Project planning includes. Project planning technologies

Project management is a symbiosis of technology and the art of solving a unique task on time within the budget allocated for its goals. For the project to be successful, it is necessary to reach an understanding between the management of the company and the RM, how it will be implemented, by whom, when and what kind of work should be performed. The project plan is not viewed as one document, but as a whole set of documented decisions that answer the above questions. I present to your attention a review article that examines the basics of project planning technology.

Essence of project planning

Project planning involves many interconnected iterations, the result of which is a single master plan. Under the project plan, we will further understand the system of planned activities, documented as a result of compilation. This system consists of parameters connected in a special way, providing which, a separate development problem is solved. These parameters are formed based on a number of functional areas of project activities:

content;
terms;
cost;
personnel;
supplies;
communications;
risks, etc.

The plan is a key element of the project management system. If the RM managed to draw up a detailed set of planning documents, then he has the right to expect guaranteed receipt of the required results at the end of the work. For this, timelines, resources and other aspects must be well planned. Until a plan is developed, it is impossible to know how much money and time it will take to complete a unique task. Without a plan, the manager has little or no direction to match the work to the goals of the project.

It must be understood that planning does not always give positive results in the end, but negative conclusions can bring no less, and sometimes more, benefits. In any case, the efficiency of investment increases, and the "dispersal" of the earned profit does not occur. Project planning lays the foundation productive work and solves the following applied problems.

Clarify, detail the goals and results of the event.
Determine the composition and scope of work.
Estimate timelines and budgetary costs.
Draw up a schedule and budget for the main phases or the entire project.
Make an updated assessment of resource requirements for each phase or for the entire task.
Make a plan for resource provision.
Perform a risk assessment and create a risk response plan.
Explain the details of the event to the customer.
Agree the plan with key stakeholders.
Distribute responsibility for work and tasks among the participants.
Approve master plan.
Clarify interaction plans, planning management procedures.

The place of the project management plan at its stage life cycle. Source: PMBOK Guide 5

The place of planning processes among other processes of project implementation. Source: PMBOK Guide 5

Project planning cannot be "up in the air". It is preceded by initiation, and the output of these processes is the actual execution of the project. And we are aware of a number of important points about what planning is:

tied to a specific time point in the life cycle of a unique task and to its significant period (see the diagrams shown above);
iterative - does not end after the plans are written, requires regular updating up to the active closing phase;
complex - is not limited to one tool and includes a number of tools and related output documents.

Enlarged composition of planning processes

The project plan is distinct from the project management plan and related planning processes. As we have already decided, in a broad sense, by a plan we mean a pre-planned system of activities for which the order of execution, sequence and timing of work are established. In a narrow sense, a plan is a document that reflects the order of actions envisaged and the deadlines for implementation. The project management plan is the result of regulated planning procedures (processes), in which the manager takes on regular, regulated procedures for creating plans as documents.

Definitions of basic planning concepts from PMI. Source: PMBOK Guide 5

Event planning includes two groups of processes: processes of direct development of plans and auxiliary procedures. The output of a development block is a document called a project master plan. It includes the calendar plan, event budget and a number of other documents. The composition and content of the work, the required resources for their implementation determine the sequence, duration and amount of costs for their production.

Risk planning (identification, identification and assessment) and risk management affect not only the development of the calendar plan, but also the budgetary requirements. Clarifying goals, defining the boundaries of a unique task, and structuring the team and responsibilities lay the foundations for a full-fledged project planning work. Next, your attention is invited to a model of relationships of the main procedures of the processes under consideration.

Model of planning processes in project management

It is known that according to the PMI standard in almost every section PMBOK guidelines planning is allocated a whole block. Based on the diagram above, this is quite natural. The most holistic picture of managing planning and creating a single master plan is shown in the PMBOK section "Project Integration Management". Shown below is a local event management plan development data flow diagram box.

Project Management Plan Development Data Flow Diagram Local Block

The visual block presented above is notable for a number of reasons. The knowledge base on project management, all the experience gained in this direction, regulations are essential for the success of planning. This applies equally to standards, software, organizational structures and culture, management practices, infrastructure, etc. The charter is a key reference for planning. These processes are the basis for integration into the master plan and offer as inputs for the development of its final version:

project parameter management plans;
basic plans for content, cost, and schedule;
plan updates.

