The project management plan serves as a manual on how to execute the project and deal with any changes that come up along the way. It\u2019s a result of the project manager\u2019s understanding of the project, and effort to predict all the possible pitfalls that might stunt its progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Project managers agree that an unclear scope and lack of scope management, lack of requirements management, inefficient process of collecting requirements, and lack of stakeholder involvement are some of the main causes of scope creep, and thus poor project performance. In other words, poor project planning<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n However, as straightforward as this sounds, planning is not an easy process, especially when the lack of planning skills is one of the top concerns in global organizations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This guide concerns itself with explaining project planning \u2014 what it is, why it\u2019s important, what goes into the planning process, and what into the project management plan itself. <\/p>\n\n\n Quick access to project management plan templates:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Scope Management Plan Template<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Requirements Management Plan Template<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Schedule Management Plan Template<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Cost Management Plan Template<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Resource Management Plan Template<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Quality Management Plan Template<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Communications Management Plan Template<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Risk Management Plan Template<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Procurement Management Plan Template<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Stakeholder Engagement Plan Template<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n A project management plan is, in fact, a collection of all documents related to the planning of the project, gathered in one place. As such, it is supposed to serve as a single point of reference that the project manager (PM) will refer to daily, throughout the project execution phase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The project management plan contains information about the:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The project management plan is created during the planning phase of the project life cycle. Before moving on to creating the project management plan, the PM should first identify all stakeholders and create the project charter during the initiation phase of the project life cycle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Unlike the project charter<\/strong><\/a>, which lays out the entire project in broad strokes, the project management plan goes into the nitty-gritty of all the project phases<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It is an exhaustive document that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udca1 Plaky Pro Tip<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Check out some expert tips on how to start a project in just a few steps:<\/p>\n\n\n\n There may be project managers out there who happen to be part-time wizards and manage to successfully complete projects without much fussing about them beforehand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n However, for the large majority, jumping into project execution without a healthy dose of planning is equivalent to an explorer leading a party into the jungle with nothing but the clothes on his back and a Bible instead of a map. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So, unless your plan is to be a project manager<\/a> who will go with the flow and pray for the best, it would be wise to create a project management plan before anything else. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A plan will give you something to lean on once problems start popping up, and help you battle the ever-looming scope creep<\/a> that wreaks havoc on over half of all projects globally, resulting in poor performance, project failure, and trillions of dollars of global investment losses<\/p>\n\n\n\n A project manager\u2019s day has twenty-five hours as is, so constantly trying to think about what comes next and how to react to new situations is a colossal waste of time. The project management plan contains all the information regarding the project, including, but not limited to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n In other words, if a risk pops up during a project, you need only look at the project management plan because it holds the instructions on how to deal with risk. If the stakeholders suddenly introduce a set of new requirements, and you aren\u2019t sure how to incorporate them into the project, the project management plan should have the answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Simply put, the project management plan is the single most important document in project management<\/a> that helps guide the project manager through the execution phase<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The project management plan is an important document, not only to project managers, but also to the project team and other key stakeholders. With this in mind, a project management plan should be readily available to all parties involved in the project. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ideally, this would be on some sort of cloud-based software, or a project management app. This way, anyone can access it and review it at their own leisure, and always be on the same page regarding what comes next and which procedures should be followed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The project management plan also works as a major confidence booster both for you as a project manager, and for the clients, sponsors, and other stakeholders. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A big problem in organizations all over the world is that PMs lack planning skills<\/a> and many believe that this is the main cause behind so many failed projects across industries every year. So having a thoroughly planned out course of action for developing the project will be a big plus in everyone\u2019s eyes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It makes you feel more confident in your ability to effectively overcome hurdles and bring the project to a close. Additionally, it ensures stakeholders that an adequate amount of planning has gone into the project and that they can confidently leave it in your hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n Improve the execution of project plans and streamline workflows using Plaky.<\/p>\n\n As stated above, the project management plan is one large document that contains within itself many other subsidiary plans and baselines, i.e. elements. