Project Management Framework
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Planning Phase

Purpose

Ensure that the organization has a good understanding of the work required to carry out the project before making a significant investment.

Introduction

The planning phase begins once the Project Owner and affected line managers approve the Project Description. This includes identifying the key roles, resources, and personnel required to make plans and strategies for successful implementation of, and continued commitment to, the project (DP2).

Planning Phase

The Planning Phase provides the basis for a successful project—and the planning process is as important as the plan. Project planning is a group work, where the Project Manager must have the relevant people in place. In addition to the Project Manager, the following people should participate in the planning process:

  • The project's key personnel
  • Context experts
  • Those who will own the results
  • Those who are responsible for the resources

It is important to plan based on the desired results and main deliveries, and summarize overall phases and milestones first. Otherwise, it is easy to get lost in the details or end up getting sidetracked from the purpose of the project. A good planning process should help to:

  • Provide and help maintain an overview for the duration of the Project
  • Engage the Project Team and help to build a common understanding
  • Organize the work—correct order of tasks and deliveries, helps to prevent details from being forgotten or lost, avoid duplication of work
  • Reduce risk by having more people evaluating the problem and proposed solutions
  • Contribute to anchoring the projects objectives, goals, and plans with the affected line managers, employees, and stakeholders

During the planning process, a new or more accurate understanding of the project's objectives, organization, underlying premises, and timeframe often develops. If so, update the Project Description accordingly so that the Steering Committee can review and approve it at DP3. The updated Project Description is “frozen" at DP3 and summarized in the Project Plan (Power Point template) used in reporting and dissemination to the Steering Committee, line management, and other stakeholders during the course of the project.

If significant changes occur in the project's goals, framework or underlying premises during the implementation phase, it may be necessary to create a new version of the Project Description for the Steering Committee to review and approve.

The documentation produced during the Planning Phase is used by the Project Owner and the Steering Committee to approve the Implementation Phase of the project (DP3) and as management and communications tools from DP3 onward. This includes updated Project Description, Project Plan, Phase Plan/Milestone Plan for the first Implementation Phase, and a first draft of the Benefit Realization Plan.

The Planning Phase ends when the aforementioned documentation is submitted to the Project Owner and Steering Committee for acceptance.

Templates and Tools

Checklist for Decision Point 3

  • Is the project still desirable and in step with the institution's strategic goals?
  • Are the project objectives (and associated products and deliveries) suited to achieving the desired changes and benefits as described during the Concept Phase?
  • Is there a holistic and consistent plan, which breaks down the project into manageable phases?
  • Have the necessary strategies for implementation been developed (e.g., implementation strategy, test/QA strategy, acquisitions strategy)?
  • Has a Stakeholder analysis been completed and have relevant measures been taken?
  • Are the roles and responsibilities clearly within the project organization clearly defined and are the right, and sufficient, resources allocated to complete the project?
  • Has a Risk Analysis been completed and are the risks (and uncertainties) acceptable?
  • Have the project's Critical Success Factors been identified?
  • Has the Benefit Realization Lead been actively involved in development of the Benefit Realization Plan?
  • Has the organization's ability to realize the foreseen benefits been evaluated?
  • Has a Change Management Plan been developed?
Published Nov. 13, 2017 1:09 PM - Last modified Nov. 12, 2020 12:04 PM
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