Stages of development of the calendar plan

As we remember, project management is based on the "three pillars": the content of the work, restrictions and risks. If a manager knows how to work well with these three parameters, then there are no unsolvable tasks for him. Consider the development of a calendar plan from the position of these three positions and break this process into stages. We will attribute the first and second stages to the content of the work.

The stage of determining and writing the scope of work as a list. Quite often mistakes are made due to the fact that it is impossible to present all the works at once. For a qualitative definition of the scope of operations, it is useful to use the basics of the sequential work decomposition method.
The stage of determining the execution of the project in terms of the sequence and duration of work, which depend on the technology of their implementation. To create a qualitative result of this stage, the already named method of sequential task decomposition and expert assessment of the duration of work using methods such as, for example, the brainstorming method, are well suited.
Determination of availability of resources. The event uses a variety of resources: financial, material, labor, information, etc. From the position of financial resources, it is required to link the work schedule with the financing schedule. The concept of scarce resources is introduced: unique specialists and capacities. This leaves an imprint on the sequence and duration of work.
Definition of external constraints. These restrictions include seasonality, technological processes equipment supplies; various external events. If we take into account the example of the customer's special wishes (for specific partners) or external events (for example, the timing of the completion of a stage by the time of a national holiday), then such events are included in the event in the form of milestones.
The stage of creating a risk response plan. We analyze the risks of the project and develop a response plan for the main threats. Based on this plan, we then finalize the calendar plan.

The third and fourth stages relate to the positions of restrictions, the fifth stage - to the risks. Two bases of response (active and passive) determine the moment of decision and its inclusion in project plan. Active response means that we include in the calendar plan additional work aimed at minimizing risks. This may affect the timing of other work.

As an example, we can consider a project to launch a new service on the market. Let's say the risk of its lack of demand in the market is revealed. Then, to minimize this risk, it is necessary to conduct an additional study, and this work has to be included in the calendar plan. Passive response implies the formation of additional financial reserves for identified risks. The schedule development steps can also be presented in the logical sequence shown below.

The logical sequence of the development of the schedule

Basic project planning steps

To create a master plan, the project manager implements a series of planning iterations. In the course of the planning processes, important instrumental and final documents are formed, which together make up the master plan. Among them:

work breakdown structure (WBS);
network diagram;
quality management plan;
project schedule;
budget;
organizational chart;
risk register;
communication plan;
master plan of the project.

Visual model of project planning processes

Above is a model of planning processes for a project task. You have the opportunity to see the full composition of the processes in the diagram. Pool lane planning processes are tied to almost all sections of project management. Many of the processes indicated in the model will have the opportunity to be presented in separate articles on our site. In this paper, we briefly focus on key planning procedures.

The scope definition process is carried out in order to clarify the scope of the project, the boundaries with the description of its product. The process begins with clarifying the goals of the event, its connection with the company's strategy, and considering alternative approaches to implementation. The PM must be clear about what work is outside the scope of the project and what the product requirements are.
The process of determining the scope of work. The foundations laid down in the previous process are developed into a full range of necessary operations for success. Their structure and composition are related to the main objective of the project. WBS is the main tool used by PM to solve the problem of this process.
Definition of work relationships. The logical sequence of works is the subject and purpose of this process. The best tool and result of the process implementation is a network model (diagram, graph) built and optimized using the PERT and CPM method.
The process of estimating the duration of work. Forecasting the duration of each job included in the WBS and the network model is based on a variety of approaches. The main methods are methods of evaluation by analogues, “bottom-up”, from performers, expert and parametric evaluation.
Resource needs assessment process. The purpose of the process is to determine the required amount human resources, resources of machines and mechanisms. Resources are divided into groups: renewable, expendable and financial.
Schedule development process. The process is carried out in order to determine the estimated timing of individual works and the project as a whole. The issue of detailing the plan is important. The depth of its study should be sufficient so that the project manager can control the progress of the work and the fulfillment of the assigned tasks.
Development of a master plan for the project. It combines all the results of the event planning work into a single project integration document.

In this article, we got acquainted with the "maximum configuration" of procedures and documents that create a project plan. AT real practice, especially when the project is medium or small in scope, is of a regular nature, excessive planning efforts are often not required. In such cases, you can limit yourself to typical planning solutions and an incomplete set of documents. At the same time, it is hardly possible to do without a basic documentary set in the master plan, and the efforts spent on its development pay off handsomely.

