Student Name: Craig Abrahams Student No: 1414682

3.0 Planning

The primary function of a project plan is to serve the project manager with a map of the route
from start to finish. (Project Management in Practice. 2001)

Often project planning is ignored in favour of getting on with the work. However, many people
fail to realize the value of a project plan in saving time, money and many problems.

The planning process includes the following:

 Project Goals
- First point of call would be reviewing the project scope of works. This will assist in
developing the project path. This would also be the base-line for the life-cycle of the
project. Once you have established a clear set of goals, they should be recorded in
the project plan.
 Project Deliverables
- Create a list of things the project needs to deliver in order to meet the goals,
specifying when and how each item must be delivered. Add the deliverables to the
project plan with an estimated delivery date. More accurate delivery dates will be
established in the scheduling process.
 Supporting Plans
- Resource Plan
- Communications Plan
- Risk Management Plan
 Time and cost
estimates too
optimistic.
 Customer review
and feedback cycle
too slow.
 Unexpected budget
cuts.
 Unclear roles and
responsibilities.
 Stakeholder input is
not sought, or their
needs are not
properly
understood.
 Stakeholders
changing requirements after the project has started.
 Stakeholders adding new requirements after the project have started.