Planning

BUSIN ESS CASE

O RGAN ISAT IO N

PLAN N IN G

BRILLIAN T SERVICE

RISK

DO CUMEN T CO N T RO L

CH AN GE CO N T RO L
CO N T RO LLIN G A
ST AGE

ST AGE REGIST RAT IO N

APPRO VAL Registration

ST AGE LAUN CH
APPRO VAL Commitment to Launch

ST AGE IN VEST
APPROInvest
VAL Deploy
Commitment to Invest

ST AGE DELIVER
APPRO VAL Commitment to Deliver

ST AGE DEPLO Y
APPRO VAL Agreement to Deploy

ST AGE CLO SE
APPRO VAL Close / Benefits Realisation
MAN AGIN G PRO JECT
DELIVERY AN D APPRO VAL

The planning process provides information to everybody involved in the project on what is required, how it will be
achieved, what resources will be used and when things will happen.

 Planning is a repeatable process and plays an important role in many of the project processes and
elements.
 Product Based Planning enables the planning process to be implemented through Product
Breakdown Structures, Product Flow Diagrams and the creation of Product Descriptions. It promotes
the idea of starting planning by thinking of the products to be produced.
 The notes that follow detail how the underlying construction of the Practice Guide embeds planning into the
project methodology.
 There are also guidelines that will ensure that Project Managers have the right arrangements in place to
ensure that our projects are planned effectively.

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Why this is important

Planning introduces control into everything we do and ensures we deliver a quality product on time. Plans are
the backbone of the management information system that is required for any project. This document provides
the detail for the different levels of plans that are required and the approvals required before plans are put into
action.

The time taken in planning throughout the project cycle is offset by not having to rework products or activities
further down the line. A robust plan will ensure the quality of products meets requirements and that the delivery
schedule is realistic. It also enables tracking throughout the project lifecycle against a defined baseline, hence
progress can be monitored and escalated if required. A baseline for the next stage is agreed and approved at
each approval stage. By using this planning approach it breaks the project into manageable stages for more
accurate planning (detailed plans). This series of plans can be tailored to the size and needs of each project.

An effective plan identifies if targets are achievable, the resources required, the activities needed, any external
dependencies and identifies risks and issues.

Key Stakeholders will also feel far more comfortable if they can interrogate a plan at a detailed level for the next
approval phase. The high level overview details the key products, activities and milestones that are scheduled at
later stages. It is recommended stakeholders are involved in a Planning Workshop to develop initial plans, plans
are signed off by all activity owners and plans are reviewed on a regular basis. This will not only allow
stakeholders to see how the plan is created but also give them an insight into the complexity that usually exists
in a project and the inter-dependencies within the plan.

Finally, having uncovered the planning risks, issues and dependencies the project will need to manage these
through the control log and ensure regular arrangements are in place to update the plan status with actuals for
monitoring purposes. The plan will identify deliverables, resource requirements, costs and major control points
such as stage boundaries.

Product Based Plans are a Top Down approach providing a logical and controlled descent into detail and this will
help to identify any grouping of products and associated activities that might usefully be treated as a separate
workstream.

How do we judge a plan

From a business perspective, a project plan is usually judged on the following criteria:
 Is the plan feasible?
 Was the project completed on time / are we on schedule?
 Was the project completed within budget / are we on schedule to achieve forecasted cost?
 Have we met all the planned project milestones?

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  Did all products meet the needs of the business when they were delivered?

From a technical perspective a project plan is usually judged as:

 Does the plan identify all products that contribute a product based planning approach?
 Are all activities identified to create the products and scheduled in the correct sequence?
 Are all dependencies identified in the plan and all tasks allocated to a resource?
 Does detailed planning exist for the next project stage and hi-level plans exist to completion?
 Are all supplier plans reflected accurately in the project plan?

Overview of Planning

Planning Products and Process

See Diagram Below

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Planning Product Structure
See Diagram Below

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Planning Tool(s)
Use MSP as the planning tool wherever possible and inputs on resource/cost estimates from the Business
Subject Matter Experts, Workstream Leaders, Suppliers or developed by the Project Manager themselves.
Follow the sequence below :
* Identify the Products and define in a Product Description.
* Identify Product Dependencies
* Generate Activities
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 * Estimate Effort
* Create a Schedule
* Assess the Risks
* Write the Plan Narrative

Excel / Visio

Planning Definition of Terms

You may see these terms used throughout the Practice Guide
Term Definition
The High Level plan of a project will include the tasks that are required to complete the full
project including approval stages and key milestones. It is not neccesary to assign a
resource at this level (although if it is known for the whole task, it can be added). It is not

