Project planning is part of
project management, which relates to the use of
schedules
A schedule or a timetable, as a basic time-management tool, consists of a list of times at which possible tasks, events, or actions are intended to take place, or of a sequence of events in the chronological order in which such things are ...
such as
Gantt charts to plan and subsequently report progress within the project environment. Project planning can be done manually or by the use of
project management software.
Description
Initially, the
project scope is defined and the appropriate methods for completing the project are determined. Following this step, the
durations for the various
tasks necessary to complete the work are listed and grouped into a
work breakdown structure. Project planning is often used to organize different areas of a project, including
project plan
A project plan, according to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK), is:
"...a formal, approved document used to guide both ''project execution'' and ''project control''. The primary uses of the project plan are to document planning as ...
s,
work load
The term workload can refer to a number of different yet related entities.
An amount of labor
Workload is the amount of work an individual has to do.Jex, S. M. (1998). Stress and job performance: Theory, research, and implications for managerial ...
s and the management of teams and individuals. The logical
dependencies between tasks are defined using an
activity network diagram
A project network diagram is a graph that displays the order in which a project’s activities are to be completed. Derived from the work breakdown structure, the terminal elements of a project are organized sequentially based on the relationsh ...
that enables identification of the
critical path. Project planning is inherently uncertain as it must be done before the project is actually started. Therefore, the duration of the tasks is often estimated through a weighted average of optimistic, normal, and pessimistic cases. The critical chain method adds "buffers" in the planning to anticipate potential delays in project execution.
Float or slack time in the schedule can be calculated using project management software. Then the necessary
resources can be
estimate
Estimation (or estimating) is the process of finding an estimate or approximation, which is a value that is usable for some purpose even if input data may be incomplete, uncertain, or unstable. The value is nonetheless usable because it is de ...
d and
costs for each activity can be allocated to each resource, giving the total project cost. At this stage, the
project schedule may be optimized to achieve the appropriate balance between
resource usage and project duration to comply with the project objectives. Once established and agreed, the project schedule becomes what is known as the baseline schedule. Progress will be measured against the baseline schedule throughout the life of the project. Analyzing progress compared to the baseline schedule is known as
earned value management.
The inputs of the project planning phase 2 include the
project charter and the concept proposal. The outputs of the project planning phase include the project requirements, the project schedule, and the
project management plan.
[Filicetti, John]
Project Planning Overview
PM Hut (Last accessed 8 November 2009).
See also
*
Cost overrun
*
Dependency structure matrix
*
Enterprise resource planning
*
Megaproject
*
Operations research
*
PRINCE2
*
Project Management Institute
*
Project plan
A project plan, according to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK), is:
"...a formal, approved document used to guide both ''project execution'' and ''project control''. The primary uses of the project plan are to document planning as ...
*
Project slippage
In project planning
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. Project planning can be done manually or by t ...
*
Project stakeholders
*
Scope creep
References
External links
International Project Management AssociationAssociation for Project Management (UK)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Project Planning
Schedule (project management)
Planning