What is Project Management Plan?

Want to build your confidence while planning a project? If so, then learn to develop a high-level vision for your project at Takethiscourse. Even though it took some time for users to notice, more than 590,000 people worldwide especially PMP's are using project management terms and concepts transparent and coherent. You may as well already know, the project management plan is where you break this vision down into the actual day-to-day execution of your project, covering everything you need to do to meet your project goals. As a project manager, you'll have a lot on your plate at any given time.

Your project plan removes the guesswork by demonstrating exactly what you should be concentrating on at each stage of the process; where your resources and attention should be directed; and what you should be on the lookout for to ensure things don't become delayed or over budget. In this article, we’ll talk about what is a project management plan, how it gives your project a baseline to work with and creates project alignment as well as removes confusion. Finally, it fully outlines the scope of the project and allows you to come up with better-resourced project management. Enough said, let’s get into it!

What is a project management plan?

Project management is the process of leading a team's work to achieve all project goals within the constraints set. This data is typically described in project documentation, which is created at the start of the development process. The main constraints are scope, time, and money. A project management plan is a formal document that specifies how a project will be executed. It outlines a project's scope, goals, budget, timeline, and deliverables, and it's critical for keeping a project on track.

Michael Kaplan works as TD Ameritrade's Senior IT Infrastructure Project Manager. He has decades of experience contributing to major projects valued in the tens of millions of dollars in order to increase organizational efficiency and productivity.

 Kaplan says, "Improve your performance in a way that does not "micromanage" you and demonstrates consideration as well as values your perspective".

By outlining the scope, goals, budget, timeline, and deliverables of a project, it is essential to learn how to keep a project on track just as Kaplan pens down his thoughts. That said, now let us about your role as a project manager.

Who is a project manager?

A project manager is a professional in the field of project management. Project managers take the lead in project planning, execution, monitoring, control, and closure. Stating some facts, the Project Management Institute (PMI®) expects 22 million new project management job openings through 2027.  They are responsible for the entire project scope, the project team and resources, the project budget, and the project's success or failure. Project managers devote a significant amount of time to ensuring baselines are met, and that the project sponsor and the organization reap the full benefits of their projects.  Conflicting priorities are already managed by the project manager. A project manager's abilities include not only proper planning, but also efficiently controlling the project and ensuring project deliverables are on time and that the project is completed following the project management plan.

What are the Constituents of the Project Management Plan?

Before you begin putting together your own plan, you should be familiar with the main components of a typical project plan. If you're interested in comparison between RUP vs Agile, then click here.

The following sections should be included in a project management plan:

• Executive Synthesis: A summary of the report's contents
• Project Goals and Deliverables: An outline of the project's boundaries, as well as a description of how the project will be divided into measurable deliverables.
• PMBOK: Because of the significance of projects, project management has developed into an operating field of theory recognized as PMBOK – Project Management Body of Knowledge.
• Project Timeline:  A high-level overview of project tasks and deadlines.
• Project Resources: Budget, personnel, and other resources required to meet project objectives are referred to as project resources.
• Risk and Issue Management Plan:  A list of potential project derailers, as well as a strategy for identifying, addressing, and controlling issues.
• Communication Management Plan:  A strategy for managing the team and stakeholder communication throughout the project.

How to create a project management plan?

The project management plan is not created in a single step. It is gradually elaborated, which means that it is created, refined, revisited, and updated. Because the project management plan combines all of the knowledge area management plans into a unified whole, it must be assembled after all of the component plans have been completed. Evidently, a great deal of information goes into developing a project management plan. It's natural to wonder how a project manager keeps everything together. To begin, you should be aware that project plans are frequently regarded as "living" documents. This means they are expected to be modified and altered as the project progresses and/or new information emerges that necessitates a change in the plan. Second, putting together a solid project management plan requires time and dedication. To do it as quickly as possible, follow these steps:

Consult with project stakeholders:

Even if project stakeholders have already been recognized in another document, such as the business case or project charter, it is critical to review the list and ensure that it is still up to date. Then, gather all project stakeholders for a discussion of the project's objectives and scope. This ensures that everyone is on the same page, especially when it comes to presumptions, constraints, and expected outcomes. Discuss the planning process with stakeholders and ensure that they are committed to assisting you with the process.

Define important project roles:

All key stakeholders should be asked to provide feedback on the parts of the project that are important to them. To deal with this, it's critical to identify which stakeholders are involved in each section of the project. This is frequently included in the stakeholder management plan or even the communication management plan. The project sponsor, team members, end-users, and any other people directly involved, such as business experts, auditors, or quality testers, are all relevant stakeholders.

Plan a “Getting-To-Know” the session:

This session brings together stakeholders to discuss the project and begin planning. Typical topics covered at the meeting include:

·        The project's business case

·        The project's anticipated results and advantages

·        Roles and responsibilities of stakeholders

·        Information communication and reporting (frequency of project meetings, etc.)

·        Timetable and method for completing the project plan 

Create project baselines:

You should be keen to create your baseline scope, schedule, and budget at this spot. It's often best, to begin with, the scope, then move on to the schedule, and finally to the budget baseline. However, because the three are interrelated, any change to one will most likely have an effect on the other two.

Make plans for baseline management:

After you've established your baselines, you'll need to devise a strategy for handling them. This includes reporting against them, tracking and managing variances, and outlining the circumstances that would necessitate an updated baseline.

Create the remaining management plans:

As you are aware, planning is an important aspect of a project manager's job. The more solid your plan, the more likely it is that your project will succeed. As a result, simply planning how you will manage baselines is insufficient. Plans should also be developed to manage all other significant aspects of the project or inputs to it. As previously discussed, management plans can be diverse, but the bare minimum should include resource management, risk management, and communications management.

How to write a project management plan?

Your plan should be created using a project management plan template. The sequence and depth of the plan will be determined by your organization and project. Many businesses will already have an internal template that highlights the level of information required. A title page, version history, and table of contents should always be included in the plan. A solid project management plan will include the following details:
·        Baseline project scope and scope management plan
·        Baseline project schedule & schedule management plan
·        Cost baseline for the project and cost management plan
·        Human resource management strategy
·        Plan for Communication Management
·        Plan for risk management

Project management plan approval:

The last step is to get approval. As the project management plan is an official document used to manage the project's successful implementation, it must be formally approved. The organizational structure and the number of other factors determine who will get the final say. This will demonstrate who will approve your project. Essentially, the papers demonstrating your project plan are never approved by a customer or senior management. If you are interested in Mastering Agile Scrum Project Management, then click here.

The customer only signs the contract but frequently ignores the internal workings of the organization responsible for completing the project. Typically, the project manager, project sponsor, or functional managers who provide project resources will approve your project plan. It is easier for a project manager to get the project management plan approved if all stakeholders, as well as their requirements and objectives, are fulfilled.

Conclusion

Finally, process maps, graphs, schedules, and liability models are resources for capturing the internal operations linked with carrying out the project plan. On large projects, the project beginning process can be disorganized, and until plans are developed, the project manager will become the resource and vision. Develop a suitable plan and a project timeline by scheduling activities in a way that properly and efficiently uses assets, ensuring that your project is completed in the quickest way possible.

Plan the rest so that you can deliver the best!