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  • What is project planning? (Plus, 7 ste ...

What is project planning? (Plus, 7 steps to write a successful project plan)

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Organize your projects with project plans to keep things on track—before you even start. A project plan houses all the necessary details of your project, such as goals, tasks, scope, deadlines, and deliverables. This shows stakeholders a clear roadmap of your project, ensures you have the resources for it, and holds everyone accountable from the start. In this article, we teach you the seven steps to create your own project plan.

Project plans are essential to keeping your project organized and on track. A great project plan will help you kick off your work with all the necessary pieces—from goals and budgets to milestones and communication plans—in one place. Save yourself time (and a few headaches) by creating a work plan that will make your project a success.

What is a project planning?

Project planning is the second stage in the project management process, following project initiation and preceding project execution. During the project planning stage, the project manager creates a project plan, which maps out project requirements. The project planning phase typically includes setting project goals, designating project resources, and mapping out the project schedule.

What is a project plan?

If you're still unsure about what a project plan is, here's how it differs from other project elements:

Project plan vs. work plan: A project plan and a work plan are the same thing. Different teams or departments might prefer one term or another—but they both ultimately describe the same thing: a list of big-picture action steps you need to take to hit your  project objectives .

Project plan vs. project charter: A project charter is an outline of your project. Mostly, you use project charters to get signoff from key stakeholders before you start. Which means your project charter comes before your project plan. A project charter is an outline of a simple project plan—it should only include your project objectives, scope, and responsibilities. Then, once your charter has been approved, you can create a project plan to provide a more in-depth blueprint of the key elements of your project.

Project plan vs. project scope: Your project scope defines the size and boundaries of your project. As part of your project plan, you should outline and share the scope of your project with all project stakeholders. If you’re ever worried about scope creep , you can refer back to your pre-defined scope within your project plan to get back on track.

Project plan vs. agile project: Agile project management is a framework to help teams break work into iterative, collaborative components . Agile frameworks are often run in conjunction with scrum and sprint methodologies. Like any project, an Agile project team can benefit from having a project plan in place before getting started with their work.

Project plan vs. work breakdown structure: Similar to a project plan, your work breakdown structure (WBS) helps you with project execution. While the project plan focuses on every aspect of your project, the WBS is focused on deliverables—breaking them down into sub-deliverables and project tasks. This helps you visualize the whole project in simple steps. Because it’s a visual format, your WBS is best viewed as a Gantt chart (or timeline), Kanban board , or calendar—especially if you’re using project management software .

Why are project plans important?

Project plans set the stage for the entire project. Without one, you’re missing a critical step in the overall project management process . When you launch into a project without defined goals or objectives, it can lead to disorganized work, frustration, and even scope creep. A clear, written project management plan provides a baseline direction to all stakeholders, while also keeping everyone accountable. It confirms that you have the resources you need for the project before it actually begins.

A project plan also allows you, as the person in charge of leading execution, to forecast any potential challenges you could run into while the project is still in the planning stages. That way, you can ensure the project will be achievable—or course-correct if necessary. According to a study conducted by the  Project Management Institute , there is a strong correlation between project planning and project success—the better your plan, the better your outcome. So, conquering the planning phase also makes for better project efficiency and results.

[Product UI] Brand campaign project plan in Asana, spreadsheet-style list (Lists)

7 steps to write a project plan to keep you on track

To create a clear project management plan, you need a way to track all of your moving parts . No matter what type of project you’re planning, every work plan should have:

Goals and project objectives

Success metrics

Stakeholders and roles

Scope and budget

Milestones , deliverables , and project dependencies

Timeline and schedule

Communication plan.

Not sure what each of these mean or should look like? Let’s dive into the details:

Step 1: Define your goals and objectives

You’re working on this project plan for a reason—likely to get you, your team, or your company to an end goal. But how will you know if you’ve reached that goal if you have no way of measuring success?

Every successful project plan should have a clear, desired outcome. Identifying your goals provides a rationale for your project plan. It also keeps everyone on the same page and focused on the results they want to achieve. Moreover, research shows that employees who know how their work is contributing to company objectives are 2X as motivated . Yet only 26% of employees have that clarity. That’s because most goal-setting happens separate from the actual work. By defining your goals within your work plan, you can connect the work your team is doing directly to the project objectives in real-time.

What's the difference between project goals and project objectives?

In general, your project goals should be higher-level than your project objectives. Your project goals should be SMART goals that help you measure project success and show how your project aligns with business objectives . The purpose of drafting project objectives, on the other hand, is to focus on the actual, specific deliverables you're going to achieve at the end of your project. Your project plan provides the direction your team needs to hit your goals, so you can create a workflow that hits project objectives.

Your project  plan  provides the direction your team needs to hit your goals, by way of your project objectives. By incorporating your goals directly into your planning documentation, you can keep your project’s North Star on hand. When you’re defining your project scope, or outlining your project schedule, check back on your goals to make sure that work is in favor of your main objectives.

Step 2: Set success metrics

Once you’ve defined your goals, make sure they’re measurable by setting key success metrics. While your goal serves as the intended result, you need success metrics to let you know whether or not you’re performing on track to achieve that result. The best way to do that is to set  SMART goals . With SMART goals, you can make sure your success metrics are clear and measurable, so you can look back at the end of your project and easily tell if you hit them or not.

For example, a goal for an event might be to host an annual 3-day conference for SEO professionals on June 22nd. A success metric for that goal might be having at least 1,000 people attend your conference. It’s both clear and measurable.

Step 3: Clarify stakeholders and roles

Running a project usually means getting  collaborators  involved in the execution of it. In your project management plan, outline which team members will be a part of the project and what each person’s role will be. This will help you decide who is responsible for each task (something we’ll get to shortly) and let stakeholders know how you expect them to be involved.

During this process, make sure to define the various roles and responsibilities your stakeholders might have. For example, who is directly responsible for the project’s success? How is your project team structured (i.e. do you have a project manager, a project sponsor , etc.)? Are there any approvers that should be involved before anything is finalized? What cross-functional stakeholders should be included in the project plan? Are there any  risk management factors  you need to include?

Consider using a system, such as a  RACI chart , to help determine who is driving the project forward, who will approve decisions, who will contribute to the project, and who needs to remain informed as the project progresses.

Then, once you’ve outlined all of your roles and stakeholders, make sure to include that documentation in your project plan. Once you finalize your plan, your work plan will become your cross-functional source of truth.

Step 4: Set your budget

Running a project usually costs money. Whether it’s hiring freelancers for content writing or a catering company for an event, you’ll probably be spending some cash.

Since you’ve already defined your goals and stakeholders as part of your project plan, use that information to establish your budget. For example, if this is a cross-functional project involving multiple departments, will the departments be splitting the project cost? If you have a specific goal metric like event attendees or new users, does your proposed budget support that endeavor?

By establishing your project budget during the project planning phase (and before the spending begins), you can get approval, more easily track progress, and make smart, economical decisions during the implementation phase of your project. Knowing your budget beforehand helps you with resource management , ensuring that you stay within the initial financial scope of the project. Planning helps you determine what parts of your project will cost what—leaving no room for surprises later on.

Step 5: Align on milestones, deliverables, and project dependencies

An important part of planning your project is setting milestones, or specific objectives that represent an achievement. Milestones don’t require a start and end date, but hitting one marks a significant accomplishment during your project. They are used to measure progress. For example, let’s say you’re working to develop a  new product for your company . Setting a milestone on your project timeline for when the prototype is finalized will help you measure the progress you’ve made so far.

A project deliverable , on the other hand, is what is actually produced once you meet a milestone. In our product development example, we hit a milestone when we produced the deliverable, which was the prototype. You can also use project dependencies —tasks that you can’t start until others are finished. Dependencies ensure that work only starts once it’s ready. Continuing the example, you can create a project dependency to require approval from the project lead before prototype testing begins.  

If you’re using our free project plan template , you can easily organize your project around deliverables, dependencies, and milestones. That way, everyone on the team has clear visibility into the work within your project scope, and the milestones your team will be working towards.

Step 6: Outline your timeline and schedule

In order to achieve your project goals, you and your stakeholders need clarity on your overall project timeline and schedule. Aligning on the time frame you have can help you better prioritize during strategic planning sessions.

Not all projects will have clear-cut timelines. If you're working on a large project with a few unknown dates, consider creating a  project roadmap  instead of a full-blown project timeline. That way, you can clarify the order of operations of various tasks without necessarily establishing exact dates.

Once you’ve covered the high-level responsibilities, it’s time to focus some energy on the details. In your  work plan template , start by breaking your project into tasks, ensuring no part of the process is skipped. Bigger tasks can even be broken down into smaller subtasks, making them more manageable.

Then, take each task and subtask, and assign it a start date and end date. You’ll begin to visually see everything come together in a  cohesive project timeline . Be sure to add stakeholders, mapping out who is doing what by when.

[Product UI] Brand campaign project in Asana, Gantt chart-style view (Timeline)

Step 7: Share your communication plan

We’ve established that most projects include multiple stakeholders. That means communication styles will vary among them. You have an opportunity to set your expectations up front for this particular project in your project plan. Having a communication plan is essential for making sure everyone understands what’s happening, how the project is progressing, and what’s going on next. And in case a roadblock comes up, you’ll already have a clear communication system in place.

As you’re developing your communication plan, consider the following questions:

How many project-related meetings do you need to have? What are their goals?

How will you manage project status updates ? Where will you share them?

What tool will you use to manage the project and communicate progress and updates?

[inline illustration] Communication plan for brand campaign in Asana (example)

Like the other elements of your project plan, make sure your communication plan is easily accessible within your project plan. Stakeholders and cross-functional collaborators should be able to easily find these guidelines during the planning and execution phases of your project. Using project planning tools or task management software that integrates with apps like Slack and Gmail can ensure all your communication happens in one easily accessible place. 

Example project plan

Next, to help you understand what your project management plan should look like, here are two example plans for marketing and design projects that will guide you during your own project planning.

Project plan example: annual content calendar

Let’s say you’re the Content Lead for your company, and it’s your responsibility to create and deliver on a content marketing calendar for all the content that will be published next year. You know your first step is to build your work plan. Here’s what it might look like:

Goals and success metrics

You establish that your goal for creating and executing against your content calendar is to increase engagement by 10%. Your success metrics are the open rate and click through rate on emails, your company’s social media followers, and how your pieces of content rank on search engines.

Stakeholders and each person’s role

There will be five people involved in this project.

You, Content Lead: Develop and maintain the calendar

Brandon and Jamie, Writers: Provide outlines and copy for each piece of content

Nate, Editor: Edit and give feedback on content

Paula, Producer: Publish the content once it’s written and edited

Your budget for the project plan and a year’s worth of content is $50,000.

Milestones and deliverables

Your first milestone is to finish the content calendar, which shows all topics for the year. The deliverable is a sharable version of the calendar. Both the milestone and the deliverables should be clearly marked on your project schedule.

You’ve determined that your schedule for your content calendar project plan will go as follows:

October 15 - November 1: The research phase to find ideas for topics for content

November 2 - November 30: Establish the topics you’ll write about

December 1 - January 1: Build the calendar

January 1 - December 31: Content will be written by Brandon and Jamie, and edited by Nate, throughout the year

January 16 - December 31: Paula will begin publishing and continue to do so on a rolling basis throughout the year.

You’ll have a kick-off meeting and then monthly update meetings as part of your communication plan. Weekly status updates will be sent on Friday afternoons. All project-related communication will occur within a  project management tool .

How ClassPass manages project plans from start to finish

Kerry Hoffman, Senior Project Manager of Marketing Operations at  ClassPass , oversees all marketing projects undertaken by the creative, growth, and content teams. Here are her top three strategies for managing project plans:

Identify stakeholders up front: No matter the size of the project, it’s critical to know who the stakeholders are and their role in the project so you ensure you involve the right people at each stage. This will also make the review and approval process clear before the team gets to work.

Agree on how you want to communicate about your project: Establish where and when communication should take place for your project to ensure that key information is captured in the right place so everyone stays aligned.

Be adaptable and learn other people’s working styles: Projects don’t always go according to plan, but by implementing proper integration management you can keep projects running smoothly. Also, find out how project members like to work so you take that into account as you create your plan. It will help things run smoother once you begin executing.

Write your next project plan like a pro

Congratulations—you’re officially a work planning pro. With a few steps, a little bit of time, and a whole lot of organization, you’ve successfully written a project plan.

Keep yourself and your team on track, and address challenges early by using project planning software like Asana . Work through each of the steps of your project plan with confidence, and streamline your communications with the team.

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project planning verbouwing

How to write an effective project plan in 6 simple steps

Deanna deBara

Contributing writer

If you’re a Type A personality, project planning might sound like music to your ears. Setting deadlines, organizing tasks, and creating order out of chaos — what’s not to love?

The reality is that project planning isn’t for everyone. In one survey by Association for Project Management, 76% of project professionals said their main project was a source of stress . Poor planning, unclear responsibilities, and overallocation are often the culprits behind the stress. 

An effective project plan helps teams stay within budget, scope, and schedule, while delivering quality work. In short, it gets you to the finish line without the stress.  

What is a project plan?

A project plan, also known as a work plan, is a blueprint of your project lifecycle. It’s like a roadmap — it clearly outlines how to get from where you are now (the beginning of the project) to where you want to go (the successful completion of the project). 

“A project plan is an action plan outlining how…[to] accomplish project goals,” says Jami Yazdani , certified Project Management Professional (PMP), project coach, project management consultant, and founder of Yazdani Consulting and Facilitation . 

A comprehensive project plan includes the project schedule, project scope, due dates, and deliverables. Writing a good project plan is key for any new, complex project in the pipeline.

Why Are Project Plans Important?

Project plans allow you to visualize your entire project, from beginning to end—and develop a clear strategy to get from point A to point B. Project plans steer stakeholders in the right direction and keep team members accountable with a common baseline.  

Project plans help you stay agile

Projects are bound by what is traditionally called the “iron triangle” of project management . It means that project managers have to work within the three constraints of scope, resources (project budget and teams), and schedule. You cannot make changes to one without impacting the other two.    

Modern-day project management has shifted to a more agile approach, with a focus on quality. This means that resources and schedules remain unchanged but a fixed number of iterations (flexible scope) helps teams deliver better quality and more value. 

A project plan puts this “agile triangle” in place by mapping out resources, schedules, and the number of iterations — sprints if you’re using a Scrum framework and work in progress (WIP) limits if you’re using the Kanban methodology . 

As Yazdani points out, “Project plans help us strategize a path to project success, allowing us to consider the factors that will impact our project, from stakeholders to budget to schedule delays, and plan how to maximize or mitigate these factors.” 

Project plans provide complete visibility

A project plan, when created with a comprehensive project management software , gives you 360-degree visibility throughout the project lifecycle. 

As a project manager, you need a single source of truth on team members and their project tasks, project scope, project objectives, and project timelines. A detailed project plan gives you this visibility and helps teams stay on track.

screenshot of a Jira Work Management project board

Project plans also help to get everyone involved on the same page, setting clear expectations around what needs to be accomplished, when, and by who. 

“Project plans create a framework for measuring project progress and success,” says Yazdani. “Project plans set clear expectations for…stakeholders by outlining exactly what…will [be accomplished] and when it will be delivered.”

Project plans boost engagement and productivity

A well-written project plan clarifies how each individual team member’s contributions play into the larger scope of the project and align with company goals. When employees see how their work directly impacts organizational growth, it generates buy-in and drives engagement , which is critical to a project’s success. 

“Project plans provide…teams with purpose and direction,” says Yazdani. “Transparent project plans show team members how their individual tasks and responsibilities contribute to the overall success of the project, encouraging engagement and collaboration.”

How To Write A Project Plan in 6 Steps

Writing a project plan requires, well, planning. Ideally, the seeds for a project plan need to be sowed before internal project sign-off begins. Before that sign-off, conduct capacity planning to estimate the resources you will need and if they’re available for the duration of the project. After all, you want to set your teams up for success with realistic end dates, buffer time to recharge or catch up in case of unexpected delays, and deliver quality work without experiencing burnout .

Based on organizational capacity, you can lay down project timelines and map out scope as well as success metrics, outline tasks, and build a feedback loop into your project plan. Follow these project planning steps to create a winning plan:      

1. Establish Project Scope And Metrics

Defining your project scope is essential to protecting your iron, or agile, triangle from crumbling. Too often, projects are hit with scope creep , causing delays, budget overruns, and anxiety.

“Clearly define your project’s scope or overall purpose,” says Yazdani. “Confirm any project parameters or constraints, like budget, resource availability, and timeline,” says Yazdani.

A project purpose statement is a high-level brief that defines the what, who, and why of the project along with how and when the goal will be accomplished. But just as important as defining your project scope and purpose is defining what metrics you’re going to use to track progress.

“Establish how you will measure success,” says Yazdani. “Are there metrics, performance criteria, or quality standards you need to meet?”

Clearly defining what your project is, the project’s overall purpose, and how you’re going to measure success lays the foundation for the rest of your project plan—so make sure you take the time to define each of these elements from the get-go.

2. Identify Key Project Stakeholders 

Get clarity on the team members you need to bring the project to life. In other words, identify the key stakeholders of the project. 

“List individuals or groups who will be impacted by the project,” says Yazdani. 

In addition to identifying who needs to be involved in the project, think about how they’ll need to be involved—and at what level. Use a tool like Confluence to run a virtual session to clarify roles and responsibilities, and find gaps that need to be filled. 

Let’s say you’re managing a cross-functional project to launch a new marketing campaign that includes team members from your marketing, design, and sales departments. 

When identifying your key stakeholders, you might create different lists based on the responsibility or level of involvement with the project:

  • Decision-makers (who will need to provide input at each step of the project)
  • Managers (who will be overseeing employees within their department) 
  • Creative talent (who will be actually creating the project deliverables for the campaign) from each department. 

Give your project plan an edge by using a Confluence template like the one below to outline roles and responsibilities.

confluence template preview for roles and responsibility document

Define roles, discuss responsibilities, and clarify which tasks fall under each teammate’s purview using this Confluence template. 

Getting clarity on who needs to be involved in the project—and how they’re going to be involved—will help guide the rest of the project plan writing process (particularly when it comes to creating and assigning tasks).

3. Outline Deliverables

Now is the time to get granular.

Each project milestone comprises a series of smaller, tangible tasks that your teams need to produce. While a big-picture view keeps teams aligned, you need signposts along the way to guide them on a day-to-day or weekly basis. Create a list of deliverables that will help you achieve the greater vision of the project. 

“What will you create, build, design, produce, accomplish or deliver?” says Yazdani. “Clearly outline your project’s concrete and tangible deliverables or outcomes.” Centralize these deliverables in a Trello board with designated cards for each one, like in the example below, so you keep work moving forward.

trello board that shows tasks organized into status columns

Each card on a board represents tasks and ideas and you can move cards across lists to show progress.

Defining the concrete items you need your project to deliver will help you reverse-engineer the things that need to happen to bring those items to life—which is a must before moving on to the next step.

4. Develop Actionable Tasks

Task management is an important component of any project plan because they help employees see what exactly they need to accomplish. Drill down those deliverables into actionable tasks to assign to your team. 

You can use either Confluence or Jira for different task management needs. If you want to track tasks alongside your work, like action items from a meeting or small team projects, it’s best to use Confluence. But if a project has multiple teams and you need insight into workflows, task history, and reporting, Jira makes it easy.      

“Let your deliverables guide the work of the project,” says Yazdani. “Break down each deliverable into smaller and smaller components until you get to an actionable task.” If a major deliverable is a set of content pieces, the smaller actionable tasks would be to create topic ideas, conduct research, and create outlines for each topic.  

Once you’ve broken down all of your deliverables into manageable, assignable subtasks, analyze how each of those tasks interacts with each other. That way, you can plan, prioritize, assign, and add deadlines accordingly.  

“Highlight any dependencies between tasks, such as tasks that can’t be started until another task is complete,” says Yazdani. “List any resources you will need to accomplish these tasks.”

When a task has multiple assignees, you need to streamline the workflow in your project plan. Say the content pieces you outlined need to be edited or peer-reviewed. A couple of articles may need an interview with a subject matter expert. Lay down a stage-by-stage process of each piece of content and pinpoint when each team member comes into play so you prevent bottlenecks and adjust timeframes.     

5. Assign Tasks And Deadlines

Assign tasks to your team and collaborate with employees to set deadlines for each task. When you involve employees in setting workloads and deadlines , you increase ownership and boost the chances of delivering quality work on time.  

After all, you want to move projects forward at a steady pace, but you also want to make sure your teams stay motivated and engaged. So, when writing your project plan, make sure to “set realistic and achievable deadlines for completing tasks and deliverables,” says Yazdani. “Highlight dates that are inflexible and factor in task dependencies. Add in milestones or checkpoints to monitor progress and celebrate successes .”

project planning verbouwing

Use Jira and Confluence to create tasks that live alongside your project plan or meeting agendas.

Once you map out all of your tasks and deadlines, you should have a clear picture of how and when your project is going to come together—and the initial writing process is just about finished.

But that doesn’t mean your project plan is complete! There’s one more key step to the process.

6. Share, Gather Feedback, And Adjust The Project Plan As Necessary

While steps 1 through 5 may make up your initial writing process, if you want your project plan to be as strong and complete as it can be, it’s important to share it with your team—and get their input on how they think it can be improved.

“Share the plan with your project team and key stakeholders, gathering feedback to make adjustments and improvements,” says Yazdani. 

A tool like Confluence helps knowledge flow freely within teams and departments, leading to better teamwork, higher collaboration, and a shared understanding of priorities. Coworkers can use comments, mentions, notifications, and co-editing capabilities to provide and discuss feedback. 

After you gather your team’s feedback —and make any necessary adjustments based on that feedback—you can consider your project plan complete. Hooray! 

But as your project progresses, things may change or evolve—so it’s important to stay flexible and make changes and adjustments as needed.

“Expect to update your plan as you gather more information, encounter changing requirements and delays, and learn from feedback and mistakes,” says Yazdani. “By using your project plan to guide your activities and measure progress, you’ll be able to refine and improve your plan as you move through the project, tweaking tasks and deadlines as deliverables are developed.”

Download a  template to create your project plan and customize it based on your needs.

Example of a simple project plan 

A project plan doesn’t have to be a complicated spreadsheet with multiple tabs and drop-down menus. It’s best to use a project planning tool like Confluence — or at least a project plan template — to make sure you cover every aspect of the project. A simple project plan includes these elements:

  • Project name, brief summary, and objective.
  • Project players or team members who will drive the project, along with their roles and responsibilities.
  • Key outcomes and due dates.
  • Project elements, ideally divided into must-have, nice-to-have and not-in-scope categories.
  • Milestones, milestone owners, and a project end date.
  • Reference material relevant to the project.

