Project-Management.com’s Top 3 Software RecommendationsLet Monday.com work for you.Start Free TrialWork smarter with Wrike.Try for FreeIncrease productivity with Smartsheet.Try Smartsheet for Free”Planning is bringing the future into the present so that you can do something about it now. ” (Alan Lakein). Roli Pathak outlined the five phases of project management in her article Top Five Project Management Phases. Phase 2 is the Planning phase.
Project Management Phases: Exploring Phase 1,Ai Initiation will remind you that the final documentation for the initiation phase is an informal project plan. It includes your team’s task order and estimated resources as well as a projected completion date.
Exploring Phase 2 – Planning
Roli stated that a project management plan includes individual plans for,Ai cost and scope, duration, quality communication, risk, risk, and resources. Let’s take a closer view of each item that the project manager and planning group should examine or refine during this phase.
Costs,Ai Your cost management team will create a plan that outlines every step regarding how you plan and manage your project costs. Next, estimate the costs for each activity on the list. Your team then determines the project budget.
Scope,Ai Once you have the initiation phase documentation, your planning team can make fixed decisions about project assignments, costs, and outcomes. They will also assemble any supporting documentation necessary.
Duration,Ai Once your team has refined the scope, you can now add to the planning documentation the estimates you have for the best-case timing scenario. Your planning group will now propose the most probable timeline, including possible delays, at this point.
Quality,Ai Your team will assess and describe how deliverables will meet the quality standards and criteria set by clients, stakeholders, investors, and/or investors. During this stage, you will brainstorm ideas for process improvements and document enhancements.
Communication,Ai Your project team will outline how you plan to communicate your ideas with the executive management. You will also need to define an escalation strategy.
Risk,Ai You can use the risk assessment that decision makers created during the initiation step to help you and your team describe how you will manage these risks. You can update the project documents if you find additional risks. Your team will outline contingencies in both cases, as a risk can have a positive or negative impact on the project.
Resources,Ai Make sure you consider all the resources necessary to enable your team to achieve the project goals. Make sure to include financial resources, equipment requirements, supplies, materials, and create an itemized list.
Roli outlined several key actions and tools that are unique to phase 2. The planning phase includes creating a WBS, creating a schedule, using milestone or GANTT charts, resource estimations, communication, and assessing risk. These are just a few examples of the tasks that you will need to complete. You can also find additional resources on each topic.
WBS – The WBS (work breakdown structure) is an outline that your team will use for grading every project task. Your planning group will break down larger responsibilities on this outline into smaller tasks. Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is the basic building block for a project plan.
Scheduling – Define the activities you want to include in your project. Determine the best sequence of tasks, and estimate the duration and resources to create your schedule. How to Avoid Project Failure: Effective Scheduling
Gantt Charts – A Gantt Chart uses horizontal bars to show the progress of the project timeline. What is a Gantt Chart and how does it work?

Milestone Charts – Milestone charts are used as an indicator of progress.

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