Project Planning

Ravi Foogooa
University of Technology, Mauritius

Need for Project Planning

Working without a plan increases the level of

uncertainty which can affect project success (if you
do not know where you want to go, it does not
matter where you go)
Benefits of project planning:

Reduced uncertainty several possibilities have been

thought over
Improved efficiency optimisation of resource use
Communicates direction to stakeholders

Planning is not a once-off activity need for

continuous planning throughout project
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Project Plan

Triple Contraint

Scope
Time
Cost
Within the Quality sphere agreed with customer

Need to understand where flexibility lies

Project Performance Measurement Baseline
(snapshot of initial agreed Project Plan) - fixed
Project Plan is a living document for
planning/monitoring a project can keep changing

Project Plan

Project Charter

Project Scope Statement

Description of work that must be done to deliver project

with specified features and functions

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

Formally authorises existence of a project

Deliverable-oriented grouping of tangible work products

that organise and define scope of a project

Schedule with major milestones

Time/Schedule in which project must be finished

milestones that indicate completion of major deliverables

Project Plan

Budget with cost estimates

Total cost of project and approx. cost of resources needed to
complete project activities
Responsibility assignments
Assignment of each element of projects scope to specific
individuals responsible for their completion
Risk identification and assessment
Determination of risks which might affect successful completion
of project, an assessment of their threat and a plan to mitigate
the risks
Subsidiary management plans
Plans specific to scope, schedule, costs, quality, staffing etc.

Common Understanding
Need

to have common understanding with

project stakeholders
Make client aware of all factors affecting
project
Change is inevitable and client should be
made aware of this client should participate
in change management
Be sure decisions are taken by those having
the appropriate authority
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Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

Defined after Project Charter and Project Scope (these provide

the big picture)
WBS establishes a common frame of reference for what the
project will deliver
WBS is composed only of nouns (Project Schedule will consist of
verbs although it is derived from WBS)
WBS is often depicted as a top-down organisational chart
(although it can also bein the form of an outline or table)
Number of levels in WBS < = 5 (rule of thumb: lowest level of
WBS should require .25 to 2 % of time/budget avoid micro
management)
Be careful about scope creep while developing WBS

WBS Components

Project Name : Brief description of project

Top Level deliverable : Generic type of work rather
than a specific task also indicates a phase in the
project
Sub-deliverable : More specific action
Work package : Specific activities needed to
accomplish the deliverables and that can be
assigned to an individual
WBS can be structured phase wise or deliverable
wise
Use WBS templates when appropriate
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WBS Template

Building WBS

Identify major issues/phases/components

Break down each issue into smaller deliverable units
Subdivide deliverable units into measurable units
Define each work package as subcontractable units
of work
Review WBS for patterns and anomalies
Supplement with a WBS dictionary to document
other things e.g. who is responsible, costs,
assumptions etc.

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WBS Dictionary Template

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) Dictionary Form

Project:
______________________________________
WBS Element Number: ___________
WBS Name:
__________________________________
Parent WBS Number: ___________
Date:
________________________________________
Revision Date:
Revision Reason:
________________________________________
_________________________________
Description:
________________________________________
_________________________________
________________________________________
_________________________________

Required Effort:
________________________________________
_________________________________
________________________________________
_________________________________
Assumptions:
________________________________________
_________________________________
________________________________________
_________________________________
Parameters:
________________________________________
_________________________________
________________________________________
_________________________________
WBS Cost Elements:
________________________________________
_________________________________
________________________________________
_________________________________
Major Subcontracts: ________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________
_________________________________
References: ________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Lower Level Element Numbers: ____________

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Checklist for WBS

Are major work assignments in project clear ?

At the lowest level, are the activities written as active
verbs
Are the clear deliverables for each activity and
someone responsible for their completion ?
Is each element independent from others, or having
minimal interaction ?
In terms of progress, is each level measurable ?
Is each level of the WBS meaningful and significant
in terms of accountability and reporting ?

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Project Schedule
Schedule

is different from WBS in the sense

that it is time driven
Summary activities are often the deliverables
on the WBS and the detailed activities show
how to create these deliverables
Schedule also shows how the different
activities are linked (different from just a list of
activities)

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Scheduling Techniques

PERT estimating : builds a network, finds the critical path to find

total duration of project (bottom/up approach) can also include
uncertainty of estimations
Contingency time: provide a buffer for high risk activities or
activities who duration is very uncertain
Historical references: Look at past projects or industry standards
Analogous estimates: Top/down estimation based on time range
constraints
Scheduling rules of thumb: Based on experience of people
familiar with this work

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Schedule Relationships
Finish

to Start: when activity A finishes,

activity B starts
Start to Start : when activity A starts, activity
B will start as well
Finish to Finish : when activity A finishes,
activity B should have finished as well
Start to Finish: when activity A starts, activity
B should have finished (used mainly in
backwards scheduling)
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Developing a schedule

Use WBS as a starting point

Assign both effort hours (time estimate) to each work package
Establish relationships between activities
Assign resources to activities
Deduce duration for each activity
Produce schedule with a project management tool
Submit schedule for review by project stakeholders
Attain approval of project sponsor
Baseline project schedule
Monitor and track activities and record project actual timeframes
Conduct schedule variance analysis
Make schedule corrective actions

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Using Project Schedule

Do

not expect Project Schedule to be made

of stone (i.e. unchangeable)
Rather use it as a tool to adapt to changes

Analyse impact of unforeseen changes

Make optimal (for all parameters) corrections

Use

Project Schedule as a communications

tool with stakeholders

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