8 Key Things to Keep in Mind While Planning a Project
Planning a project requires meticulous formulation of ideas. It requires curating a master document that lays down the guidelines of how a project will run. Although a project plan differs from company to company, some critical elements should be kept in mind before starting the project’s execution phase.
You can learn about these elements in detail by pursuing PM certificate programs online. Meanwhile, this guide will get you started.
- What Clients and Stakeholders Need, They Get
Before starting a project, any project, it is essential to align the project’s goals and needs with the team and the stakeholders. After all, it is the client and stakeholders who get what they need and expect out of a project; their goals and needs are primary to every project plan. So here are a few topics you need to discuss before you start planning a project:-
- What is the importance of this project in lieu of organisational objectives?
- How does this project align with the goals for the quarter or year?
- What do the stakeholders expect?
- Project Objectives
Even though every outline changes during the course of the project, it is necessary to lay down project goals and objectives. As a project manager, you must analyse the needs of all the parties involves and determine the requirements to achieve them.
Questions to ask before laying down the objectives:-
- What is expected out of the project?
- What are the expectations of the client and your organisation (stakeholders)?
- What features or capabilities should the deliverables have?
As the project progresses, there may be some addition or subtraction of a few aspects, but that’s okay. For in-depth understanding, PM certificate programs online are recommended. These courses can not only help you formulate successful project plans but also provide hands-on experience in taking a project across the finishing line.
- Project Scope
Project scope is perhaps one of the most vital elements of a project plan. It forms the base and foundation for the rest of the plan. To ascertain the project scope, you must finalise and record all project details to get everyone involved on the same page.
This statement may also describe the project, its steps, processes, and requirements. It is usually based on the agreement between the client and the external stakeholders involved in the project.
- List of Deliverables and Estimated Due Dates
After laying down the project scope, you’ll have a better idea of the deliverables and outcomes to be delivered to complete this project. From there, you can list out the activities and tasks to be performed to achieve project objectives.
Pro Tip: Breakdown the list of deliverables into smaller deliverables to avoid chaos and delays due to task dependencies.
The PM certificate programs online ensure you are equipped with the knowledge and skills required to carry out these roles and responsibilities of a project manager. One such array of credible online programs you can rely on are the XLRI project management courses. Offered on the Talentedge platform, these courses can help you understand the importance of a good project manager, how to become one and formulate projects for success.
- Do You Have a Detailed Project Schedule?
A common misconception among project managers is that a project plan is the same as a project schedule. A project schedule is simply one of the many facets of a project plan wherein you need to determine how long it will take to complete each task.
Simply put, it’s a list of tasks your team needs to perform in order to complete the project within the stipulated time. It represents the duration, who is doing what, and by when each task needs to begin and end.
This is where the XLRI project management courses can lend a hand. By providing 360-degree knowledge about project management, these courses aim to equip you with the tools and techniques you need to formulate a successful project plan.
- What About Risk Assessment and Management Plan?
Most project managers forget about this facet while creating the project plan.
- Is your organisation stable?
- What’s the risk tolerance?
- What potential hazards and opportunities could come while executing this project?
- What is your plan to mitigate these risks?
Potential risks may be identified during the course of the project. However, the plan to assess and mitigate these risks needs to be formulated before these events happen.
- Don’t Forget to Describe the Roles and Responsibilities
While formulating a project, several intricacies need to be kept in mind. Clarifying the responsibilities of each person on the team is an important one. Various tasks and activities need to be defined before resources are allocated.
Furthermore, several parts of the project plan need to be approved, like quality, procurement, budget, resource requirement, etc. As a project manager, you need to define the roles and responsibilities of everyone on the team before allocating designated resources.
If done wrong, all the planning until this stage will be for nothing; every resource, every facet of the project will remain unfulfilled. There are several PM certificate programs online that can help you learn how to carry out this activity effectively. So scout the internet for a credible one and enrol yourself TODAY!
- Resource Allocation is Critical
When it comes to resource allocation, there are several aspects you need to consider ranging from human resources to time, material, and budget. As far as human resources are concerned, you must conduct a SWOT analysis to determine who is the best person for the job. Furthermore, you also need to identify all available resources for each task, estimate their costs and contributions to the project.
You must also ascertain how much time each resource needs to devote, creating a project timeline for each resource to achieve project goals in time.
To Sum it Up
Project management matters; it is the key to running successful projects. And now, you know the key elements you need to keep in mind while formulating a project plan. For comprehensive knowledge of each of these elements, consider enrolling for XLRI project management courses.
These project management courses, offered on the Talentegde platform, boast an up-to-date curriculum and a unique LIVE & interactive pedagogy wherein you can interact with the instructor as well as other professionals attending the session.