How To Write A Project Plan In Easy Steps

Thursday. Evening. You know how your team is doing, the further work plan is outlined. You are ready for next week and have a great weekend ahead.
And suddenly the boss brings you unexpected news. You have to lead a new large project, on which several teams will work. The launch should take place next week. Great news, but your weekend is under threat. You need to arrange everything as soon as possible. But when there are so many different parties involved in a project, where is the best place to start? The process of drafting a project plan can be challenging, especially when it comes to complex projects.


According to Forbes , 25% of tech projects end in failure. But the good news is that you don't have to be a cool project management expert or sacrifice your weekends to plan a successful project launch in as little time as possible. It takes eight simple steps to create a project plan. How to Make a Project Plan in Easy Steps ... 

Step 1. Explain the essence of the project to key stakeholders. Set goals and get support The first stage of any project comes down to answering the questions "what?" and why?". Key stakeholders have enough influence and authority to ensure that the success of the project depends on them, and therefore their goals must be achieved. Even if the CEO entrusted you with the project, you still need his good attitude. During the initial negotiations, try to find common ground, formulate goals and determine the value of the project.


In the first planning step, you need to discuss needs and expectations and lay the groundwork for project scoping, budgeting, and scheduling. All this data will provide a reliable platform for the project work plan. Questions to be agreed with key stakeholders: How does the project fit in with the company's goals? What are the participants expecting? What is expected of them? How will success be measured? What resources do you have? What materials or end products should be created during the execution of the project? 


Step 2: List Goals, Agree on OKRs, and Outline a Plan According to senior executives, the lack of clear goals is the reason for the failure of 37% of projects . If you do not have a clear goal, there will be no connection between the requirements, tasks and deadlines specified in the project plan. But at this point, you already have a list of the key stakeholders' needs, you've enlisted their support, and it's time to assign them goals and key results (OKRs) . OKR is a planning and goal-setting technique that has become famous thanks to companies like Intel and Google. Your project must align with your corporate OKRs and your team's OKRs. Try to jot down the project objectives on the project planning board and relate them to the key stakeholder requirements that must be met. From this starting point, begin to build the structure, milestones, and objectives needed to achieve your goals. Milestones can act as checkpoints throughout a project and help participants track progress, measure progress, and keep expectations in mind. 

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Step 3. Create a document describing the scope of work for the project You made a preliminary plan, agreed on objectives and goals, and enlisted the support of the team. Now it is time to write a description of the scope of work for the project and document in detail all the elements of the project listed in paragraph 2. Take a look at each of the deliverables and identify the series of tasks that must be performed to create this material. For each task, indicate the duration of its completion, the resources required and the responsible person. Refine and record all project details so that your employees can use a single source of reliable information. Provide free access to this document, for example, by posting it in the project management system , to prevent possible misunderstandings that lead to unnecessary costs. While it should be standard practice to prepare project scope documents, one in four project managers who took part in the Wellingstone State project management survey admitted that they “never” prepared such documents, or prepared them “occasionally”. The creation of such documentation will give you an edge and help everyone in the project stay on top of things. 

Step 4. Make a detailed project schedule With the goals, objectives, and milestones outlined, it's time to start drawing up a timetable. The Gantt chart is a handy tool that allows you to visualize your project timeline. This interactive timeline provides a comprehensive view of project progress, scope of work, and dependencies. Dependencies indicate which tasks need to be completed before other tasks can begin. 


When scheduling deadlines, use subtasks to break down tasks into more convenient items. This simplifies subsequent reporting and team workload management. Let's give definitions: Tasks are individual operations that must be performed to achieve goals. Subtasks with a duration of no more than a couple of days allow you to break a task into smaller, complex stages. Milestones are major milestones or events in the course of a project that help break down the project. Milestones can be used as milestones throughout the project. Professional advice. Want to know the secret? When adjusting the timing of tasks, add buffer time to key tasks so that you have room for maneuver. For example, if a client takes extra time to approve, or if a team member suddenly gets sick. In an ideal world, some tasks could be done in a day. It might be worth planning two days for them. However, it is not at all necessary to add a buffer time to each of your tasks. Weigh the risks and only add it if it makes sense. In the future, you will thank yourself. 

Step 5. Define Roles, Responsibilities and Resources Resources usually refer to the personnel, equipment, or money required to complete a project. Having chosen the tools and received funding, do not forget about the necessary specialists. Even people who know how to draw up a project work plan and have done it a hundred times can underestimate their labor needs. The Responsibility Chart will help you determine who will do the work on the project. This is a table listing all project tasks and specifying the responsible executors (assigned to perform the work), accountable (with the right to vote and the right to veto), consultants (involved in agreeing or discussing work) and employees who are notified (should be aware of the action taken or the decision taken) Use Ful Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

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