PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Module 3
Project Planning

Topic 1
Initial Project Coordination and Project Launch Meeting

by:
Dr. Madel Miraña-Poot
 Project Planning

• The primary purpose of planning is to establish a set of

directions in enough detail to tell the project team exactly
what must be done
• The purpose of planning is to facilitate later accomplishment
 Initial Project Coordination

• It is crucial that the project’s objectives be clearly tied to

the overall mission of the firm
– A project launch meeting is an initial coordinating
meeting that serves as a visible symbol of top
management’s commitment to the project
– The project launch meeting’s success is absolutely
dependent on the existence of a well-defined set of
objectives
 Project Launch Meeting
Should not allow plans, schedules, and budgets to go
beyond the most aggregated level at the launch meeting
The outcomes should be:
– 1. Technical Scope is established
– 2. Basic areas of performance responsibility
are accepted by the participants
– 3. Some tentative overall schedules and
budgets are spelled out
 Composite Plan
• Each individual/unit accepting responsibility for a portion
of the project should agree to deliver a preliminary plan
about how that responsibility will be accomplished

• These plans should contain descriptions of the required

tasks, and estimates of the budgets and schedules

• These plans are then scrutinized by the group and

combined into a composite project plan
 Composite Plan
• The composite plan, still not completely firm, is approved
by each participating group, by the project manager, and
then by senior organizational management

• Each subsequent approval hardens the plan, and when

senior management has endorsed it, any further changes
in the project’s scope must be made by processing a
formal change order
 Composite Plan
• The composite plan, still not completely firm, is approved
by each participating group, by the project manager, and
then by senior organizational management

• Each subsequent approval hardens the plan, and when

senior management has endorsed it, any further changes
in the project’s scope must be made by processing a
formal change order
Companies Who Do Projects for External Clients
• Must select which projects they will bid on
• Generally based on…
• Their own expertise and track record
• Resources they have available
• Their chance of winning the bid
• Preparing a bid is expensive
• They do not want to waste that effort on bids where they
are unlikely to be successful
 Companies Considering Internal Projects
• Must decide which potential projects they will pursue
(sometimes among many competing projects)
• Available capital is the major constraint
• Profitability is often the major criteria
• Must evaluate approaches when there is more than one
project that can accomplish a particular business goal
 Reference:
Project Management: A Managerial Approach 8th edition
By Jack R. Meredith and Samuel J. Mantel, Jr.
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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