The
Planning Process Group consists of those processes performed to establish the
total scope of the effort, define and refine the objectives, and develop the
course of action required to attain those objectives.
The Planning processes
develop the project management plan and the project documents that will be used
to carry out the project. The complex nature of project management may require
the use of repeated feedback loops for additional analysis. As more project
information or characteristics are gathered and understood, additional planning
will likely be required.
Significant changes occurring throughout the project
life cycle trigger a need to revisit one or more of the planning processes and
possibly some of the initiating processes. This progressive detailing of the
project management plan is called progressive elaboration, indicating that
planning and documentation are iterative and ongoing activities. The key
benefit of this Process Group is to delineate the strategy and tactics as well
as the course of action or path to successfully complete the project or phase.
When the Planning Process Group is well managed, it is much easier to get
stakeholder buy-in and engagement. These processes express how this will be
done, setting the route to the desired objective.
The
project management plan and project documents developed as outputs from the
Planning Process Group will explore all aspects of the scope, time, cost,
quality, communications, human resources, risks, procurements,and stakeholder
engagement.
In order to keep progress moving according to specified goals and
objectives, the PMBOK Guide puts forth these key elements included in the
Planning Process Group:
Develop a Project
Management Plan:
A Project Management Plan is a
detailed report indicating the chain of events that need to happen throughout
the project. This includes a timeline and clear communication with stakeholders
about how the entire project in all its phases will be “planned, executed,
monitored controlled, and closed.”
Collect Requirements:
Tailoring client/stakeholder needs with the objectives the project
requires may necessitate additional adjusting as the project gets underway.
Understanding and documenting all project requirements aids in clarifying expectations.
Define Scope:
Producing documentation to define the scope of the project which may
reflect any changes is important to maintain stakeholder confidence and client
trust.
Create Work Breakdown Structure:
Subdividing large projects into more manageable smaller ones allows
stakeholders to identify on-going progress and allows the project manager to
make mid-course adjustments as necessary.
Define Activities, Sequence Activities, Estimate Activity Resources,
Estimate Activity Durations:
Developing the specific list of actions that will need to be taken to
achieve benchmark goals is essential for putting proper teams in place at the
right time with the proper resources.
Develop Schedule:
Scheduling teams to complete work and setting the progress in place with
all the details needed to complete the work objectives takes a great deal of
coordination with many project constituents and may involve shifting objectives
and phase scheduling.
Estimate Costs:
Estimating costs accurately is a skill that comes with increasing
practical experience. Coordinating all estimates needed to complete each phase
of a project requires great attention to detail and a well-developed set of
multi-tasking skills.
Determine Budget:
Creating accurate budgets means having the experience to know when to
add in allowances for probable weather delays, change orders, or other details
gained through experience with similar projects. At every stage of the Planning
Process Group documentation is necessary, but in the estimating and budgeting
areas, project managers need to be able to understand the details logically to
secure quick and trustworthy authorization from related stakeholders.
Plan Quality:
Factors like risk, cost performance baseline, organizational and
environmental factors all affect the potential plan quality. Obviously the goal
is to assure the highest possible quality. Assessing the details to secure
quality throughout each project phase may involve re-adjusting program goals
and procedures.
Develop Human Resource Plan:
Having a staffing plan in place that coincides with each phase of the
plan and involves all details of creating working teams to support project
goals and timeline requirements is imperative.
Plan Communications:
Communication related to changes, progress reports, and budgetary
adjustments need to be on-going so that constituents and stakeholders remain
invested in the successful, high-quality outcome of the project. Establishing
the expectations around communication supports the positive tone of the project
as a whole.
Plan Risk Management, Identify Risks, Perform Qualitative/Quantitative
Risk Analysis, Plan Risk Responses:
Accurate risk management procedures can save money and time over the length
of any project. Documenting the risk management process for a project supports
good communication strategies with stakeholders and clients.
Plan Procurements:
The procurement process involves detailed reports indicating decisions
related to costs of items necessary to complete a project and deliver effective
results.
Developing the skills and the knowledge necessary to be more cognizant
of overall project goals, while at the same time effectively tending to the
small, day to day details of a complex project, is at the core of what
separates good project managers from excellent ones.
While much of a top project manager’s skill set will come about through years of experience, on-going
education and strong professional networking can leverage increased opportunity
and success as
5 Steps To Project Management Planning: