Continue to ask this question until your answer is broken down into tasks that cannot be subdivided further. Ask, “What will have to be done in order to accomplish X?”. The underlying concept is to subdivide complex activities into their most manageable units. One tool that can help you avoid these problems is the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), which aids in the process of determining scope and tasks and developing estimates. Many projects fail either because they bite off more than they can chew and thus grossly underestimate time and money or because a significant part of the work has been overlooked. In the planning phase, however, much is still in flux, so you’ll revise your objectives later on, as you gather information about what you need to achieve.ĭetermine scope, resources, and major tasks The more explicitly you state them at the outset, the less disagreement you will face later about whether you have met expectations. The project’s success will be measured by how well you meet those goals. One of your most challenging planning tasks is to meld stakeholders’ various expectations into a coherent and manageable set of goals. And if the stakeholders change midstream, be prepared not only to respond to the new players but also to include all the others in any decision to redirect the project. Have them sign off on what they expect at the end of the project and what they are willing to contribute to it. They will work with you to spell out exactly what success on the project means. The real problem will become even clearer once you figure out who all your stakeholders are-that is, which functions or people might be affected by the project’s activities or outcomes, who will contribute resources (people, space, time, tools, and money), and who will use and benefit from the project’s output. If you don’t, you’ll run the risk of wasting time and money by creating a solution that is too simplistic, too complicated, or too late-or one that doesn’t do what users need it to do. Before designing the database, you should ask what type of data is required, what will be done with it, how soon a fix is needed, and so on. But will that solve the company’s problem? To increase the project’s chances of success, you must look beyond the symptoms you have observed-“We can’t get the data out fast enough” and “I have to sift through four different reports just to compile an update on my clients’ recent activity”-to find the underlying issues the organization is trying to address. You may be eager to jump right into the project to tackle problems you have struggled with firsthand. Say the CIO at your company has asked you, an IT manager, to develop a new database and data entry system.
Excerpted fromīefore you begin, take time to pinpoint what issue the project is actually supposed to fix. Planning is really about defining fundamentals: what problem needs solving, who will be involved, and what will be done. When people think of project planning, their minds tend to jump immediately to scheduling-but you won’t even get to that part until the build-up phase. Here’s an overview of each phase and the activities involved. That will give you new information, so you’ll revise your budget and end date-in other words, do more planning-according to your clearer understanding of the big picture. Once you’re in the build-up and implementation phases, you’ll define and begin to execute the details of the project plan. Even though the phases have distinct qualities, they overlap.įor example, you’ll typically begin planning with a ballpark budget figure and an estimated completion date. Whether you’re in charge of developing a website, designing a car, moving a department to a new facility, updating an information system, or just about any other project (large or small), you’ll go through the same four phases of project management: planning, build-up, implementation, and closeout.
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