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Time: 8 hours
Level: Masters
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 Introduction Resource- This unit will help you to develop the skills required when planning a project. You will examine the various components of a project plan, and be introduced to a number of tools and techniques to aid planning....
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- 1 The planning phase Resource
- Once the project brief has been agreed by the project sponsors and approved by the main stakeholders, you can move into the detailed planning phase. The project plan can become a working tool that helps...
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- 2.1 Introduction Resource
- The planning process aims to demonstrate how the project outcomes will be achieved successfully within both the required timescale, the agreed budget and the required quality. As each project is different,...
- 2.2 The classic six-stage project management model Resource
- This model also consists of stages, but, unlike the sequential flow of the project life-cycle, the six-stage model assumes that some stages are carried out simultaneously. In particular, the model (Figure...
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- 3.1 Barriers to planning Resource
- The planning stage of a project usually takes place before the activities start, but not always. In any case, planning always continues during the implementation of a project because there is always a...
- 3.2 The project plan Resource
- Although there are many approaches to planning a project, there are seven elements that are normally included in a project plan:
- 3.3 Using a logic diagram to identify key stages Resource
- To use a bottom-up approach to planning, the activity schedule is best compiled by drawing on the collective experience and knowledge of the project team that is going to carry out the tasks. Grouping...
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| | 4 Identifying deliverables
- 4 Identifying deliverables Resource
- The project brief will identify the goals of the project and may express some of these as key objectives. At an early stage of planning you will need to identify all of the project objectives and the deliverables...
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| | 5 Mapping tasks and activities
- 5.1 Introduction Resource
- One of the most difficult aspects of planning a project is estimating how long it will take to complete each key stage. An estimate might be based on:
- 5.2 Work breakdown Resource
- A work breakdown structure enables:
- 5.3 Team structure and responsibilities Resource
- Teams have great difficulty in working effectively if they are too large to work together conveniently. Six to eight people is often considered to be about right. Where the project needs more staff to...
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- 6.1 Introduction Resource
- Scheduling is about deciding the time that each task will take to do and the sequence in which the tasks will be carried out. There are a number of approaches to estimating the time and effort (and, therefore,...
- 6.2 Gantt chart Resource
- Gantt charts show all the key stages of a project and their duration as a bar chart, with the time-scale across the top. The key stages are placed on the bar chart in sequence, starting in the top left-hand...
- 6.3 Identifying the critical path Resource
- The critical path describes the sequence of tasks that would enable the project to be completed in the shortest possible time. It is based on the idea that some tasks must be completed before others can...
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| | 7 Estimating costs, revenues and intangible benefits
- 7.1 Introduction Resource
- Planning a project includes preparation of financial and related projections. Frequently, these will be used to:
- 7.2 Revenues Resource
- Projects vary in how they are eventually financed. They can be purely commercial projects from which the products are sold at market prices, and so eventually the revenues they generate are expected to...
- 7.3 Staff costs Resource
- The staff time and staff-related costs need to be calculated. These include salaries, taxes, holidays, overtime, training, travel and subsistence, and accommodation for the number of staff for the time...
- 7.4 Equipment costs Resource
- In many projects, staff costs are the most expensive element, but there are other costs to consider, such as materials and equipment. Indeed, in some projects (for example, some military and space projects)...
- 7.5 Materials costs Resource
- There will be many categories of materials, supplies and consumables used in a project. Once again, the materials that are in constant use and easily and ‘freely’ available in an organisation might be...
- 7.6 Who should estimate? Resource
- The person managing the project is not necessarily the best one to prepare the estimates, although they should be closely involved, both as a source of information and because they need a clear understanding...
- 7.7 Planning for quality Resource
- Having considered estimating for time and for costs, the third dimension of projects – quality needs to be considered. The need to achieve a particular level of quality may mean that more time must be...
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| | 8 Drawing up the implementation plan
- 8 Drawing up the implementation plan Resource
- Once the detailed planning and risk assessments have been carried out, you are ready to assemble your implementation plan. A typical implementation plan, including diagrams and charts where appropriate,...
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- 9 Summary Resource
- This unit has focused on planning a project. At this stage you may find it useful to recap on the learning objectives introduced at the beginning of the unit and to think about some of the issues associated...
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| | References and Acknowledgements | |
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