This blog will provide project managers, project teams, and stakeholders with a shared viewpoint on project planning. Organizations that have a shared strategy for project preparation are more likely to have good project execution.
A strategy is at the core of every project, and it directs the actions that contribute to the final result of the project or product that the customer had imagined. The customer (internal or external) is king in project management. The difference between a good customer experience and one that can go sideways is delivering on what was expected in a timely manner. The tricky part about every project plan, however, is that the project stakeholders are the ones who help determine the degree of difficulty and the structure’s trajectory. As a result, it is up to the project manager in charge of designing the strategy to handle client expectations while also defining team member requirements so that deliverables can be handled and fulfilled efficiently. Creating the optimal project plan necessitates the ability to correctly determine the needs of the team members while still pleasing the end customer. Various levels of detail are needed in the construction of a design depending on the type of project. A more comprehensive strategy makes more sense in projects that involve the careful guidance of team members along a clear path. In comparison, a less comprehensive strategy is more suitable for highly autonomous project teams. When it comes to preparation, it’s best to keep the amount of detail to a bare minimum. Members of the team have only enough knowledge to complete tasks effectively, while the project manager’s ability to coordinate and oversee the plan is maximized.
To effectively construct a plan, the first step is to comprehend the plan’s role within the framework of the entire project. Many project managers consider the strategy and the project to be the same thing. The strategy is to create a schedule, which, if carried out on time and on budget, would result in project success. This excessively simplistic approach leaves several potential failure paths available. While the plan should be the project’s “heart,” project managers must remember that the “heart” still requires all of the other vital organs and body parts to function properly. They are given life by the heart. To put it another way, the performance of a plan is equally dependent on the finances, partners, charter and documents, and all other project factors that must all work together to ensure the project’s success.
As a result, the strategy must be considered as the primary document for the implementation, management, and supervision of all operations, taking into account the needs of all stakeholders, available resources, and the overall project vision. A good plan is based on all of the components that make up the project, not the other way around, as many people believe.
Creating a project plan is a challenging task. Putting together a well-crafted document that contains all the tasks, milestones, assignments, and information can take a lot of time and effort, and it also presents the planner with roadblocks that prevent the plan from progressing smoothly.
Project managers should implement some simple techniques to maximise their efforts in order to minimise the complexities of project planning. Here are some common pitfalls and solutions to help you build project plans quickly and successfully:
Project plans don’t have to be completely developed until they’re introduced. The truth is that the project plan, as a living document, will be updated in accordance with the project’s rises and falls. To get things started, apply Pareto’s 80/20 rule. Then, if appropriate, let your team and stakeholders lead the paper.
Re-inventing the wheel would not always result in a better strategy. In reality, a lot of time is sometimes spent developing a strategy that can be changed many times down the road. Using current project models and best practices is a great way to save time and effort while designing a project.
In certain situations, an excessively complex schedule leads to inadequate implementation of granular tasks and difficulties monitoring progress. Finding the correct balance of detail in the plan helps team members to provide a clearer understanding of their implementation while still providing the project details needed for stakeholder decisions.
Stakeholder buy-in and participation in the implementation process is one of the most significant aspects of effective project planning. The strategy should act as the project’s road map, and everyone involved is responsible for its progress. Working in a vacuum and constructing a strategy based on assumptions is risky. There will always be flaws in the strategy, and it will change over time. As a result, despite the final outcome, stakeholder participation is needed to help direct and approve the project plan.
If the well-crafted document known as the “Project Plan” is ready to be implemented, the next step is to efficiently communicate the plan’s related components with the various team members and stakeholders that are responsible for its efficient implementation. The manner in which this information is disseminated and to whom it is disseminated will determine if the strategy is improperly performed or exceeds expectations. A mapping of the various tools that will interact with the plan is needed to better decide the various methods for providing planning information.
The most suitable mode of distribution of those information is included in this mapping. The aim of this mapping exercise is to streamline and improve the execution of the plan. There are three groups of “users” that must communicate with the plan in most cases:
This user type usually consists of the project manager (assigned) who is in charge of creating the plan, as well as schedulers who assist in plan creation and task assignment in larger projects.
All team members (assignees) who are responsible for delivering/executing plan activities and goals are included in this group.
This community consists of all decision makers, including executives and sponsors, who must monitor and review planning information in order to ensure the project is on track and to drive progress (if and when needed). Each each of these user categories has specific requirements, the required resources and information must be chosen based on the various user profiles.
“Success is the sum of small efforts repeated day in and day out.” - Robert Collier (Author)
Manwendra is known for his ability to produce outstanding deliverables that help businesses grow. A Thought leader in the field of project management and operations management, he is known for his ability to challenge the status quo, introduce new perspectives, and redefine the box rather than only thinking outside of it.