Project plan Confluence template

Best Practices For Writing Effective Project Plans

A project planning process can quickly turn into a mishmash of goals and tasks that end up in chaos but these best practices can give you a framework to create a project plan that leads to success.

Use Other Project Plans For Inspiration

There’s no need to reinvent the wheel for every new project! Instead, look to other successful project plans for inspiration—and use them as a guide when writing the plan for your project.

“Review templates and plans for similar projects, or for other projects within your organization or industry, to get ideas for structuring and drafting your own plan,” says Yazdani.

To get started, use a Trello project management template and customize it for your project plan by creating unique lists and adding cards under each list.

Trello-Project-Management-template

Build your team’s ideal workflow and mark each stage of the project plan as a list, with cards for each task. 

Get Your Team Involved In The Process

You may be in charge of spearheading the project. But that doesn’t mean that you have to—or even that you should—write the project plan alone. 

“Collaborate with your project team and key stakeholders on crafting a project plan,” says Yazdani. “Input into the project plan supports buy-in to project goals and encourages continued engagement throughout the project.”

With Confluence , you can organize project details in a centralized space and build a project plan collaboratively.

Don’t Let Perfect Be The Enemy Of The Good

You may be tempted to write (and rewrite) your project plan until you’ve got every detail mapped out perfectly. But spending too much time trying to get everything “perfect” can actually hold up the project. So don’t let perfect be the enemy of the good—and instead of getting caught up in getting everything perfect from the get-go, stay willing and flexible to adjust your project plan as you move forward.

“Focus on outcomes, not plan perfection,” says Yazdani. “While it would be awesome for the first draft of our plan to require no changes while also inspiring our team and ensuring project success, our goal shouldn’t be a perfect plan. Our goal is a plan that allows us to successfully deliver on project goals. Responsiveness to changing needs and a shifting environment is more important than plan perfection.”

Use the right tools to succeed with your project plan

Writing a project plan, especially if you’re new to the process, can feel overwhelming. But now that you know the exact steps to write one, make sure you have the tools you need to create a strong, cohesive plan from the ground up—and watch your project thrive as a result. 

Atlassian Together can help with project planning and management with a powerful combination of tools that make work flow across teams.

Guide your team to project success with Atlassian Together’s suite of products.

Advice, stories, and expertise about work life today.

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See how TeamGantt helps teams like yours meet deadlines, streamline communication.

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Successful marketing project starts with a plan.

Track event details and to-dos.

Scope out roadmaps and manage backlogs.

Manage design, copy, and video work.

Learn all about gantt charts and how to use them to manage projects more easily.

Hear real testimonials from real TeamGantt customers.

An image of the TeamGantt gantt chart.

How to Create a Realistic Project Plan with Templates & Examples

project planning verbouwing

As a project manager, a huge part of your role is to write project plans that help you keep projects on track. But that’s not all a project plan should do. 

A project plan is arguably the most important document you’ll create for a project. At its core, a plan should communicate your project approach and the process your team will use to manage the project according to scope.

Let’s take a closer look at how you can develop a rock-solid planning process that guides your team and projects to success.

What is a project plan?

Project plan example: what to include, why you should always write a project plan, 5 steps to an effective project planning process, how to create a project plan in teamgantt, free project plan templates.

A project plan is a document that maps out the tasks, effort, timing, and resources needed to meet project goals within a predefined scope. It’s often presented in the form of a gantt chart because it’s easy to visualize the project timeline and ensure work stays on track.

Any solid project management plan should answer the following questions:

  • What are the major deliverables?
  • How will we get to those deliverables and the deadline?
  • Who’s on the project team, and what role will they play in those deliverables?
  • Which stakeholders need to provide feedback on deliverables, and when?
  • When will the team meet milestones?

A project plan communicates this information in a simple, straightforward way so everyone clearly understands the objectives and how they contribute to project success. It may also be accompanied by other planning documents, such as a project charter , risk assessment , or communication plan .

While no two project plans are alike, they all share the same common building blocks. Be sure to include the following components in any project plan you create:

  • Project tasks : A detailed list of work to be done organized by project phase, process step, or work group
  • Project schedule : A visual timeline of task start dates, durations, and deadlines, with clear progress indicators
  • Key milestones : Major events, dates, decisions, and deliverables used for tracking forward progress
  • Dependencies : A line connecting tasks that need to happen in a certain order
  • Resources : Assignments that indicate the person or team responsible for completing a task

Here’s a simple example of what a project plan looks like with these basic elements highlighted:

An example of a project plan in gantt chart format with the following components highlighted: project tasks, project schedule, key milestones, dependencies, and resources.

Some people don’t understand the power of a good project plan. If you feel pressured to skip the plan and jump right into the work, remind your team and stakeholders that having a plan benefits everyone by making it easier to:

  • Build consensus before work begins : A detailed project plan ensures everyone has a clear understanding of—and agrees on—the overall process, scope, staffing, and even communications from the outset. That goes a long way in keeping project confusion and pop-up requests from gumming up the works.
  • Avoid scheduling conflicts : Project plans enable you to organize tasks so it’s clear who's responsible for what and when. If your team is juggling multiple projects, you can cross-reference other plans to see who’s available to take on new work before committing to a timeline.
  • Monitor project goals and scope : When new tasks creep in, it’s easy to lose sight of the original objectives. Spelling out the work you need to complete in a time-based plan keeps project goals front and center so you can ensure project scope stays intact.  ‍
  • Hold your team and stakeholders accountable : A good project plan sets expectations around the process and pacing you'll follow each step of the way. When plans are shared with teams and stakeholders, it keeps folks honest about what is—or isn’t—happening and forces you to resolve issues in a timely way.

Poor planning can lead to some pretty ugly consequences—from missed deadlines and budget overages to team burnout and client frustration. That’s why it’s important to establish a solid process you can use to plan any project. 

Planning a project doesn’t have to be difficult. These basic project planning steps can help you write a plan that’s both realistic and on target.

A chart that outlines 5 steps of the project planning process: 1. Discover & define; 2. Outline & draft; 3. Formalize & format; 4. Present & confirm; 5. Execute & adjust

  • Start with project discovery & definition
  • Draft a rough outline of your plan
  • Formalize your project management plan
  • Present & confirm your plan
  • Execute your plan & adjust as needed

Step 1: Start with project discovery and definition

A project plan is more than a dry document with dates. It’s the story of your project, and you don’t want it to be a tall tale! So make sure you know all the facts before you start creating a project plan.

Understand the project scope and value

Understanding the ins and outs of the project will help you determine the best process and identify any snags that might get in the way of success. Conduct your own research to dig deeper on:

  • Project goals and outcomes
  • Partnerships and outlying dependencies
  • Potential issues and risks

Review the scope of work , and dive into any documents or communications relevant to the project (maybe an RFP or notes from sales calls or client meetings). Be thorough in your research to uncover critical project details, and ask thoughtful questions before you commit to anything. 

Interview key stakeholders

If you want to dazzle stakeholders with a stellar project delivery, you’ve got to know how they work and what they expect. Schedule time with your main project contact, and ask them some tough questions about process, organizational politics, and general risks before creating a project plan. 

This will give project stakeholders confidence that your team has the experience to handle any difficult personality or situation. It also shows you care about the success of the project from the start.

Be sure to discuss these things with your stakeholders:

  • Product ownership and the decision-making process
  • Stakeholder interest/involvement levels
  • Key outages, meetings, deadlines, and driving factors
  • Related or similar projects, goals, and outcomes
  • The best way to communicate with partners and stakeholders

See a list of sample interview questions to ask stakeholders so you can develop better project plans.

Get to know your team

The last step in the research phase is to take time to learn more about the people who’ll be responsible for the work. Sit down with your team and get to know their:

  • Collaboration and communication styles
  • Availability and workload

Understanding these basics about your team will help you craft a thoughtful plan that takes their work styles and bandwidth into consideration. After all, a happy team delivers better projects.

Step 2: Draft a rough outline of your plan

Now that you’ve gathered the basic project details, the next step is to knock out a rough draft of your plan. Take some time to think about the discussions you had in the pre-planning phase and the approach your team might take to meet the project goals.

Sketch out the main components of your project plan

Sit down with a pen and paper (or a whiteboard), and outline how the project should work at a high level. Be sure you have a calendar close by to check dates.

If you’re at a loss for where to begin, start with the who, what, when, and how of the project. A first outline can be very rough and might look something like a work breakdown structure . Make sure your project outline includes the following components:

  • Deliverables and the tasks required to create them
  • Your client’s approval process
  • Timeframes associated with tasks/deliverables
  • Ideas on resources needed for tasks/deliverables
  • A list of the assumptions you’re making in the plan
  • A list of absolutes as they relate to the project budget and/or deadlines

Considering these elements will help you avoid surprises—or at least minimize them. And remember, you’re doing this as a draft so you can use it as a conversation-starter for your team. It’s not final yet!

Get input from your team on process, effort, and timing

You don’t want to put yourself or your team in an awkward position by not coming to a consensus on the approach before presenting it to your client. That's why a project manager can’t be the only one writing a project plan.

Once you’ve created a basic project outline, take those rough ideas and considerations to your team. This enables you to invite discussion about what might work rather than simply dictating a process. After all, every project must begin with clear communication of the project goals and the effort required to meet them. 

Be sure to get input from your team on how they can complete the tasks at hand without killing the budget and the team’s morale. As a project manager, you can decide on Agile vs. Waterfall approaches , but when it comes down to it, you need to know that the team can realistically execute the plan.

You can also use this review time to question your own thinking and push the team to take a new approach to the work. For example, if you’re working on a digital product, could designers start creating visual concepts while the wireframes are being developed? Or can you have two resources working on the same task at once?

Running ideas by the team and having an open dialogue about the approach not only helps you build a more accurate project plan. It gets everyone thinking about the project in the same terms. This type of buy-in and communication builds trust and gets people excited about working together to solve a goal. It can work wonders for the greater good of your team and project.

Step 3: Formalize your project management plan

You should feel comfortable enough at this point to put together a rock-solid project schedule using whatever tool works for you. 

Build out a detailed project schedule that’s easy to read

Any good online project planning tool will help you formalize your thoughts and lay them out in a consistent, visual format that’s easy to follow and track. (Ahem, TeamGantt works nicely for a lot of happy customers. ) 

Make sure tasks have clear start and end dates so there’s no question when work needs to happen to hit project deadlines. Organize work into phases, and use labels and/or color-coding to improve scannability. The easier your project plan is to understand at a glance, the better!

See how to create a project plan in TeamGantt

Consider how your team likes to work

Be as flexible as possible when it comes to how your project plan is presented. There's no absolute when it comes to how to format your plan as long as you and your team understand what goes into one.

Remember, people absorb information differently. While you might be partial to a gantt chart, others might prefer to view tasks in a list, calendar, or even a kanban board. You can make all of those variations work if you’ve taken the steps to create a solid plan.

For example, here’s an Agile project plan we built that lists each sprint as its own task group with milestones for sprint planning and deployment.

Agile project plan example with 2 sprints scheduled on a timeline

And here’s what that same project plan looks like if you turn it into a kanban board in TeamGantt. Simply click the Board tab and set up your columns so your team can manage their daily workflows more easily.

Sample Agile project plan in a kanban board view with columns for to do, in progress, and done

If your team currently prefers spreadsheets and isn’t quite ready to use TeamGantt yet, try our free Excel gantt chart template .

Step 4: Present and confirm your plan

You’re almost finished! Now it’s time to do your due diligence. It’s easy to throw stuff in a plan, but you have to make sure you get it right.

Run your final plan by your internal team

Your team needs to know the reality of your plan as it stands after you’ve built it out in TeamGantt. And you want to be sure they’re comfortable committing to the details. If they don’t, things will quickly fall apart!

Always review your final plan with your team before delivering it to stakeholders. Why? Because things like dates and tasks—and even assignments—will shift as you formalize the rough sketch of your plan. 

Here are a few things you’ll want to discuss with your team as you review the final plan together:

  • Review times
  • Team work times
  • Dependencies
  • Time off, meetings, and milestones
  • The final deadline
  • Any assumptions you’ve made
  • Major changes since your last talk

There’s nothing more embarrassing than delivering a plan with an error or a promise you can’t keep. Taking a few minutes to get buy-in from your team will give everyone peace of mind about your plan.

Review your project plan with stakeholders

Once you’ve confirmed the plan with your team and have their full sign-off, you’re ready to share your project plan with stakeholders . 

When delivering your project plan, make sure you provide an executive summary. This might come in the form of a project brief . A short recap of the overall methodology, resources, assumptions, deadlines, and related review times will help you convey what the plan means to the project and everyone involved.

Project plans can be daunting, so schedule time to present your project plan to stakeholders at a high level. Here are some things you’ll want to point out about your plan during this review:

  • Overall process and pacing
  • Major deliverables and timing
  • The time they’ll have to review deliverables
  • Overall timing for task groups or phases
  • How far off you are from the deadline
  • Wiggle room on the final deadline

If a stakeholder is interested in the day-to-day details, feel free to walk them through the plan line by line. Otherwise, start by explaining overall sections or phases, and be sure to come back to your plan at intervals throughout the project to remind them of tasks, next steps, and overall progress.

Step 5: Execute your plan and adjust as needed

Some projects are smooth and easy to manage, and others are a complete nightmare that wake you up at 3 a.m. every other night. Thankfully, having a solid project plan is your best defense against project chaos once work gets underway.

Keep in mind that project plans are living documents. Projects change constantly, and someone has to stay on top of—and document—that change. Remember to:

  • Update your plan regularly as work progresses and things change
  • Communicate changes to your team, partners, and stakeholders
  • Monitor and communicate risks as your project evolves

Ready to plan your project in TeamGantt? Follow these easy steps to build a plan that’s structured well and includes the elements you need for project success.

1. Enter your basic project details.

To create a new project plan in TeamGantt, click the New Project button in the upper right corner of the My Projects screen. Then enter your project name and start date, and select the days of the week you want to include in your plan. Click Create New Project to move on to the next step.

Example of the project creation screen in TeamGantt

2. List out your project tasks and milestones.

Now the real planning fun begins! Enter all the different tasks it will take to get the job done. If there are any key meetings, deliverable deadlines, or approvals, add those as milestones in your project plan.

List of tasks organized into 2 task groups in a project plan

3. Organize tasks into subgroups. 

Scrolling through one long list of tasks can be mind-numbing, even to the best of us. Break tasks down into phases or sections to ensure your project plan is easy to read and understand. 

4. Add task durations and milestone dates to the project timeline.

A visual project plan makes it easy to see exactly what needs to get done by when. Make sure every task has a start and end date so nothing falls through the cracks. TeamGantt’s drag and drop feature makes this planning step quick and easy.

Example of TeamGantt's drag and drop scheduling for task durations

5. Connect related tasks with dependencies.

Adding dependencies between tasks ensures work gets done in the right order and also helps you plan for delay risks. If your plan shifts and you need to move tasks around, dependencies speed up the process.

Example of a dependency line connecting a task assigned to Peggy to a subsequent task assigned to Don

6. Assign responsible team members to tasks.

That way there’s no confusion about who’s doing what, and your team can update and manage their daily tasks . Don’t forget to check team availability along the way to avoid overloading anyone with too much work.

Task assignment in TeamGantt

7. Use the RACI chart to define task roles more clearly.

This feature takes accountability one step further by letting you assign more specific roles to each task: Responsible , Accountable , Consulted , and Informed . Learn how RACI charts work and what each role means.

Example of RACI assignments in TeamGantt for a digital marketing campaign project plan

8. Add hourly estimates and/or points to each task. 

This makes it easy to see the lift each task involves at a glance. Including hourly estimates in your project plan also enables you to manage workloads and track overages more accurately.

Example of estimated hours for tasks in a project plan with actual vs estimated hours progress indicators

9. Color-code tasks for better scannability.

You can use colors to categorize tasks by project phase, priority, department, or team member—whatever makes visual sense to you and your team.

Example of color selection menu in TeamGantt for color-coding taskbars on the timeline

10. Add notes to clarify tasks or spell out important details.

There’s no such thing as too much information if it means your team has what they need to deliver quality work on time. Use the Notes section of your Discussion tab to enter any pertinent details your team will find helpful.

Task detail window example with notes on scope and word count, as well as a creative brief attached to the task

11. Upload important documents to the project.

This ensures project files are accessible to everyone in a centralized hub.  For example, you might attach your creative brief to the project so your content and design teams have clear direction for completing their deliverables.

If you’re planning a project for the first time or taking on a totally new type of project, you might be struggling to get your plan off the ground. We created a simple project management plan template to help you get started.

TeamGantt gives you the ability to quickly and easily build and adjust your plan using drag and drop scheduling. Plus, it comes with customizable views to fit every team member’s work style. 

Try our basic project plan template for free!

Basic project plan template in TeamGantt with placeholder tasks that can easily be customized

Looking for more specific project plan examples to jumpstart your process? Use these project planning templates to generate ideas and save time building out your plan:

  • Construction project plan template
  • Event planning template
  • Strategic marketing plan template
  • Tactical marketing plan template
  • Software development plan template
  • Video production schedule template
  • Website project plan template

Plan your next project in minutes

Discover just how easy project planning can be with TeamGantt. Create your first gantt chart for free!

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Een projectplan schrijven – Mét template en voorbeeld

Wat moet je project opleveren? Welke middelen zijn er beschikbaar? Wanneer moet het af zijn? En wat doe je als er zaken misgaan? Dit, en nog veel meer, beschrijf je in het projectplan. Als je projectmatig werkt hanteer je het principe ‘eerst denken, dan doen’. Voordat je aan een project of aan een fase van een project begint maak je een projectplan, en je gaat pas aan de slag wanneer dit goedgekeurd is. In dit artikel lees je wat een projectplan is, wat het belang ervan is en hoe je het opstelt. Ook krijg je een template en een ingevuld voorbeeld van een projectplan.

Wat is een projectplan?

Een projectplan (ook wel plan van aanpak genoemd) is het basisdocument voor de uitvoering van een project. Je beschrijft hierin per fase zo concreet mogelijk welke producten of resultaten het team op moet leveren, hoe dat moet gebeuren en wanneer het klaar moet zijn.

Waarom een projectplan?

Een projectplan dient een aantal doelen:

  • Het plan maakt duidelijk hoeveel tijd, geld, mankracht en materiaal er nodig is om de beschreven resultaten te behalen. Wanneer het projectplan goedgekeurd is, heeft de projectgroep zekerheid dat deze zaken beschikbaar zijn.
  • Tijdens de uitvoering van de activiteiten uit het projectplan kun je de voortgang controleren door de feitelijke uitvoering te vergelijken met de planning. Je kunt de werkelijk bestede tijd en bedragen vergelijken met respectievelijk de geplande tijd en gestelde begroting. Bij afwijkingen van het plan kun je de uitvoering bijsturen.
  • Je dwingt jezelf en je team goed na te denken over wat je wilt bereiken, en wat daarvoor de beste aanpak is;
  • Je kunt taken delegeren, en werken volgens het principe van ‘management by exception’ (identificeren en oplossen van situaties die afwijken van de planning);
  • Je kunt verwachtingen beter managen. Het plan geeft vooraf duidelijkheid over wat je wel en niet gaat realiseren;
  • Je kunt aan alle betrokkenen duidelijk maken hoeveel tijd ze in het project moeten stoppen en wanneer ze eraan moeten werken;
  • Je bent beter in staat om bij wijzigingen te analyseren wat de invloed ervan is op het project;
  • Je kunt het project inhoudelijk en procesmatig beter evalueren en daarvan leren.

Template projectplan

Hieronder vind je een template van een projectplan. Vul de onderdelen zo volledig en gedetailleerd mogelijk in.

  • Aanleiding voor het project (redenen, probleem, kans).
  • Doelstelling;
  • Beoogde effecten;
  • Eindresultaat en tussenresultaten (mijlpalen);
  • Afbakening (wat er wel en niet binnen de scope van het project valt).

3. Werkwijze ( hoe?)

  • Activiteiten;
  • Fasering met mijlpalen per fase.
  • Analyse van betrokken belangengroepen;
  • Projectorganisatie met rollen, verantwoordelijkheden, projectcommunicatie- en rapportageafspraken.
  • Informatie over benodigd budget, uren, mensen, en middelen.
  • Risicoanalyse over de onzekerheden die het project meebrengt;
  • De tegenmaatregelen die daarop genomen worden.

7. Randvoorwaarden

  • Afspraken en regels waar het project zich aan moet houden. Deze afspraken worden van buitenaf aan de projectorganisatie opgelegd. De projectleider heeft er geen invloed op.

Voorbeeld projectplan

Hieronder vind je een fictief voorbeeld van een projectplan voor de organisatie van een lustrumreis van een bedrijf dat tien jaar bestaat.

Het bedrijf bestaat tien jaar en de directie wil dit groots vieren. Ze vinden het belangrijk om stil te staan bij deze mijlpaal, en zien het als een kans om onder werknemers meer betrokkenheid bij de organisatie te creëren en tegelijk de onderlinge verhoudingen hechter te maken.

Het project heeft het volgende doel: vóór 1 maart voor alle 20 medewerkers van het bedrijf een lustrumreis van drie dagen gepland hebben, inclusief heen- en terugreis, overnachtingen en een afsluitend feest. Het vindt plaats in mei.

Tussenresultaten :

  • Voor 1 januari is de locatie gekozen en moet de lijst met aanwezigen definitief zijn;
  • Voor 1 februari zijn de overnachtingen geboekt;
  • Voor 14 februari zijn de heen- en de terugreis geboekt;
  • Voor 1 maart is het eindfeest georganiseerd.

Afbakening :

De volgende zaken behoren niet tot het project:

  • De dagactiviteiten op reis organiseren. De mensen mogen zelf hun dagindeling bepalen;
  • De kamerindelingen maken. Ook dat doen de reizigers zelf.

De projectgroep komt elke twee weken samen om te overleggen, de voortgang te bespreken en te bepalen wie welke (sub)taken op zich neemt. Na elke bijeenkomst is duidelijk wie wat gaat doen, en voor wanneer dit klaar is.

Daarnaast hebben ze een Whatsapp-groep waarin ze elkaar voortdurend op de hoogte kunnen houden.

De betrokken belangengroepen zijn de directie en personeelsleden van het bedrijf. Ook de leden van de projectgroep en de projectmanager zelf zijn belanghebbenden: zij zijn personeelsleden die vrijwillig hebben aangeboden de reis te organiseren en gaan zelf mee.

