Project Managers create a project management plan before developing the project. It defines the plan for the project along with the process in which the project will be delivered. So, a project management plan is a document that provides the guidelines about how the project will be delivered along with the scope, schedule, and cost of the project.
Project Management Plan
A project management plan is created by a project manager to detail how a project will be executed, monitored, and controlled. The details that will be included in the project management plan depends on the nature of the project or the organization developing them. A good project management plan becomes the guiding document for the entire project development team. Thus, effort should be made to keep it simple without excluding any crucial information.
A well-defined project management plan must address the following information:
· Project Scope Baseline and Scope Management Plan
· Project Schedule Baseline and Schedule Management Plan
· Project Cost Baseline and Cost Management Plan
· Human Resource Management Plan
· Communications Management Plan
· Quality Management Plan
· Risk Management Plan
Steps to create a well-defined Project Management Plan
A project management plan must have all the information needed before the project can be developed. Project Managers communicate with the stakeholders of the project and the project development team to create a well-defined project management plan. This plan is always updated with the latest changes in the project.
Here are the 5 steps that Project Managers use to create a Project Management Plan:
1. Meeting with the Project Stakeholders – Discuss the objectives of the project by meeting the project stakeholders. This will ensure that the project objectives are aligned with the organizational objectives, and everyone agrees with them.
2. Define the Project Roles – In the meeting, the different project roles that the stakeholders of the project will play can be defined. This is also included in the stakeholder management plan.
3. Develop Project Baselines – The baseline for the project scope, schedule, and cost can be developed after understanding the project roles of the stakeholders.
4. Create Baseline Management Plans – Baseline management plans should include monitoring and managing the project baselines in terms of scope, timeline, and budget.
5. Create other Necessary Management Plans – A detailed project management plan includes all necessary information that is related to the project. This includes resource management, communication management, risk management, issues management, quality management, procurement management, change management, process management, and stakeholder management.
Conclusion
A project management plan must not be confused with a project charter. This document changes constantly with regular updates. This document includes the business case for the project, approved project charter, statement of work (SOW), and additional information necessary for documentation. According to PMI (Project Management Institute), a project management plan must provide all the minute details of the project. PMI’s PMP (Project Management Professional) Certification validates a project manager’s knowledge and skills in creating a well-defined project management plan that they can use to ensure successful project delivery for their organization.
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