Project planning is the second phase in the project management lifecycle and is crucial to any successful IT project. This phase entails detailing the who, what, when, where, and how of the project. In essence, project planning provides the blueprint needed to guide the project team through to successful project completion.
What Does Project Planning Include?
Project planning typically consists of several core components:
- Project Scope: This outlines what the project will achieve. It includes the project’s deliverables, features, functions, tasks, costs, and deadlines.
- Work Breakdown Structure (WBS): The WBS is a hierarchical decomposition of the total scope of work to be carried out by the project team to accomplish the project objectives and create the required deliverables.
- Resource Planning: This involves identifying and assigning the necessary resources for each task, such as manpower, equipment, and materials.
- Time Estimation: This includes estimating how long it will take to complete each task and establishing a timeline for the project.
- Cost Estimation: This involves estimating the cost of the resources needed to complete the project, creating a budget, and a plan for managing it.
- Risk Management Plan: Identifying potential risks early in the project allows for the development of strategies to manage them should they arise.
- Communication Plan: This determines how project updates and information will be communicated to stakeholders and who will receive this information.
Role of Project Managers and Companies in Project Planning
Project managers play a pivotal role in project planning. They are responsible for developing and managing the project plan, including defining the scope, creating the WBS, planning resources, estimating time and costs, and planning for risk and communication.
Companies benefit from a structured project planning phase as it sets clear expectations, ensures alignment with business objectives, and improves chances of project success.
Many project managers and companies utilize project management tools and software to streamline the project planning process. Tools such as Microsoft Project, Jira, or Asana can help manage tasks, resources, and timelines effectively.