Elke projectmedewerker heeft een eigen rol. Er is iemand verantwoordelijk voor alles wat met het vervoer te maken heeft, een ander gaat over de overnachtingen en er is iemand die het eindfeest organiseert. Ook is er een projectmedewerker aangewezen die gaat over de mensen die mee gaan en wat zij nodig hebben. Daarnaast hebben ze een projectmanager gekozen, die de taken en deadlines toewijst. Ook monitort hij de voortgang en rapporteert hij naar de directie van het bedrijf.

Het bedrijf heeft een budget van 20.000 euro beschikbaar gesteld voor de lustrumreis. De vijf leden van de projectgroep mogen er per twee weken vier uur onder werktijd aan besteden.

Risicoanalyse en tegenmaatregelen projectplan

Randvoorwaarden

De projectgroep heeft maximaal 20.000 euro te besteden. De maximale reisduur is drie dagen en twee nachten, en werknemers mogen maximaal één werkdag missen. De reis moet grotendeels in het weekend plaatsvinden.

Verschil projectplan en project charter

Binnen projectmanagement kun je te maken krijgen met projectplannen en met project charters. Samen zorgen deze documenten voor een gedetailleerde beschrijving van het project en hoe het team het gaat aanpakken.

Er zit een aantal duidelijke verschillen tussen projectplannen en project charters. Een project charter is een korter en bondiger document dan het projectplan. Het bevat meestal alleen de doelstelling, afbakening en verantwoordelijkheden van een project, en is vaak bedoeld om goedkeuring te krijgen van de belanghebbende partijen.

Het projectplan bouwt voort op de project charter. Het is een uitgebreider en gedetailleerder document, dat je na de project charter opstelt.

Wil je je verder ontwikkelen op het gebied van projectmanagement? Je vindt  hier  al onze projectmanagementopleidingen en -trainingen.

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A Step-by-Step Guide to the Project Planning Process

May 5, 2022

A step-by-step guide for the project planning process (2022)

Every successful project starts with a plan. But planning for a big project can be almost as much work as the project itself. 

The planning process in project management is easiest when you follow a guide. It helps take the stress out of what can be a complicated process and ensures you cover all the details for a successful project. 

Today, we’ll take you from the first step in project planning all the way through to the finishing project planning stages. 

Here’s how to create a project plan for your project, start to finish, in a step-by-step guide. 

What Is Project Planning? 

Project planning is a key first step in any project management process. Without a plan, you’re likely to get off track, waste time and overlook something important. 

A project plan is the roadmap for a successful project and the project planning process is what you use to create it.

When planning a project, you consider: 

  • The people on all sides who will be involved in the project. 
  • The goals, objectives and outcomes you hope the project will achieve. 
  • And all the work that will be required to make the project happen. 

Project planning is also the stage in project management where you will consider contingencies — your Plan B for when things don’t go to plan — and how you will handle and recover from any setbacks.

Other project planning elements also come into play, such as project scope, where you decide what is and isn’t relevant for the project and hand, and your plan for project communication, which is key for a successful project.

Why Is Project Planning Important?

What is project planning in 2022

In project management , the project planning process is especially important because it sets you up for success with your project. 

It is designed to make things easier for the project manager, break things down into smaller more manageable steps and allow you to plan ahead for time and resource needs. 

Project planning is important because it answers a number of key questions about a project, such as: 

  • What tasks need to be done, when, and how? 
  • Who is responsible for each of the tasks?
  • How communicate will happen during this project?
  • What the plan is for handling issues that come up?
  • How project progress will be tracked and monitored? 

Project planning is important, but it’s not the only part of managing a project. It also fits into a larger project management process. 

How Project Planning Fits Into Project Management 

When you start managing projects, you’ll find that project planning is not the only important aspect of project management. There are other things that go into it. 

According to the experts at the Project Management Institute (PMI), there are actually five phases of project management and project planning is just one of them. 

However, project planning is still pretty important. Planning well for your project is so crucial that you may spend as much as half of the project in the planning stage. 

But since it’s often helpful to look at the big picture, it’s good idea to take a look at all five phases of the project management process. 

What Are the 5 Phases of Project Management? 

project planning verbouwing

The experts at PMI have spent decades studying and perfecting what goes into effectively managing a project. For any project, PMI says there are five phases you must progress through: 

  • Planning 
  • Monitoring and Control
  • Closure 

Each one is important for moving through the project and arriving at a successful result. Consider how each one of these phases impacts a typical project: 

1. Initiation 

Everything has a beginning and the initiation phase is it for project management. This first step is about realizing the desire or need for the project and the possibility of taking it on. 

In the initiation phase, you may: 

  • Evaluate the project idea.
  • Consider project fit and feasibility. 
  • Think about outcomes and benefits.
  • Draft project charter documentation.
  • Propose budgets, goals, constraints.
  • Make a list of potential stakeholders.

As someone interested in understanding the project planning process, you will realize right away that a lot of early project planning takes place during the initiation phase. 

However, the initiation phase is still a point where things are intentionally left a bit vague. Once you’re ready to start filling in the details and making some concrete decisions about the project, it’s time to move on to the project planning phase. 

2. Planning

The planning phase is the second phase of the project management life cycle and the first phase where you will undertake significant detailed work on the project. 

The planning phase is primarily about creating a roadmap that will guide you through the rest of the project. 

Important elements of the planning phase will include decisions on: 

  • Stakeholders
  • Deliverables
  • Communications 

Obviously, there’s a lot to project planning, but primarily you’ll focus on: 

  • Setting goals and objectives.
  • Working out budgets and costs.
  • Defining scope and deliverables. 

It’s best to start vague and then fill in the details: 

  • Are your goals and objectives S.M.A.R.T. (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely) or C.L.E.A.R. (collaborative, limited, emotional, appreciable and refinable)?
  • Do you have a plan for how you will procure, utilize and manage resources and work within your budget by minimizing costs? 
  • Have you set out a clear timeline of what needs to happen and when, with key milestones for deliverables with their due dates? 

Scope creep, cost overruns, delays and other project risks are a real possibility, so your planning also needs to take these factors into account.  

It’s a lot to think about, which is why this phase of project management can consume a lot of time and attention. But once you’ve got a detailed project plan, you’ll transition to the next phase of project management: execution. 

3. Execution

The third phase of project management is where ideas come off the page and you and your team begin the real work of the project. 

Project execution is about following the plan you’ve designed in the previous stages. 

  • Task work begins. 
  • Collaboration starts. 
  • Progress is made. 
  • Deliverables are created. 

As a project manager, your role during the execution phase is to make sure everyone knows what they have to do, people have what they need to get started, and everything progresses smoothly. 

Once things are underway, your team may continue on in the execution phase, but you’ll transition to the next phase: project monitoring and control. 

4. Monitoring and Control

One of a project manager’s main responsibilities in any project is monitoring and control. This phase often overlaps partially or fully with the execution phase. 

A project manager has various ways of helping make sure sure the project stays on track, such as monitoring:  

  • Critical success factors (CSFs), which are the key areas of the project that are determined to be vital to its success, such as leadership, teamwork, communication and costs. 
  • Key performance indicators (KPIs), which are specific metrics you choose during the planning of the project that show how efficiently you are meeting your goals and objectives. 

During the monitoring and control phase, you’ll not only observe whether the project is running smoothly, you’ll also take action to try to improve processes and solve problems if and when they do occur. 

Most importantly, you’ll pay attention to budgets, deadlines and progress so that you can reach the successful completion of the project and the last phase of project management. 

5. Closure 

The fifth phase of project management is closure. This phase is often shorter than any of the others, but it’s still important. 

With the closure of the project, the project manager is responsible for making sure the finished deliverable is formally handed over to the necessary parties. 

There may be things to explain and questions to answer for clients and paperwork to sign for those who participated in the project. 

The last phase of a project also often involves a team meeting or a report, where the project is evaluated in terms of what went well and where there are areas for improvement to work on for the next project. 

If you’ve worked out a thorough project plan and carefully monitored and managed your project, the closure phase should be a time to celebrate a job well done. 

How to Create a Simple Project Plan Online or On Your Computer

simple project plan made online or on your computer

Once you break it down into steps, the project management process isn’t as hard as it seems. You can break process down even further to easily create a project plan online or on your computer for your next project. 

Here’s a simple project planning guide that breaks this process down into nine project planning stages: 

1. Identify the Stakeholders

The first step in project planning is to identify the stakeholders of your project. A stakeholder is a person or group who has an interest in the project outcome and can either affect or be affected by the project. 

Project stakeholders typically include people inside your organization who will work on the project and be responsible for its outcome, such as your: 

  • Team members 

However, your list of stakeholders should also include those outside your organization who will be impacted by your project, such as your: 

  • End-users 

You could also have stakeholders that will actively participate in the project who are outside of your organization, such as specialists, contractors or vendors. 

When you’ve identified all of your project stakeholders, you can congratulate yourself for being done with the first step in project planning and focus on moving on to the next stage of planning: roles and responsibilities. 

2. Define Roles and Responsibilities 

Once you have a list of all your project stakeholders, it’s time to define their roles and responsibilities. 

Deciding how stakeholders will be contributing comes early in project planning because many later steps depend on getting this element just right. 

When thinking about project roles, remember these guidelines:

  • A role is not necessarily the same thing as a person.  
  • A person can often play more than one role in a project. 
  • A role can be shared by multiple people divvying up the work.

Problems cans result if people or roles are mismatched or if a key role is left unfilled. Consider the skills required and competencies available to match your people to the right roles and cover key responsibilities. 

3. Hold the Kickoff Meeting

The first meeting you have with all the project stakeholders is called the “kickoff” meeting and it’s the next step in the project planning process. 

However the kickoff meeting isn’t just a get-together. There are goals to hit and an agenda to cover. 

The primary goals of the kickoff meeting are to: 

  • Bring all the stakeholders together. 
  • Share your vision for a successful project. 
  • Meet and establish good working relationships. 

To accomplish these goals, it’s important to go into the meeting with a clear agenda. 

  • Let everyone get acquainted.  
  • Go over the project’s background. 
  • Discuss the purpose of the project. 
  • Touch on scope, methods and processes. 
  • Cover the roles for all the stakeholders. 
  • Open the floor for questions. 
  • Wrap things up. 

A good kickoff meeting should be informative but not too detailed yet. Make sure it’s collaborative, so you can benefit from the expertise and perspectives of other stakeholders during the rest of the planning and execution of the project. Send out meeting minutes and leave open a line of communication if attendees still have questions. 

4. Define Project Scope, Budget and Timeline 

After the kickoff meeting, you should be ready to dive into the more details of the project, specifically, it’s scope, budget and timeline. 

  • For the project scope, it’s important not only to define what will be part of the project but also what will not be part of it. Scope is about limiting the project to achievable and realistic objectives. 
  • For the project budget, you’ll determine what resources are needed and available to meet the specific objectives of the project and what the total cost of the project will be. 
  • For the project timeline, you’ll think about what phases of the project it will be necessary to go through and start making some estimates about how long each of these phases can be expected to last. 

A project’s scope, budget and timeline are major project planning elements that you are likely to spend a lot of time working on. Don’t be afraid to give this stage of the planning process the time it takes to get it right. It will increase the likelihood of your success. 

5. Set Goals and Prioritize Tasks 

The next stage of the project planning process is about setting goals and prioritizing key tasks.  

This next step focuses on determining all the in-between tasks and goals that will help you get there. 

  • Start by breaking down the project into distinct phases. 
  • Define individual goals you need to achieve for each phase. 
  • Make sure your goals are S.M.A.R.T. and/or C.L.E.A.R. 
  • Work out the tasks needed to reach each goal. 
  • Prioritize tasks in order of importance for the project. 
  • Consider the dependencies that exist between the tasks. 
  • Have contingencies to adjust if/when goals aren’t met on time. 

At this point, you should have a good understanding of the purpose of the project, a vision for what success will look like and the steps needed to make it all happen.

6. Define the Project Deliverables 

The next project planning stage involves defining your project deliverables. 

A deliverable is something that is able to be delivered, but the term has a more specific meaning for the planning process in project management. 

The Project Management Institute defines a deliverable as a unique and verifiable product, result or capability to perform a service that is produced in order to complete a project, project phase or process. 

This means that a wide range of deliverables are possible, but it all depends on your project. 

  • For an auto manufacturer project, a deliverable might be a new car rolling off the assembly line. 
  • For an advertising firm marketing project, a deliverable might be a new ad appearing on a billboard. 
  • For a customer service center project, a deliverable might be the capability to receive a customer call. 

The deliverables you define for your project should be tied to the project’s central objectives. A project can have one final deliverable, or several that are produced in different phases of the project. A deliverable may be something tangible, but it doesn’t have to be. 

7. Create the Project Schedule

As you near the end of your project planning process, it’s time to create a detailed project schedule. 

The project schedule is a document that needs to include a few important things: 

  • A detailed timeline for the whole project. 
  • A description of the resources allotted for each task. 
  • Any instructions or info needed to complete the tasks.

A good project schedule can be tricky to create, because it has to strike a balance between being detailed and being easily understandable. 

However, the process of creating the schedule is much like the earlier stages. You’ll continue to break things down into smaller and smaller steps, then look at how these pieces need to fit together. 

Things to keep in mind include: 

  • What activities make up tasks and project phases. 
  • What items are dependent on other items in the schedule. 
  • What sequence of activities is the most logical and efficient. 
  • What resources and time each task is estimated to consume. 

As you work through the project schedule stage, don’t be afraid to revisit previous stages and make adjustments. If something will require additional resources or a few additional days of work to make the project successful, it’s better to plan for it now, rather than be caught off guard later. 

8. Complete a Risk Assessment 

After scheduling, the next step when you’re planning a project is to complete a risk assessment. A risk assessment lets you take a realistic look at what might go wrong during your project and work out some proactive steps to minimize any damage. 

A risk assessment is another good time for collaboration with the other stakeholders. While you may have your own insight on what risks exist, other stakeholders can bring a fresh perspective with risks you may not have thought of. 

Common project risks include: 

  • Project delays 
  • Resource shortages 
  • Scope creep 
  • Technological failures 
  • Communication problems 

While almost anything could go wrong during the project, some risks are more likely than others. Like other aspects of the project, prioritizing comes in handy. 

Focus on the risks that are most likely and come up with a plan to reduce these risks and handle them quickly if they do occur. 

9. Communicate Your Project Plan

By the end of the project planning process, you will have covered a lot of ground. At this point, your plan should be in great shape. There’s just one thing left to do: communicate your plan to everyone who will be involved. 

A lot depends on how well the stakeholders understand your plan and how closely they follow it. So it’s a must to communicate all the details clearly to everyone that’s involved. 

A part of your plan may also involve how you want other stakeholders to communicate with you and each other during the project. This also needs to be communicated at the end of the planning phase so that it can be put into action for the project execution. 

Make sure to cover preferred communication channels and expectations for when and how to share updates and ask questions. 

How Project Planning Software Can Help with Project Planning 

project planning verbouwing

Project planning can be a big undertaking. Large projects can take months or years to plan effectively. Even smaller projects can take weeks to plan. 

With so much time and energy going into the planning of your project, it makes sense to use technology to make the planning process easier. 

Project planning software can help you avoid the inefficiencies of trying to plan projects on paper, juggling multiple project spreadsheets or doing your project plan online through email threads. 

A project planning software tool like Folio can simplify your project planning process and even help you manage your project execution after the planning is done. 

Folio is an easy-to-use email add-on for your Gmail or Outlook inbox that helps you stay organized, no matter what type of project you’re planning or managing, with features to: 

Organize Stakeholder Contact Info Automatically

Folio uses AI-powered algorithms to connect the dots, automatically organizing the contacts for each of your projects and keeping everyone in the loop when you communicate. 

Sort Communications by Project Automatically 

Folio has Smart Folders that keep your inbox neat and tidy, even when you’re managing communications with multiple stakeholders and multiple projects. 

Keep All Your Documents Organized 

Folio’s Smart Folders also help you keep track of important email attachments related to your project, with easy integration with Google Docs for storing project documents in the cloud.

Integrate Your Task Management 

Folio adds new functionality to your existing Gmail and Outlook task management features, letting you create, assign and track tasks from your email with just a few clicks. 

Handle Task Prioritization Details

Folio has features to help you set task priorities, define milestones and meet project goals, saving you hours of work per week, thanks to our smart AI-powered algorithms. 

Stay on Top of Deadlines 

Folio connects with your calendar, letting you set task due dates and track multiple project deadlines so that you can stay on track and finish your project on schedule. 

Get Notifications and Reminders 

Folio features customizable notification and reminder settings that keep you informed about the status of your project, even when your inbox fills up and things get busy. 

Share Real-Time Project Updates 

Folio comes with real-time project update features, allowing you to create custom timelines that can be shared with customers, clients and other stakeholders to keep everyone in the loop. 

The project planning process doesn’t have to be difficult. Understand how project planning fits into project management, follow the right steps to plan your project, and take advantage of project planning software to help plan your next project. 

Try Folio today for free with up to three projects and simplify your project planning process. 

We've built Folio: the first AI email assistant for professionals. Folio plugs directly into your work email inbox and automatically organizes your email, giving you contextual access to all the information you need to increase your productivity in minutes. We are a team of passionate product people and engineers that gets excited about solving complex processes and creating value for people. We're a venture funded company backed by Accel Partners, Vertical Venture Partners, and other leading venture capital firms and angel investors such as Ash Patel and Jerry Yang.

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7 Proven Planning Techniques for Better Projects

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A project without a plan is like a car without a driver. The project plan is the guide that gets a project manager from concept through execution, and a finished product at its destination. There’s an argument that a project plan supersedes everything else in a project.

While that’s a bit of an overstatement, it does prove the rhetorical point that planning for a project is crucial. Therefore, whether you’re new to project management or a journeyman with years of experience under your belt, there’s always more planning tools and techniques to learn.

There are possibly as many planning methods as there are projects, so we boiled down the potential pot of planning techniques to seven essential ingredients that will make your next project plan a feast for your team and stakeholders.

what project planning techniques are best for you?

1. Critical Path Analysis

Planning a simple project has its hurdles to clear: but when that project is complex, then planning can feel almost insurmountable. That’s where a planning technique such as critical path analysis comes in handy. It is a planning method designed to address projects with many tasks, especially when there are those that are done at the same time and are dependent on one another.

Critical path analysis will help you determine if some tasks can run parallel, what the sequence of tasks should be, as well as prioritize them. This takes a complicated project and finds the most efficient path through it. That’s because critical path analysis follows a timeline that shows where tasks are in the schedule and what must be done when.

There are three steps to critical path analysis:

  • Write out all the tasks on a project timeline
  • Identify which of those tasks must occur at the same time
  • Note the task dependencies

This timeline will now expose the spots in the project that need more resources and those that are most important to keep the project on track.

2. Brainstorming

Brainstorming can be looked at as the plan before the plan. A plan for anything is a way to organize an approach. But before that can be done well, the project must be clearly understood and the various techniques to manage it examined. Brainstorming is a tool that uses the collective experience and skills of the project team in order to give project managers the full picture before they attempt to frame it in a plan.

Therefore, brainstorming should be the first step in any planning technique. It is a creative and lateral way of thinking that can help identify project risk and other concerns that are not immediately apparent. There will be time to formalize a plan and add the needed structure that every project rests on to reach a successful end. The creative nature of a brainstorming session, and the fact that it’s contrary to typical project management methodology, make it a highly revealing planning technique.

The only trouble is that people who excel in project management are often the types who work best within a template. Getting them to think “outside the box” can prove a challenge. But it will help your project and your team expand their own resources. Don’t forget to get stakeholders and other experts in on the brainstorming, too.

Related: How to Create a Project Plan

3. Work Breakdown Structure

Another great project planning method is the work breakdown structure (WBS), which is a way to rank tasks in the project. Again, when a project is great in scope it helps to get a handle on it, which is where the WBS comes in. As the name implies, the WBS breaks down the larger project into manageable tasks. It’s like putting something in a crucible and breaking it down to its primary elements.

Begin with the project, then start breaking it down: first into phases and then from those milestones, into tasks. In a sense, you’re starting at the end of the project and working backwards. The breakdown is considering the size of the task, how long it will take and who will be responsible for that task. You can use our free work breakdown structure template to get started.

Think of the WBS as a framework for planning. It provides a picture of all the pieces of the project puzzle. With this knowledge, a project manager has the big picture and the smaller parts that make it up, so they can now act to control the project over the course of its life cycle. From the WBS, a statement of work will develop, as well as scheduling, budget and other resources.

4. Gantt Chart

The old standby for project planning is the Gantt chart. For decades, the Gantt chart has been included in the feature set of a slew of project management software platforms, which has given it a flexibility that emphasizes its many positive attributes.

ProjectManager.com has an online Gantt chart that allows you to upload your task list from any Excel or CSV spreadsheet or even an MS Project file. Once that task list is uploaded, and you set the column names, the tasks populate the left-hand side of the Gantt chart, which is an outline for the entire project. Adding start and end dates create a line across that timeline illustrating the task’s duration.

gantt chart for procurement management

If a task is dependent on another, it can be linked, so that team members are aware of the task dependency and aren’t blocked. This also avoids bottlenecks in the schedule, as email notifications can be set to automatically alert team members of coming deadlines. That keeps the project on track.

Once the project has been planned, the Gantt chart keeps on giving. With ProjectManager.com, our online Gantt chart gives the project manager the ability to assign the tasks. It is also a collaboration platform, allowing those assigned team members to freely communicate in comments, where they can attach files and images. They are notified of these comments in real-time, so the team can communicate no matter where or at what time. Try this planning technique today with a free trial of ProjectManager.com.

5. Cause and Effect Diagram

This planning technique was created by Kaoru Ishikawa, a Japanese organizational theorist, to show the causes of an event. It is also called an Ishikawa or fishbone diagram.

It gathers and identifies issues that can develop over the course of a project. By doing so, this planning method helps project managers figure out solutions to those problems. There is risk inherent in every project, and planning against those risks is another way to make sure the project proceeds as planned, without costly interruptions.

The cause and effect diagram has a central backbone from which bones are drawn that represent any major factor that might impact the final outcome of the project. It can be used to take those issues that came up during a brainstorming session and organize them.

The factors that could impact the project (or the bones that come from the backbone) could be equipment or other resources, a legal problem, new technology, training, etc. Each of these bones is then divided into even smaller bones to get a full view of the cause and effect they might have on a project and its plan.

Program evaluation and review technique or PERT is a tool to help project managers estimate the amount of time a project will likely take. Scheduling is one of the pillars of planning techniques, so you can see the importance of having a planning method like PERT to make your schedule more accurate.

The more variables you can control, the better your outcome when estimating. But there are so many unknowns when dealing with a project that it can feel impossible to hit your target. But that’s just what PERT does: it manages the complex probability of a project with simple statistical methods.

