Project Management Plan

Creating a Project Management Plan

A project management plan isn't just a general plan or a vague idea about how to start and finish a project. It's a document that outlines exactly how every step of the process will go, and how long each step will take; project time management is crucial. Of course, the real beauty of such a plan is that it can be vague, if you choose, or it can be highly detailed. The best plans typically have more detail than less, and will serve as better guidelines for a project than those written in more general terms. The whole point of a project management plan is to make it your own, and get what you need down on paper to help the project become a success. Remember that becoming an effective project manager is a process.

Project management plan templates can be found in packages that contain many different types of documents, in project planning software or many places online that offer downloadable templates. Some are very formal as part of a package while others are templates based on a plan that someone recently used in his own business. They're all adaptable to your project, and can be trimmed and expanded as needed.

In a corporation or a large company, the plan will probably need to be signed off on by all the key players and managers before a project can even be started. Typically, the plan will be created and finalized during the second phase of the project management life cycle—planning. The project that is created during the initialization phase is then planned out in detail and documented.

Basics of a Project Management Plan

While a plan can be as detailed or as complicated as necessary, there are some basic best practices in project management that should be included in even a summarized plan. The first section should be some type of overview section that could contain several sub-sections, split up according to the details included.

In the Overview section, at a minimum you should include things like:

• The purpose and scope of the project.
• The deliverables, or the goals at the end of the project.
• The problems and limitations that will be faced.
• Any necessary sources of reference, and a clear definition of any terminology and acronyms that will be used specifically within the project.
• A review schedule or timetable for specific points within the plan to be reached.

A second section might deal with project organization and project management structure. A Project Organization section should include:

• External companies and individuals that will play a part in the project, like subcontractors, auditors and any internal departments that will be necessary but play an indirect part like sales, legal staff and other members of the organization that may come in to play.
• A list of those who'll be working on the project directly and their specific roles and responsibilities. A clear organization of authority and duties can help this section clarify everyone's roles so there's no question about who needs to report to whom and who will have the answers to certain questions.
• A list of stakeholders and whether or not they're involved directly in the project. If they are, this section will list the roles and responsibilities they need to assume.

The Planning Section of the Project Management Plan

The third section of a great project plan will include specific plans about the actual processes that will be used. Consider the following subsections to make your plan complete and a great reference at any point during the project:

• The first plans and specs drawn up for the project.
• How estimates will be prepared and when.
• How staff will be assigned, and the requirements for staff to be a part of each phase of the project such as skills and experience, and how any necessary training will be carried out.
• Plans for acquiring the necessary resources like software and testing products, for instance.
• A work plan that details what will be done and when to reach the project's goals and finish the deliverables, including how the process will be managed and how results will be measured.
• The plan for budgeting and how funds will be allocated.
• The plan for process modeling, such as which method will be used.
• A plan for quality assurance and controls.

Tailor Your Project Management Plan to Your Needs

The most important part of your plan is that it works for you. If you find a template that has 50 sections, you can trim it to 5 if those are the sections that are most applicable to your project. But it bears keeping in mind that the more detailed your plan is, the more problems you anticipate and the more requirements you're aware of, then the smoother the execution phase of the project is bound to go. You'll have fewer surprises and potential roadblocks if you get everything down in your project management plan, and have several key staff members contribute. Each person brings certain strengths to a project, so the more eyes and ideas that are used during the planning phase, the more complete your plan will be.