Putting It All Together
Putting It All Together
The project plan can be created either by putting all of your critical data in a formal document or by organizing a series of existing documents, depending on what is expected in your organization. If your initial planning processes are thorough and involve the right participants , the revisions should be kept to those aspects of the project that are formally changed during the course of the project. If the up-front planning activities are shortchanged, the project plan will probably be inaccurate or important data will be missing.
In order to finish out project planning there are some final required steps:
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Organize and write the plan.
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Define a plan update process.
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Review the plan with stakeholders.
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Close out the planning phase.
Organizing and Writing the Plan
Although you may be tempted to just jump in and start writing, it is much better to take time to review your documentation and organize it to match the outline or template you will be using. Otherwise you may find that you are moving data around, entering data multiple times, or omitting key points.
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We can remember being on a project with a very large project plan binder that was updated on a weekly basis during project execution because most of the sections were created as the project work was being done.
This method of developing the comprehensive project plan created a scenario where the project manager, the project team members , and other stakeholders did not have a plan to guide execution of the project. What we received instead was a history of what was decided after the fact.
As you can imagine, confusion was rampant, and to no one's surprise, the project was quickly off track.
This is definitely not the way you want to transition into project execution. A project plan binder isn't a reflection of what has been done, but what has been planned to be done.
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You also need to define a document control process if there is not a standard in your organization. How revisions are made, the version numbering system, and the placement of the version number and revision date are items that should be defined before even a draft project plan is distributed. Without a document control system in place, you cannot properly account for all updates to the plan.
With today's file-sharing technology, more project managers are taking advantage of distributing project data electronically . This eliminates a lot of the manual work involved in printing and distributing the original project plan and then distributing any changed pages as the plan is updated.
You should decide prior to starting the document whether you are going to distribute the plan via paper or electronically. A project plan accessed via a shared file has its own unique challenges. You need to determine the level of security required to access your documents, and make sure all stakeholders have access to the server where your project file is stored. All of the documents on the server should be 'read only' to prevent any accidental changes. You do not want to start putting documentation out on a server until you have established the access and security procedures.
Once you have completed these up-front steps and have all of your planning output organized around your outline, you are ready to write the plan. Your plan will be read in part or in total by many people at many different levels in your organization, so make sure that you have checked grammar and spelling and that each section of the plan is complete and all of the data is correct. A plan that is thrown together without the proper review and editing will provide the impression that the project itself was not thoroughly thought out or properly planned.
Even as you are writing the initial version of the plan, you need to be developing change management processes for updating the plan.
Updating the Plan
Even after you complete the initial project plan document, reviewed the document with all the stakeholders, and obtained formal sponsor approval, your project plan may still change as you move into the project execution phase.
Updating the project plan is an iterative process; meaning that as key components documented in the plan change throughout the course of the project, various sections of the project plan will require updates. The scope may change, a new stakeholder may become involved, or an additional major deliverable may be added, to name just a few examples. The challenge of maintaining a project plan has always been the logistics of keeping the plan current and communicating updates to the project team, the sponsor, and other key stakeholders. Plans that are updated haphazardly will quickly become inaccurate and lose their usefulness as a road map for project execution.
To help alleviate these difficulties, you need a documented change process. Additionally, unless your PMO provides the updates , you will need to designate a person to actually make the changes and distribute the revised pages. The process for updating the plan needs to be communicated to all stakeholders.
Any change to project plan data that is controlled by a change process should only be made as a result of output from the corresponding process. A change to the scope should only include official scope changes that have been approved via the process established in the scope management plan. Budget or schedule changes should also be linked to the formal approval process for such changes.
Throughout the process of putting together your planning data, you will need to schedule ongoing reviews with the sponsor and other stakeholders.
Reviewing the Plan
A good project plan is a document that the project manager uses to drive the successful development of the project's product. The people involved with the project should have an opportunity to participate in the creation of the plan. The project plan is usually developed in multiple steps and evolves throughout the planning process. Ongoing review of the plan with both the sponsor and the other stakeholders is critical to the success of the project.
Sponsor Review
The sponsor review starts when you are developing your outline or table of contents. Review of a plan outline will provide the sponsor with an opportunity to comment on the content of the document. Even if you are following an approved template, it is your responsibility as project manager to confirm that the sponsor is familiar with the contents of the template.
Schedule periodic reviews with the sponsor as you add data to the various sections. The sponsor must sign off on the project plan to make it official. The end result should not be a surprise, merely the finished product the sponsor has seen through various stages of development.