With PERT, tasks are broken down like with the WBS, but adding these activities to a Gantt chart to link the task dependencies. This creates a map of the project’s interdependencies. Each of the task are then given a time-to-complete estimation: optimistic (O), being the quickest it will take to complete the task; mostly likely (M), the required deadline; or pessimistic (P), being the most time it will take.

E, being the expected time for each task, is derived by the equation: E = (O + 4M + P)/6. The variance is found by solving this equation: V= [(P – O)/ 6] ^2. When the E and V for every task is calculated, the total Es is an accurate time estimation for the project. The added Vs show the expected variance.

7. SMART Goals

Another acronym that can help with your planning methods is SMART, which stands for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time bound. What SMART does when in the planning process of a project is making sure, before you start, that your goals fit within the SMART criteria.

That means that they should be specific, as in clear and concise. They must also be measurable, so you can quantify your project. Attainable is obvious, in that if the project is a pie-in-the-sky impossibility then the odds are it’s going to fail.

The last two initials are for relevant, which speaks to the project’s goals being aligned with the overall business strategy of the organization, and time bound, as in having a deadline. If your project meets all these points, then you can start planning.

ProjectManager.com is a cloud-based project management software that makes planning a snap. It not only uploads spreadsheets and MS Project files, but once in the software, they’re easily shared and updated instantly, for a more collaborative platform. The real-time dashboard keeps project managers and teams updated and makes reporting to stakeholders easy. See for yourself by taking this free 30-day trial.

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Everything You Need to Know About People-First Project Planning

The ultimate guide to creating project plans that prioritize people—your most valuable resource for project success.

project planning verbouwing

Brett Harned,   Consultant and Coach

  • project planning

As a project manager trying to plan a project, it's unnerving to think about all the ways it might go wrong: scope creep, unclear goals, communication gaps, and unrealistic expectations. The list goes on, and it takes a solid plan to avoid project failure.

But stop and think for a second. What's the one element of your project that can actually help you to succeed?

That's right. It's your people. 

Your project team and stakeholders are your most valuable resources on the project because they execute and approve the work that will take it to the finish line. 

When people are at the center of your planning process , they become informed, engaged, and invested in the project's success. This transforms your team from being viewed as mere resources to becoming a cohesive and accountable unit that understands its impact on the project at every turn.

This guide provides a roadmap for creating clear and concise project plans that prioritize the people involved and align them toward project success. By following it, project managers can build stronger teams, improve project outcomes, and achieve their goals with confidence.

What is a project plan? 

A project plan is a fundamental document that outlines and illustrates how a project will operate from start to finish. It is considered the backbone of any project as it is the primary guide for project management. Your project plan can take different forms, such as a list , Gantt chart , calendar, or some other format using the vast array of project planning tools available in the market.

Regardless of the project type, be it a website design, a baby shower, a skyscraper construction project, or even a trip to the moon, a project plan communicates the project's overall phases, deliverables, tasks, milestones, assignments, and necessary steps and critical dates required to complete the project within scope and on time.

An effective project plan evaluates the scope and deadline while considering essential factors such as processes and workflows, team resourcing, stakeholder availability, risk management, and communications. By having a well-designed project plan, project managers can provide clear direction to the team, prevent scope creep, manage risks, and ultimately deliver successful project outcomes.

A project plan should provide answers to critical questions that guide the project from start to finish

Here are some essential questions to consider:

  • What is the project process? How will tasks be completed, and what are the project stages?
  • What are the project deliverables ? What must be created, developed, or produced to complete the project?
  • What tasks are required to deliver the project? What steps need to be taken, and in what order?
  • Who is responsible or accountable for the work? Who will lead the project, manage the tasks, and ensure everything stays on track?
  • When do stakeholders need to be involved in providing feedback or making decisions? How will their input be incorporated into the project plan?

By answering these essential questions and others, a project plan can set clear expectations for how the team will create, deliver, and agree on deliverables, ultimately leading to the successful delivery of a final product.

What it won't do is manage the project for you! It's important to remember that all project plans are living, breathing documents. They must be regularly reviewed and updated to ensure you're tracking progress, adapting to changes (because all projects change), and being realistic about your project status.

Why you always need a project plan 

There's no doubt that at some point, a high-powered stakeholder will come to your team with a very important project that needs to kick off immediately with little information and be delivered as quickly as possible. 

Sounds like fun, right? Okay, maybe not fun. But a challenge. In these cases, someone will likely suggest you forgo the plan and dive straight into the work. You know, to save some time. 

That's when you should raise a red flag!

Plans are critical to any project size, scope, or type because they can help you to avoid:

🚩 Misunderstanding of the process

🚩 Lack of clarity around roles and responsibilities

🚩 Missed deadlines and budget overages

🚩 Misaligned expectations

🚩 Indecision over deliverables, strategy, and even resource allocation

🚩 Demotivated and stressed teams

🚩 Overbooked and unavailable team members

🚩 Unhappy clients or stakeholders

🚩 Scope creep and additional project requests

🚩 Poor communication around the review and feedback of deliverables

🚩 Inability to schedule timely reviews, which leads to lost project time

While this may seem like a daunting list of potential issues, it highlights the importance of having a plan to help prevent these problems. When working with teams or stakeholders who may want to forgo the planning process, it can be helpful to review this list to emphasize the need for a plan.

At the same time, it's essential to approach project planning with an optimistic mindset. After all, a positive project manager is the best kind of project manager!

Pro tip: Plan and allocate resources effectively with Float

With its user-friendly interface and drag-and-drop functionality,  you can easily create and update schedules, assign tasks to team members, and track progress in real-time.

The Gantt chart-style view visually represents your project's timeline, tasks, and dependencies. This makes it easy to identify potential scheduling conflicts and adjust timelines accordingly.

The benefits of effective project planning

Project plans offer a range of benefits for teams of all sizes and types. When creating a project plan, it's essential to communicate with these team members and stakeholders to demonstrate the value of the planning process.

Well-thought-out project plans:

☑️ Map your scope and effort to a realistic timeline

☑️ Provide a roadmap for the project

☑️ Outline roles, responsibilities, and resourcing requirements

☑️ Help to identify and track project risks

☑️ Keep your project on time and within budget

☑️ Help to identify impacts due to project change

☑️ Keep stakeholders informed of project progress

☑️ Keep teams on task, within scope, and on budget

☑️ Help to keep team members efficient and productive

☑️ Allow for accurate reporting of progress

☑️ Keep projects profitable

Now that’s a list! 

To some, a project plan is a dry document that lists dates and tasks. However, it's much more than that for those invested in the project. The project plan serves as the guiding document that directs how the team will meet project milestones, make decisions, and eventually complete the project within the boundaries of the scope.

Great teams recognize the importance of a well-crafted project plan and its role in ensuring project success.

Ten elements of a great project plan

Your project plan is a vital communication tool, informing your team and stakeholders about what's happening now, what's coming up next, and what's expected. By making the project plan a part of your team's daily operation and keeping it a topic of discussion throughout the project, you can keep everyone aligned and informed.

To ensure maximum engagement and investment in the project, it's best to involve your team and stakeholders in creating the project plan. This level of involvement helps to establish a shared understanding of project goals, milestones, and expectations, reducing the need for constant updates and questions. That gets taxing, doesn't it? 

A well-crafted project plan should include the following elements:

  • The process used or stages taken to deliver the project
  • Deliverables for each stage and requirements
  • Tasks needed to create each deliverable
  • Milestones critical to ensure alignment and progress
  • Team and stakeholder assignments and responsibilities on task and milestone level
  • Task estimates for clarity around scope, leading to better resourcing plans
  • Calendar time scheduled to complete tasks
  • Task, milestone, and phase dependencies to communicate the order of work
  • Progress updates made during the project
  • Changes implemented while the project is in progress

All of this information is wrapped up in a single document. By taking the time to create, build, and communicate the plan with your team and stakeholders, the answers to these questions are simple and can help avoid confusion and misunderstandings throughout the project. In fact, the questions don't even come up!

As a project manager, you are responsible for managing the plan, facilitating the project, and ensuring that everyone involved is engaged with the plan and its details. When the team is committed at the plan level, it becomes easier to manage the project, track progress, and stay on top of any changes or challenges.

Pro tip: Ensure alignment with status reports and calls

A project plan alone may not effectively communicate all the details of a project. Consider using weekly project status reports and calls to ensure alignment throughout the project. A status report should include what work was completed the previous week, what is currently in progress, upcoming tasks and milestones, a to-do list and action items, an update on project completion and budget percentage, and any issues or risks that need addressing.

How to create a people-first project plan 

Beginning a project with a people-first approach is the key to success. While work breakdown structure , process, deliverables, and estimates are important, they are not the starting point. 

Your team is!

Every team member brings their unique skillset, experiences, and perspectives to the table. Acknowledging this fact at the beginning of every project is vital to ensure you leverage their strengths and optimize resources for the best possible outcomes.

By taking the time to understand the strengths and limitations of your team, you can create a project plan that leverages their talents and allows them to collaborate seamlessly towards a common goal. This approach helps build stronger teams and leads to better project outcomes, increased buy-in, and, ultimately, a more successful project.

Pro tip: Save time with project templates in Float

The ability to reuse project plan templates in Float is a real game changer. With just a few clicks, you can create a new project plan from a template, saving time and ensuring consistency across your projects. Plus, the data from your plans can be easily turned into a report, providing valuable insights into your team's workload and project progress. 

Starting a project with a social gathering seems like a time-waster to some, but it can benefit the team in the long run. Having an informal conversation about the project and how you plan to work together can ease the pressure and create a sense of camaraderie among the team.

But who has time for that stuff when a project needs to be delivered? 

Although socializing before getting to work may seem like fluff to some, it's essential to make time for it. By getting to know each other and discussing the project more relaxed, you can set team expectations, identify common working methods, and build rapport.

So, with your project scope and initial project charter at hand, here's how you can plan your project effectively:

Step 1: Onboard the team

As a project manager, you must ensure everyone on your team is aligned with the project's goals and scope. Onboarding is an opportunity to start a dialogue about the project and how everyone can contribute to its success. One way to achieve this is through an internal kickoff meeting . 

During this meeting, you can discuss the project's details, including the scope and timeline, and allow team members to ask questions and provide input. This meeting can also serve as an opportunity for team-building, enabling team members to get to know each other better and build rapport. 

By starting the project with a kickoff meeting, you can ensure everyone is on the same page and working toward the same objectives.

And don't worry—we're not talking about doing trust falls and other exercises that make folks cringe in the workplace. We're talking about getting to know the project and discussing roles and ideas for how everyone can work together.  

Pro tip: Find the right people for the task in minutes

Float lets you store important information about your team, including their skills and strengths in the form of searchable tags. This can be a valuable resource when staffing future projects and facilitating better collaboration on the current project.

To get the conversation started, ask some initial questions to get everyone stoked about the work:

  • What makes our team unique, and why are we poised to succeed?
  • What about the project gets you excited?
  • Is there a specific deliverable or task you want to work on?
  • How can we collaborate more effectively on the project?
  • How will we communicate and stay aligned as a team?
  • What can we do together to exceed stakeholder expectations?

By initiating this type of conversation, you'll inspire ideas that will fuel the planning process and build a strong sense of teamwork. Your team members may even become excited to plan the project with you. This creates a win-win situation for everyone involved.

Step 2: Identify stakeholders

On some projects, you'll work directly with one stakeholder. That's the dream! Mainly because it's easier to manage one personality and one set of expectations. On other projects, you might have to deal with scores of stakeholders across various departments, disciplines, and even companies. It can get complex.

It's not uncommon for stakeholders to be unaware of who their fellow stakeholders are, so starting a conversation with your point of contact on the stakeholder team is essential. This will help you understand their team's governance structure and identify stakeholders in larger organizations across different teams, areas, and departments.

Your stakeholders may have yet to consider their team of colleagues and how they'll work together to make timely decisions on the project. It's possible they still need to think about the complete stakeholder list. 

To ensure clarity and communication, you should run a stakeholder mapping exercise and ask your stakeholders to assign names and titles to each category. This exercise will ensure that everyone is on the same page and that there is no ambiguity regarding roles and responsibilities.

Step 3: Get to know your stakeholders

Stakeholders can be your project's greatest strength or weakest link, regardless of their position or reporting structure. As a project manager, it's your responsibility to engage stakeholders and get them on board and ready to play an active role in the project's success.

Early on in projects, you'll do a lot of expectation-setting with stakeholders to make them aware of the project scope, who's working on the project, how your team generally prefers to work and communicate, and what to expect as a stakeholder or client. Remember, these folks might have funded the project, but that doesn't mean they know how to get it done.

Take your time to explain things carefully to them so they understand the significance of their role and how you'll need to engage them throughout the project. When you come back to them with a project plan, you want them to understand the big picture before diving into the details. You also want them to trust you and know that you'll manage the details, facilitate progress, and engage them when needed. 

Step 4: Interview stakeholders

Getting the information you need to craft the strategy and plan for your project is vital while illuminating some areas where your stakeholders might be misaligned. This is excellent information for you to have as you go into planning the project, and it can be done by scheduling stakeholder interviews to understand individual:

  • Goals of the project
  • Needs and expectations
  • Opinions about the project
  • Level of understanding of your project type and methods
  • History and experience on similar projects
  • Organizational politics
  • Communication styles

Be sure to come up with some pointed questions. Another way to think about it is to try and uncover your stakeholders' perspectives on why you're doing this thing, how they're thinking about getting it done with you, and who needs to be involved and informed. 

Below are a few questions you should consider adding to your stakeholder interview script (in addition to some project-specific questions):

  • What is your role on the project?
  • Who is the final sign-off? Who owns the project?
  • Have you discussed how you will collaborate and communicate as a team?
  • What is your process for gathering and delivering feedback to us?
  • What is the project deadline? Is there a specific event or reason for that deadline?
  • Are there any blackout dates where you or your team will not be available during the project?
  • Will you want our team to present our work or progress to the larger organization at any point? When are those meetings?
  • Have you worked on a project like this one in the past? If yes, are there any learnings we should apply to this project?
  • Are there any risks with this project that we should be aware of?
  • How do you prefer to be communicated with about project details?
  • How much education should we do about our process and deliverables?

These conversations will uncover a ton of information for you to share with your team and apply to your project plan. Many teams will use the findings from these conversations to help inform a project brief or strategy or even to provide stakeholders with a set of recommendations for things that need to be done in addition to the project itself. 

If you can get your stakeholders and teams aligned on the solution and how you'll arrive at it together, you'll show that you aren't just checking off boxes in an arbitrary plan; you're creating a strategic roadmap to create the best possible project together.

Step 5: Create a draft plan

After you have an idea about the project details based on your interactions with stakeholders, it's time to create a draft plan.

Use your scope or statement of work documents, which should outline specific deliverables or timing. Then, look back through your stakeholder interview notes and findings. Are there any dates or timing constraints you need to account for?

Don't worry too much about the format at this point, as you can present a sketch or discuss the concepts with the team in the next step. The goal is to get all your ideas on paper to be reviewed with the team and refined as needed.

A sketch of a project plan

A sketch of a project plan—putting pen to paper (even digitally) can help you shape your plans

Make sure you have the big picture thinking covered in your sketch. You will need the following:  

  • A general idea of the process What are you delivering, and how does your team generally work to execute this type of project? Do you use formal project management methods like waterfall or scrum ? Are there variables based on the project or team that will make you reconsider the process?
  • An accounting of deliverables List out all of the deliverables that need to be created. Think through the order they need to be delivered, which may depend on other milestones or deliverables. This will help you to pace the work in your plan.
  • A solid understanding of the project team and their respective roles Identify who is doing what and how they’ll collaborate on the work. Consider how to employ their expertise to create, present, and sell the work to get it approved on time and within the scope. Use insights gained from onboarding conversations.
  • A solid understanding of task budget and team resourcing Have a good idea of what work needs to happen and when. Look at task estimates and resourcing plans to avoid over-promising timelines or overcommitting the team.
  • A clear view of other project work Understand team resourcing plans to keep workloads balanced. Avoid assigning too much work to the team on a given day or week.
  • A plan and scope for deliverable reviews, feedback, and approvals Consider the steps needed to present, collect feedback, and revise each deliverable. Ensure stakeholders are involved in the process and their feedback is incorporated into the plan.
  • All key dates and deadlines Check calendars on both sides of the fence (team and stakeholders). Account for holidays, closings, vacations, meetings, and any other possible date that could cause outages. Ensure that hard deadlines are included in the plan. Communicate all key dates and deadlines to the team and stakeholders.

Step 6: Arrange the planning meeting

Now that you have your draft plan, it's time to schedule a planning meeting with the team to present your draft for feedback and input. It's essential to encourage information from the team, as they will be more engaged in the plan if they have a say in its creation.

This meeting should last about an hour and be well-organized. You want to get feedback on the following:

  • Project phases : Discuss the different steps of the project and what needs to be accomplished in each stage.
  • Project deliverables : Review the list of deliverables and ensure everyone is clear on what is expected for each deliverable.
  • Deadlines/timing : Discuss timelines and deadlines for the project and ensure that they are realistic and achievable.
  • Assignments : Assign roles and responsibilities to team members and ensure everyone understands their role in the project.

Present the initial information, and then open the floor to questions and suggestions. Encourage the team to provide input and feedback on the plan. The goal is to balance driving efficiency with the process while keeping things realistic. Ensure everyone leaves the meeting with a clear understanding of what needs to be done and the timeline for completion.

That said, it's always good to have some questions to help get more clarity on the approach:

  • Are there better ways we can approach this project?
  • Will the deliverables meet our needs and help stakeholders make informed decisions?
  • Do we know who's responsible for what?
  • When and who will review our work before client presentations?
  • When will we collaborate and hand off work to ensure quality and consistency?
  • Is anyone taking time off that we need to account for?
  • Can we meet the deadline with this plan?

If you're looking for a little more direction on organizing this planning meeting, check out this sample planning meeting agenda.

➡️ Make a copy in Google Docs

➡️ Download to your computer from File > Download

Step 7: Create your finalized plan

Now that you've got a clear understanding of your project scope and have engaged your team in the planning process, it's time to create your final project plan. This plan should serve as a roadmap that guides your team through the phases and deliverables of your project, keeping everyone aligned and on track toward the ultimate goal. 

To create a comprehensive project plan, you'll need to organize all the relevant information about your project in a way that's easy to understand and navigate. 

Float offers several features to help you organize and visualize all the relevant project information. You can easily create a list view of phases and deliverables, which allows you to break down your project into manageable tasks. The Gantt chart-style calendar view shows your project timeline across days, weeks, months, or years. These options make it easy to assign tasks, track progress, and ensure that everyone on your team is on the same page. 

Here are some steps to follow to create your project plan:

  • Start with an outline or table of contents that breaks your project into phases. Think about what needs to be accomplished and how to reach your end goal. For example, if you're working on a website design project, your phases include discovery, UX design, graphic design, front-end development, and back-end development.
  • Once you have your phases identified, start adding deliverables and related tasks in the order they will happen. It's essential to account for every task related to completing a deliverable to be realistic about timing. For example, if your deliverable is a site map, some of the steps to create, present, and revise it may include creating site map v1, holding an internal review meeting, delivering site map v1 for stakeholder feedback, revising site map v1, delivering site map v2, and obtaining final approval.
  • Assign tasks to team members. Once you've listed all the work, it's time to assign people to each task. This will help you connect your resourcing plan to your project plan and ensure you're not working against any significant conflicts or obstacles.
  • Set start and end dates for each task. Once you commit task estimates to calendar time by plotting dates on your plan, you'll begin to see your project come to life. You may notice that some of your original ideas break down because you hadn't considered resourcing plans or the fact that you were planning for too much time on a task, putting the plan over the deadline. It's all good, though; there's time to change what needs to be changed. Just be sure to account for the total amount of time a task should take, in addition to your team's resourcing, when scheduling.
  • Add dependencies to indicate the order of work. If you can't start one task or phase before another is complete (common in the waterfall methodology ), you should include it in your plan. Note: Linking tasks together in Float allows you to create a dependency between them and avoid double work or confusion about timing.

By following these steps, you'll have a comprehensive project plan that guides your team to be aligned and on track throughout the project's phases and deliverables. Nice work!

Step 8: Do the final plan reviews

Alright, folks, you're almost there. But before you hit the ground running, ensuring everyone is on the same page is essential. And when it comes to a people-first approach, that means taking the time to review and align your plan.

Team review

First up, your team. You've already worked to get to know each other and brainstorm ideas, but take advantage of this last step. Sharing your plan with the team and getting their feedback can prevent major oversights and ensure everyone is on board with the latest changes. Consider scheduling a meeting to review the plan together and avoid unnecessary back-and-forth.

Once you've collected feedback, made adjustments, and are happy with your plan, you can share it with your clients and put things in motion.

Client review and confirmation

Remember, clients may not be as familiar with your process or deliverables as you are, so educating them and making them your partner in this journey is essential. Send them the plan ahead of time for review and set the stage for your meeting. Then, go through each section with them, answering any questions. 

This may feel like a pain, but ensuring everyone is aligned on the process, deliverables, meetings, milestones, and timing is crucial. Expect questions and engagement from your stakeholders during this review. This is your opportunity to set clear expectations and gauge their understanding and willingness to participate in the project. The more engagement you get now, the smoother the journey will be. 

So take the time to review and align, and get ready to kick off your project confidently!

Step 9: Ship the plan

You've put a ton of work into drafting your plan, so taking the additional step to ensure everyone is on board with it should be important to you. Of course, you never want this process to take so much time that it delays any project work. If you're stretched for time, you can create the plan while work is underway—but don't let it go unconfirmed for too long. You want to be sure that you have an agreement because the details in your plan will dictate so much, including your immediate next steps. 

As soon as you have agreement from the whole project team, you can confirm the plan. 

It can be very valuable to track change throughout a project, so you can speak to stakeholders or executives about why a project has missed its deadline or gone over budget. It happens all the time, but that doesn't mean it's always okay! So do what you can to be armed with the information on what made a project go sideways, and remember that the details are always in your plan.

Better project planning with Float

Schedule tasks, monitor timelines, track time and real-time capacity in Float to plan projects with confidence.

Your project plan is a living, breathing document

It's important to remember that your project plan is not a one-and-done document. Even after you've confirmed the plan, you must continue to manage it regularly.

It's also crucial to recognize that plans can change frequently. Life happens, unexpected issues arise, and people leave and join the project. These changes can impact your schedule and require you to adjust your deadlines, processes, or resources. It's vital to remain flexible and adaptable to change when managing a project plan.

When changes occur, communicate them transparently with your team and stakeholders. Document any changes and share them through your regular project communication channels , such as status reports. Be sure to call out any significant impacts on timing, scope, or resources. Keeping your plan up-to-date and accessible to everyone can help avoid confusion and keep everyone on the same page.

