Project Planning GCP 2008

What is a project plan? Document that details What needs to be done, Who is responsible for doing it, When it will be done, How long it will take, and The current status of each step.

Why bother? Becomes your important management tool Paints the big picture (and makes the whole team aware of the big picture) Establishes accountability Provides each person’s list of the urgent AND the important Reduces duplication and misdirection

Example project plan

Plan components Hierarchy of tasks & to do’s Status: % complete Phases, tasks, steps (outline the project) Status: % complete Responsible team member(s) Day-by-day projection of schedule Deliverable: the outcome of the task Clarifying comments on the task Use this tool daily during your GCP Project Meetings

The project planning process Decide who will run the meetings Identify project phases Brainstorm tasks for each phase Organize tasks into a hierarchy Assign responsibilities Identify deliverables for each task Set deadlines for each task/phase Meet frequently to review and adjust

Project scope document 1-2 page overview of the project as you understand it. Forms the basis of mutual understanding with your client about what is (or is not) included in the project’s scope. Show this document to your client and seek confirmation/agreement (it is your informal contract)

Project scope contents Concise statement of purpose Brief description of client organization Bulleted list of work requested by the client Guidelines for assistance or information to be provided by the client Timeline, due dates List of deliverable(s) to be produced

Project planning pitfalls Plan and other documents created by team but not used, updated, adhered to Planning cut short or skipped so the team “can get right to work” One person drives the plan, other teammates don’t buy in to it

Project planning success Create the plan as a team Put someone in charge of maintaining and reminding the team about the plan Meet frequently, use the plan to direct your discussions Update the plan regularly

The bottom line… Nobody should be doing anything on the project unless it is on the plan and they are responsible for it.

Team Planning Template A shell document for your team to use is located on the GCP web site under “forms.” A sample project scope document can also be found on the GCP web site.