Summary

Human resource planning identifies the specific resources that will be assigned to your project as well as how and when they will join the project team and be returned to their functional department. Quality planning determines the quality standards that the project will be measured on and defines how that will be accomplished. Risk planning covers the identification of risks to your project, the quantification of those risks, and a response plan. Communications planning names the people or groups requiring information on the project, the specific information required by each group , and how that information will be provided. Procurement planning is completed if any goods or services for the project will be provided outside the organization. Procurement planning involves a make or buy analysis, a SOW, vendor bid solicitation, and vendor selection criteria.

If you think about the above paragraph, the sum total describes how you're going to work with the people who will bring about the project. You identify the team members who will participate. You determine how people will ascertain the quality levels and how they will keep those levels to customer expectations. Risk identification and mitigation strategies show that people have put some effort into thinking about the problems a project could encounter and have come up with ways to avoid those problems. Your communications plan illustrates how you're going to make sure everyone is in the know regarding the project. And your Procurement plan describes how you're going to interface with people to obtain the goods and services you need to start the project and keep it going. So, if you take the tack that your planning process focuses on people, and you think about the needs those people will have relative to your project, you'll be successful.