Introduction
Project planning is the foundation of any project work success. Managers need to understand all the steps in the project planning process. There are several approaches to project planning but a few are universally acceptable as vital in project planning. This essay seeks to address the topic of detailing project plan.
What should be included in the detailing project plan?
1. Creation of the work breakdown structure and task list
This is the starting point in detailing the project plan. The work breakdown structure refers to a hierarchical list of the milestones, tasks and phases of the entire project. It is a vital step in detailing project plan because it determines the scope of the project which in turn determines the project’s budget and timeline. The project designer should list the main components of the project which are a summary of the entire project tasks. The next assignment is to list the minor pieces under every major piece (Richman, 2006, p. 73).
2. Out dent or indent tasks to finalize work breakdown structure
This process helps in summarizing the project phases and tasks. This is usually after entering the main tasks in the task name field. The project designer uses the out dent and indent buttons in formatting the plan to the correct levels. Indentation shows the difference between the subtasks from the major phases of the project plan. There is no indentation of activities under the subtasks (Bunin, 2011, p. 115).
3. Filling in estimations of time
This process involves entering duration or work in to the project plan. Duration is the actual amount of time it will take to complete the project. Work is the total number of personnel hours or effort that is necessary to complete the task. One should choose either the duration or work approach in project detailing (Haugan, 2002, p. 58).
4. Create dependencies between tasks
This is the creation of task links through the dependency chains. Dependencies occur when the commencement or ending of a task relies on the commencement or accomplishment of another one. This helps in recognizing the driving factors of the project and the project’s critical path. It determines changes that occur in the entire project when there are alterations of other tasks (Bunin, 2011, p. 316).
5. Assign resources
This is the final step in detailing a project plan. It is vital to understand the resource assigning approach at the initial stages of the project. This step involves resource allocation to project activities. He should allocate resources in the project schedule (Lowery and Stover, 2001, pp.71-80).
Two reasons why scheduling resources is a vital task
Scheduling of project resources is a vital step in project planning. If the resources are not available, it is impossible to undertake the task. Recourses scheduling helps to ensure that resource allocation is not in excess. It also ensures that resources are available on time to avoid any inconveniences (Lowery and Stover, 2001, pp. 71-80).
The importance of project work outsourcing
Project work outsourcing for a third party is helpful. This practice enables project managers to concurrently plan and manage many projects. Project directors utilize the project management technology in determining other useful resources in carrying out project activities. The resources from outsourcing become handy when the staff resources are inadequate or not available (Lowery and Stover, 2001, p. 71-80).
Conclusion
This essay is on detailing project plan. It covers the five vital elements in a detailing project plan, and the two reasons why resource scheduling is a vital task in detailing project plan. The essay summarizes by looking at how outsourcing project work contributes in alleviating some common problems in multiple project resource scheduling.
References
- Bunin, R.B. (2011). New perspective on Microsoft project 2009: Introductory. Boston: Cengage learning.
- Haugan, G.T. (2002). Project planning and scheduling. Vienna: management concepts Inc.
- Lowery, G. & Stover, T.S. (2001). Managing projects with Microsoft project 2000.Canada: John Wiley & sons, Inc.
- Richman, L. (2006). Improving your project management skills. New York: Amacom