Project planning is Stages and features of the process, development and preparation of a plan

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

During planning, qualitative and quantitative decisions are made to achieve the goals of the organization in the long term. Moreover, in the course of such work, it is possible to determine precisely the optimal paths. Project planning is the elaboration of a precise scheme according to which the development of the organization will be carried out. This allows you to think through all the details, choose ways to solve problems and achieve your goals. How such work is carried out will be discussed later.

Scheduling appointment

Project planning is an important process in business management. It is extremely important, which is why almost every company today performs this work. It takes some time and resources, but it pays off.

From the quality of planning to project managementdepends on their further implementation. During such a procedure, an initiation is carried out, during which the charter, the register of participants are approved, and a strategic direction for further development is selected.

First, the order of the main actions is worked out. After their approval, the details are worked out.

Having outlined the concept of the future project and the main stages of its progress, the management will be able to correct all its stages, choose the best ways to achieve the set goals.

Project planning is an important process in management. It allows you to subsequently monitor, timely correcting the movement on the path of development. Actual indicators are compared with planned ones, which reveals information about the degree of implementation of the planned tasks. In the course of monitoring, constantly updating information from external and internal sources is taken into account. The terms set in the plan, conditions and indicators are subject to change, as they must correspond to the real situation.

Planning directly affects all project management processes. Therefore, it is carried out by every organization. It is impossible to manage anything if there is no clearly established sequence of actions. These stages are tasks, the implementation of which leads to the achievement of the goal. If something starts to go wrong as planned, the manager identifies the causes of such phenomena, decisions are made on the right actions in the circumstances.

The planning process represents the initial stage of the project life cycle. It's impossible without itachieve the desired result.

Planning tasks

Planning the goals of the project involves the development of a system of tasks that, like steps, lead to their achievement. The presented work allows you to determine even before starting work whether the selected type of activity can bring profit. Each investor seeks to invest in the most profitable, profitable project. It is possible to outline the main parameters and results of future activities, to choose adequate, realistic ways to achieve them during planning.

To be productive, an organization will need to address a range of challenges. If in the course of calculations it turns out that the result of such activities is negative (the company will receive a loss), not high enough, it is necessary to identify the reasons for this phenomenon. By making certain adjustments, it is possible to increase the effectiveness of the project. Amendments can be made at each stage of the implementation of the tasks. They can be as follows:

• Detailing, clarifying the purpose (or goals) of the design, determining the desired result of the event.
• Determination of the scope and composition of future work.
• Estimate the timing of each stage.
• Calculate the budget cost of the project.
• Create a schedule and calculate the budget for each phase.
• The need for resources is determined. The calculation is done for each phase of the project and the activities of the organization in this direction as a whole.
• Logistics plan in progress.
• Risk assessment is being carried out, a methodology for the correct response to dangerous situations is being created.
• Details of the event are explained in detail to the investor.
• Details are agreed with all participants in the process.
• Responsibility for carrying out work and fulfilling the tasks assigned is distributed between the executors and managers.
• Planned interactions, managerial planning procedures are being specified.

Project management and project planning are closely related. Only the consistent fulfillment of the tasks set within the agreed timeframe and in full can guarantee the achievement of the goal, making a profit in the course of the company's activities.

Main processes

In the process of organizing project planning, a number of mandatory and additional actions are performed. Regardless of the activities of the organization, they are applied in the course of creating an overall strategic vision. Mandatory processes include the following:

• Description and further documentation of all planned tasks, project content.
• Definition of the main stages of the project, their subsequent detailing.
• Preparing an estimated estimate. The total cost of all resources required to complete the project is calculated.
• Drawing up a step-by-step action plan, the implementation of which will lead to the achievement of your goals.
• Describes the sequence of work.
• Determined dependencies of a technical nature, as well as restrictions on the work carried out.
• Calculation of the time required forcompletion of each stage of work, determining the labor costs and other resources that will be required at each stage of the production cycle.
• Determining the type, set of resources, as well as their volume.
• Indicating the actual timing of the work, if resources are limited.
• Create a budget and link estimated costs for each type of work.
• Create a finished plan.
• Collecting the results of other research work during the design, layout of planned values in one document.

During the planning and development of the project, these actions are mandatory.

Auxiliary procedures

During project implementation planning, some processes may not be needed. Only when the need arises for them, the manager includes them in the general list. These supporting processes include the following:

• Planning quality standards, setting their maximum allowable range. Ways to achieve the required level of finished product characteristics are also discussed.
• Planning in the field of organization, which implies the distribution of functional competencies, responsibilities and subordination among all project participants.
• Selection of personnel with the appropriate level of qualifications, work experience, whose activities will allow the project to be implemented as soon as possible. In some cases, the formation of a well-coordinated teamwork is required.
• Establish communications to secure membersproject with the information you need.
• Identification of types of project risks, their assessment and documentation. This allows you to identify and eliminate uncertainties even at the planning stage, to assess the degree of their possible impact on the project. At this stage, both favorable and unfavorable scenarios for the development of the situation during the implementation of the chosen strategy are calculated.
• Planning logistics procedures. It is precisely stipulated what raw materials, other necessary materials and resources will be purchased from external organizations, in what quantity, and also with what frequency deliveries will be made.