Managing a project plan that is transparent and up-to-date can help you earn trust and credibility with your team and stakeholders. Being proactive in addressing issues and communicating changes can help you maintain control and keep the project on track!

Pro tip: Track changes in your project with Float

The activity feed in Float allows you to easily track changes in your project by showing who made a change, what they changed, and when. Plus Pack offers additional features like filters and a 180-day review to make tracking changes more efficient and help identify trends and potential issues.

Creating a plan in your project planning tool

We've talked about the project planning process, but how exactly would it look inside a project planning software ? Let's see how to approach this.

No matter the tool you're using to create plans, consistency of use is critical for project management. When making plans, you should follow these guidelines to ensure your organization creates plans the same way. This will increase plan adoption and decrease the confusion or the number of questions you may encounter on projects.

1. Create a new project

While you may elect to copy an existing plan or use a template in the tool, starting with a new project file is recommended. This will ensure that you are thinking through each step of the project and scope, which can be unique.

Float users can create a new project by choosing the Add project option.

Add a new project in Float

Project setup: 

  • Project name Use naming conventions or name the project according to the project name in the scope. 
  • Due date If there is a project deadline in our scope of work, add it here.
  • Invite project members Everyone on the team should be invited; use company guidance on how plans will be shared with stakeholders.

Project information in Float

2. Set your plan

It's recommended that you start by adding all tasks and subtasks before scheduling. This will help you to keep your attention on the process, deliverables, and steps needed to complete the project. You'll set up your project in a way that is easy to understand: phase, task, subtasks, and milestones are in the order this should be built out in a nested fashion, so it's easy to understand the overall process, deliverables, and tasks needed to complete deliverables, as well as milestones for approvals/critical points in projects.

  • Adding deliverables and tasks

Add each step/task taken to complete a milestone, including creation, internal reviews, presentations, feedback from stakeholders, and all iterations.

Project tasks in Float

  • Adding/noting milestones

Milestones mark a significant point in your project and should be used for crucial meetings or decision points, approvals, or completed phases.

Project milestone in Float

  • Scheduling dates

You can schedule calendar time as soon as you've built out the tasks and milestones that make the plan. When doing this, remember to consider the following:

  • Task estimates
  • Other projects/work happening (and resourcing)
  • Client feedback times
  • Holidays (these should be in the Hive account)
  • Paid time off
  • Any additional client considerations: board meetings, presentations, campaign launches, etc

You can manage time off by creating time off policies in Float for your project. You can create different types, set the terms, and specify the number of days.

Time off policies in Float

  • Add dependencies Adding a dependency on a plan can help you to keep track of work and the order in which it should happen and keep the team and clients informed on proper workflows. 

To show dependencies in Float, choose the Schedule option, right-click and select the Link option or use the keyboard shortcut " L ." Click the task you want to link, and a new link line will appear.

  • Add assignments and hours The next step is critical to ensure that our staffing plan is accurate. Your project team has already been assigned, and you should have discussed responsibilities, so you should be able to add the proper people to each task in the plan.

3. Review your plan before sharing it

This is the final step. It's always a good idea to check your plan before sharing it with the team and clients. Remember, this project document should tell everyone what is happening at any point on the project and who is responsible for it. So, be sure to confirm the details: 1. Check all deliverables and tasks against your scope 2. Check times/dates and task durations to be sure you're allowing for enough time 3. Double-check dependencies 4. Look at team resourcing to confirm full current availability 5. Double-check client timing on feedback and approvals 6. Block out time for holidays or additional client/team outages

4. Review the plan with the team

Our work is fast-paced, and sometimes it's tough to get everyone's attention. While the preference is to call a quick, 30-minute meeting to review the final plan with the team, it's not always possible. If you cannot meet with the team to confirm the plan, share it and ask them to review all of their tasks and timing and confirm with you before sharing it with clients.

5. Share and review the plan with clients

Your final step in getting alignment on your plan is to review it with the clients. Share the plan using a share link in your tool or export a PDF to send.

Before sending a copy of the plan to clients, schedule a time to review it with them. Remember, plans aren't easy to understand for everyone, and the details they include are essential. In general, you want to be sure the clients are aligned on the schedule and process and make them aware of when they are critical to the process. Be sure to cover the following:

  • The overall project process and roles.
  • The steps taken to build consensus and gain alignment, along with the time required for the same.
  • The level of interaction needed from clients and the time required as per the plan, including stakeholders, decision-makers, and the number of days necessary for discussions and consolidated feedback.
  • The timeline, deadline, and identification of any other initiatives, projects, or events that could impact the project.
  • Whether any key company events or outages have been missed.
  • Identification of any additional risks that clients should be aware of and an explanation that project risks will be tracked and discussed regularly in the weekly status report.
  • Whether clients are comfortable with the plan and informing them that it will be managed regularly to keep all teams informed and aligned on progress.

6. Baseline your plan

Many of our projects will change and evolve, and we'll adjust our plan accordingly. But what's most important is that we actively manage and track that change over time. The first way to track change is to set a baseline for your plan . Every time your plan changes, you should establish another baseline. This way, you can look back over time and see how the plan has shifted and changed. 

Round up your team and get planning

Congratulations! You now have all the essential steps and tips for creating a solid project plan to keep your team aligned and your stakeholders happy. 

Float is an excellent resource for managing your project plan like a pro. With its intuitive interface, you can easily manage tasks, set dependencies, and track progress in real-time. By incorporating Float into your project management toolkit, you'll have all the firepower you need to take your project planning and execution to the next level. 

So rally your team, start planning, and get everyone involved to ensure your next project succeeds!

P.S. If you're looking for some extra guidance, remember to download our free planning checklist and adapt it to your unique projects and team.

Explore how Float can help your team

Want to see how Float can help you supercharge your project planning process? Let's talk!

Related reads

Here's how to effectively manage risks in your next project, your guide to a project communication plan that will elevate collaboration, why you need a master schedule to balance project timelines.

How to Create a Winning Project Plan

By Kate Eby | May 25, 2022

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Creating a project plan can be overwhelming, but that doesn’t always have to be the case. We provide the basics steps for how to write a project plan.

In this article, you’ll learn how to write a project plan . You’ll find helpful tips and a downloadable template starter kit so that you don’t have to worry about formatting and can hit the ground running.

What Is a Project Plan?

A project plan is a document that outlines what’s needed to complete a project. This can cover a project scope overview, a budget breakdown, a detailed schedule of deliverables, and a rundown  of potential risks and stakeholders.

A project plan contains much of the same information as a project charter, but includes finalized details and a more specific schedule and budget. Think of a project charter  as the blueprint for your project plan; the charter lays out your intent before the project begins. A project plan maps out the processes necessary to complete it. Your project plan should always be up to date and serve as a source of truth for a project’s status.

How to Write a Project Plan

Writing a project plan starts with finalizing your project information. Create an overview and a scope statement, determine a deliverables schedule, and define a budget. Include a risk management strategy, a communication plan, and any other documents your project needs.

Project planning is fundamentally about balancing the goals, schedule, and costs in a way that demonstrates that you can control the project’s scope. You may consider adopting the use of project planning templates to maintain consistency between projects and build on them over time. 

A project plan also includes all the supporting documents that walk your stakeholders, clients, and team through the project.

1. Write a Project Overview

The overview is a short introduction to the project, not exceeding a page or so in length. Summarize the high-level details, covering project goals, deliverables, success measurements, and dependencies. Include the project’s sponsors and their titles, and name the project. 

Add links to project portals or dashboards to give stakeholders a place to conveniently check on status and to access more detailed documents in the project plan.

Project Overview Statement Template

Download Project Overview Statement Template Microsoft Word | Adobe PDF

Use this template to provide a high-level summary of a project’s goals, scope, risks, schedule, budget, and success metrics. Add links to your company’s risk management plan , a detailed budget, and your project schedule. This template is fully customizable, so you can add or remove text to include only the information you need.

2. Define the Project’s Scope

Outlining your project’s scope is important for controlling scope creep . Define the project’s deliverables and goals. It is just as crucial to highlight what is within a project’s scope as what is outside of it. 

A project’s scope may shift, but consider the changes against the project as a whole and update them in the project plan when approved.

3. Create a Project Schedule

The project schedule should be visual and easy to read, showing how each task contributes to the project’s main goal. Note the people and resources needed for each task and subtask, how long each will take, and the dependencies between them. 

Depending on your project management strategy, you might consider using Gantt charts , Kanban boards , or shared calendars to create the schedule. Whatever you choose, ensure that your project status is updated on the schedule and that tasks are marked when started, completed, or falling behind.

Leave room in your schedule for roadblocks, emergencies, and tasks that may take more time. Consult with your team about how long each task has required in the past and use their feedback to inform the schedule. Create the schedule based on how long the work takes, not how long you wish it would take.

Project Schedule Template

Download Project Schedule Template Microsoft Excel | Google Sheets | Smartsheet

Use this customizable project schedule template to create a visual map of your project’s tasks and phases. The template will use any dates you add to the matrix to create a Gantt chart. You also have space for project notes.

4. Finalize the Project Budget

Your project plan should have the approved spending plan or time-phased budget that lists all costs by time period. Make sure to itemize the budget and keep it as close to reality as possible. Include room in the budget for unforeseen and emergency expenditures, and account for any additional resources you may need. Plan to update it immediately when emergencies arise or when tasks cost more. It is important to know ahead of time what kind of costs need executive approval and to make a plan to get that approval ahead of time.

Project Budget Template

Download Project Budget Template Microsoft Excel | Google Sheets

Use this customizable project budget template to create a detailed, line-item budget for the project. Add labor and materials rates or the fixed cost for each task in your project. The template will automatically calculate the costs and compare your actual budget to your estimates, so it’s easy to tell if you’re going over.

5. Identify a Risk Management Strategy

Make a list of the specific risks your project faces, and outline a strategy to manage them . If your company already has a general risk management plan in place, it may not be necessary to reproduce it in your project plan as long as you highlight the individual risks that apply to your project. Talk to other project managers and your team about the obstacles they faced, and ask for tips for addressing similar challenges.

6. Write a Communication Plan

Create a communication plan to establish how and when you’ll share updates with stakeholders. The plan will list your project’s key stakeholders and team members, as well as their contact information and when they should receive project updates. You can use this document to outline the kinds of updates each stakeholder wishes to receive, and map out a schedule for planned meetings and reports.

Project Communication Plan Template

Download Project Communication Plan Template Microsoft Word | Adobe PDF | Google Docs

Download this project communication plan template to document your key stakeholders’ contact details and their preferred contact style and frequency. Input your communication goals and customize the plan to include scheduled meetings, progress reports, and status reports.

7. Finalize All Documents and Get Sponsor Approval

The final project plan should include all of the information above and any additional documents that might be relevant to your particular project. 

Additional elements you might include in a project plan include the following:

  • A link to your project charter
  • A quality assurance plan
  • Your work breakdown structure
  • Your project management methodology or framework
  • Links and access to necessary permits and certifications

Present the final plan to your sponsor and get their approval. If they request any changes, take this opportunity to make them.

8. Save and Share Your Plan

Once you’ve approved your project plan, save it in a centralized, easily accessible location, and share it with project stakeholders and your team. Ensure that all schedule and budget documents are updated regularly so that the project plan always accurately reflects your project’s status. Any critical changes to the plan itself should only be adjusted through the approved change control and management process.

Tips for Writing a Good Project Plan

Writing a good project plan begins with good organization. Use templates and software to keep your plan up to date and accessible. 

Follow these tips for writing a good project plan:

  • Write Clearly: Don’t complicate the plan with details that your audience already knows, such as your organization’s existing risk management or change control policies . Provide the information that your readers need to know about the specific project, not the entire company.
  • Use Formatting and Be Specific: Some people will skim the plan, while others will pore over every detail. To make it consumable for all, use visual charts for schedules and budgets, bullet points for lists, and bold fonts to highlight important details. The skimmers will get the high-level information they need, and the detail-oriented will be able to drill down into the information they want.
  • Keep It Updated: Even though the project plan contains a series of documents, don’t let it become something that stakeholders ignore or forget because it no longer has relevant information. Use an updated project plan to maintain support and enthusiasm for the work ahead. 
  • Use Your Project Charter: The project charter is the basis for your project plan. A detailed project charter includes similar information. Build off of the speculative schedules and budgets you already created.
  • Use Templates and Software: Using project plan templates for your project plan documents is a great way to ensure consistency between teams and projects. Many project management software solutions also provide methods for creating, organizing, and sharing project plan information as well.
  • Involve Your Team: Make sure to talk with your team before the project starts. They are the people who ensure the project succeeds, so get their input and buy-in during the planning process. They will likely have insight that you do not, and they will ask questions that will surface important details. Involving your team in the planning process also builds trust, as they feel closer to the project and more invested in its success.

Project Plan Starter Kit

Project plan starter kit

Download Project Plan Starter Kit

We’ve collected the templates above to create a project plan starter kit that makes it easy to write your own project plan. In this kit, you’ll find customizable templates to create a project overview, a project budget, a detailed schedule, and a communication plan. Together, these documents form the foundation of a solid project plan and will help get your project off the ground.

Use Smartsheet Project Management Tools to Create and Implement Your Project Plan

Empower your people to go above and beyond with a flexible platform designed to match the needs of your team — and adapt as those needs change. 

The Smartsheet platform makes it easy to plan, capture, manage, and report on work from anywhere, helping your team be more effective and get more done. Report on key metrics and get real-time visibility into work as it happens with roll-up reports, dashboards, and automated workflows built to keep your team connected and informed. 

When teams have clarity into the work getting done, there’s no telling how much more they can accomplish in the same amount of time.  Try Smartsheet for free, today.

Discover why over 90% of Fortune 100 companies trust Smartsheet to get work done.

What is a project plan and how to create one in 5 steps?

Creating a project plan is easy with this guide

project management

Step 1: Define your stakeholders

Step 2: set your goals, step 3: create a schedule, step 4: communicate, step 5: final evaluation, do you really need a project plan.

When you decide to undertake a particular project, it can initially be quite daunting. Where should you begin? Business software, from project management software to the best CRM solutions ,  can help, of course, but what organizations really need is a plan. But coming up with a project plan isn’t necessarily straightforward either.

A project plan is essentially a clear description of what your project is, what you want to achieve, and how you aim to go about it. Project planning will usually outline certain timeframes, as well as define the resources that you will use. 

Project planning can take a variety of forms and is likely to differ depending on a project’s aims, a company’s industry, stakeholders, and many other factors. However, we’ve included five summon steps that will help you get your project plan off to the right start.

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Even if your project is a solo affair, it’s likely that other individuals will be involved, whether that’s customers or commercial rivals. Most projects are about people at the end of the day, which is why the first step when crafting your project plan should be to define your stakeholders. 

Businesses should include anyone with an interest in the project when outlining stakeholders - from both inside and outside the organization. Meet with these stakeholders where possible and get them to discuss their needs and expectations from the project. Define their roles, keeping in mind that some stakeholders might have multiple within a single project.

The best CRM software can help businesses improve communication, which will improve stakeholder engagement within the company. At the same time, marketing departments probably have their own solutions for crafting buyer personas to help form 360-degree outlines of consumer stakeholders. 

The next step when crafting your project plan is to outline your goals. Without a clear objective, your project will flounder without an objective and no way of measuring success. Defining your project objectives will also inform the final shape that your project takes. Your goals will also help determine where resources are allocated and what tools you’ll use. For instance, if one of your project’s main aims is to derive clearer customer insights, then a business intelligence platform is likely to be essential. 

As well as listing your goals when creating a project plan, remember that not all goals are of equal importance. Prioritization is an important part of goal creation, so you can focus resources in the right areas. Outline the tasks needed to meet your most important goals ( task management may help here) and see if some project visualization tools can provide added clarity. A Gantt chart, for instance, can help with task prioritization and mapping project dependencies.

A project plan doesn’t just tell you what to do and what order to do it in; it also helps create a timeframe for your project. When creating a project plan, businesses should establish a schedule as early as possible. It’s important to be realistic here and account for the fact that most projects will hit a snag at some point. Flexibility will be important if timelines have to be shifted in light of new developments.

In fact, any timeline that forms part of your project plan should look to outline risks and take these into account. Identify risks to not only hopefully form mitigating strategies but also to evaluate what sort of impact they might have on the project. Could they delay the project’s completion? Could they damage your results? 

A simple matrix, the kind often included in many small business CRMs , can help you to better understand a likely time frame for your project. Think carefully about who will be responsible for each task and consider the person’s bandwidth before you set a deadline for completion. List each stakeholder should be accountable to - probably a team leader or manager - and keep on top of things. Don’t wait until the deadline has passed before you check in on individual employees. Use metrics to understand how things are progressing, if additional support is needed, and whether the initial timeline you came up with is still feasible.

When you’ve formulated an initial project plan, there are a couple of steps before the planning stage is formally complete. Make sure your plan is shared with all the relevant stakeholders as part of an open discussion. If there are any concerns, allow these same stakeholders to share them freely. Project planning should be an ongoing process with feedback always welcomed. 

If a stakeholder has some important input, you may want to reassess your plan and communicate any changes you’ve made. Ask stakeholders if they fully understand the plan you’ve come up with. If there are any reservations, it’s highly unlikely that your plan will deliver the results you’re looking for. And remember your project doesn’t exist in isolation. Any feedback - from the initial plan or following a project’s conclusion - can help inform the next plan so things go even better.

When you’ve implemented your plan, it’s time to assess how things went. Did your plan lead to the desired outcome? What could be communicated better? What would you change for the next project? Conduct a thorough final evaluation covering the planning stage, implementation, and results. 

Canvass opinions from multiple stakeholders when you're carrying out your final evaluation too. You may have thought that the project was an unqualified success, for example, but your employees may have been exhausted due to what they saw as unrealistic expectations. Talking to different stakeholders is the only way of getting a well-rounded picture of a project’s success. A formal revenue can help to elucidate the strengths and weaknesses of any project so you can derive the necessary learnings from it.

Of course, you could forgo the planning stage and launch headfirst into your next project - but it’s probably not a great idea. A project plan provides structure around what you want to achieve, when, with whom, and how. It’s an important step - and while it won’t guarantee project success, it will provide clarity on what went well and what didn’t.

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Barclay Ballard

Barclay has been writing about technology for a decade, starting out as a freelancer with ITProPortal covering everything from London’s start-up scene to comparisons of the best cloud storage services.  After that, he spent some time as the managing editor of an online outlet focusing on cloud computing, furthering his interest in virtualization, Big Data, and the Internet of Things. 

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Project Planning

project planning verbouwing

What is project planning?

Definition: Project planning is a crucial part of project management focused on creating a detailed plan that outlines the steps and resources necessary to achieve the project's objectives, including identifying the project's scope, establishing a timeline, assigning tasks and resources, and budgeting for the project. 

Project planning is an iterative process , and the project plan may need to be adjusted as the project progresses. It is important to regularly review and update the project plan to ensure that it stays on track and meets its objectives.

Phases of project planning

Project planning is a critical element of project management, as it sets the stage for the entire project. There are eight steps:

  • Define the goals and objectives of the project

Set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals. This includes the milestones and smaller tasks the team must complete by the end of the project. It is important to get input from all stakeholders when creating the work plan to ensure that everyone is on the same page.

  • Develop the project plan

Define the project's scope by creating a work breakdown structure, schedule, and budget. The work breakdown structure details the tasks that need to be completed, the schedule outlines the timeline for the project, while the budget identifies the resources required and costs associated with the project.

  • Identify the project risks

The project manager makes a plan for the unexpected. This includes possible solutions to manage potential risk. A contingency plan is included in case something goes wrong.

  • Create a communication plan

The communication plan dictates who's to be updated on the project’s progress and how often. This ensures everyone is on the same page.

  • Assign roles and responsibilities

Each team member needs to know what is expected of them. This includes their deliverables and deadlines. The project manager assigns tasks depending on each member's strengths and weaknesses. This ensures tasks are completed effectively, and the project stays on track.

  • Obtain approvals

The project lead presents the plan to the company's CEO for approval. Once approved, the head of marketing is responsible for ensuring that all tasks are completed on time and within budget. 

  • Launch the project

A kickoff meeting marks the beginning of the execution phase. It sets the pace for the project. This is when the team puts all the pieces together and starts working towards the project goals. To organize a successful kickoff meeting:

  • Ensure all the stakeholders are in attendance. Reschedule if a key person is unavailable on the chosen day.
  • Create a detailed, clear and concise agenda.
  • Monitoring and evaluation

The project manager monitors and adjusts the plan as needed to ensure the successful completion of the project.

Types of project planning

The type of planning depends on the nature of the project and personal preferences. There are three types of project planning: vertical, horizontal, and joint.

Vertical planning

Also known as waterfall planning, vertical planning is when the project manager plans the different phases of the project sequentially, from start to finish.

Horizontal planning

Horizontal planning is when the different parts of the project are planned simultaneously. This type of planning is also known as agile planning.

Joint planning

This is a mix of both vertical and horizontal planning. Part of the project is planned sequentially, and some parts are planned at the same time. This type of planning is also known as integrated planning.

Example of project planning

Company X plans to launch a new product, and the head of product marketing is assigned to create a project plan.

  • Enhance awareness into an eco-conscious demographic subsection to strengthen customer relationships and brand loyalty.
  • Aim to sell over 15,000 units in Q1.
  • Achieve 80% customer satisfaction rating in user testing.

Stakeholders

Project sponsor: Molly - LiquiTech

Project lead : Graham

Development: Ridge

Design: Leah

Marketing: Mindy and Alec

Support: Dylan and Hope

Project plan

Project start: 01st April

Project end: 15th September

$5,000 - Advertising, market research, and product development

$3,000 - HR tasks including customer service, social media, and sales

$12,000 - Material resources for product development, packaging, and shipping

$2,000 - Contingency

Deliverables

  • Update buyer personas
  • Product documentation
  • Legal obligations
  • Usability testing plan
  • Internal company education
  • Sales training
  • New product marketing campaign

Risks analysis  

  • Increasing production costs
  • Technology risks
  • Market risks
  • Performance risks
  • Financial risk

Communication plan

Team to communicate primarily on Company X’s collaboration platform. Weekly reports to be shared via email on Fridays by COB. Individual progress reports to be uploaded on the platform every fortnight.

Kickoff meeting

Launch date

11:11 am, 1st April 2023

Marketing channels

To utilize social media platforms to run giveaways two weeks before and after the product launch, plus online ads to reach members of the intended audience.

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Project Management

The project plan blueprint: create a roadmap to success.