Other Stakeholder Review
The creation of the comprehensive project plan is actually a great opportunity for the project manager to solidify involvement and commitment of the stakeholders. Your client, your project team, and other key stakeholders are key participants in the creation of the project plan. At a minimum, these people should receive a copy of the outline or TOC so that they are aware of what information is included in the plan. Even though the information being compiled in the project plan should not be news to the stakeholders, they may have different expectations for the project plan. Thus, up-front resolution of any issues or concerns will facilitate the writing of the plan.
Interim reviews with the stakeholder team may be appropriate for a complex and detailed project plan. In other situations it may be appropriate to meet with individual stakeholders only if they have questions.
The final review of the project plan is a formal process that signifies the end of the planning.
Closing Out the Planning Phase
The completion of the comprehensive project plan signals the transition from the planning phase to the execution and control phases. When the initial project plan document is complete, the comprehensive project plan is circulated to all the stakeholders. The planning phase can be closed out with a formal stakeholder review meeting to transition to the execution and control phases.
Throughout the project, you will constantly be assessing whether the project should move forward. The meeting to close out the planning process is an excellent opportunity to obtain stakeholder concurrence regarding the viability of the project business case. If there have been any substantial changes in the business need that initially drove the approval of the project, now is the time, before the project work begins, to evaluate whether the project should move forward.
This review session should bring closure to any outstanding issues from the planning process. Hopefully, any issues that were raised earlier have been addressed and resolved throughout the planning phase. But don't assume that issues do not exist just because you are not made aware of them. Be sure to ask the stakeholders directly if anything regarding the planning phase is unresolved in their minds. It is much easier to resolve any planning disputes before the project work begins.
| Note | It might be helpful to remember that as project manager, in some people's eyes you are in a position of power. They may be reluctant to reveal a problem to you because they don't want to appear as non-team players or as troublemakers. It's important to try to foster open , honest, straightforward communication that supports a sense of security for people to be able to speak their minds about issues they see forthcoming. Yes, there are people who will freely speak their minds no matter what. But you know who those people are. It's up to you to try to get the information out of those who know, but won't tell. |
Another key focus of the planning review is to assure that stakeholder expectations of the project are aligned with what is detailed in the plan. If any component of the plan was a surprise, find out what the real expectation was. It is the project manager's responsibility to make sure that everyone involved in the project understands and supports not only the end result of the project, but the road map to reach that end result.
After making any changes as a result of the review meeting, the plan is formally approved by the sponsor and, in some cases, by the client. The approved document is then distributed to all stakeholders.
As a transition into the execution and controlling phases, the planning close out meeting may also be used to discuss indicators used to monitor and control project performance as the project work begins. Project performance indicators are measures the project manager uses to determine whether the project is on track, such as any deviation from the baseline schedule or the baseline budget. For example, you should know that your development phase is scheduled to complete in 8 weeks and be tracking progress to meet that target. The use of performance indicators will be discussed in more detail in Chapters 8 and 9.
A successful transition from planning into execution should leave everyone clear about his or her individual role on the project and excited about moving forward to actually get the work done.
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You're now ready to go forward and prepare your finalized project plan for presentation to Kim Cox, the owner of Chaptal. Following are the elements that you prepare:
Table of Contents
1. Executive Summary
2. Requirements
3. Scope
4. Stakeholders
5. Expected Resources
6. Assumptions and Constraints
7. Major Deliverables
8. Budget
9. Risks
10. Issues
11. Communication
12. Implementation Plan
13. Support Plan
14. Training Plan
1. Executive Summary Chaptal Wineries recently purchased wineries in France, Southeastern Australia, and Chile. It is now necessary to electronically connect the wineries so that workers in each location can send and receive email, as well as look at one another's calendars. Additionally, it is necessary to set up a Chaptal intranet site so that critical information such as the numbers of cases of wine produced, vine health, winemaker notes, and other similar pieces of information critical to the business can be posted for corporatewide consumption. The IT manager at Chaptal's Sonoma, California location will be responsible for procuring the necessary hardware and software, telecommunications connections, and installation expertise.
2. Requirements
A. Install T1 or E1 telecommunications circuits at each of the newly purchased sites, thus preparing the sites for WAN communications. Telecommunications companies and their third-party vendor representatives will be used for this work.