Other activities may be required during the planning of project processes. It depends on the goals that the organization pursues in the course of doing its job.

Planning steps

There are 4 main stages of project planning. They were offered by the consulting company Booz Allen & Hamilton.

The standard planning model is as follows:

Stage 1. Formation of goals

Two types of goals are set. They can be formal or real. In the first case, criteria are put forward to determine the usefulness of the project. Formal goals emerge from the motivation of managers. Real goals are the ways in which formal goals can be achieved.

Step 2. Problem analysis

During this stage of planning, the real situation of the organization is determined. Next, a forecast is made about its future state. Thereafteridentification of existing problems is carried out, for which purpose systems of goals are opposed to the results of predictive analysis. This allows problems to be structured in the end.

Stage 3. Search for alternatives

These are solutions that are mutually exclusive.

Stage 4. Evaluation of alternatives

The acceptability of each of the existing scenarios is determined. The effectiveness and degree of risk of each decision are evaluated, after which an appropriate decision is made. The optimal alternative should be not only practically feasible, but also legal, allowing you to get as close to the goal as possible. At the same time, existing restrictions in time, resources, etc. are taken into account.

When creating a planning project for a territorial, industrial or other type, be sure to apply it in the future to compare real results with planned ones. This allows you to manage progress towards a common goal, make appropriate adjustments in a timely manner.

Scheduling

It is worth noting that project scheduling is based on a slightly different scheme. It highlights 5 main stages:

1. Defining jobs and writing them as a list. In some cases, managers make mistakes by not listing all processes at once. To exclude this phenomenon, it is recommended to apply the method of sequential decomposition in the course of determining the upcoming work.
2. For each selected position, the order and duration are determined. It depends on thetechnological features of the forthcoming work. For this, the decomposition technique is also used, which is supplemented by expert assessments. This allows you to accurately determine the planned duration of each operation. To do this, you can use the brainstorming technique, which allows you to consider the features of the technology from different points of view.
3. Determines the type of resources and their availability. It can be finance, materials, labor, information, and so on. The schedule of work performed is correlated with the schedule of logistics, financing, etc. All stages must be interconnected, constitute a continuous process. This avoids disruptions in the production process. At the same time, scarce resources require separate consideration. They largely determine the duration and sequence of the entire range of upcoming work.
4. Restrictions are set from outside. These include the seasonality of production, the manufacturability of equipment supplies, and other external factors.
5. A system is being created to respond to emerging risks in the course of project management. Project planning begins with their analysis. For the most likely and dangerous threats, appropriate response measures are being developed.

Planning Principles

In the course of planning a business project, a manager must adhere to certain principles. The main ones are:

• Purposefulness. The implementation of the project pursues a clear, final goal, without being sprayed on insignificant tasks.
• Systematic. Future project management should be holistic and comprehensive. At the same time, the features of its development and compilation are taken into account. In some cases, a project may be broken down into subsystems. They will also be related. At the same time, changes in one system entail changes in another structure. Breaking down the project into several parts allows you to track the internal connections and interactions of elements, choose the most effective structure. Evaluation of project implementation in this case can be given in terms of qualitative and quantitative processes.
• Complexity. Phenomena are considered from the point of view of their connection and dependence. For this, different methods and approaches to management are used.
• Security. During the planning of the project work, it is envisaged that all activities are staffed with the necessary resources.
• Priority. The main attention in the development of the project is given to the main, most important tasks. Their definition depends on the overall concept of development in the future.
• Economic security. The degree of losses and losses incurred by the organization in case of non-fulfillment of the intended event is calculated. Risks cannot be avoided at all, but they must be assessed and justified decisions made in this direction.

Project structuring

Structuring is required in the course of project work planning. The hierarchical sequence of work involves breaking the entire project into separate parts. This allows you to detail the complexes at different levels. Suchapproach simplifies process management.

Structuring allows you to do the following:

• Define the range of work to achieve intermediate type goals.
• Control the degree of progress of the project, evaluate the possibility of achieving all its goals.
• Reporting is created according to the optimal structure.
• Milestones are set to measure project progress.
• Responsibility is properly distributed among the performers.
• All team members receive objective, understandable information about the goals and objectives of the project.

Mistakes in structuring

Some managers make mistakes in the course of structuring, which negatively affects the achievement of goals. The main ones are the following:

• The structuring stage is generally skipped. The manager goes straight to finding solutions to the problems of the current period.
• Only organizational units are used, no final products or resources applied.
• Structuring does not cover the entire project.
• Structure elements are repeated.
• There is no integration of structures in accordance with the specifics of the preparation of project documentation and financial reporting.
• Structure is over- or under-detailed.
• Individual elements of the project cannot be processed on a computer.
• Intangible final products (services, services, etc.) are not taken into account.

Grounds for structuring

Project planning is a responsible job. Structuring must be done correctly. It is performed on the following grounds:

• Periods of the life cycle of the project being created.
• Features of the structure of divisions.
• Components of the result that will be obtained after the completion of the project.
• Process, functional elements of the company's work.
• Geographic location of objects.