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The Elements of a Project Plan
April 25, 2008 | Author: PM Hut | Filed under: Project Plan Development
The Elements of a Project Plan (#27 in the Hut A Project Management Primer)
By Nick Jenkins
Every project planning methodology has its own specific taxonomy for its parts. But in a very broad sense the minimum elements a project plan must specify are:
- What is to be done – what is desired of the project and what it must deliver to succeed. A high level scope document and requirements specs. at lower levels;
- When it needs to be done by – the deadlines by which the objectives must be met, usually in a schedule of some kind;
- Who is to do it – The people, sometimes unkindly labelled “resources”, who are to deliver those objectives. This also usually implies costs since the application of costs implies the use of labour. Documented by a project budget;
- How it is to be achieved – the method of delivery, covered by documents such as a technical specification, test plans and the like.
Note that you do not need to complete all of these prior to starting your project. Typically one draft of the proposal, schedule and budget are completed before your project commences. Each of the other documents is completed at some later point. Nor should any of these documents be regarded as static or inert manuscripts. Each is a living breathing expression of the project and they should evolve as your project evolves.
Finally, none of these documents has a obligatory size, format or length. I will suggest various forms and styles but they are examples rather than strict templates. Remember, these are tools not doctrine! If it is easier and more efficient to scribble your project schedule on the back of a cocktail napkin then so be it! It is the objective that counts, not the form. The only right form is the one that works for you.
Next in the Hut A Project Management Primer:
The Fine Art of Scheduling - Principles of Scheduling
Previously in the Hut A Project Management Primer:
Nick Jenkins is an IT manager with 10 years experience in software development, project management and software testing. He’s worked in various fields of IT development in Australia, Britain and the USA and occasionally he learned something along the way. Now he lives on the banks of the Swan River in Perth, Western Australia, and he publishes the odd guide to help aspiring IT professionals. Nick’s website can be found at www.nickjenkins.net.
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