Erica Golightly

Senior Writer

June 30, 2023

Project management documentation are non-negotiable resources that directly influence a project’s final outcome. To achieve a high success rate, the project plan serves as a dependable and effective roadmap that teams rely on throughout the entire project lifecycle, from initiation to completion. 📍

This guide is packed with the resources you need to send a project on the right path. We’ll break down the steps to build effective project plans, optimize resources, and coordinate communication efforts.

We know you’re a busy bee, so here’s a resource to jumpstart your project planning process right now: The ClickUp Example Project Plan Template . The List and Board views are already set up with key requirement fields, so all you have to do is add your project tasks! 

ClickUp Project Plan Template in List view

Check out more project roadmap templates !

Before we dive in, let’s explain what a project plan is. Because it gets chaotic with a revolving door of project documentation…

Ok if we’re honest, we like a little chaos. But only if Organized comes before Chaos. 😊

What is a Project Plan?

Step 1: specify the expected deliverables and end results of the project, step 2: identify the key stakeholders and estimate budget expenses, step 3: create a work breakdown structure (wbs), step 4: add key milestones into a detailed project schedule, step 5: set expectations for communication .

The project plan is a living document to provide a clear understanding of the project’s objectives, so stakeholders can align their efforts towards a collective goal. It defines the project’s scope , specifying what is included and what is not, to prevent scope creep and meet target deadlines.

At its best, it equips team members with the context to spend their time on the right things, including: 

  • Risk assessment and mitigation strategies
  • Individual and team responsibilities
  • Resource management strategies
  • Task dependencies
  • Key milestones

Outline the project planning phase in a ClickUp Doc

Learn strategies for seamless project execution !

How to Create a Project Plan in 5 Steps 

From establishing clear project objectives to building the project timeline, we’ll get into practical insights and best practices to guide you in drafting project plans. 

Basically, here’s the over-caffeinated version of how to create a fail-proof project plan in 2023. 🏆

Not all requests in the queue should be full-scale projects. By prioritizing the right projects, teams can maximize their chances of success and optimize resource utilization for the best possible outcomes.

Do the deliverables and outcomes align with your organization’s growth goals?  When stakeholders see the relevance and alignment of a project with the organization’s KPIs, they are more inclined to actively participate, provide necessary resources, and advocate for project success. (More about project stakeholders in the next step!) 

Who will be the primary users or recipients of the deliverables? Customers or end users may have distinct preferences, expectations, or levels of expertise, and understanding their characteristics allows the project team to create deliverables that effectively meet their unique needs.

Are there any specific requirements, templates, or guidelines for the deliverables? This question upfront saves everyone time by providing a structured framework or starting point, so the project team can focus on the content and value-added aspects of the deliverables rather than spending unnecessary effort on formatting or presentation.

Send a ClickUp Form to the project sponsor and intake requests in one place

Now that you’re prepped with the project deliverables and goals, it’s time to begin drafting the project plan. 📃

Depending on your preferred project management methodology , the project plan’s format varies. Documents, tables, and Gantt charts are a few popular options. As long as it gives a clear description of each element in a project plan, you’re on the right track!

Here’s what you should have so far: 

  • Project Title : Clearly state the name or title to capture the project’s essence. If you’re using an acronym, provide the full term 
  • Project Description : Write a concise description of the project’s purpose, objectives, and scope
  • Project Manager and Team : Identify the project manager responsible for overseeing the project and list the key members of the project team (e.g. the marketing team )
  • Project Start, End, and Delivery Dates : Distinguish between the completion of internal project activities and the delivery of the final results to the stakeholders
  • Project Objectives : State the specific goals and outcomes of the project. Give context to its impact on the organization’s KPIs and OKRs

Discover project planning tools to support any type of workflow! 

Two-way sync in ClickUp's Calendar view

Project stakeholders typically include individuals or groups directly impacted by or having a vested interest in the project’s outcomes. Part of your project plan in this section should include approaches for stakeholder communication, involvement, and participation. 🧑‍💻

These may include project sponsors, end-users, clients, key project members, and the accounting partner.

Yes, accounting partners are stakeholders. Here’s why:

A small design project for an agency might cost a few thousand dollars, whereas a large infrastructure project for a multinational corporation could involve millions of dollars. 

In recent times of changing market conditions, it’s more important than ever to give stakeholders an idea of expenses related to resources, equipment, materials, and any other relevant costs. The plan also includes processes for tracking and managing costs throughout the project lifecycle.

ClickUp Project Management CTA

This brings us to the next productivity resource to have on your radar. There’s a faster way to get out of building a budget report spreadsheet line by line every Friday afternoon: 

Give transparency into project budget utilization where the work is happening. 

Use free tools like Custom Fields in ClickUp to categorize project task resources, like contractors, project management software, and one-off purchases. (For example, purchasing a license for a song in a brand video.)

And this doesn’t take extra effort and, more importantly, email chains on your part. With ClickUp, all your project’s tasks and resources are recorded in one place. @Mention a stakeholder for purchase approval, upload a receipt image, and update the Custom Field to reflect how much funding is left. 💰

When Custom Fields are updated, task watchers (including accounting partners) are notified of the changes. They have the convenience of referring to the digital trail whenever they need to!

Multiple assignees in ClickUp

Now that we have project stakeholders and the budget added to the project plan let’s move to the next step!

A work breakdown structure (WBS) represents the project’s scope by breaking it down into team and individual tasks or activities. 

Starting with the most important project deliverable, the WBS progressively breaks it down into smaller work packages and subtasks. Each work package represents a distinct task or activity to be assigned, scheduled, and tracked. The hierarchical rundown continues until the work packages are at a level where they can be easily understood and executed. 🤩

The WBS is a collaborative process. Connect with your key project team members to fill in what’s missing for the project’s requirements and deliverables. As a project manager, your focus is on the project as a whole, including strategic planning , project scheduling , budgeting, and stakeholder communication. 

Here is a general outline of the WBS format if you want to build a simple project plan template:

The project team is the subject matter experts in their fields. Their perspectives on how long a task would take and what they would need from other team members to complete their work are invaluable for a successful project. 

Virtual whiteboards are a great option for a remote or in-person brainstorming session. With real-time editing, it’s a non-intimidating way to encourage participation from everyone. Add to your next project planning session the ClickUp Work Breakdown Structure Template . A beginner-friendly tool with rich text editing, embedding features, and actionable tasks! 🎯

ClickUp Work Breakdown Structure Docs View for project plan templates

When you’re at a good place with the WBS, it’s ready to be added to a project timeline. 

Bonus: Work Breakdown Structure Software !

The schedule will get updated weekly or monthly as the project progresses. To keep up with the changes, and, most importantly, communicate the changes, using intuitive tools like Gantt charts, Kanban boards, and timelines will make managing ongoing changes less tedious. 

Gantt charts 

Offer a visual representation of the project schedule, allowing project managers to easily track task dependencies, durations, and milestones. When updates are required, they can quickly modify the chart, rearranging tasks or adjusting timelines with a simple drag-and-drop action.

Kanban boards

Provide a streamlined workflow view, allowing project managers to visualize tasks in various stages of completion. As changes occur, they can easily move tasks across different columns, reflecting the updated progress and priorities. 

Timelines 

Show a clear chronological view of project events, deadlines, and milestones. This enables stakeholders to stay informed about important dates and ensures that everyone is on the same page regarding project progress.

Check out our guide to creating a project timeline ! It’s packed with more templates and examples to help you build a powerful project visual. 🎨

Bonus: Construction scheduling software !

We’ve arrived at the final step of the project planning process!

Following up on task statuses and answering one-off status emails take up so much time and energy from a project manager’s work week. 

Chances are, everyone is working on multiple projects simultaneously. So replying to DMs is sometimes held off until the very end of the day. Or lost somewhere in the void for days. 

Status reports are essential for decision-making. They provide a digital record of the project’s activities, decisions made, and outcomes, which can be useful for future reference, audits, or lessons learned.

PRO TIP Use ClickUp AI to summarize comment threads and quickly see the main points of a long thread or comment! After the content is generated, you have the option to try for a slightly different AI response, copy the text, close the Summarize thread modal, or tell AI what to do next.

Replace long email chains with ClickUp tasks for your status reports. With a single ClickUp task, all the weekly updates are stored in one place. This simple shift to task-based communication eliminates the need to search across multiple apps. 🔍

However, if your team relies on messaging platforms like Slack for urgent updates and real-time problem-solving, use the Slack integration with ClickUp . Turn messages into tasks and comments from the Slack app and notifications about tasks to Slack channels of your choice!

Take project communication one step further by providing a project status report template to follow so all updates are organized and uniform for stakeholders: 

  • Team Accomplishments : List key milestones or tasks completed during the week
  • Current Status : Provide an overview of the project’s progress and any challenges or bottlenecks faced
  • Upcoming Tasks and Deadlines : Note any important deadlines approaching in the following week
  • Tasks at Risk : Highlight any issues or risks identified and their potential impact
  • Resource Updates : Mention any changes or updates related to resource allocation
  • Next Steps : Summarize the immediate next steps and priorities
  • Assistance Needed : Specify any support or assistance required from team members or stakeholders

Bonus: Create a “Coordination” ClickUp task, which serves as the main channel where teams can expect the latest updates from you! 

leave feedback in clickup tasks for release notes updates

Centralize Your Teams and Align Projects With ClickUp

Leverage ClickUp to take the administration tasks off your workload so you can do what you do best. You are capable of handling every single request or question that comes your way, but you shouldn’t have to. Your team needs you in your most present self, driving the project toward success. 

Create a free ClickUp Workspace and invite team members to experience better project planning. If you need any support with building project workflows, we’re only a message away. Happy planning! ✍️

Questions? Comments? Visit our Help Center for support.

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Builder blog by RedTeam

  • November 29, 2023

A Guide to Construction Project Planning

Are you an industry professional looking to gain knowledge and insights into construction project planning? Or maybe someone who’s just curious about the process from start to finish? This guide will equip you with the insights needed for successful project execution. 

From understanding why planning matters, right through to monitoring progress until completion. With this knowledge, you can confidently approach future tasks with ease.

Understanding the basics of construction project planning

Construction project planning plays a vital role in effectively managing and executing construction projects. The construction planning process encompasses selecting the appropriate technology, defining work tasks for the project, estimating all the necessary resources and durations for each task‌ and identifying any potential interactions between different tasks. 

A solid construction project plan is critical to establish the project budget and schedule. It serves as the foundation for efficient execution, so you can complete the project on time.

You’ll find that there are five stages to construction project planning:

  • Preconstruction
  • Planning and scheduling
  • Contracting and execution
  • Monitoring and control 
  • Project completion 

Types of construction projects

In the construction industry, projects are commonly divided into four main categories , which help understand their nature and purpose. These categories include:

  • Residential Construction : These buildings can be single-family homes or large-scale projects like high-rise apartment complexes.
  • Commercial Construction : These buildings specifically accommodate commercial and institutional needs like office complexes, hotels and hospitals.
  • Infrastructure Construction : This relates to infrastructure needs like sewer and drainage systems, water treatment supply systems, highways, roads‌ and bridges.
  • Industrial Construction: These facilities can include refineries, power plants, manufacturing plants, pipelines‌ and warehouses.

Let’s explore the different construction project planning steps next.

1. Preconstruction phase

Developing a strategic plan is necessary during the preconstruction phase of construction project planning. This is the time to:

  • Outline the project scope
  • Identify stakeholders
  • Select the construction team
  • Obtain permits and approvals (e.g., building permit, zoning and land use permit, site development permit, etc.)
  • Obtain resources required for construction
  • Set a preliminary schedule
  • Conduct a site evaluation
  • Estimate project cost

Furthermore, you need to implement a system that manages your documentation. Important documents like permits must be organized and easily accessible by construction managers and team members.

Construction management software provides a place for all construction project management documentation. For instance, RedTeam Flex makes it easier to create your cost estimate, request quotes and select vendors and subcontractors.

2. Planning and scheduling

Construction project planning and scheduling are the foundation for construction projects. An effective construction plan will include:

  • Work breakdown structure (WBS) : Decompose the project into smaller, more manageable pieces or work packages, called estimate assemblies and project phases in RedTeam’s solutions. This helps assign tasks, estimate costs‌ and manage the project more effectively.
  • Project schedule: Create a clear timeline and incorporate tools such as Gantt charts in RedTeam Flex to help visualize this data. Techniques like the critical path method (CPM) or program evaluation and review technique (PERT) help determine each activity or task’s start and end dates.
  • Cost estimation : Calculate the costs associated with each component, including labor, materials, equipment‌, subcontract and other, for any additional expenses.
  • Resource management: Properly identify and distribute all the necessary resources for each task. This includes labor, equipment‌ and materials.
  • Risk management plan : Identify any potential risks that may arise and assess the impact they could have on your project. Then, develop strategies to mitigate or respond to them.
  • Quality management plan: The quality management plan for construction projects guides the project manager in conducting quality planning, management and assurance activities for a project or program.
  • Communication plan: Establish clear guidelines for communication during the project. This includes scheduling meetings, creating reports‌ and providing regular updates. Fieldlens by RedTeam was designed for a collaborative jobsite, so teams stay on the same page and share information in real time.
  • Health and safety plan: Identify the required safety protocols on the construction site. These protocols should be strictly followed without any compromises.

These components positively contribute to making jobsites more productive and enhancing decision-making . Proper construction project planning establishes protocols that streamline tasks for higher quality work.

3. Contracting and execution

A construction contract is a legally binding agreement between the parties involved. It outlines all construction project details, roles‌ and responsibilities. In the following, we outline essential elements in a construction contract:

  • Project scope : This is a description of the work to be performed, which should include detailed drawings, specifications‌ and any other relevant documentation.
  • Project costs and payment : The payment terms of a construction contract should be kept simple and direct. Leave no room for confusion regarding the cost of materials and construction services. With construction management solutions like RedTeam Flex you’re able to easily specify the payment schedule, including amounts and terms and conditions for payment. This ensures clarity and helps avoid any confusion or disputes later.
  • Project timelines and schedule : Ensure the work schedule is explicitly outlined in contracts. This should include important dates such as the notice to proceed, construction start and substantial completion dates. Moreover, the contractor should consider adding a provision covering unforeseen delays beyond their control, such as permitting problems and severe weather conditions.
  • Lien protection : Project owners are legally obligated to pay subcontractors, sub-subcontractors‌ or material suppliers if the contractor fails to fulfill their payment obligations. Parties can place a lien on your property to ensure payment for any unpaid services.
  • Dispute resolution clauses: Including provisions to address disputes in a contract is essential. Consider including a clause that allows for contract termination if there is a breach of its terms.

Once the contract is finalized, work can begin.

4. Monitoring and control 

Project management tools and software improve construction project planning during the monitoring and control phase. Specifically, they help to ensure the successful execution of projects. Here’s how software can be beneficial:

  • Centralized information: With the help of software tools, project-related data can be stored in a single, centralized location. The result is that all stakeholders have access to up-to-date and consistent information. Software creates an organized system for storing documents and keeping track of any changes made. Furthermore, this guarantees that everyone is constantly working with the most up-to-date versions of the documents.
  • Real-time collaboration: Collaboration is made easier with tools like Fieldlens , as team members can work together in real-time. For instance, any changes or updates are instantly visible to everyone involved, informing all stakeholders as necessary.
  • Resource allocation: Construction software helps project managers allocate resources, identify conflicts‌ and optimize schedules. They further enable resource allocation, highlight potential conflicts and facilitate optimal scheduling.
  • Budget tracking : RedTeam Flex helps monitor project expenses in real-time , allowing for a comprehensive comparison between actual and budgeted costs. This proactive approach helps in early identification of any potential financial discrepancies.
  • Risk management: Software like RedTeam Flex has consistent workflows for project management. It allows users to identify, assess and track potential risks. Subsequently, the team can implement mitigation strategies and monitor their effectiveness over time.
  • Visual data representation : RedTeam’s software includes Gantt charts and dashboards that make it easier to quickly grasp the project’s status and timelines.
  • Alerts and notifications: Construction project management software like RedTeam Go sends automated alerts for upcoming deadlines, changes‌ or issues that require immediate attention. This ensures timely interventions that can prevent any potential problems from escalating.
  • Task management: During construction project planning, construction managers can easily assign, track‌ and update tasks for clear accountability . This way, everyone knows their responsibilities and there’s clarity about who is responsible for what.

The importance of regular construction project meetings

Regular meetings allow stakeholders to discuss objectives, strategies‌ and tasks together, while minimizing misunderstandings and misalignments. Furthermore, valuable input received from different perspectives avoids a feedback loop. Team cohesion is important during complex and lengthy construction projects as it helps everyone understand their roles and eases tension. Construction management software can help facilitate meetings and streamline the recording of meeting minutes.

5. Project completion 

A proactive management approach ensures that all construction activities are completed according to plan. Consequently, a comprehensive construction project planning process is important. Project managers have the responsibility to drive ‌strict adherence to the project plan. Here are some practical ways they can oversee this:

  • Regular site visits and inspections : Project managers confirm the work is aligned with the plan by conducting frequent on-site visits. These visits allow them to visually inspect progress and make any necessary adjustments.
  • Consistent progress monitoring with milestones : Scheduled milestones to regularly evaluate the project’s advancement help project managers compare progress to predefined benchmarks and stay on track.
  • Punch lists: Punch lists highlight unfinished tasks or rework that need attention. Moreover, they ensure no detail is overlooked before officially declaring the project complete.
  • Construction project management software : Efficiently manage your scheduling, resource allocation, cost tracking‌ and real-time progress monitoring with construction software. Streamline your operations and enable your team to easily stay on top of everything.

Explore RedTeam’s solutions for construction planning , and learn how you can set your next project apart.

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Lesson 2 of 11 By Ishan Gaba

What is Project Planning: Tools and Fundamentals

Table of Contents

Project planning ensures project success and timely delivery, a crucially important function in any technical organization. Striving toward a perfect plan will help increase the probability of customer satisfaction and their trust in the organization for future investments. It’s the most crucial step in the reduction of risk and project failures. After all, every project manager knows that no one gets points for a brilliant idea if the execution ultimately fails. 

There are some necessary steps to project planning that can help yield a successful and efficient process. We can refer to different project planning tools like Gantt chart, PERT chart, or Critical Path Method when forming a project plan.

The following tutorial covers the basics of project planning, its fundamentals, why it’s so important for organizations, some popular tools used for project planning, and basic steps. We’ll also look at some opportunities to learn about these tools in more depth.

Earn 60 PDUs: Pick from 6 Courses

Earn 60 PDUs: Pick from 6 Courses

What is Project Planning?

A project consists of five different phases: initiation, planning, execution, monitoring and controlling, and closure. Planning is the second phase of the project life cycle , where a plan after the initiation phase is made so the process of execution may begin. The project plan serves as a roadmap for the entire process of project management . 

Project planning involves: 

Defining Objectives 

Explaining the scope, scheduling tasks , generating progress reports , project planning fundamentals.

Project Planning refers to defining fundamentals such as the following:

Determination of Scope, Cost, and Resources

  • The process of determining the scope, cost, and resources help estimate the time required to complete the project, the number of people needed, and the skill set required
  • Work Breakdown Structure ( WBS ) helps this process by dividing the whole task into smaller, manageable segments

Identification of the Problem

  • A variety of techniques, like surveys or meetings, are used to collect information to assess problems
  • There can be multiple problems; then, the project team selects the issue that requires the most immediate attention

Identification of Stakeholders 

  • Identification of stakeholders gives a clearer image of the real problem, specifically which function or people might be affected by the project
  • Stakeholders work with the project team and contribute to the project's success

Definition of Project Objectives

  • A plan is made, keeping in mind the various expectations of the stakeholders
  • The success of the project entirely depends on how much of the expectations the project is able to meet

Why Project Planning?

Project planning ensures monitoring of the budget and schedule at every step. The project plan includes a schedule that guides team members in completing their tasks and helps them in knowing which tool they will need and when. It also helps the team stay engaged for higher project performance. The project plan ensures there is the active participation of all the team members and allows them to have an opportunistic approach towards their work.

Project planning ensures timely testing of the output at every step. When successfully implemented, everyone on the project team can foresee problems before they happen. This creates efficiencies and ensures the successful execution of the plan.

Additionally, project planning helps analyze, prioritize, and ensure an appropriate plan for all kinds of risks. Proper planning ensures that if there is more than one risk, they can be prioritized and dealt with accordingly. This step ensures that nothing will fall apart and the plan makes it easy for the project team to remember all the crucial details and deadlines.

What are the Components of a Project Plan?

The following are the components of project planning: 

It is one of the most important components of a project plan. The scope determines what a project team will and will not do. Defining the project's in-scope requirements make the work breakdown structure creation process easier. The project manager must define performance objectives as part of the project scope.

One of a project's most important components is the budget. To determine the project's cost, project managers consider the amount of labour and other resources needed to complete the project's objectives. Different phases, tasks, and activities require different budget allocations depending on their priorities and needs. 

The term "timeline" describes how long it is anticipated for each project stage to be finished. It also entails stating how the project is broken down into tasks and subtasks. The definition of these timelines, the creation of individual and team schedules, and the selection of project milestones are all included in the timeline process.

6% Growth in PM Jobs By 2024 - Upskill Now

6% Growth in PM Jobs By 2024 - Upskill Now

How Do You Create a Project Plan?

The following steps will ensure that the project will be executed properly: 

Define Stakeholders

Anyone with interest in the project is a stakeholder. Thus, any person, organisation, or party interested in a company or its actions' results is considered a stakeholder.

Define Roles

Stakeholders have a variety of responsibilities within the business. They may occasionally participate in making decisions, bringing in money, and performing other duties.

Introduce Stakeholders

It is essential to schedule formal or informal meetings with each team member at various points throughout the project. Before the project starts, issues like scope, budget, goals, schedule, and roles should be discussed.

Setting goals is essential to prepare for personal change and achieve project goals. It serves as a basis for managing performance and motivates and focuses attention.

Prioritize Tasks

You need to set tasks in order of importance. Also, the more significant task can be simplified into smaller objectives and tasks.

Create a Schedule

You must set up a system to make sure when deadlines are missed, corrective actions are taken. Your timeline may need to be modified, considering your objectives.

Assess Risks

A risk is a potential issue with your project that may or may not materialise. To avoid being caught off guard later, it is crucial to identify risks in project management and mitigate them during the project planning phase.

Communicate

Setting up reliable communication lines and expectations for project communication is essential. Hold a meeting or solicit opinions from each team member regarding the risks you should take into account.

You should reevaluate everything once you've reached the halfway point or other significant milestones. Doing so lets you assess which areas you are doing well in and which require more effort. Your original plan may need to be modified after revaluation.

Final Evaluation

You need to reflect on the project once it is finished. Learn from your areas of weakness and focus more on improving the ones where you performed better. Your likelihood of project success goes up as a result.