The essence of planning is to set goals and ways to achieve them based on the formation of a set of works (measures, actions) that must be performed, the application of methods and means of implementing these works, linking the resources necessary for their implementation, and coordinating the actions of organizations participating in the project.

The activity of developing plans covers all stages of the creation and execution of the project. It begins with the participation of the project manager (project manager) in the process of developing the concept of the project, continues with the selection of strategic decisions for the project, as well as with the development of its details, including drafting contract proposals, awarding contracts, performing works, and ends with the completion of the project.

At the planning stage, all the necessary parameters for the implementation of the project are determined: the duration for each of the controlled elements of the project, the need for labor, material, technical and financial resources, terms of delivery of raw materials, materials, components and technological equipment, terms and volumes of involvement of design, construction and other organizations. Project planning processes and procedures should ensure that the project is feasible within the specified time frame, at the lowest possible cost, within standard resource costs, and of adequate quality.

The planning process begins before the scope of work is approved and continues as the project progresses and changes are made. Each phase of the project life cycle provides for a certain type of planning with its own methods and tools.

Planning is a cyclic process. It starts with the most general definition goals is moving towards a more detailed description of when, how and what work must be done to achieve the goals. As the project progresses from concept to completion, Additional Information about the conditions affecting the course of work. The use of project planning and management tools allows team members to more clearly describe problems and control project changes more effectively.

Planning is a set of interconnected procedures. The first stage of project planning is the development of initial plans, which are the basis for developing the project budget, determining resource requirements, organizing project support, concluding contracts, etc. Project planning precedes project control and is the basis for its application, since a comparison is made between planned and actual figures.

The specific structure of plans used at different levels and stages of project planning depends on the standards and approaches adopted in the industry and in the organizations implementing the project. For example, in the construction industry in project documentation includes estimate documentation supplied by the customer and detailed by the contractors, the construction site plan of the facility, organizational and technological schemes for the construction of facilities, schedules for the execution of work and receipt of the facility building materials. In industrial projects, work schedules are based on design and technological documentation, in information projects- system specification.

The planning stage is one of the most important. At this stage, the tasks, budget and timeframe of the project are determined. Quite often, planning is understood only as scheduling, losing sight of resource management, budgeting, etc.

A complete planning technique includes the following steps:

1) Defining the goals of the project and their description. Quite often, projects start without a clear goal.
2) Definition of technological stages. For the project, an implementation technology should be selected that determines the stages of development of the project. One of common mistakes planning is the inconsistency of the plan with the technological cycle.
3) For technological stages, it is necessary to define a list of tasks, indicate their interrelationships (sequence) and predicted duration (depends on the assigned resources).
4) It is necessary to agree on the issue of resources allocated to the project. It should be noted that all company resources should be distributed centrally. Quite often, a planning error occurs due to the fact that some scarce resources are used simultaneously in two different projects at the same time.
5) If resource rates are determined, the budget can be obtained automatically as well. One of the typical mistakes is that the budget is set without paying attention to the projected cost of the project.
6) Written task, budget and work schedule form a formal document "Project Plan". Quite often, before the start of the project, some of these documents are missing.

Thus, for the success of project planning, a number of factors are important that must be considered:

the class of tasks to be solved, the circulation of the finished product, the type of work (development, development, maintenance);
Choice of the scheme of work (life cycle model) taking into account the complexity of the project and the capabilities of the development team;
Experience in the subject area and on development automation tools;
· equipment of developers with automation means and hardware-software base;
The level of customer requirements for the timing and quality of work.

In a well-organized project, a specific management body should be responsible for the implementation of each goal: the project manager, for all goals (project mission), responsible performers for private goals, etc. That is, the tree of project goals should coincide with the structure of the organizational unit responsible for the implementation of the project. For this, a so-called responsibility matrix is being developed, which determines functional responsibilities project executors, specifies the set of works for the implementation of which they are personally responsible.

The main purpose of planning is to build a project implementation model. It is necessary to coordinate the activities of the project participants, it determines the order in which work should be performed, etc.

The main steps in the planning process are shown in Table 1 and include nine steps. At each step, the project manager may find that the project is ineffective or impossible to implement and raise the issue of closing it.