B. Set up an email system between the four sites. This will allow for all sites to email one another using an internal email system, thus preventing the possibility that someone outside the organization can get inside information via email regarding new vintages, wines, wine-making methods , case lots, or other business-critical information. There will be an email server at each of the four geographically disbursed sites. The Chaptal IT manager will be responsible for procuring the servers and installing and configuring them.
C. Set up an intranet. The intranet server will be hosted at the Sonoma location. This server will host web pages that perform such business-critical functions as corporate timekeeping, winemaker's notes, barrel-tasting notes, vintages, diseases encountered , vinekeeper notes, and other data relevant to the performance of our vineyards and the wine. The Chaptal IT manager will procure the server and install it. A contractor will be used for the programming work.
D. Test all connections and train users.
3. Scope This project includes the elements necessary to connect the four sites together by wide area networking. Additionally, the project accounts for setting up an email system that includes an email server at each site. As well, an intranet server and the programming of relevant intranet pages are included. Procurement of all necessary hardware and software, as well as installation configuration, testing, deployment, maintenance, and training are included. Not included in this project is a system for managing corporate finances, HR, or assembly-line/manufacturing work (such as the actual bottling and labeling of the wine bottles). Our enterprise resource planning (ERP) software handles this function. A later project will bring all three new sites into utilization of the ERP.
4. Stakeholders Stakeholders include:
Kim Cox Project Sponsor and owner of Chaptal Wineries.
Guillaume Fourche A Bordeaux negociant specializing in fine red wines. Fourche's cabernet sauvignon wine will be re-branded as Les Chaptal ‹ Bordeaux Villages.
Metor Sanchez Owner of a Chilean winery in the Aconcagua valley. Sanchez's Syrah, cabernet sauvignon, and Malbec wines will be re-branded as Casa Sanchez Chaptal.
Jason Jay Proprietor of Roo wines. His Shiraz wines will be re-branded as Chaptal Roo.
Others Chaptal wineries employees to assist with UAT.
5. Expected Resources
Five Intel-based midrange class servers.
Carrier Sensing Units/Data Sensing Units (CSU/DSU) for demarcation connectivity.
One router and switch per location.
Telecommunications vendors and consultants (including demarcation installers and router and switch internetworking specialists).
Contractor to develop and test intranet pages.
Email software.
Web software.
Virus-scanning software.
6. Assumptions and Constraints
Assumptions
1. No variance in the behavior of like hardware.
2. Telecommunications companies in each nation will have reasonable wide area network setup request procedures and installation timelines .
3. Average T1/E1 cost is assumed to be $350/month U.S. dollars.
4. Intranet development time is assumed to be 60 person days (30 working days, 2 persons).
5. All sites will provide reasonable access for installers and a secure, climate-controlled, power-conditioned room for the electronic gear.
6. Routers will use Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) routing protocol.
7. Contractual help will be used for configuration of the routers.
8. The network operating system (NOS) will be Windows Server 2003 (W2K3) and the email server software will be Exchange 2003 (E2K3).
Constraints
1. Language barriers
2. Availability of people at any given site to be able to help with setup due to problems with the winemaking efforts
3. Harvest and crush seasons
7. Major Deliverables
1. Procure server and internetworking hardware
2. Procure wide area networking connections
3. Internetworking gear installation
4. Server installation
5. Email software installation
6. Intranet development
7. Training of users
8. Unit, Integration, and User Acceptance Testing
8. Budget It is projected that the total project, not including the Chaptal IT Manager's regular salary, will be $205,000. Kim Cox has agreed to subsidize the project with a $25,000 contingency fund.
9. Risks
T1/E1 circuit bandwidth not sufficient
Hardware failure
Software failure
Internetworking gear failure
Programming errors
10. Issues It is vital that the project be completed before the September 'crush' of the grapes and preparation for new vintage wine making. Kim Cox has made it clear that no Chaptal employees are to be doing anything else but concentrating on the wine in September and October.
11. Communication Because the email and intranet servers are not up yet, all communications will be by phone or by free temporary Internet mail such as Hotmail. Kim Cox will be updated daily. Jason Jay, Metor Sanchez, and Guillaume Fourche will be updated weekly.
12. Implementation Plan Due to the requirements of the email software, procurement and installation of the WAN circuits must happen first, followed by installation of the internetworking gear. After that, server builds can take place following by intranet programming and testing.
13. Support Plan The Chaptal IT manager will be the primary support entity, assisted by a designated individual at each of the remote sites.
14. Training Plan The Chaptal IT manager will handle all of the training efforts at all sites.
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EAN: 2147483647
Pages: 156