by Project planning is part of project management, which relates to the use of schedules such as Gantt charts to plan and subsequently report progress within the project environment. Project planning can be done manually or by the use of project management software.
A project plan is a series of formal documents that define the execution and control stages of a project. The plan includes considerations for risk management, resource management and communications, while also addressing scope, cost and schedule baselines. Project planning software is used by project managers to ensure that their plans are thorough and robust.
Initially, the project scope is defined and the appropriate methods for completing the project are determined. Following this step, the durations for the various tasks necessary to complete the work are listed and grouped into a work breakdown structure. Project planning is often used to organize different areas of a project, including project plans, work loads and the management of teams and individuals. The logical dependencies between tasks are defined using an activity network diagram that enables identification of the critical path. Project planning is inherently uncertain as it must be done before the project is actually started. Therefore, the duration of the tasks is often estimated through a weighted average of optimistic, normal, and pessimistic cases. The critical chain method adds “buffers” in the planning to anticipate potential delays in project execution. Float or slack time in the schedule can be calculated using project management software. Then the necessary resources can be estimated and costs for each activity can be allocated to each resource, giving the total project cost. At this stage, the project schedule may be optimized to achieve the appropriate balance between resource usage and project duration to comply with the project objectives. Once established and agreed, the project schedule becomes what is known as the baseline schedule. Progress will be measured against the baseline schedule throughout the life of the project. Analyzing progress compared to the baseline schedule is known as earned value management.
The inputs of the project planning phase 2 include the project charter and the concept proposal. The outputs of the project planning phase include the project requirements, the project schedule, and the project management plan.
Project plan consists of the following documents:
- Statement of Work: A statement of work (SOW) defines the project’s scope, schedule, deliverables, milestones, and tasks.
- Project Charter: Provides a general overview of the project. It describes the project’s reasons, goals, objectives, constraints, stakeholders, among other aspects.
- Project Plan: The project plan document is divided in sections to cover the following: Scope management, Quality management, Risk assessment, Resource management, Stakeholder management, Schedule management and the change management plan.
- Work Breakdown Structure: Breaks down the project scope into the project phases, subprojects, deliverables, and work packages that lead to your final deliverable.
Importance of Project Planning
Scheduling
A project plan should include a fairly accurate project schedule. This schedule allows you to understand the true time commitment a project requires. If you anticipate project completion within two months and the project team delivers a schedule that calls for a minimum of four months, you may need to reassess whether you want to move forward. On the other hand, if the team delivers a six-week schedule, you may decide to start the project immediately.
Reality Check
A project plan functions, at the outset, as a firm reality check. For example, maybe you want to change operating systems on every computer in your business because the switch will provide better program integration. If the business rushes into the switch, you might discover higher than expected licensing fees or crippled data transfer between computers running different operating systems. Project planning will alert you to issues like total cost and potential pitfalls before you commit the business.
Coherence
A project plan keeps all the players on the same page. Without a project plan in place, the project team members may misinterpret the overall goals of the project. This can lead them to purchase inappropriate equipment, hire unnecessary consultants or deliver a useless final product. The absence of a clear project plan also puts you in the position of not understanding the activities of your employees. With the plan in place, everyone remains clear on the goals and the expected path to the goals. Employees can identify what they’re working on and why, while you can reference the plan to measure progress.
Resource Requirements
Projects typically call for financial, material and human resources. In most cases, financial and material resources boil down to a simple yes or no. Either the company can supply the resources or the company cannot supply them. Human resources represent a more complex problem. Even appropriately staffed project teams often need to borrow human resources throughout the life of the project. Borrowing these human resources may set back other projects or call for hiring additional staff for periods of time. Understanding these resource requirements better equips you to make a final decision about when or if to move forward.
Functions of Project Planning
Time
When planning a project, its expected duration is defined and each of the tasks and activities making up the project are fitted into the specified timeline. Sinnaps is an effective time management tool that clearly highlights when an activity should be stared and by what date and time it should be completed. Weekly progress reports keep team members up to date on whether they are keeping with the time constraints or not.
An activity that is overdue is automatically highlighted so that the persons responsible are aware. KPIs also serve as a visualisation of whether timing is on track or should be revised. Time is of the essence and Sinnaps understands this.
Cost
Every project will incur some amount of costs. These costs are agreed upon in project scope management and should be monitored and followed throughout the project. Tools such as KPIs which are included in Sinnaps help you to keep control over project costs, what you are spending and on what and whether you are keeping with the defined budget.
Team Building
A project cannot be carried out without a team. People are an essential part of any project and should be valued accordingly. Team members are added to the project on Sinnaps and they have constant access to the project no matter where they are and what time it is. This is because all you need to access Sinnaps is a web browser.
Quality
Often, projects are completed in-house for an organisation or for an external client. The reality of the situation is that if you want a repeat customer (who doesn’t?), your project result need to meet and if possible, go beyond certain quality standards.
Risk
Change and risk is constant in the field of project management. Thankfully project management functions such as risk management allow project teams to take back control over the risks and to face them in a collected and organised manner. As the saying goes ‘fail to prepare, prepare to fail’ and this stands true for risk management.
Communication
Clear and honest communication is crucial to effective project management and is one of the most important project management functions. Sinnaps includes a number of communication tools that emphasise its importance.
A project wall demonstrates in real time any project changes that have been introduced or any completed tasks, so that any dependent tasks can be started.
A live in-chat feature allows team member to communicate under specific tasks and to resolve any issues or doubts or to simply chat with other people.
System Integration
Project integration management is the coordination of all elements of a project. This includes coordinating tasks, resources, stakeholders, and any other project elements, in addition to managing conflicts between different aspects of a project, making trade-offs between competing requests, and evaluating resources. One example would be if a project is not on track, you may need to choose between going over budget or finishing the project late. Assessing the situation and making an informed decision is a key part of project integration management. Integrated project management ensures projects are not managed in isolation. It takes into account not only how aspects of your project relate to each other but also how other parts of the organization relate to your project.
Projects are complex, with a lot of different parts that need to be managed. For example, a project manager needs to oversee all of the following:
- Schedule
- Cost
- Scope
- Quality
- Resources
- Risks
- Changes
- Stakeholders
Processes should be followed for Successful project integration management:
- Develop the project charter
- Develop the project management plan
- Direct and manage project work
- Manage project knowledge
- Monitor and control project work
- Perform integrated change control
- Close the project (or project phase)
Integration management requires the ability to evaluate resources, make trade-offs and dealing with competing activities, project managers need to have a combination of soft skills and hard skills. These include the following:
- Planning
- Organization
- Communication
- Leadership
- Relationship management
- Critical thinking ability
- Data analysis
- Impact assessments
- Scheduling
- Budgeting
- Change management
- Risk management
