Lesson 4: Project Planning
- b00108386
- Oct 27, 2020
- 2 min read
For a Project to be planned properly it is very important that we put together a Baseline plan that consists of 3 different stages:
Initial Project Coordination: The objectives need to be clearly established in the project launch meeting and it is important that they are tied to the overall mission of the firm.
Project Launch Meeting: The technical scope of the project is established as with the tentative schedules, budgets, and areas of performance (Responsibility Matrix)
Composite Plan: Each individual is given a section and it is then their responsibility to put a plan in place to achieve it. This has to be agreed with the Project Manager.
Project Plans: They are all different and they vary among organizations but they all share the following characteristics:
Overview: A short summary of the objectives and the scope of the project
Specific Project Objectives: A more detailed statement of the scope.
Schedules: List of various schedules, milestones, and events.
Resources: Budget, cost monitoring, and control procedures.
General approach to the work: Managerial and technical approach to the works
Contractual Aspects: Complete list of all the reporting requirements
Personnel Issues: Training requirements, specials kills, and security clearances.
Evaluation methods / Quality: The project should be evaluated against certain standards
Problems / Risks: How to deal with subcontractor default, technical failure, or tight deadlines.
Project Initiaiton Document
Project Justification (Project Charter)
Project Definition
Key Assumptions
Business Case or cost-benefit analysis
Team dynamics
Communication Plan
Quality PLan
Project or action plan
Controls
Risk Log
Contingency PLan
Documentation Structure
Scope creep and leap: They are the root cause of project failure. Scope creep is when the project starts being carried away with the increase of cost of time for example. Leap is when the project changes completely.
All activities in a project need to be clearly defined and coordinated properly. Some of the tasks are done simultaneously while others are done subsequentially. This is what we call the hierarchical planning system and what is done with the help of Microsoft Project.
Hi Gregory,
I found Lesson 4 tough to get through because it had a lot of information in it. You have done a good job summarising all of the key points contained in the lessons.
Onwards and upwards,
-Anthony.
Hi Gregory, great image for this post and a nice little summary of this highly complex and detailed topic. Some of these topics we are covering are much bigger than others and therefore will require more time and effort to get to grips with. The hope is that as we progress you begin to broaden your understanding of what it takes to plan and execute a successful project. Although a lot of these things may seem over the top, they are all simply tools to help us control and execute a projects, no matter how small or big they are. So, the more tips and lessons you can learn the better it will be for you as a project manager,…