Table 1 - Main steps in the project planning process

		Result
	Development of the concept and planning of the project goals.
	Decomposition of project goals, building hierarchical structure works (ISR).
	Appointment of responsible. Building a block diagram of the organization (CCO) of the project.
	Development of a project implementation strategy, building a plan for milestones.
	Development of project tactics, building network models.	Detailed how?
	Development of the ideal calendar schedule works.	Perfect when?
	Resource planning, development of a real calendar schedule of work, taking into account resource constraints.	Realistically when?
	Cost estimation, budget development.
	Development and adoption of the project plan.	Is everything taken into account?

For the implementation of large and complex projects, it becomes advisable to use auxiliary project planning procedures:

quality planning;
planning risks and measures to work with them;
organizational planning;
communication planning.

In each case, the project manager, on the basis of the result / cost ratio, must evaluate the feasibility of using one or another auxiliary procedure available in the arsenal of project technologies.

Figure 3 Project planning flow

Project planning is a continuous process, refined throughout the life cycle, during which the The best way achieving the set goals and objectives, taking into account the current and changing situation. A competent project plan, taking into account the specifics of the product, market features and trends, consumer preferences, risks and other factors, allows you to avoid inefficient spending even at the stage of conception and development. Such planning does not always provide positive results, but even negative conclusions are of great benefit.

The first task of writing a project implementation plan is to give an immediate impetus to starting the project process. The project plan must convince decision makers that the idea is viable, that it will meet expectations, schedule, budget, etc. If development is not convincing at the plan level, the project may not go beyond initial stage. Conversely, a successful plan immediately builds the reputation of the project manager and provides a solid foundation for launching the process.

The project plan is drawn up according to the standard general scheme, but the content of the document is always unique, because the combination of product characteristics and the conditions for its implementation is unique. The project execution plan provides guidance to the entire project team and directs:

by scope of work
by priority
on the choice of management methods,
according to quality standards
in the form of maintaining communication with interested parties,
according to performance measurement criteria, etc.

Background of the project.
Tasks and goals.
Scale.
Borders (restrictions).
Assumptions (assumptions).
influences and dependencies.
Risks and problems.
Strategies and methods.
Means and methods of control of time, resources, quality, scale.
Communications.
Delivery schedule.
Performance and its measurement.
Realization of benefits.

A standardized schema makes it easier to navigate through a document that can span hundreds of pages if large ideas are to be implemented. Simplify the process of working with the plan and allows a logical, consistent, structured order of the project planning stages. If, for example, the elements that are included in the scale are not documented, it may turn out that among the project participants there is no common understanding of who releases what. And if you do not specify the level of quality, it may turn out that that sufficient quality for the manufacturer may not be sufficient for the client.

The lack of proper detail leads to errors, but the excess of details with numerous repetitions hinders the understanding of the content of the project. Therefore, the project defense plan is usually tested on listeners who do not have prior knowledge of the project, with the involvement of representatives of a wide audience. The background added to the project plan will help to fit the implementation program into the general context, and the glossary, decoding of abbreviations and technical abbreviations will make it easy for anyone to understand the essence of the project without involving third-party information sources.

Domain Planning

The subject area here is the set of products and services that should be produced as a result of the completion of the project. Project planning in terms of the subject area includes the following procedures:

Analysis of the current state.
Clarification of the basic characteristics of the project.
Confirmation of success criteria and project problems.
Analysis of the assumptions and limitations that were accepted at the initial stage of the project.
Definition of criteria for project results at the intermediate and final stages.
Building a structural decomposition of the given area.

In the process of project life, the elements that make up given area, may be subject to change. The objectives of the work and characteristics can be specified both when intermediate results are achieved, and also at the stage of project development.

Project time planning

The main concepts of this parameter are: deadlines, duration of work, key dates, etc. The coordinated work of the participants is organized on the basis of calendar plans - design and technical documents that determine the list of project works, the relationship between them, sequence, deadlines, performers and resources. During the work on the project for the entire life cycle, a work schedule is drawn up for the stages and levels of management.

