technologies like the Gantt Chart you posted are allow us to have all the key details in one place. Roles and responsibilities can included on that Gant chart as well. Knowing the project costs and budget help give the project manager a realistic idea of what they can have their team prepare for the client. Deciding all the tools in the beginning that you and your team will use throughout the whole course of the project phases will only further contribute to the organization of all the other key elements.
Vivian Azar · February 23, 2021 at 2:11 pm
I agree with Sean, really liking how you first gave context by explaining the components of the project management cycle before honing in specifically on the planning aspect of it. It was a good and concise way of reminding the reader on how project planning is part of a much bigger whole. I also appreciate the little details of adding bolded and color text, as it adds some visual interest in that first paragraph. Sometimes while reading articles online I find it hard to stay interested when bodies of text are largely unformatted, but utilizing color and bolding keywords here and there does well in giving readers an overview of the main points to be aware of while reading. Nicely done!
Savannah Swartzel · February 23, 2021 at 2:15 pm
This is a wonderful post. I really like the illustration on role clarity. It’s something that can often be mistaken and lead to a lot of pointed fingers later in the game. Really great organization in the Project Planning Phase Goals. There is a lot of information and the illustration of the phase goal really puts everything into perspective.
Brandon Kresge · February 23, 2021 at 2:55 pm
Very detailed and broken down well. I think the pictures really helps put everything into perspective, as well. I liked the mention of the whiteboard, but also collaboration apps. There is a lot to do for a project manager between budgeting, communicating, and planning seemingly the most important. I think all the documents are helpful, but communication between everyone makes sure they can be updated and finished properly. Even if something goes wrong, it is up to the project manager to make sure everyone is okay and they stay on schedule. It is also the job of the project manager to take everyone’s opinions into account, and to say “no” to anything that may not be applicable.
Brandon Sutton · February 23, 2021 at 4:49 pm
What a wonderful post, Manogna! I liked the overall presentation of the project management cycle, followed by your more detailed descriptions of every stage. One great point you made was the importance of defining clear, absolute goals that don’t leave room for each person’s different interpretations. It seems way more likely that goals of this nature will be completed, and that the team at whole will garner the satisfaction of attaining them.
Griffin Nye · February 23, 2021 at 5:35 pm
Great article, Manogna! You did a great job of clearly organizing and presenting the key elements of successful project planning. I definitely agree that it is extremely important that the project objectives, roles, and responsibilities must be clearly defined, measurable, and assigned to each team member. It is extremely important that the project manager clearly communicates these to the team to ensure accountability of the project’s team members and that the project meets its expectations.