Project Planning

About the service

Project planning is a discipline addressing how to complete a project in a certain timeframe, usually with defined stages and designated resources. One view of project planning divides the activity into these steps:

1. setting measurable objectives
2. identifying deliverables
3. scheduling
4. planning tasks

What's part of the service?

Project planning is important at every phase of a project. It lays out the basics of a project, including the following:

• scope
• objectives
• goals
• schedule

Planning enables us as project managers to turn an intangible idea into reality. Key purposes of planning include the following:

• facilitate communication and provide a central source of information for project personnel;
• help the project sponsor and other key stakeholders know what is required;
• identify who will perform certain tasks, and when and how those tasks will happen;
• facilitate project management and control as the project progresses;
• enable effective monitoring and control of a project;
• manage project risk; and
• generate feedback useful for the next project planning phase.