Work breakdown structure (WBS)

WBS - graphical display of the hierarchy of design work - the first stage of project scheduling. In essence, the WBS is the division of the project into such parts that are necessary and sufficient for planning and effective control. Drawing up a hierarchical structure involves observing the following rules:

The execution of the work of the upper level is achieved by the execution of the work of the lower level.
A parent process can have multiple child jobs, the execution of which automatically terminates the parent process. But for a child job, there is only one parent job.
The decomposition of the parent process into child works is carried out according to a single criterion: either by attracted resources, or by type of activity, or by life cycle stages, etc.
At each level, equivalent child works must be collected. The criteria for identifying their homogeneity can, for example, be the volume and time of work performed.
When constructing the structure as a whole, it is necessary to apply different decomposition criteria at different hierarchical levels.
The sequence for the decomposition criteria is chosen so that the largest possible part of the interactions and dependencies between works is at the lower levels of the hierarchical structure. Works higher levels- autonomous.
The decomposition of work is considered complete if the work of the lower level is clear to the manager and project participants, the ways to achieve the final result and its indicators are clear, and responsibility for the performance of work is clearly distributed.

Based on the WBS, a list of project work is created. And then the sequence of their implementation, the relationship with the help of organizational and technological models and the duration of the work are determined.

Duration of works

The duration of work is determined on the basis of standards, on the basis of personal experience (when there is an example of similar work), on the basis of calculation methods project planning. Such methods include, for example, the PERT event analysis method, which is used when there is uncertainty in estimating the duration of operations. There are, however, different ways to manage project time.

PERT. The method is considered as a weighted average of three types of forecasts: optimistic, expected and pessimistic. After establishing the duration for each forecast (using a formula and/or involving experts), the probability of each of the forecasts is calculated. And then the values of each of the predictions and their probabilities are multiplied, and the values are added.
network diagram. A network diagram is a display of activities and dependencies between them in graphical form. More often it is presented in the form of a graph, the vertices of which are design work, and their sequence and relationship is shown by connecting arrows.
Gantt charts. This is a horizontal diagram with the display of design work in the form of segments oriented according to the calendar. The length of the segment corresponds to the duration of the work, and the arrows between the segments indicate the relationship and sequence of work.

In addition, in each project, optimization of work is ensured according to the time criterion, calendar plans are approved. common goal methods in planning project time - reducing the duration of the project without losing the quality of its components.

Project workforce

In this part of planning, the amount of available resources is first determined. This is done by compiling a list of performers, availability and the possibility of their participation in the project.

Then, for each work of the project, executors are assigned with the definition of their area of responsibility. Often in the schedule at the distribution level labor resources contradictions arise. Then the analysis of contradictions and their elimination is carried out.

Project cost

There are several stages in project cost planning:

At the first stage, the cost of using resources, each project work and the project as a whole is determined. The cost of the project here is the total cost of resources and work. The factors taken into account include the cost of equipment (including rented equipment), labor staff members and hired under a contract, materials, transportation, seminars, conferences, tuition fees, etc.
The second stage involves the preparation, coordination and approval of the project estimate. The project estimate here is a document that contains the justification and calculation total cost project. It is usually done on the basis of necessary resources, scope of work, etc.
The third stage includes the preparation of the budget, its coordination and approval. The budget introduces restrictions on resources and is compiled in the form:

bar charts of costs and cumulative costs,
line charts of cumulative costs distributed over time,
pie charts of expenses,
calendar schedules and plans,
cost distribution matrices.

At the same time, management budget risks discussed in a separate section of project planning.

Risk planning

This section describes the processes involved in identifying, analyzing, assessing risks and developing risk responses. Risks are characterized by 3 parameters:

risk event,
the likelihood of a risk event occurring,
the amount of losses, in case of realization of the risk factor.

A simple risk planning method is implemented following the following sequence of actions:

Risk identification. For this, not only experts are involved, but also everyone who will help to detect potential vulnerabilities of the project.
Determining the likelihood of risk realization. The measurement is made in percentages, shares, points and other units.
Classification of risks in terms of the significance of each specific risk for the project and its place in the hierarchy. Priority are those that are of high probability and importance for the project as a whole.
Planning measures to reduce the likelihood of each individual risk, indicating the employees responsible for this.
Eradication Planning negative consequences in case of realization of the risk with the appointment of responsible persons.

When creating a project, it is necessary to write a plan regardless of the area in which the enterprise operates: from production projects and IT-technologies to landscaping and city improvement works. However, project planning itself is not “suspended in the air”, since it is preceded by project initiation, but completed by the transition to the direct execution of the project.

