Planning processes at PMPeople

Good project planning is key at every project: “Fail to plan is plan to fail”. Once the project has been approved, we need to think before doing it. We must visualize what to do, how much effort it will take, how much it will cost, how long it will take, how would we know if results are good or bad, how many resources we will be need and when, who needs to communicate what and how, what possible problems would happen, what should be outsourced, etc.

Project Managers develop many planning activities, including:

  • Review and assess detailed project requirements, constraints, and assumptions with stakeholders based on the project charter, lessons learned, and by using requirement gathering techniques in order to establish detailed project deliverables.

  • Develop a scope management plan, based on the approved project scope and using scope management techniques, in order to define, maintain, and manage the scope of the project.

  • Develop the project schedule based on the approved project deliverables and milestones, scope, and resource management plans in order to manage timely completion of the project.

  • Develop the cost management plan based on the project scope, schedule, resources, approved project charter and other information, using estimating techniques, in order to manage project costs. Determine the project finance requirements.

  • Develop the human resource management plan by defining the roles and responsibilities of the project team members in order to create a project organizational structure and provide guidance regarding how resources will be assigned and managed.

  • Develop the communications management plan based on the project organizational structure and stakeholder requirements, in order to define and manage the flow of project information.

  • Develop the stakeholder management plan by analyzing needs, interests, and potential impact in order to effectively manage stakeholders’ expectations and engage them in project decisions.

  • Develop the procurement management plan based on the project scope, budget, and schedule, in order to ensure that the required project resources will be available.

  • Develop the quality management plan and define the quality standards for the project and its products, based on the project scope, risks, and requirements, in order to prevent the occurrence of defects and control the cost of quality.

  • Develop the change management plan by defining how changes will be addressed and controlled in order to track and manage change.

  • Plan for risk management by developing a risk management plan; identifying, analyzing, and prioritizing project risk; creating the risk register; and defining risk response strategies in order to manage uncertainty and opportunity throughout the project life cycle.

  • Present the project management plan to the relevant stakeholders according to applicable policies and procedures in order to obtain approval to proceed with project execution.

  • Conduct a project kick-off meeting, communicating the start of the project, key milestones, and other relevant information in order to inform and engage stakeholders and gain commitment.

Project planning data are easy to access in PMPeople. Tab PLAN is automatically opened when the project state is “Planning”:

Project Managers can access project planning data:

  • Plan project scope baseline at PLAN > Plan Scope.

  • Plan project schedule baseline at PLAN > Plan Schedule. Scheduling tools can be integrated at INITIATION > Project Data > Connect.

  • Plan project tasks at PLAN > Plan Tasks.

  • Plan project cost baseline at PLAN > Plan Cost.

  • Plan project finance requirements at PLAN > Plan Finance.

  • Plan project resources at PLAN > Plan Resources.

  • Project communication documents can be accessed through the integrated file sharing tool. Instant messaging tools can also be integrated at INITIATION > Project Data > Connect. Project review dates can be scheduled at PLAN > Plan Review Dates.

  • Manage project risks at LOGS > Risk Register.

  • Plan project procurement at PROCUREMENT > Plan Procurement.

  • Plan stakeholder engagement at INITIATION > Stakeholder Register.

PMPeople does not prevent the project management team from producing formal planning, quite useful in predictive projects. However, it helps people interact on plans in an agile way, using the web and the mobile application. It enhances progressive elaboration and rolling wave planning. Formal documents can always be accessed through the file sharing tool, but they are not needed from the very beginning: there is a long way to go before project plans are final.

PMPeople can optimize project planning through some use cases explained below.

Frequently Asked Questions
What can I plan from the PLAN tab in PMPeople?

You can plan scope, schedule, tasks, cost, finance, resources, and review dates from the PLAN tab when the project is in the planning state.

How does PMPeople support agile project planning?

PMPeople allows teams to interact with planning data through web and mobile apps, enabling rolling wave planning and progressive elaboration without the need for formal documents upfront.

Are formal planning documents mandatory in PMPeople?

No, formal documents are optional. PMPeople encourages interactive and agile planning, though formal documentation can be uploaded and shared if needed.