What are the 5 Phases of a Project?

Following are the essential 5 phases of each project: 

You must create a business plan and define a broad project at this stage. Ensure the project meets business needs and that stakeholders and project teams agree. Creating the project success criteria throughout the project life cycle is the main objective of the Initiation Phase. Also, at this point, the feasibility of the project and its measurement are taken into account.

Successful project management depends on good project planning. The project team members focus on specific requirements, tasks, deadlines, and actions during the project planning phase. The project manager collaborates with every team member to develop the design, list the tasks, and determine the budget. S.M.A.R.T. (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely) and C.L.E.A.R. (collaborative, limited, emotional, appreciable, refinable) are two of the most common approaches to setting project goals.

To keep the project on track for the remainder of the life cycle, the project manager attempts to manage every task and aspect of project delivery during this phase. During this phase, the project manager also must consistently uphold productive stakeholder collaboration. This ensures everyone is on the same page and everything goes off without a hitch during the project.

Monitoring and Management

By working in parallel with project execution, the project monitoring and controlling phase guarantees that goals and project deliverables are met. Along with keeping tabs on task progress, the project manager also looks for problems or risks, develops a plan to mitigate them with the team, and regularly communicates the project's status to stakeholders.

Closing and Review

The project management process ends at this stage. The final crucial tasks must be finished to ensure that the client is satisfied. However, the team should conduct a project retrospective regardless of the life cycle. The project team can consider new lessons learned and ensure that current project management procedures are improved for a future project during this post-mortem activity.

Project Planning Tools

Project planning tools help everyone concerned keep track of project requirements and deadlines. Some of the most popular project planning tools include the following:

Gantt Chart

  • Gantt charts are an industry standard that helps in tracking both time and interdependencies between tasks
  • Gantt charts are an essential tool to show different phases, jobs, and resources involved in project management

Critical Path Method (CPM)

  • Critical Path Method (CPM) is a crucial tool for determining the progress of the project to ensure that the project is on schedule
  • CPM helps in determining the essential or critical path by finding out the longest stretch of dependent tasks
  • The Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) helps in analyzing the tasks to complete the project and the time required to complete those tasks
  • PERT simplifies the planning and scheduling of large and complex projects

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

  • Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is a process of organizing the team's work into manageable sections
  • WBS is a hierarchical structure of the deliverables needed to complete the project

Project Documentation

  • Project documentation is created during the project lifecycle, which involves project scope, its schedule, and the risk analysis
  • Project documents help in better understanding and risk analysis of the project

Project Planning Steps

There are seven essential project planning steps:

project planning steps

1. Identify and Meet Stakeholder

The stakeholders might include the project manager, the customer, or the team. The first step is to identify and meet the stakeholders to discuss their expectations and establish the project scope.

2. Define Scope

Project scope involves determining a list of specific project goals, deliverables, budgets, and deadlines. Project scope helps in establishing boundaries of the project and responsibilities of each team member.

3. Set and Prioritize Objectives

The objectives are set and prioritized once the expectations of stakeholders become certain. More exquisite detail to initial ideas is given, which serves as a reference point throughout the project.

4. Determine Deliverables 

Deliverables are the reason why the projects are created. It is one of the most critical steps of the project planning to determine what these deliverables will be and how they will be delivered in time. 

5. Create a Project Schedule 

The project schedule outlines when different tasks of a project are supposed to begin and end. The project schedule helps measure the project progress and set up progress reports.

6. Risk Analysis

Identifying risks and considering how to deal with them is an essential step in project planning. Specific steps to prevent risks from happening or limiting their impact should be considered.

7. Set Progress Guidelines 

There must be a communication plan to update the stakeholders regarding the project progress. This can be done monthly, weekly, or daily so that all involved members can monitor the progress.

Learn How Project Planning Can Improve Your Organization and Career

Even the most promising plans will fall flat if they aren’t properly executed. The best way to ensure success is to employ one of the proven project management methodologies already used by some of today’s biggest and most agile companies. Best of all, you can upgrade your skills online by enrolling in Simplilearn’s comprehensive PMP® Certification Training  today!

Find our PMP® Certification Training Online Classroom training classes in top cities:

About the author.

Ishan Gaba

Ishan Gaba is a Research Analyst at Simplilearn. He is proficient in Java Programming, Data Structures, and Project Management. Graduated in Information Technology, Ishan is also passionate about writing and traveling.

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  • Project Management

What is Project Planning? Steps, Process, Importance, Tools

Home Blog Project Management What is Project Planning? Steps, Process, Importance, Tools

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There is a golden adage that says - "you don't plan to fail but you fail to plan"; well, it holds pretty much the same importance in project management as it does in all aspects of life. Project planning is quintessential to the project and projects that are not planned well result in unwanted overheads or at times sunk costs which result in pressures on the execution of the project and often escalate situations out of control for the project manager. 

What is Project Planning in Project Management?   

Project planning or project management planning is the foundation and most important stage of the project management life-cycle. The project planning activity sets the project foundations by base-lining the project scope, schedule, quality standards, objectives, and goals. Planning typically involves creating a document with all project information that comprises the respective tasks, assignee's, and areas of responsibility.

A project plan usually includes management plans for all areas of the project viz - integration, scope, schedule, cost, quality, resources, communication, risk, procurement, and stakeholders. Creating a consolidated project plan can be done manually or with the help of automated project management software such as Agile Central, Jira, Asana, Wrike, nTask, etc. Creating a comprehensive project plan and envisioning a concrete project execution strategy can streamline and strengthen the project process and ensure successful project execution and delivery. 

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Why is Project Planning Important?   

In a formal project management life cycle, projects begin with the project charter providing authority to the project manager to utilize organizational resources and assets for the project. A lot of novice professionals may at this point question - what is project planning & why is it important? Here is where the importance of the project planning phase comes into the picture as planning goes a few steps ahead and guides the project manager in strategising: 

  • How the project will move ahead i.e. how to plan a project’s activities,
  • What kind of resources will be engaged at what duration,
  • How unforeseen situations will be handled, and finally,
  • What will be the baselines against which progress will be measured and reported 

The planning process in project management forms the basis of the next project phases i.e. execution, monitoring & controlling closure, and also stipulates how the project team will pursue the goals outlined in the business case and project charter. Project planning in project management is also important from a cost-saving perspective as any project can easily run into unknowns, environmental challenges, and scope creep that haunt the completion and delivery of any/all types of projects. It is only effective project planning that provides the required structure and foresight, thereby helping eliminate wasteful tasks and patterns to optimize efficiency and execution. 

Types of Project Planning   

Project planning can be of various types depending on the objective, scope, and purview of the activity in consideration. The 3 broad categories of planning include: 

  • Vertical Planning  - involves creating a detailed hourly plan to roll up to the day and is also known as daily planning as it is done on that particular day; 
  • Horizontal Planning - involves creating a plan for the day as a whole instead of focusing on every hour and can be done weekly or monthly as well; 
  • Joint Planning - as the name suggests, involves both horizontal and vertical planning i.e. planning the tasks for the day as well as the week to have a bird's eye view and also a detailed plan at the same time. Joint planning requires careful consideration of the task duration and order of items, to sequence activities and complete them. 

What are the Components of a Project Plan?   

  • Scope - Project scope includes the stakeholder requirements, deliverables, and goals that attribute to the project's success and completion. 
  • Budget - Budget allocations define which resources will be aligned to the particular project activities based on their priority and requirements. Budget planning involves the allocation of people, processes, and technology per project needs.
  • Timeline - Project planning involves defining timelines to the scope and aligning project tasks and activities, creating schedules with milestones, and tracking progress. 

Together, these 3 components viz, scope, budget, and timeline determine what the project will accomplish, how much will be spent on the project and when will the project be delivered and completed and form the foundation for an effective project planning process. 

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Project Management Planning Techniques   

Project management planning techniques are what put the whole project planning process in project management into real and practical action. They help formulate the roadmap with milestones, deliverables, and task-level action plan to create the project deliverables and complete the project successfully. While there may be many different techniques that project managers may use, each of them has its impact on the project outcomes and may be used at different times during the project. 

1.  SMART Goals 

Goal setting is the first step in the project planning methodology and entails creating an outline of the project outcome to define what steps need to be completed and what activities need to be performed to achieve the desired outcome. In this process, the goals that are defined should have the following attributes: 

  • Specific - should be clear and concise to be achieved 
  • Measurable - should be quantifiable and not open to interpretation 
  • Attainable - should be realistic and feasible 
  • Relevant - should align with the overall business objectives 
  • Time-bound - should have a deadline or time-limit

2. Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) 

WBS is what defines how the overall project goals will be broken down into unit-level tasks/activities that will help create project deliverables to achieve project outcomes. It is essentially a visual representation of project tasks and activities presented in a hierarchical format. Creating a WBS involves breaking up high-level goal statements into doable tasks and activities to their respective unit level and allocating resources to the WBS items to create the outlined deliverables. There is also a WBS dictionary that augments the definition, break-up, and scope of work packages i.e. items in the WBS chart.

3. Cost Breakdown Structure 

This is an extension of the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) and is a hierarchical representation of costs at various levels of the WBS. CBS represents the cost of components in the WBS. It is a useful tool for structuring project financial management and the application of cost controls to track and manage project costs. 

4. Action Priority Matrix 

This is a prioritization tool that determines the sequence of tasks to balance between time and resources to optimize efficiencies. An action priority matrix is most useful in critical situations or time-crunch scenarios in the project. It has 4 quadrants - resulting in 4 possibilities, that are: 

  • Quick Wins/urgent
  • Major projects/not urgent 
  • Fill-ins/delegate 
  • Hard slogs/Postpone or ignore 

5. Milestone Trend Analysis (MTA)  

This is an important project scheduling and control tool which helps project teams determine whether the project is ahead of schedule or behind schedule and applies techniques or corrective actions to avoid variance. MTA involves creating a chart with the planning line vs the implementation line along with the respective milestones to represent trends and analyze the same. With the help of MTA, project managers can easily identify the bottlenecks and any constraints that may derail the project from its planned course of action. Want to get a project management certification? Understand the nitty-gritties of the real world project management life cycle easily in our PRINCE2 course ! 

10 Steps to Successful Project Planning   

Step 1: Define stakeholders  

Identifying and defining stakeholders is the first step to successful project planning as any stakeholder identified late will cause scope-creep or unwarranted changes which may be too expensive for the project. 

Step 2:  Define roles & responsibilities  

Outlining clear roles and responsibilities is an important next step; not all stakeholders will have the same level of interest in the project and hence it is important to establish the responsibility, accountability, and role expectations in the project.

Step 3:  Introduce stakeholders   

Bringing the stakeholders together and introducing them to the project as well as each other in a formal setup helps build trust and alignment with the overall project and organizational goals. This step helps ensure everyone's voices are heard and also secures commitment from stakeholders for the project. 

Step 4:  Set goals  

Goal setting is the key step in planning, without which it will be impossible to assess project success and mark the project closed upon completion i.e. meeting the defined goals. 

Step 5:  Prioritize tasks   

Task prioritization is the key to understanding what kind of resources will be aligned to the project at what durations. Not having a prioritized list of tasks will only confuse overlapping activities and also cost overruns in the project execution. 

Step 6:  Create a schedule   

Once the goals are established and prioritized, creating a roadmap with the project milestones helps understand dependencies, constraints, and sequencing of activities for the project. Project scheduling helps outline which activities will be completed in what order, how and when they will start, what will be their outcomes and how will the project manager track and measure progress. 

Step 7:  Assess risks   

Risks are uncertain events that may affect the project and planning involves understanding the risk and assessing its probability i.e. the chance of occurrence as well as its impact i.e. the effect on the project 

Step 8:  Communicate   

Communication plays a key role in project management and according to the PM role, a project manager spends about 90% of the time communicating. Communication of plans, timely reviews, and change management are all important aspects of the project that need attention at regular intervals. 

Step 9:  Reassess   

Reviewing and adjusting planning activity is as important as planning itself. An outdated plan can be as dangerous as having no plan at all and will give false direction to the project team and stakeholders. 

Step 10:  Final evaluation   

Project plans need to be evaluated and signed off by those accountable; every planning activity must inculcate the practice of inspection and adaptation post which the adjusted planning decisions must go through final evaluation and approval.  

How can Project Planning Software Help to Plan Projects?   

Project planning and implementation of planned activities involve handling a lot of concurrencies and managing a lot of conflicting tasks, priorities, and resources. This activity often entails a thorough understanding of the current state as well as the proposed state/outcome of the project. In such an intense environment, project management software can be a boon if rightly used to align and sequence project activities.

The project planning software essentially creates a structured framework for collaboration and automation of recurring tasks and processes. Planning software also facilitates the centralization of all information making it easy to retrieve and available on a need basis, especially in hybrid and agile setups where communication is the lifestream of business activities and execution. Project management software provides a transparent overview of completed, in progress, and planned projects to avoid bottlenecks and manage dependencies effectively. A short overview of project planning benefits include: 

  • Improved schedule management 
  • Facilitate cross-team communication and collaboration 
  • Provide visibility to better manage and mitigate risks 
  • Effective breakdown and allocation of tasks
  • Improved team productivity 
  • Easy-to-use reports and dashboards 

Best Project Planning Tools and Software in 2023   

1. gantt chart .

Gantt charts are one of the most essential and effective tools project managers use to track project progress and are used throughout the project lifecycle. They facilitate the creation of a visual project schedule/roadmap, point out milestones, and dependencies, and act as an indispensable information radiator for teams and stakeholders. Gantt charts are quite popular with teams of any size/methodology because they project the most realistic project schedule when correctly maintained and can highlight areas of risk or attention to project managers.

2. Critical Path Method (CPM) 

CPM is one of the most undermined project planning and management techniques. It involves envisaging the longest path or sequence of activities in the project by making use of the Gantt chart, Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), and network diagramming techniques. The activities that fall on this sequence or "critical path" are termed critical activities and assume the highest priority on the project schedule. The other activities which do not fall on this critical path are activities that have a float and this helps determine the other path i.e. the critical path which represents the shortest time needed to complete the project.

3. Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) Chart 

PERT is an estimation as well as scheduling technique that uses probabilities and simple statistical calculations to create a visual PERT diagram and identify independent activities. It is represented in the form of nodes and arrows sketched based on the order of activities in the project. Once the activity diagram is created, the earliest time (ET), latest time (TL), and slack time are determined for each activity. 

4. Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) 

WBS is a technique that comes in handy to organize and track project tasks sequentially and hierarchically. It is a visual representation of every task in the project and involves the decomposition of work into a smaller and more manageable set of tasks/activities. It is often used by project managers in conjunction with CPM and PERT. 

5. Project Documentation  

Project documentation is the beginning point that provides a glimpse of the project details, status, and open items. Every project should have a knowledge base or repository which aids newcomers to ramp up quickly on the project know-how and also address their concerns effectively.

Tips for Project Planning   

  • Always start with the end in mind. 
  • Understand project objectives, benefits, success metrics 
  • Identify stakeholders and their interests 
  • Understand the current state/problem statement 
  • Understand the proposed state/solution statement 
  • Define roles and responsibilities 
  • Review risks and communicate about them 
  • Create a unit-level roadmap with milestones
  • Ensure to be considerate of environmental challenges 
  • Revisit and review the plans drafted frequently along with tracking changes 

Apart from the above tips for project planning professionals, it is very vital to understand when to quit or pull the plug in certain unfortunate circumstances where projects drag and go on the downside - in which case, absorbing the sunk costs and shutting down the projects is only the feasible and economical resort. 

Simple Project Plan Example  

A traditional or simple project plan primarily has the following components: 

  • Project purpose 
  • Project stakeholders information 
  • Executive summary 
  • Business Objectives 
  • Work Breakdown Structure 
  • Deployment and Change Control Process 
  • Schedule Management 
  • Milestones and Dependencies 
  • Project Schedule Representation 
  • Cost Management and Budgeting 
  • Quality Management 
  • Resource Management 
  • Communication Management 
  • Risk Management 
  • Procurement Management 
  • Project KPIs and Metrics

Agile Project Plan Example   

An agile project plan follows the same structure as a traditional project plan with the only difference being that the project scheduling and activities are iterative and move in a continuous feedback loop. 

Free Project Planning Templates   

  • project plan template - IC-Agile-Project-Plan-Template_Google_Doc  
  • Gantt chart template - Gantt Chart Template Google Sheet  
  • Multiple project roadmap template - IC-Multiple-Project-Roadmap-Template_Google_Doc  
  • PM timeline template - IC-Multiple-Project-Roadmap-Template_Google_Doc  
  • Project tracking template - Project tracking  
Become a certified project management professional with our PRINCE2 Practitioner courses . Elevate your career and master the art of project management.

How Project Planning Can Improve Your Organization and Career?   

Project planning is a non-negotiable ingredient for the success of any project manager or organization. Its importance in the project lifecycle cannot be overstated. When performed rightly, planning helps every other function and part of the organization perform smoothly. Structured planning not only aids the project manager in daily execution but also frees up the project progress from distractions due to off-track tasks, budgets, and controls. Regular planning and review help the project manager optimize efficiency, align only required resources, and save costs for the project and organization. 

In reality, projects tend to go on and on without a firm end unless planned appropriately and reviewed frequently. It is planning that defines what activities should be sequenced in what order to create project deliverables and complete projects as expected. In short, better project planning results in better project execution and controls as it addresses a lot of key aspects such as: 

  • Improve overall business processes
  • Provides opportunities to bring in economies of scale 
  • Reduces rework and waste 
  • Obtaining stakeholder alignment from the start 
  • Helps in outlining a clear project scope 
  • Creates transparency in roles and responsibilities 
  • Provides opportunities to flag risks in advance and chalk out mitigation plans 

Apart from the above benefits, project planning also upholds the integrity of the project manager and organization in meeting their commitments to clients, third parties, and other stakeholders. 

Conclusion  

Project planning is an integral part of any project life cycle especially when projects operate in non-traditional and VUCA environments that have so many components requiring attention. Planning is not just another stage of the project lifecycle but it is the most crucial and defining factor with far-reaching impacts and consequences. Developing a concrete project plan can be simple and easy for any project manager, but also complex and drawn out depending on the nature of the project. Not having a project plan will only lead to failure because there would be no clarity on business objectives or roles and responsibilities which form the crux of any project execution, monitoring, and control. 

Drafting a project plan involves exhaustive mapping and categorization of project objectives, schedules, activities, and resources to ensure things fall in the right place while executing the project. It is also imperative to note that projects have a larger impact on the organization as a whole. When planned thoroughly, projects engage efficiencies, save resources, reduce costs, improve ethos, and contribute to a positive environment. Project management in any organization always commences with project planning - if planning is focused and precise, the organization stands to gain wins with the project's success. Ace your career with world class courses and training from the experts - find out from our catalogue of KnowledgeHut’s courses for Project Managers today. 

Frequently Asked Questions

The project manager is responsible for the project. They are the key personnel who plan the project, gather resources, align and manage activities, resources, and tasks throughout the project lifecycle. 

Project planning in project management helps identify activities, sequence them, create schedules, align milestones and most importantly identify and assess risks thereby helping in flagging items early in the cycle and minimize impact of risks or driving mitigation strategies to address risks. 

Project cost is an important component in the iron triangle of project management and project cost planning involves estimating, allocating and controlling project costs. Budgets planned and approved in project cost planning only can be used during project execution. 

Profile

Rohit Arjun Sambhwani

Rohit Arjun Sambhwani is an IT professional having over a decade and half of experience in various roles, domains & organizations, currently playing a leading role with a premier IT services organization. He is a post graduate in Information Technology and enjoys his free time learning new topics, project management, agile coaching, and writing apart from playing with his naughty little one Aryan

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UMD Team Advances to Final Four in 2024 ULI Hines Competition!

By Christine Cestello Hinojosa / Feb 23, 2024

The Cascades rendering

The University of Maryland College Park team advances to the final four in the 2024 ULI Hines Student Urban Design Competition with its entry, "The Cascades," a $1.76 Billion, forward-thinking metropolitan revitalization project that revolutionizes an existing community in Downtown Seattle from business-oriented to people-focused, while addressing critical issues of equity through connectivity, sustainability and socioeconomic growth.

This neighborhood redesign envisions vibrancy and usability for a greener, more accessible and more active community with the underserved population at its core. This mixed-use neighborhood facilitates an accessible and exciting downtown experience with six housing structures, retail and restaurants.

Located in Downtown Seattle, The Cascades offers a direct view of Mount Rainier and the Puget Sound throughout the Terrace. Residents, commuters and visitors can interact and engage with the multilevel retail and green space. The guiding mission behind this intervention is Step-up, which emphasizes Sustainability, Transit, Economic Growth and Place. 

The UMD team will compete against the University of Texas at Austin and two teams from Georgia Tech. The winning team receives $50,000 and the finalist teams each receive $10,000. The final presentations and announcement of the winner will take place on Thursday, April 4, 2024 .

  • Megan Ravert (Team Leader), Master of Urban Planning and Master of Historic Preservation Programs
  • Cecil Bridge , Master of Real Estate Development Program
  • Abigail Bullock, Master of Architecture Program
  • Chase Deist, Master of Architecture Program
  • Ucheya Ajaero , Master of Architecture Program

Faculty Advisor

  • Matthew Bell , Professor of Architecture

Professional Advisors

  • Rameez Munawar , Vice President, Asset Management, Jamestown
  • Christian Calleri , Associate Principal, Perkins Eastman

According to ULI’s (Urban Land Institute) competition site , the ULI Hines Student Competition, now in its 22nd year, is one of the core education initiatives of the Urban Land Institute. The competition offers eligible students the opportunity to form multidisciplinary teams and engage in a challenging exercise in responsible land use. It is part of ULI’s ongoing effort to raise interest among young people in creating better communities, improving development patterns and increasing awareness of the need for multidisciplinary solutions to development and design challenges.

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South Dublin residents take High Court action against 600-plus housing project in Milltown

An bord pleanála approved the 636-apartment scheme following a previous court challenge to 661-home, mainly ‘build to rent’ plan.

project planning verbouwing

A rendering of Ardstone's proposed development at Sandford Road, Milltown, Dublin 6.

The High Court is for the second time being asked to quash permission for hundreds of homes on former Jesuit Order lands in Milltown, south Dublin.

An Bord Pleanála approved the 636-apartment scheme last January in a decision upholding earlier permission granted by Dublin City Council under the Large-Scale Residential Development process.

Developer Sandford Living, a subsidiary of real estate investment firm Ardstone, lodged its second planning application for the site in mid-2023, months after An Bord Pleanála conceded in a High Court challenge to its previous permission for 661 homes that were mainly “build to rent”.