All processes, concepts or objects start somewhere. This moment of beginning happened a few days or years ago, and everything looked different - not the way it is now. Looking, for example, at a car, we understand that at the very beginning it was not like this: first an idea appeared, then this idea was conveyed to other people, which caused a discussion; designers joined the work, the assembly process was launched and much more.

The above is a minor example. But he perfectly explains the essence - everything has a beginning.

Project management is no exception. Being a complex chain of tasks and processes, it also starts somewhere. This first step is project plan.

In this article, we will talk about the plan and the planning process, as well as explain the points related to the question "How to create such a plan." We have identified 7 steps.

What is a project plan?

You may have noticed that we are plan mentioned and The planning process. What is the difference between them? Everything is very simple.

Planning is a process, a discussion. During it, the scope of work, goals and ways necessary to achieve them are clarified.

The plan is official document A containing all planning decisions, approved scope, costs. Its main functions are control, facilitating communication between participants and scheduling.

When creating a project plan, the manager must already have key knowledge and skills. This increases the chances of its successful implementation. In addition, a prepared plan will help you anticipate and avoid unnecessary mistakes and bad decisions, as well as save time and reduce costs.

Project plan goals

A well-prepared plan should answer the following questions.

Why?

The reasons why funds are allocated for the project should be clarified; what problem needs to be solved.

The question concerns the work that must be done to achieve the result and the final goals.

Question about the people involved, their roles and responsibilities; about how they should be organized.

When?

Here we are talking about the schedule / duration of the project.

How to make a project plan?

Before embarking on drafting, the manager must be aware of the large number of questions that will arise throughout the project and the answers to them. Each question can be listed separately. But it is still better to identify common characteristic patterns and patterns. So, what does a manager need to do to draw up a project plan.

1. Communicate

The first step to success is communicating with the team about goals, participants, tasks, etc. The manager must know who is responsible for what task, the deadlines, and just about everything that happens in the project.

It is worth adding that communication is not only the first step. Communicating throughout the project is the key to success.

2. Define participants and goals

Determining all project participants is sometimes difficult: there can be a lot of them. Moreover, they directly or indirectly, to a greater or lesser extent, can influence the project. That is why it is important to identify all those who directly influence the preparation of the plan and take their wishes seriously.

Who can be a project participant:

Customer– the person who directly finances and approves the work;
Project manager- a person involved in planning with the subsequent creation, execution and control of the project;
project team, which creates the final product. Team members are involved in many important processes, including development, quality assurance, design work, and so on. As a rule, they do not approve the project;
End user;
Other. This list can include a wide variety of people: risk analysts, procurement specialists, etc.

What can be done at this stage? Conduct interviews with key stakeholders. So you will understand what requirements are set, and what goals should be achieved. Most effective way Goal achievement is a SMART goal setting technique.

Interviewing also allows the manager to understand what problem the project is solving and why it is being funded at all.

This is our why question.

3. Determine the scope of work

Undoubtedly the most important part of any planning. All key points are highlighted and discussed here: rationale, product description, eligibility criteria, goals and results, constraints, assumptions, valuation and some others. All project participants should come to full understanding and agreement at this stage. As soon as the discussion ends, everything important is recorded in a document in which a description of the content and scope of the project is recorded.

This stage also reduces the risks of misunderstandings that can lead to project scaling.

This is our what question.

4. Define roles and responsibilities

One of the most important tasks of a manager is the distribution of tasks among team members. They should know their roles and responsibilities. And, of course, we should not forget that teams are formed units with a certain number of participants.

This is our who question.

5. Schedule the project

This paragraph is a direct continuation of the previous one. Once the roles and responsibilities have been assigned, the next step is to set the duration of work for each resource with start/end dates.

This is our when question.

At the same stage, the manager sets the key events, the critical path - in general, deals with the work schedule.

What project tool to choose?

6. Visualize the project plan with a Gantt chart

Note that some people, when talking about the schedule, mean the entire project. This is not entirely true. The visualized schedule is just part of the planning and the plan itself. The whole project is a more complex structure.

