You’re about to embark on a new project and are responsible for putting a plan in place, but it can be tough to know where to start. Whether it’s your first time tackling a big project, or you’re looking to refine your planning process, this article will provide you with useful tips on how to build a successful project plan. The importance of planning to achieve success should not be underestimated!
There are five key steps required to effectively plan a project robust enough to overcome obstacles and delays. These include:
- Ensuring you have all the skills needed
- Understanding the scope of the project
- Getting the basics right
- Reviewing the plan regularly
- Planning for the completion
1. Ensure you have all the necessary skills
Before the planning process can begin, you’ll need to make sure you have the required skills across the involved stakeholders to complete the project.
Make a list of the skills required then check them against all project stakeholders. These skills could include competent communication, leadership, negotiation, and conflict management skills.
2. Understand the scope of the project
Understanding the full scope of what the project entails needs to happen at the earliest stages, to ascertain if all areas of the project are achievable.
Obtain viewpoints from relevant stakeholders to grasp a thorough understanding of the information needed to complete the project. Miscalculated information can cause misalignments, resulting in delays and pushback, so ensure you have clarity at an early stage.
3. Master the basics
It may sound simple, but the basics are the core components holding the project together. Ascertain the who, what, when, why and how. Once these questions are answered, it’ll be easy to lay out the fundamental details of the project.
The basic elements required to get the plan correct from the start include:
- Risk assessments and contingency plans
- Confirmed timelines
- Outlined priorities
- Estimated costs
- Agreed documenting procedures
- Agreed methods of reporting
Assigning tasks to team members and deciding who is accountable for each aspect of the project helps to rule out uncertainty. If all stakeholders involved share vital information attached to the costing of the project, this could reduce time or money lost when the project commences.
Agreeing on a method of documentation will ensure cohesion from the start. For a project to run smoothly, the reporting methods and timeframes need to be decided and agreed on by everyone involved.
Outlining when the milestones of the project should be needs to be decided before the project begins, to determine deadlines and establish baselines as reference points to measure the project’s success.
How will the success of each task be measured and what information needs to be reported back? By having a structure in place, known as the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), you can ensure all participants have an understanding of their responsibilities and report back accordingly.
The Work Package Definition (WPD) stems from the Work Breakdown Structure and highlights each individual’s work package to guarantee all stakeholders are aware of their responsibilities.
The best way of demonstrating the Work Breakdown Structure is by developing a Gantt chart to visually show the status of the project lifecycle. The colour coding of the chart signifies all tasks required for the project completion and how long each task is projected to take.
This visual chart helps stakeholders decipher whether individual tasks are on schedule or if deadlines need to be extended.
Network diagrams can be used to show how individual task fits together, and outline what progress is required before the project can be complete. Visually detailing the logical steps required to complete each task will make the project lifecycle easier for everyone involved.
The technique of critical path analysis helps find the optimum path that must be followed if the project is to achieve success. By taking into consideration the longest and shortest paths, the critical path analysis will decide on the best schedule for the project, making allowances for small delays.
4. Review the plan regularly
Allowing time to proactively track the success of each task needs to be allocated into the project plan; it’s likely the plan will undergo several reviews before its completion.
To review sufficiently, you’ll need updates from relevant stakeholders on:
- Cost
- Time
- Percentage completion
- Earned value
- Milestones complete
Cross referencing this information with the plan will help you to assess whether the project is progressing as expected.
When reviewing the plan, potential risks need to be considered. Any pre-anticipated risks or delays should already have contingency plans in place. The more you can plan to prevent and manage problems, the better.
5. Plan for the completion
The finish line is in sight, but how can you plan for the conclusion of the project? The first step is to make sure all stakeholders are clear on what’s required in order to ensure the project is complete. Reporting on the project process throughout is key to ensuring no small steps are missed and everyone is able to correctly complete their tasks.
Once the project is complete, a concluding brief should communicate all information sourced throughout the project lifecycle to the team and all members involved. Beyond this, you can set about making the wider business aware of the final outcome and, of course, don’t forget to celebrate!
All of these steps are vital to ensuring that your project is a success. After all, the more comprehensively put together your plan is, the more likely it’ll be to achieve success with minimal delays and stress.
About the Author:
Sebastian is a digital marketing executive for RocketMill, a digital marketing agency specialising in SEO, PPC and CRO. From pest control to grounds for divorce, he works on a number of campaigns covering a huge variety of topics and industries. For more from Sebastian, check out his Twitter @sebastian_bos_1
