Planning Process Group Activities
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Planning Process Group Activities

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Planning Process Group Activities

After the project is initiated, next step is planning. Planning process group activities help to create planning documents of the project.

We will list below the planning process group activities:

- Determine how you will go planning.

Planning process group activities define how you will approach project plan as well. They help to create a proper project planning.

- Finalize requirements.

Project requirements including scope, quality, cost, schedule. etc. must be finalized at the beginning of planning because the overall project plan will be shaped based on project requirements and if these requirements changed re-planning must be done.

- Create project scope statement.

Project scope statement define what will be done during the project and include major deliverables and outputs of the project.

- Determine what to purchase.

During planning tools, equipment, or any other resources that need to purchase or leased must be determined and planned.

For example, if the project is construction project, steel, wood, tools for construction, etc. must be purchased. Some vehicles might be required, and these vehicles might be leased instead of purchased. All these must be planned.

- Determine team.

During planning phase, project resources that will be working throughout the project are determined.

For example, for IT project how many software engineers will be working, how many test engineers will be needed, etc. are planned and determined during planning.

- Create WBS and WBS dictionary.

Work breakdown structure (WBS) actually depicts hierarchy of project deliverables in a project.

For example, completion of login page, credit card payment page and transaction page can constitute a payment module work package of a website project. These kinds of a hierarchy define the WBS and WBD dictionary is for given detailed information for item in WBS.

- Create activity list.

Activities is must be completed to finish a project are determined during planning phase. These activities must be small as possible to assign project team member. By this way, better management and coordination of a project can be ensure.

- Create network diagram.

Network diagram of a project shows the interdependencies of project activities. Which activities must finish before starting an another activity, which activities have to finish together and, similar inter dependencies of activities are defined in network diagram.

- Estimate resources requirements.

During planning how many resources will be needed, tools and equipment that are required and materials will be used are estimated.

- Estimate time & cost.

Projects are temporary end overs they should have start and end. Based on scope and quality requirements of a project, project schedule and budget that is required to complete this scope and determine schedule are estimated.

- Determine critical path.

There are several activities of a project and there are interdependencies of activities as well. Some activities can be performed in parallel; some activities will depend on other activities to finish for instance. After interdependencies and duration of the activities are determined, critical path of a project is determined. Critical path of a project showing the longest path in the network diagram from the start of the project to the end. So, it is defining the total project duration actually.

- Develop schedule.

Schedule plan of a project shows which activity will start and when. It also includes national holidays, annual leaves, public holiday, etc. schedule of a project includes starts and ends dates of each project activity.

- Develop budget.

Budget plan of a project show how much money you will spend for what in the project. It is including the expected payments dates and amount of money that will be payed for salaries, venders, or partners, etc.

- Determine quality, standards, procedures & metrics.

What will be quality objectives of a project, are there any standard that the project must be compliant, what will be the procedure to follow, you will use US standard or UK standard, what is the out sourcing policy, what will be the matrix, etc. these should be determining during the planning processes.

- Create process improvement plan.

Especially recurring process need to be improved throughout the project because there are always room to doing the activity better and how to improve process continuously should be planned.

- Determine all roles & responsibilities.

Clear roles & responsibilities matrix is essential for project success. This kind of a matrix will clearly show what is expected from who. Otherwise, assignment or activities that are not addressed clearly can cause conflicts and delays in projects.

- Plan communications.

How you will communicate the project information with your stakeholders.

- Perform risk identification, qualitative and quantitative risk analysis, and risk response planning.

Project risks which are visible in the planning phase must be listed. These risks must be addressed with risk response strategies to reduce the impact of these risks when they occur.

- Prepare procurement documents.

If there will be tools, equipment, materials, or resources that will be purchase from external organization how purchase these from venders or supplier must be documented.

For example, how you select a supplier, what will be a condition to make a payment for one of suppliers, etc.

- Finalize ‘’ how to execute & control ‘’ parts of all management plans.

At the end of the planning execution, control & monitoring approach of a project must be concrete, and these plans must be implemented to reach the project goals at the end.

- Develop final PM plan and performance measurement baseline that are realistic.

Final project plan must be completed by the end of the planning phase. This plan should include measurable objectives and tenable cost and schedule target. 

- Gain formal approval of the plan.

This is crucial. Once the project planning is completed, this plan must be approved by all project stakeholders. Project manager must be sure that is everybody is on the same page about project objectives and targets by the end of planning phase. If there are disagreed parties these need to be clarified and revisions must be done. Otherwise, any party who is not believe in the created project plan or does not support the project plan that is very high risk to the success of the project.

- Hold kick-off meeting.

Kick-off meeting is organizing by the project manager and critical stakeholders are invited to kick-off meeting. Project plan is over viewed, project objectives & target and outcomes are summaries to project stakeholders.













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