12 STEPS TO PLAN A PROJECT, Let′s go!

How to start a project

12 STEPS TO PLAN A PROJECT, Project Builder

Planning a project is important for every company that values good management practices and understands that defining a scope of work is of great importance for projecting a strategic image. Although it seems like an extremely complicated task, with dedication and technique, the planning stage can be much easier than you think.

After all, the most fundamental part of planning a project is always checking what is missing for it to be completed. Anything that is not going according to plan should be noted on a daily list.

Let's start?

1. Define the scope

Defining scope is the key issue when looking at a program, as this is where the approach and process your team will use when managing it is found.

A good scope is one that demonstrates relationship strategies with the target audience and reflects the concern of managers with meeting established goals.

This scope needs to be clear, articulating and defining the project, pointing out its importance, revealing what needs to be done at each stage and the expected execution time for each activity.

2. Identify your project supporters

A well-defined project should have sponsors or interested parties — the stakeholders. For these two groups, completion of the program is important. Therefore, it is necessary to make it clear who these people are.

In addition to funding the project, they can have the leverage needed to keep work going in a crisis situation. This group of people needs to know everything that is going on, both the good news and the bad news.

3. Determine available resources

These resources can be anything you need to get the job running smoothly. Of these, the most important are the people you will need to bring together to get things done.

When thinking about resources, in general, ask as many questions as possible to make sure you've listed everything you'll need. Are they technical in nature? Do you need a special skill set or training? Are the necessary collaborators already on site and available or do they need to be employed or hired?

Answering these questions will give you a good idea of what will need to be done to fill any resource gaps.

5. List the big steps

With the schedule drawn up, the next step is to assemble your Work Breakdown Structure (WBS). This management instrument works like a diagram with hierarchical levels, built from the working groups that define a project.

While the WBS is broken down into deliverables, services, hybrids, etc., you need to start thinking that these activities must go together all the way up to the top of this hierarchy.

This will help determine if you have captured “the big picture” of what needs to be done to complete a project.

6. Break it down into small steps

After determining what the big steps are, ideally they should be broken down into small steps, dividing the tasks between the teams. By breaking down the stages, the delegation of activities will tend to form a more organized and balanced action.

This can be broken down further into steps like writing the manual, developing the design and printing it. This process helps ensure that each delivery receives its visa for completion.

7. Develop a Preliminary Plan

The next step is to develop a preliminary plan. This is your first attempt at matching dates, deliveries, and resources. It's time to identify dependencies and build them into an appropriate plan.

Think of the tasks that were outlined in the scope of work and strive to create a planning approach in the best outline you can write.

At the end, check that the outline includes answers to the following items:

? clear deadlines and well-described tasks;

? your client's approval process;

? alternative actions in case of unforeseen events in the schedule;

? description of required resources;

? objectives and strategies.

8. Create your base project plan

This type of activity does not usually work out very well when the manager assumes all responsibility for himself, excluding the team's participation in the main stages of planning.

They will recognize areas that you may have missed or that may be technically impossible to accomplish.

In addition, the team may also conflict or benefit some other ongoing initiative. Put it all together, weigh each suggestion, and then develop version 1.0 of your project plan.

9. Make adjustments, refine the design

At that moment, the important thing is to make the adjustments in an appropriate and calculated way, always looking for the best final result.

Refining the plan from a drawn outline can help get things done, bringing in more resources to complete them in time, or narrowing the scope for a deliverable at a later stage.

If you can, before handing the work over to the client, ask someone on your team to give it a last look. There is nothing more embarrassing than being a project manager and delivering a plan with errors. Avoid tarnishing your image with such small things.

10. Monitor progress

Many times, projects turn out exactly as expected! Everything goes smoothly and post-implementation management is as smooth as possible.

The progress of the work needs to be monitored by the team, respecting the scope defined there in the first stage. That's because, as much as you've developed a solid, manageable and well thought out plan, unforeseen can always happen.

Is your planning ready to beat them? Is the plan actually going well? Will the expected benefits be achieved within the stipulated period?

Progress will need to be something that is constantly monitored on a daily basis. Describing how progress and success will be tracked throughout the life of the project is the job of an interested and committed manager.

11. Document everything

When planning a project, it is necessary to have a clear notion that things are going to be different than anticipated in the initial plan. Be sure to follow through with these changes in writing with updated documentation.

Thorough organization will help ensure that no one works on the wrong version of documents or schedules. In addition, the records of each stage serve as evidence of the moments built and the authenticity of the work carried out. So don't ignore the value there is in the documentation process.

12. Keep everyone updated

Finally, you need to build mechanisms into your project plan that will keep everyone in the loop. They can be anything from a simple confirmation message to an emergency conference call to resolve an issue that has just arisen.

Don't leave the communication plan to chance. Employees need to know what is going on. If they do not have the information that a certain step needs help, it is practically impossible to offer help in whatever is necessary.

Planning is the basis of project management. Carrying out each step carefully will help you to guide the plan along the right path, reaching the desired goals.