How to create a Project Management Plan

How to create a Project Management Plan

Project management is the process of leading the work of a team to achieve goals and meet success criteria at a specified time. The primary challenge of project management is to achieve all of the project goals within the given constraints. Key components of project management are: Time, Cost, Scope and Quality. Project planning is part of project management, which relates to the use of schedules such as Gantt charts to plan and subsequently report progress within the project environment. 

A project plan, also known as the project management plan, is the   document that describes how the project will be executed, monitored, and controlled, and closed. This outlines the objectives and scope of the project and serves as an official point of reference for the project team, larger company, and stakeholders. 

When articulating the project objectives you must follow the SMART rule:

• Specific – get into the details. Objectives should be specific and written in clear, concise, and under­standable terms.
• Measurable – use quantitative language. You need to know when you have successfully completed the task.
• Acceptable – agreed with the stakeholders.
• Realistic – in terms of achievement. Objectives that are impossible to accomplish are not realistic and not attainable. Objectives must be centred in reality.
• Time based – deadlines not durations. Objectives should have a time frame with an end date assigned to them.

Three components of the project management plan are :

1.Activities

2.Tasks

3.Resources

Project plan should be created during the project planning phase and is a compilation of several other documents. Project planning is at the heart of the project life cycle, and tells everyone involved where you’re going and how you’re going to get there. Project constraints such as time, scope, and costs are discussed in the project planning process, and mitigation plans are developed after the identification of potential risks.

Key elements of Project Planning are as:

1. Identify all stakeholders
2. Define roles and responsibilities
3. Hold a kickoff meeting
4. Define project scope, budget and timeline
5. Set and prioritise goals
6. Define deliverables
7. Create a project schedule
8. Do a risk assessment
9. Communicate the project plan