Use GanttPRO, an online tool for . With it, the manager can:

Create and distribute tasks;
Set their duration with start and end dates.
Set dependencies between tasks. The manager keeps track of all events and knows when a completed task starts the next one;
Monitor the progress of individual events and the project as a whole;
Determine the resources needed to complete tasks;
Set the cost of resources;
Interact with team members and view all the changes they have made;
Follow key events;
Visualize the critical path - the shortest amount of time required to complete the project.

With GanttPRO Gantt charts, it is easy to manage planning processes and create a project.

7. Manage risk

All stages of a project may be subject to risks. Therefore, managing them is one of the highlights in planning.

An experienced manager is able not only to assess and anticipate such situations, but also to create a plan with ways to solve them. The team, in turn, must also know how to respond to any change.

What risks may arise?

Optimistic expectations about time and costs;
Poorly defined requirements and wishes;
Poorly defined roles and responsibilities;
Changes in requirements;
New requirements;
Budget cuts;
Bad interaction.

Let's summarize

There are no identical projects. One can be perfectly implemented without risks and postponed deadlines. Another may fail even if it has the same participants, costs, schedule, and goals. Risks and changes in the project are inevitable. But still, a well-planned scope of work, a schedule, assessed risks and excellent teamwork will help facilitate the planning itself and draw up a plan. In this case, even difficult projects can be fun.

Do you have experience in project planning?

The depth of planning detail is determined by the size and complexity of the project, the nature of the project, the type of objects that are created. A typical structure of a project plan for the creation of a production facility includes 6 sections (table).

Aspects of the development of the FPR include:

According to the plan of practical work:

initial data for design;

work priorities;

the need for staff;

procedures for approving design developments;

According to the logistics plan:

terms of supply equipment;

timing and control over the installation of equipment;

According to the construction plan:

requirements for premises for the placement of equipment and personnel;

organization of work on the preparation and construction of premises;

According to the quality control plan:

general quality criteria;

control of the equipment that is supplied;

According to the commissioning plan:

preparatory work;

pre-operational control;

commissioning.

Structure and content of project plan stages


Main goals of the project	When formulating goals, avoid simplistic and impracticable goals. The whole should be taught as clearly and specifically as possible, given the relative importance of each goal and its impact on alternative management decisions.
Project financial plan	The share of the minimum investment of each investor, methods and conditions of financing are determined. The financing plan usually affects the schedule of capital expenditures, repayment of debt and is subject to agreement between project participants and investors. Estimated work precedes financial planning. Estimates are added up for each type, stage of work. Besides financial planning provides for an assessment of the financial and economic indicators of the project (discounted profit, payback period).
Subcontract execution plan	Represents the overall strategy of the customer, general interliner, subcontractors and suppliers. He is the link for all project participants. The basis for its development is a clear definition and distribution of tasks and responsibilities of all project participants. When making this plan: a) alternatives to subcontracting are evaluated; the criteria for such an assessment is the possibility of performing technical tasks by subcontractors in the required time frame; b) selection of the most appropriate type of contracts for each subcontractor and determine the terms responsible for the preparation and conclusion of these contracts; c) a conceptual project schedule is developed as component contract documentation.
functional plan.	Determines the structure of the functional complexes of work, the timing and features of their implementation. Functional complexes may include: design work, material and technical supply (MTP), construction, quality control, commissioning. Consists of the following planning documents: the main schedule of the project; work schedules (short-term); functional work plans.
Master calendar plan (MCP)	It is formed by clarifying and detailing the conceptual project plan. It defines the stages of the project, which are divided into target stages and project stages associated with the beginning and completion of the functional set of works. The master schedule is usually presented in the form of a histogram, because in this phase of the project the decomposition into individual works absent, and the specific constraint is not defined.
Short term calendar plans	They are formed on the basis of the GKP and contain lists of works, deadlines, names of persons responsible for their implementation.
Functional work plans (FPR)	These are systems of planning documents that contain activities, as well as specific technical and design solutions on certain aspects of the project.
Analysis of project implementation factors	Development of a system of measures that compensate for the shortcomings of planned decisions of the previous planning stages and aimed at preventing the influence of counteracting factors, at obtaining benefits from influencing factors, at increasing the amount economic effect from the interaction of all factors. The documentary form of this section of the plan is an agreement on activities, which is approved by the interested participants and agreed with the responsible executors.
Additions to the project plan	The data that is used in the preparation of the plan is taken out: data from the project concept; examination materials; requirements and restrictions to the project, etc.