The Project Planning Phase

The Project Planning Phase

The Project Planning Phase follows the Project Initiation Phase and is the most important phase in project management. The effort spent in planning can save countless hours of confusion and rework in the subsequent phases.

(a) Purpose of the Project Planning Phase

• Establish Business Requirements.

• Establish Cost, Schedule. List of     Deliverables and Delivery Dates.

• Establish Resource Plan.

• Get Management Approval and proceed to next phases.

(b) The basic processes of the Project Planning Phase are:

• Scope Planning: This specifies the in-scope requirements for the project.

. Preparing the Work Breakdown Structure: This specifies the breakdown of the project into tasks and sub-tasks.

• Organizational Breakdown Structure: This specifies who all in the organization need to be involved and referred for Project Completion.

• Resource Planning: This specifies who will do what work at which time of the project. 

• Project Schedule Development: This specifies the entire schedule of the activities detailing their sequence of execution.

• Budget Planning: This specifies the budgeted cost to be incurred in the completion of Project.

Project Initiation Phase defines a few facilitating processes as well that are required for successful Project Completion. These can be:

• Procurement Planning: Planning for procurement of all resources (staff and non-staff). 

. Communication Planning: Planning on the communication strategy with all project stakeholders

. Quality Planning: Planning for Quality Assurance to be applied to the Project.

• Risk Management Planning: Charting the risks, contingency plan and mitigation strategies Configuration Management Planning: Defines how the various project artifacts will get Both the basic processes and facilitating processes produces a Project Plan.