Creating the Plan
Once you have defined the work of your project, create the plan with your team. As emphasized by Cook, key steps to keep in mind include:
- Discovering the Work: Breaking your project into manageable packages.
- Ordering and Estimating the Work: Sequencing your tasks and estimating durations.
- Updating the Baseline: Communicating your updated project definition.
Also according to Cook, core concepts that will show up in your team’s planning process include:
- Scope
- The work content of a … project
- The sum of all project objectives
- Deliverables
- (Something) tangible… that satisfies one or more project objective
- Task
- An element of work performed
In the following video clip, Vincenti provides thoughts on why plans matter and a brief overview of what the key steps entail, and expands on the definition of deliverables.
Watch the following video clip to learn how products (outputs), phases, and people are used to define deliverables with examples of what this looks like in practice.
Discovering the Work
In this stage, you will develop an outline of the “full discovery of work” or what the entirety of the project will entail. The following video illustrates deliverables and tasks, tips to consider, and an example of this process in practice.
Ordering and Estimating the Work
As you create the plan with your team, you will need to determine the sequence of work. Watch this video clip to learn about this process and how to estimate the work. You will also receive tips on how to leverage resources.
Your work with teams will involve multiple projects and deliveries which add to the complexity and demands of the process. In the following video, David Vincenti shares strategies for incorporating these considerations in your plan and tips for calculating the duration for each component.
Updating the Baseline
At this stage of the process, revisit your charter and make any necessary updates. During this review, you will also want to:
- Compare your duration to your constraints
- Look for “trouble spots” in your plan, including unsupportive collaborators engaged in your project
- Add durations and dates to your project definition
- Begin thinking about controlling the work
- Provide updates to all team members
In this next video, Vincenti shares additional thoughts on updating your charter and why this process matters.
Now that you know how to define the work and create the plan, check out the next section to learn how to finalize the plan and execute.