Project Plan Checklist

Here's a quick checklist that can help you to determine if your project is planned properly and if you are ready to proceed to execute your project.

• Have you answered all the questions in the section "Important Questions Project Planning Should Answer"?
• Have you reviewed your WBS, work effort estimates, project schedule, and project budget against their respective checklists?
• Has the project plan been reviewed and approved?
• Was the project plan signed off in a review meeting? In-person?

tip

To assist the review and acceptance process of the project plan, consider the following:

1. Distribute project plan and components to reviewers in advance of the official review meeting.
2. Prepare a summary presentation of the project plan.
3. Encourage open, honest feedback.
4. Seek understanding and "buy-in" first; then and only then, ask for the acceptance sign-off.

The Absolute Minimum

At this point, you should have a solid understanding of the following:

• Project definition is focused on what the project will do. Project planning is focused on how the project will get it done.
• A project plan is all-encompassing document that provides the basis for project execution and control, and it is not a Microsoft Project file.
• The project plan document should clearly communicate what work will be performed, who will do it, when they will do it, who is responsible for what, and how the project will be managed, monitored, and controlled.
• The project plan document and its components are living documents throughout the project. However, any change to the document must be approved by the same set of original stakeholders.
• The key skills used by the project manager when planning a project are facilitation, analytical, organizational, negotiation, and general interpersonal and leadership skills.
• All major stakeholders must approve the project plan document, preferably in person.
• A sign-off does not have to be a physical document signature. It can also be an email or a verbal acceptance (if it is documented in meeting minutes). However, the risk of misunderstandings is usually increased.

The map in Figure 5.7 summarizes the main points we reviewed in this chapter.

Figure 5.7. Planning a project overview.