About Project Planning
While it might seem easiest to dive into the work of a project as soon as possible, it is important to designate the time for proper project planning before the work begins. Project planning is often up to the project manager. Once the planning phase is complete, the project manager presents the plan to the project teams and the shareholders in the project, such as clients or company executives. There are several important aspects to project planning.
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Set Project Goals and Deliverables
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One of the first things to do when planning a project is to establish goals: what are you trying to accomplish? Deliverables are measurable or tangible items that are "delivered' to the client or shareholder at the end of the project. For example, if the goal is to build a house, then the house is the deliverable. Similarly, if the goal is to create an easier way for employees to work, then a software product is a possible deliverable. Speak to your clients and project shareholders extensively to learn exactly what they want when the project is finished. You will create your project plan based on your goals and deliverables; tasks that do not directly or indirectly relate to achieving the project goals are a waste of time.
Assemble a Team
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Most projects require a team to do the actual work, so one of your jobs as project manager is to assemble a project team during the planning phase. The team is assembled from your resource pool, which usually consists of company employees or partners and consultants in the company's network. Choose members for your team based on individual talents and experience working on similar tasks or projects. Also, availability is important when assembling your team. You might want to work with a specific developer on a software project, but if that developer is already committed to other projects for the next six months, you likely have to pick the next best person who is available now.
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Create Project Schedule
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Creating the project schedule is an important aspect of project planning. The schedule identifies what tasks need to be completed, who will work on specific tasks and how long each task and the overall project is expected to take. To determine the length of the project, assign a duration to each task, which is the estimated time the task will take based on the work at hand and resource availability and capability. Some tasks will depend on others for their completion; these are called dependent tasks. For example, when building a house, you cannot perform the task of installing drywall until the task of building the house frame is complete. Be sure to incorporate these dependency relationships into your project schedule. Also, be sure to incorporate extra time for delays. People get sick or machines fail. This is an inevitable reality of working on a project, but if you allow time for these delays in your schedule, the overall expected duration of the project will not be significantly affected.
Establish Project Budget
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The project budget is another important element to establish during the planning phase. A client or shareholder might look at the project and decide to cancel or change the project goals because the budget is too high. If the budget is not established in advance, you might be halfway through a project and realize you have no money left to finish, which reflects poorly on your abilities as a project manager. Base the budget on equipment rentals, material costs, employee compensation, licensing fees and any other costs or expenses associated with the project. Present the budget along with the overall schedule to your clients or shareholders. Once they approve, the planning phase is over and the project work can begin as laid out in your schedule.
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