Hi-Level Plan required to break high level tasks such as Launch Approval to the detail of sub-tasks such as
create documents, issue for approval, hold teleconference, receive approvals, add to team
room. This level of plan is used for Stakeholder Management and Communication purposes
to understand the totality of the work to be undertaken.
This level of plan will cover a discrete period of time between decision points. A detailed plan
will show high level tasks broken to sub-tasks with defined durations, constraints and
dependencies. Each sub-task will be assigned to a defined resource. Actual status will be
Detailed Plan
indicated for each sub task. This level of plan is used for assigning resources, progress
monitoring and scheduling. This will give a level of detail required for day-to-day
management of a project by the Project Manager.
A plan of Test Events and Test Materials for a project aligned to the overiding Test Strategy
Test Strategy Plan
agreed by the Steering Group for the project.
The traditional task based planning methodology rolled up to a produce a Gant Chart view of
Activity Based
Planning events.
Prince 2 recommended planning methodology using a product based approach to create a
Product Structure which is then converted to a Product Flow Diagram and then a plan
Product Based detailing the required activities for product delivery. This is a structured approach that
Planning
determines the products which a project is to create and assigns responsibility for the
products to a defined owner with responsibility for its delivery.
A Top-Down view of all the products which a project is to generate with each product broken
Product Breakdown
Structure down to its constituent components in a hierarchical structure.

Product Flow A Product Structure indicating how a collection of products come together to produce a top
Diagram
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 level product (the delivery of which is the project) which is then placed in a time-based
sequence
A Product Description is a text document with a defined format with all the information about
Product Description
a product required by Project members.
The activities of a plan that do not have any contingency in relation to the overall project plan
timescales. These are the critical activities that if delayed will impact milestones and delivery
Critical Path
schedule and subsequently require change control of the baseline. Useful in Project Stage
Management.

Tasks within a plan that have a dependency may require a predecessor to be completed
Dependencies
before they can begin or if they are a predecessor to a subsequent task will affect that task if
delayed. Useful in Project Stage Management.

Resource List A list of Project Resource that can be assigned tasks in the project plan.
Tasks that may be constrained such as Must Start After a certain date. Other constraints can
Constraints
apply such as Must Be Before a certain date etc.

Recurring Tasks Tasks that recur throughout a phase of the project in a cyclic nature (weekly etc)

Milestones A Key Event on the project plan usually associated with a delivery of a product.

A Plan approved through the normal governance process against which project performance
is monitored. It is fundamental that work only commences on a stage after approval and to
Baseline Plan
the agreed schedule and cost outlined in the plan. Any deviation to a baselined plan will
require approval through the change control process.

Current status of a task at a given time indicating how much of the task has been completed,
usually expressed as a percentage of the whole task. The plan is updated to reflect the latest
understanding of the project. This is part of the Managing A Stage process and performed
Actuals on a cyclic basis on a frequency agreed with the Sponsor or when an “issue” triggers the
requirement as it is known the issue will impact schedule.

Microsoft Project
The recommended software tool for Project Planning.

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Planning Materials
The following are examples of planning materials that might be used in a Plan
Planning Materials Description

Standards are instruction documents that detail how a particular aspect of the project

Standards must be undertaken. There can be no deviation from Standards unless a formal variation
process is undertaken, and approval granted.

Unlike Standards, Guidelines are not compulsory. They are intended to guide a project
Guidelines
rather than dictate how it must be undertaken. Variations do not require formal approval.

Checklists Checklists are lists that can be used as a prompt when undertaking a particular activity.

Templates are blank documents to be used in particular stages of a project. They will
Templates
usually contain some examples and instructions.

Procedures outline the steps that should be undertaken in a particular area of a project
Procedures
such as managing risks, or managing time.

A description of how something works. It is different to a Procedure in that a Procedure is

Process
a list of steps - the what and when. A Process contains explanations of why and how.

User Guides provide the theory, principles and detailed instructions as to how to apply the
procedures to the project. They contain such information as definitions, reasons for
User Guides
undertaking the steps in the procedure, and roles and responsibilities. They may also
have example templates.

These are examples from prior projects that are good indicators of the type of information,
Example
Documents and level of detail that is required in the completed document.

A methodology is a collection of processes, procedures, templates and tools to guide a

Methodology
team through the project in a quality manner.

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Planning Events
The events described below can be used to plan a project effectively
Planning Description
Events

 Usually held to create the initial baselined plan for a project or a project stage

Planning Workshop involving all stakeholders who can identify the required products and activities and
accurately estimate the duration or resource requirement for that task.

 This provides a view of the overall cost and time required to complete a plan. It
follows identification of all the activities and precedes scheduling. It is an iterative
Estimating
process. It is a two stage approach, identifying resource types (including skill level)
and estimating effort required for each activity by resource type

 Puts together the activities in a plan to form a schedule and shows the ultimate
feasibility of achieving the plans objective. It matches available resource to identified
Scheduling
activities in a defined sequence with dependencies included. From this resource
usage can be managed and smoothed. Usually displayed as a Gantt Chart.

 A Quality Review of a plan conducted by experts, plan approvers or a peer group. It

ensures the plan meets it quality requirements, is robust, feasible and well
Plan Review
understood. The plan should show all facets identified in the definitions section
above.

