Project Management - What Is the Project Planning Phase of a Project?

Project Planning Phase

Introduction: What is the project planning phase of a project?

In the realm of project management, numerous project managers adhere to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, or PMBOK. PMBOK is a organized solution to project management, formulated by the Project Management Institute, which consists of 5 phases: 1)Initiation 2)Planning 3)Execution 4)Monitoring 5)Closing

In this paper, we'll look at the Planning phase. Typically the most time-consuming of the stages of project management, the Planning phase is wherein you create your project footwork. In Phase 1 - Initiation, you determine your project deliverables or outcomes. Now, in Phase 2 - Planning, you produce a distinct list of things that need to occur in order for your objective or objectives to be fulfilled. The planning, likewise called master planning is a process of constructing as well as preserving the definition of the scope of a project, the manner in which the project will be executed (procedures along with tasks), roles together with responsibilities and the time coupled with cost estimates. It entails giving answers to these kinds of questions: 1) What needs to be done in the future to achieve the project goal? 2)Which way it will be done? 3) Who will accomplish it? 4) In what time it will be done?

Why is it important?

The Project Management Planning phase is one of the most crucial Project Management phases. In this phase, one begins planning for all the vital components of a project,providing project details, project management schedule, as well as budget. Essentially, the project planning phase is to generate a general roadmap for the project team, so that everybody in the team understands their particular roles as well as obligations and the timeline of the given project.

What are the stages of the project planning phase?

The steps to project planning involve the following:

- Develop a Project Plan (detailing the activities, tasks, dependencies as well as timeframes)

- Develop a Resource Plan (itemizing the labor, equipment and also materials needed)

- Develop a Financial Plan (determining the labor, equipment along with materials expenses)

- Develop a Quality Plan (presenting quality objectives, assurance together with control measures)

- Develop a Risk Plan (highlighting potential risks and actions taken to mitigate them)

Develop a Acceptance Plan (itemizing the requirements to be satisfied to achieve

customer acceptance)

- Develop a Communications Plan (detailing the information necessary to inform stakeholders)

- Develop a Procurement Plan (determining products to be acquired from external suppliers).

- Contract the Suppliers

- Perform Phase Review

With a comprehensive knowledge of the activities, means, budget as well as vendor connections necessary to take on the project, the team is prepared to get into the Execution phase. A Phase Review is performed to make sure that all of the necessary Planning activities have been finalized and to offer formal approval to move forward to the Project Execution phase.

What does a project plan include?

According to PMBOK, the project plan is a formal, approved document utilized to manage as well as regulate project execution. The project plan is sanctioned by the sponsor, customer, and various other key stakeholders (people or groups impacted by the project). It should be handed out as defined in the communications management plan (for instance, management of the executing organization may call for an overall coverage with minimal detail, even though a contractor may need comprehensive particulars on just one subject). In certain application fields, the phrase integrated project plan is utilized to make reference to this document.

A definite differentiation ought to be marked between the project plan and also the project performance measurement baselines. The project plan is normally a document or collection of documents that should be anticipated to alter as time passes and as more information gets to be accessible regarding the project. The performance measurement baselines stand for a management control that will typically alter merely periodically and then usually solely in reaction to an accepted scope change.

There are quite a few methods to organize and also offer the project plan, but it normally consists of all of the following :

* Project charter.

* An outline of the project management method or plan (a listing of the individual management plans out of the other knowledge areas).

* Scope statement, which incorporates the project deliverables in addition to the project goals.

* Work breakdown structure (WBS) to the degree at which control will be practiced.

* Cost estimations, appointed start dates, and responsibility placements to the level of the WBS at which control will be practiced.

* Performance measurement baselines for schedule as well as cost.

* Major milestones along with target dates for each.

* Key or necessary staff.

* Essential risks, which includes constraints together with assumptions, and considered reactions for each.

* Subsidiary management plans, including scope management plan, schedule management plan, etc.

* Open issues and pending resolutions.

Who are the stakeholders in the project plan?

In accordance with PMBOK, Project stakeholders are people and organizations who are intentionally engaged in the project, or whose interests may be favorably or adversely impacted on account of project execution or successful project finalization. The project management team must determine the stakeholders, figure out what their needs and anticipations are, and subsequently handle as well as impact those anticipations ensuring a successful project. Stakeholder identification is frequently particularly challenging.

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