Ardstone’s fresh approval for the former Jesuit lands at Milltown Park, close to Gonzaga College, is for a mix of “build to sell” studios, apartments and duplexes over seven blocks of two to 10 storeys.

Kerryming Sun: ‘When I think about the people who pour glass and colour, I picture them in wizard robes’

Kerryming Sun: ‘When I think about the people who pour glass and colour, I picture them in wizard robes’

Council unveils revised route for greenway in south Dublin

Council unveils revised route for greenway in south Dublin

Black cards have improved Gaelic football, but we should not forget their original purpose

Black cards have improved Gaelic football, but we should not forget their original purpose

Long Covid must be treated as the serious threat it is to public health

Long Covid must be treated as the serious threat it is to public health

The €300 million plan, which includes a creche and outdoor play area, involves demolishing the 18th Century Milltown Park House and several other buildings, while Tabor House and a chapel is to be refurbished for cultural community space.

On Monday, Ms Justice Emily Farrell gave leave for An Bord Pleanála’s decision to be judicially reviewed by the High Court.

The application was made to her ex parte (only one side was represented) by Stephen Dodd SC, instructed by FP Logue solicitors, for applicants Norwood Park Residents Association, and Cherryfield Avenue Residents Association and its chairperson Dermot Murphy, of Cherryfield Avenue Upper.

They allege the project materially contravenes density provisions in the Dublin City Development Plan, and, by reaching a different conclusion, that the planning authority legally erred. They say the proposed development has a density 25 per cent higher than the local plan identifies for outer suburbs, but the inspector concluded it would not contradict density standards.

The local residents claim the board also erred in interpreting and applying guidelines governing public transport capacity. They note that the board’s inspector identified that the Cowper and Milltown Luas stops were within walking distance. However, neither the developer nor the board assessed whether local public transport “actually has capacity” for current demand or how “very significant” other building projects on these transport routes that have secured planning permission will affect local transport, the applicants allege.

There were also failings in the board’s consideration of the scheme’s impact on the environment, particularly regarding bat fauna, the applicants say. They note the proposal to remove 283 trees, which the developer intends to replace with 196 “large shrubs/multi-stem trees”. This, “remarkably and unusually”, would see a net loss of trees and, “most strikingly”, a net loss of high-quality trees, the applicants claim.

The case has been adjourned.

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project planning verbouwing

OPAIR Spotlight: Kyrie DeShong – Project Manager

project planning verbouwing

Kyrie and pup Leo at Zion National Park.

Tell me about your life outside of OPAIR—what do you like to do in your free time?  

In 2022, my husband and our two dogs moved from Pennsylvania to Arizona. We spend a lot of our free time exploring! We are trying to visit as many state and national parks as possible.

Also, one of my resolutions for this year is to learn to play the piano which has been a lot of fun! Lastly, I try to focus on overall wellness and have been enjoying weightlifting, trying new plant-based recipes, reading, and meditation.

Describe your professional history. What led to you working with Penn State?  

My degree is in nonprofit management, and I started my Penn State career working in the Office of Government and Community Relations and then transitioned to IT consulting before joining OPAIR. I like combining operational and analytical work in support of a mission!

What are some of the aspects of being a Project Manager that you enjoy the most?  

I love processes and planning! I enjoy switching between the big picture and the details to get there. In fact, I just recently achieved my Project Management Professional certification.

Are there any current projects your team is working on that particularly interest you? 

I was very excited to recently wrap up a few big milestones: the upload of our Self-Study and evidence to Middle States, transitioning user ticketing for the IR teams from Jira to ServiceNow, and adding degree completion data to the IDR database/RADAR. I am excited to continue growing RADAR (the Reporting & Data Analytics Resource) as a central point of access for OPAIR institutional reporting & data.

In your opinion, what’s the best part about working for Penn State?  

Supporting the land-grant mission of teaching, research, and service. Given the time of year that I am being asked these questions, I must particularly call out THON for raising a record-breaking 16.9 million for Four Diamonds at Penn State Health Children’s Hospital.

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Feds reject a private company's plan to build hydropower projects on the Navajo Nation

project planning verbouwing

For months, conservation groups like Tó Nizhóní Aní, Diné C.A.R.E and the Center for Biological Diversity had been sounding the alarm on proposed hydropower projects on the Navajo Nation that opponents said threatened water supplies and ignored local concerns.

Now the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has denied preliminary permit applications for three of these projects, and, more importantly for the opponents, the commission said it would no longer issue permits for projects on tribal lands without tribal support.

Nature and People First Arizona PHS had sought the permits to build a series of reservoirs on Black Mesa to generate hydroelectric power. The projects were designed to pump water uphill to reservoirs atop Black Mesa during periods of low electricity prices, enabling the generation of electricity and revenue from the return flows to reservoirs below the mesa when prices were higher.

Plans showed the project would have required as much as 450,000 acre-feet of water, an amount conservation groups feared would seriously deplete the region's groundwater resources.

The applications listed as potential water sources the aquifers beneath Black Mesa and the Colorado and San Juan rivers.

After the permit applications were filed, Taylor McKinnon of the Center for Biological Diversity reached out to Nicole Horseherder, executive director of Tó Nizhóní Aní, and told her about the project.

“The Black Mesa storage project by Nature and People First is actually a big pump storage project that was being proposed,” said Horseherder. The applications showed three large reservoirs on the north end of Black Mesa and another three large reservoirs at the base of Black Mesa. 

“It was going to require a lot of water use, but it was not specified where that water was going to come from. So we knew this meant the potential for Black Mesa water to be used at this large industrial scale,” said Horseherder. “What we calculated was three times more than the Black Mesa coal mining operation was using up until it stopped operating in 2019.”

McKinnon said the proposals would require 450,000 acre feet of water, which is more than Nevada’s annual allocation of water from the Colorado River. The applications list the aquifers beneath Black Mesa and the Colorado and San Juan rivers as potential water sources but provide no evidence of availability or legal rights to those sources.

“This was a very sloppy proposal when we put it before technical experts,” said McKinnon. “It was misleading. They are just trying to get a foot in the door. Like coal mining before, these proposals would simply require rural communities on Navajo to sacrifice more land and water so that electricity and profit could be exported to faraway cities.”

When working to intervene on the project, he noted that Nature and People First had not consulted with members of the community, but were trying to get the proposal through by going straight to the federal government. 

“They were going to the federal government first to seek permits, which was problematic for a lot of reasons," said McKinnon, who said it was similar to the way coal mining started on the Navajo Nation, as developers sought federal approval first and disregarded the tribal communities that would be directly affected

Proposal targets water for reservoir system

Nature and People First Arizona PHS filed for preliminary permits on Oct. 5, 2021, proposing to study the feasibility of Black Mesa Pumped Storage Project North, Black Mesa Pumped Storage Project East, and Black Mesa Pumped Storage Project South. All were to be located on the Navajo Nation. 

The projects were to span nearly 40 linear miles on Black Mesa’s northeastern escarpment. They would pump water uphill to newly constructed reservoirs atop Black Mesa when electricity prices were low and generate electricity and revenue from return flows to reservoirs below the mesa when prices are higher.

The project included a total of eight new reservoirs across 38,000 acres, filling them with the required 450,000 acre-feet of water. About 8,000 acre-feet would be lost to evaporation each year, which opponents said is nearly double the rate of aquifer depletion from historical coal extraction. 

The federal energy agency issued public notice of the permit applications in November 2022, with a deadline of Jan. 3, 2023, for filing comments, interventions and competing applications.

The Navajo Nation, the Grand Canyon Trust, Tó Nizhóní Ání, Diné Citizens Against Ruining our Environment (Diné Citizens), together with the Center for Biological Diversity, American Rivers and the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority filed motions to intervene.

The Center for Biological Diversity submitted forms signed by over 5,783 people, who urged the commission to deny the applications. 

“The Project may adversely impact the land, water, Navajo Endangered and Threatened wildlife and plants including federally listed species under the Endangered Species Act, and cultural resources of the Navajo Nation,” the Navajo Nation argued in its submission.

The Navajo Nation claims historic, appropriative and reserved water rights to the sources of the water that would be used for the projects, tribal officials said, and is a party to the ongoing adjudication of the water in Arizona. 

Opponents noted that the applicant had not obtained rare species information from the Navajo Natural Heritage Program, and highlighted the projects’ potential impacts on significant cultural resources and sensitive wildlife areas such as the Mexican Spotted Owl and Golden Eagles, according to the tribe's motion to intervene.

Natural resources: Navajo officials tell lawmakers the government should secure reliable water for tribes

Community members say they were not informed

Although McKinnon said Nature and People First had worked without consulting the communities, Herb Yazzie, former chief justice of the Navajo Nation and a Black Mesa resident, said he knew of one meeting in Tuba City with the company after applications for the permit were filed.

During the meeting, Yazzie pointed out that the applicants weren't receptive to community input and made it seem as though the project was a done deal and nothing could be done.

The project was outlined at another meeting with the Chilchinbito community, located 64 miles west of Black Mesa. Horseherder expressed bewilderment, and said she still has no understanding of how this meeting was arranged. In the end a total of 18 chapters and agencies passed resolutions opposing the projects.

“None of us up here on the mesa knew of the application by the applicant,” said Yazzie. “We did not know what the proposal was. We learned of the project after the application was filed.”

Percy Deal, a community member and part of Tó Nizhóní Aní, said during the Tuba City meeting, the applicants informed those present that they had met with Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren and former president Jonathan Nez regarding the project, as well as with the Navajo Division of Resources and the Resource and Development Committee councils. Deal said he understood that water would be acquired from three different sources.

"There was a lot of objection from the audience," said Deal. "I was very much opposed to this project because it's a huge project, much bigger than the water being used by Navajo Generating Station. The only water that was left for sure was the aquifer. They learned they couldn't use the water from San Juan River, from Colorado River, so they zeroed in on N-aquifer. That was disturbing because we just went through 50 years of Peabody and Kayenta Mine pumping the N-aquifer."

Adrian Herder, from the Black Mesa area, also emphasized the lack of consultation with community members. He said once they received wind of the project they began the campaign to inform communities.

"This campaign was to educate our communities on what is this project, who is proposing this project, where is it going to located," said Herder. "What is a pump storage project, because a lot of times communities had no idea what was going."

Because it was clear the project had been done without proper consultation, FERC said in its denial that the commission would no longer issue preliminary permits for projects proposing to use tribal lands if the tribe on whose lands the project is to be located opposes the permit.

The commission said potential applicants should work closely with tribal stakeholders prior to filing applications to ensure that tribes are fully informed about proposed projects on their lands and to determine whether they are willing to consider the project development. Here, because the proposed project would be sited entirely on Navajo Nation land and the Nation opposes the permit, the commission denied the application.

"When companies come in to work with the Navajo Nation, it isn't written anywhere the way they should engage communities," said Horseherder. "The Navajo Nation doesn't have a real specific process on how communities should be notified. Companies deal, who want to do projects on the reservation, with the Navajo Nation is they usually reach out to Navajo Nation government officials."

Nature and People First denies secrecy

Denis Payre, President and CEO of Nature and People First, said while the company understood the legal reasoning behind the change of rule by FERC, "it is undeniably disheartening to receive this retroactive decision."

He said their expectation was that because the projects were already filed under a specific rule it would continue to be governed by that rule, with changes applying only to new filings.

"Over four years, we dedicated ourselves to these projects, investing significantly in good faith under a clear rule that has now been abruptly altered," said Payre in an email to The Arizona Republic. "We started working on projects in the Navajo Nation in 2019, and our oldest FERC PPA's were filed in October 2021 after extensive consultations with key local stakeholders."

Payre said the change of rules is the result of actions conducted by non-governmental organizations opposing Nature and People First projects. He said he wanted to clarify two points.

"It is important to correct any inaccuracies regarding consultations with the Navajo Nation prior to submitting our initial Preliminary Permit Applications to FERC," he said.

Payre said engagement with the Navajo Nation began as early as September 2019, well before the filing of applications.

"During this period, we had the privilege of presenting our plans for developing Pumped Hydroelectric Storage projects to several significant stakeholders within the Navajo Nation," he said.

These included meetings with decision-makers such as the Speaker of the Council at the time, the Navajo Nation Council, the Navajo Nation Division of Economic Development and representatives from the Department of Justice responsible for water rights management.

"Additionally, we engaged with various local communities, notably the leadership of the Chilchinbeto Chapter," Payre said. "It's essential to note that our initial Preliminary Permit Applications were submitted to FERC in October 2021, more than two years following these initial consultations."

He also said the rationale behind delineating large areas in the permit applications was to provide the chapters and the Navajo Nation with a wide array of options for potential project locations.

"Our intention was to ensure flexibility in site selection and to maximize the opportunities available to accommodate the needs and preferences of the communities involved," he said.

Payre said the company took into consideration whether grazing right permittees would express interest in participating in the projects.

"Additionally, we aimed to provide our engineers with flexibility regarding project locations, considering various technical constraints such as geotechnical data, biodiversity concerns and the preservation of cultural artifacts," he said. "It was imperative for us to ensure that our project plans were not only feasible but also aligned with environmental and cultural preservation efforts while accommodating the needs and preferences of all stakeholders involved."

The final scale of the actual projects was intended to be approximately one-tenth of the size indicated in the permit applications, he said.

Payre said the company firmly believes the projects would play a pivotal role in assisting the Navajo Nation in establishing water rights.

"Our initiatives are focused on tapping into the C Aquifer, a substantial water source that has been largely underutilized by the Navajo Nation and experiences significant annual replenishment," said Payre. "Notably, 99% of the pumping from this aquifer is carried out by communities located off the reservation."

He said Nature and People First are fully prepared to provide capital and expertise necessary to construct a significant water infrastructure that will primarily benefit the Navajo Nation in the long run.

"The impact of our project on the livelihoods of local communities will be profound, particularly in a context where economic development is crucial," he said.

He said the project could provide up to 3,000 acre-feet of water to local communities every year and has the potential to create 1,000 jobs over a span of three years, including 100 permanent direct and indirect positions. Moreover, it would contribute to enhancements in access roads and result in substantial tax revenues for the Navajo Nation.

"Our efforts are not solely aimed at effectively combating climate change by facilitating the integration of more solar and wind projects in the southeast," said Pyre. "We are also effectively combating poverty, ultimately achieving our goal of prioritizing both nature and people."

Arlyssa Becenti covers Indigenous affairs for The Arizona Republic and azcentral. Send ideas and tips to   [email protected] .

Support local journalism .  Subscribe to azcentral.com today .

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COMMENTS

  1. What Is Project Planning? How Write a Project Plan [2024] • Asana

    Julia Martins January 4th, 2024 10 min read Jump to section Summary Organize your projects with project plans to keep things on track—before you even start. A project plan houses all the necessary details of your project, such as goals, tasks, scope, deadlines, and deliverables.

  2. How to Develop a Project Plan: Template & Example [2024]

    A project plan is a document that outlines the project scope, project objectives, and project schedule. It serves as a road map for all project stakeholders by providing clear direction and expectations. A good project plan will provide clarity on: What needs to be done When it needs to be done by Who is responsible for each project task

  3. How to write an effective project plan in 6 simple steps

    A project plan, also known as a work plan, is a blueprint of your project lifecycle. It's like a roadmap — it clearly outlines how to get from where you are now (the beginning of the project) to where you want to go (the successful completion of the project).

  4. The 9 Stages of a Successful Project Planning Process

    1. Determine the project goals and objectives The first step in the project planning phase is to define the goals and objectives of your project. Project goals and objectives help you decide if the project should be prioritized (or even undertaken—essentially you need to use a proof of concept ).

  5. The importance of the planning phase to project success

    Project Success. Before it is possible, discuss the impact of the project planning phase on success; it is useful to define what a successful project is. Shenhar, Dvir, Levy, and Maltz (2001) define four levels of project success: 1. Project efficiency. 2. Impact on the customer. 3. Business success.

  6. What Is a Project Plan? The Ultimate Guide to Project Planning

    Develop change management procedures and forms. Create a communication plan, schedule, budget and other guiding documents for the project. Each of the steps to write a project plan explained above correspond to the 5 project phases, which we will outline in the next section.

  7. How to Create a Realistic Project Plan: Templates & Examples

    TIPS & SKILLS FOR SUCCESSFUL PROJECT MANAGEMENT WHAT DOES A PROJECT MANAGER DO? 3 PROJECT MANAGEMENT METHODOLOGIES & APPROACHES 4 HOW TO ESTIMATE PROJECT COSTS AND HOURS 5 HOW TO WRITE A GOOD PROJECT PLAN 6 WHAT IS SCOPE CREEP, AND HOW CAN YOU AVOID IT? 7 MANAGING CLIENT EXPECTATIONS 8 MANAGING CLIENT PROJECTS 9 HOW TO PUT 'ME' IN TEAM 10

  8. What Is Project Planning? Benefits, Tools, and More

    Project planning refers to the phase in project management in which you determine the actual steps to complete a project. This includes laying out timelines, establishing the budget, setting milestones, assessing risks, and solidifying tasks and assigning them to team members.

  9. Project Planning: A 7-Step Guide To Creating Effective Plans

    Plan your projects with the #1 rated resource management software Add project phases, link task dependencies, and create accurate project timelines based on your team's capacity. Float is the #1 rated resource management software on G2 for planning projects and scheduling your team's time. Find out more What is project planning?

  10. Project planning: What is it and 5 steps to create a plan

    Project planning includes the following 10 steps: Define stakeholders. Stakeholders include anyone with an interest in the project. They can include the customer or end user, members of the project team, other people in the organization the project will affect and outside organizations or individuals with an interest.

  11. 10 Project Planning Techniques To Take Your Plans to the Next Level

    QUICK SUMMARY. Whether you're refining your current processes or seeking to innovate, these 10 project planning techniques can bring an extra bit of clarity, efficiency, and brilliance to your workflows. TABLE OF CONTENTS Critical path method Critical chain method Work breakdown structure Cost breakdown structure Gantt charts Scrum SAFe Kanban ...

  12. Een projectplan schrijven

    Hieronder vind je een template van een projectplan. Vul de onderdelen zo volledig en gedetailleerd mogelijk in. 1. Waarom. Aanleiding voor het project (redenen, probleem, kans). 2. Wat. Afbakening (wat er wel en niet binnen de scope van het project valt). 3.

  13. A Step-by-Step Guide to the Project Planning Process

    The planning phase is the second phase of the project management life cycle and the first phase where you will undertake significant detailed work on the project. The planning phase is primarily about creating a roadmap that will guide you through the rest of the project. Setting goals and objectives.

  14. 7 Proven Planning Techniques for Better Projects

    1. Critical Path Analysis Planning a simple project has its hurdles to clear: but when that project is complex, then planning can feel almost insurmountable. That's where a planning technique such as critical path analysis comes in handy.

  15. Everything You Need to Know About People-First Project Planning

    Step 1: Onboard the team. As a project manager, you must ensure everyone on your team is aligned with the project's goals and scope. Onboarding is an opportunity to start a dialogue about the project and how everyone can contribute to its success. One way to achieve this is through an internal kickoff meeting .

  16. How to Write a Project Plan

    1. Write a Project Overview The overview is a short introduction to the project, not exceeding a page or so in length. Summarize the high-level details, covering project goals, deliverables, success measurements, and dependencies. Include the project's sponsors and their titles, and name the project.

  17. What is a project plan and how to create one in 5 steps?

    A project plan provides structure around what you want to achieve, when, with whom, and how. It's an important step - and while it won't guarantee project success, it will provide clarity on ...

  18. What is Project Planning

    Project planning is a critical element of project management, as it sets the stage for the entire project. There are eight steps: Set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals. This includes the milestones and smaller tasks the team must complete by the end of the project.

  19. How to Create a Project Plan in 5 Steps

    Level 1: Project Goal/Objective. The overarching goal or objective of the project. Level 2: Major Deliverables. A specific, measurable, and tangible outcome or result that is produced or achieved as part of a project. Level 3: Work Packages. Tasks that are distinct, manageable, and assignable to individuals or teams.

  20. 7 Strategic Steps to Better Project Planning

    Create a resource plan. Calculate the budget. Plan for risks, scope creep, and quality control procedures. Develop clear communication guidelines. Step 1. Establish project goals and success metrics. Defining your project goals is where it all starts, it is the backbone of company growth, plans, and strategies.

  21. Construction Project Planning Guide

    The construction planning process encompasses selecting the appropriate technology, defining work tasks for the project, estimating all the necessary resources and durations for each task‌ and identifying any potential interactions between different tasks. A solid construction project plan is critical to establish the project budget and schedule.

  22. What is Project Planning: Tools and Fundamentals

    A project consists of five different phases: initiation, planning, execution, monitoring and controlling, and closure. Planning is the second phase of the project life cycle, where a plan after the initiation phase is made so the process of execution may begin. The project plan serves as a roadmap for the entire process of project management .

  23. Gratis template voor de planning van jouw verbouwing :)

    Planningstool voor jouw verbouwing... Bij deze gratis planningstool ontvang je: Een template waarmee je jouw verbouwing kunt plannen Een ingevulde voorbeeldplanning van een oud verbouwproject Een overzicht van alle taken die bij een verbouwing komen kijken Informatie over hoe lang verschillende taken en bouwfases duren

  24. What is Project Planning? Steps, Process, Importance, Tools

    Project planning or project management planning is the foundation and most important stage of the project management life-cycle. The project planning activity sets the project foundations by base-lining the project scope, schedule, quality standards, objectives, and goals. Planning typically involves creating a document with all project ...

  25. UMD Team Advances to Final Four in 2024 ULI Hines Competition!

    The University of Maryland College Park team advances to the final four in the 2024 ULI Hines Student Urban Design Competition with its entry, "The Cascades," a $1.76 Billion, forward-thinking metropolitan revitalization project that revolutionizes an existing community in Downtown Seattle from business-oriented to people-focused, while addressing critical issues of equity through connectivity ...

  26. South Dublin residents take High Court action against 600-plus housing

    They allege the project materially contravenes density provisions in the Dublin City Development Plan, and, by reaching a different conclusion, the planning authority legally erred.

  27. OPAIR Spotlight: Kyrie DeShong

    What are some of the aspects of being a Project Manager that you enjoy the most? I love processes and planning! I enjoy switching between the big picture and the details to get there. In fact, I just recently achieved my Project Management Professional certification. Are there any current projects your team is working on that particularly ...

  28. Lagos govt denies alleged plan to lure communities for petrol project

    Sanusi explained that the meeting with the community aligned with the Lagos State Urban and Regional Planning and Development Law 2019 (as amended).

  29. Feds reject a private hydropower project on the Navajo Nation

    Plans showed the project would have required as much as 450,000 acre-feet of water, an amount conservation groups feared would seriously deplete the region's groundwater resources.