Baselining a Plan  Setting a baseline plan at approval stage against which progress will be monitored

 Updating the task information with current status and reviewing if the task completion
Updating a Plan with
Actuals date is still feasible. If it is no longer feasible Re-Planning should be invoked.
 Invoked if the actuals indicate a slippage of schedule to show the overall impact of
the known slippage. If the re-planning effects the delivery of the baseline products
Re-Planning
and milestones then change control should be invoked to seek approval of a new
baseline.

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Planning Activities

Role Activities
 Facilitate Planning Workshops
 Create Project Plan
 Review Project Plans and monitor actuals
 Create Quality Plan and Communication Plan
 Submit plans as part of required approvals
Project Manager
 Manage plan risks, issues, and dependencies
 Manage Project Stage Plans (detailed plans)
 Assign resource for project plan
 Communicate to all Stakeholders on plan status
 Escalate any impact to baselined plan to stakeholders and invoke change control
 Manage Plan Workstream assigned to them

Workstream Lead  Report progress to Project Manager

 Escalate any slippage, risks, issues and dependencies to Project Manager

 Complete assigned tasks to cost and schedule

 Escalate any slippage, risks, issues and dependencies to Project Manager or
Plan Resource
Workstream Lead

 Review Plans as part of QA Review for approvals

 Provide coaching on planning, Microsoft project and template usage.
PMO
 Work with Project Manager to review plans during Stage Management

 Support Project Manager in planning

 Review Project Plans as part of approval process
Change Leader  Work with Project Manager to review plans during Stage Management

 Manage Plan Workstreams assigned to them

 Report progress to Project Manager
Senior Supplier
 Escalate any slippage, risks, issues and dependencies to Project Manager
 Manage Plan Workstreams assigned to them

Supplier  Report progress to Senior Supplier

 Escalate any slippage, risks, issues and dependencies to Senior Supplier or Project
Manager
 Ensure all plans indicate required product deliveries at an acceptable time schedule
Senior User
 Escalate any slippage, risks, issues and dependencies to Project Manager

 Support Project Manager in planning

Project Sponsor
 Review Project Plans as part of approval process

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Planning links between Elements and Project Stages
Stage What you can expect to see happening
Registration  Mandate for the project indicating expectations for timescales and key milestones.
 Defining a Detailed Plan indicating all products and activities between Launch and
Invest as part of approval request.
 High Level Plan indicating all products and hi-level activities for the duration of the
Launch
project and the key milestones (including all approval stages) produced using a
Product Based Planning approach.
 This ensures a firm baseline for the project exists.
 Defining a Detailed Plan indicating all products and activities between Invest and
Deliver as part of approval request. Indicating all completed tasks prior to Invest and
current status of any ongoing tasks.
Invest
 High Level Plan indicating all products and hi-level activities for the duration of the
project. Also showing the key milestones (including approval stages) indicating those
already achieved prior to Invest.
 Defining a Detailed Plan indicating all products and activities between Deliver and
Deploy as part of approval request. Indicating all completed tasks prior to Deliver and
current status of any ongoing tasks. This is likely to include a detailed test plan at this
Deliver stage.
 High Level Plan indicating all products and hi-level activities for the duration of the
project. Also showing the key milestones (including approval stages) indicating those
already achieved prior to Deliver.
 Defining a Detailed Plan indicating all products and activities between Deploy and
Close as part of approval request. Indicating all completed tasks prior to Deploy and
Deploy current status of any ongoing tasks.
 High Level Plan indicating all products and hi-level activities for the duration of the
project. Also showing the key milestones (including approval stages) indicating those
already achieved prior to Deploy.
 High Level Plan indicating all products and hi-level activities for the duration of the
Close project. Also showing the key milestones (including approval stages) indicating those
already achieved prior to Close and any follow on activities agreed post project Close.
Managing Project  Detailed Plan Status (actuals) indicating the status of all products and activities
Stages between stages should be conducted on a continual basis during Managing Project
Stages. Indicating all completed tasks and milestones. If actuals indicate a schedule
slippage the impact of this on the critical path should be reviewed and if required a re-
plan should be conducted against the baseline. If the baseline plan is impacted then
Change Control should be invoked to reflect the impact on schedule and cost.

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 Completed products should be accepted through a formal quality review.

 Any changes to a baselined plan will require approval through the normal Change
Change Control Control process.
 Any request for change input to the Change Control process should indicate the
impact of the change on all relevant plans.
 Any Change Control assessment should ensure the changes to all relevant plans are
fully understood prior to approval.

Summary
TEMPLATES / NOTES / GUIDES

Mandatory Owner GCC Toolkit UK Specific

No Description

1 Project Plan  PM 
2 Quality Plan PM 
3 Communication Plan PM 
4 Project Plan example PMO  
5 Quality Plan example PMO  
6 Communication Plan example PMO 
7 Planning Guidance Notes PMO 

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