How to Plan Your Projects‏

Hi

Every Project Manager needs a crystal-clear plan for their project. How
should you create this plan? Should it be created in the same way every
time? At what stage will dependencies, baselines and actuals be
recorded? To find out the answers to these commonly asked questions,
read on...

How to Plan Your Projects

It doesn't matter which industry you're in or project you're involved
with, these 5 steps should be taken every time to properly plan your
project:

Step 1: Set the Direction

Before you start out, set the direction for the
project. Do this by clearly identifying the project vision, goals and
deliverables. State the overall timeframes for delivery and clarify the
amount of resource available. Determine what is "in scope" and "out of
scope". Identify the benefits and costs in delivering the project and
any milestones and constraints. Only once this is agreed with your
Project Sponsor will you know what it is that you have to achieve
Step 2: Task Selection

You're now ready to start
planning. Identify the groups of tasks that need to be completed to
build your project deliverables. Then for each group of tasks, breakdown
those tasks into sub-tasks to create what is known as a "Work Breakdown
Structure" (WBS). Your WBS is essentially a hierarchical list of tasks,
in order. Assign start and end dates to each task, as well as task
durations. Always add a little extra time (e.g. 10%) to your durations,
providing you with contingency. Next add Milestones to your plan. These
are tasks that represent major achievements along the way.

Step 3: Inter-linking

The next step is to
add links (or dependencies) between project tasks. While there are a
variety of link types, most Project Managers add "finish-to-start" links
so that one task cannot start until another one finishes. To make your
project achievable, only add links between tasks if there is a critical
dependency between them. Remember, when one task slips, all tasks linked
to it may slip as well. So use links wisely.

Step 4: Resource Assignment

Now comes the fun part,
assigning resources. A "resource" may be a person, equipment or
materials. Against each task in your plan, assign one or more resources
required to complete it. As you assign resources, watch your resource
utilization. In other words, make sure you don't over-assign a specific
resource to multiple tasks, so that it’s impossible for that resource to
complete everything assigned to it. Project Manager makes this easy for
you, by telling you the resource utilization as you assign resources to
projects.

Step 5: Baseline, Actuals and Reporting

With a fully completed
project plan, you're now ready to save it as a "baseline", so that you
can later compare your progress against it. Then start recording your
actual progress against the plan. Every day, record the amount of time
you've spent against each task. Also record the new planned start and
finish dates, and monitor the overall project completion date. Report on
progress as you go. By regularly updating the project plan with your
progress, you can control the delivery of your project and meet those
critical goals set.

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