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Depending on the type and complexity of the project, the elements and contents of the project management plan may vary. The thirteen main elements described in the PMBOK Guide are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Besides the ten main subsidiary plans, the PMP should also contain the three baselines:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Other elements of the project management plan may include the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s take a closer look at what each of these plans contain and why they are important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The scope management plan serves to describe the following six processes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The main purpose of the scope management plan is to map out the scope and keep it from changing in order to prevent scope creep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Download the Scope Management Plan Template<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n Seeing as one of the six purposes of the scope management plan is to define how you will go about collecting requirements, it follows that the requirements management plan is one of the main outputs of the scope management plan<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Confusing as it might sound, it actually makes your life easier. It means that, once you\u2019re finished with the scope management plan, you already have two of the thirteen main PMP elements ready to go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The requirements are set by the key stakeholders, which means that the PM must go around conducting surveys and interviews with stakeholders to collect the requirements. This is often an exhausting process that requires the PM to elicit information from the stakeholders. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Requirements fall under two main categories:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Oftentimes, the stakeholders will have a clear idea of the conditions for the project, but they won\u2019t actually know what it is they want in terms of the product capabilities. In this case, it is also the PM\u2019s job to help the stakeholders define their desired result. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The requirements management plan is what describes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Properly collecting requirements is the first step toward project completion. The process is the backbone of several other plans and if done superficially it often leads to the collapse of the project. According to PMI\u2019s report, as much as 47% of projects that fail do so precisely because of poor requirements management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Download the Requirements Management Plan Template<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n The main purpose of the schedule management plan is to define: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Other elements that may be defined in the document include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n An important thing to note is that the schedule management plan does not<\/em> contain the schedule itself. It is, as the name suggests, only a plan on how the schedule will be created, monitored, controlled, and executed. The same goes for all the other plans listed in this article.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Download the Schedule Management Plan Template<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n The cost management plan is where you will define:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The cost management plan may define the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Oftentimes, the length and the success of a project hinge on the size of the budget the PM has at their disposal. This is why the ability to efficiently allocate and manage the budget is a crucial skill in project management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The cost management plan is an important document that helps the project manager structure the budget planning process in an effective and efficient way. Depending on the PM\u2019s level of experience, the size, and the complexity of the project, the cost management plan may be more or less detailed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Download the Cost Management Plan Template<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n The quality management plan concerns the policies and standards of quality set by the organization performing the project. It describes these policies and standards, and explains how your project will meet them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Additionally, the plan must lay out a course of action should any quality-related problems with the end product arise in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The quality management plan should be one of the first plans created in the planning phase as it influences other important decisions throughout the project planning process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the PMBOK, the quality management plan typically includes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Download the Quality Management Plan Template<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n Resources in project management refer to the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The resource management plan offers a detailed description of how the team resources and the physical resources of a project will be:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The resource management plan should explain:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Download the Resource Management Plan Template<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n The communication management plan maps out how all the communication regarding the project will be structured and conducted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The communication management plan should describe the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Download the Communications Management Plan Template<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n Risk in project management refers to any unplanned event or situation that can happen during a project, that has either a negative or a positive impact on the project. The point of a risk management plan is to determine how to react when such an event occurs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The risk management plan may define the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Download the Risk Management Plan Template<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n Unless a project is a small in-house project, chances are that you will need to deal with some kind of an external vendor or service provider. The procurement management plan outlines how you will deal with these external organizations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The procurement management plan typically defines the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Download the Procurement Management Plan Template<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n In theory, the simplest main element of the project management plan is the stakeholder engagement plan. It contains a list of strategies for how to include each individual stakeholder in the project and manage their expectations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To create a stakeholder engagement plan, you need to understand the individual stakeholders\u2019 interests, timetables, and agendas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Not everyone needs to be included in every stage of the project, not everyone needs to be present at every meeting, and not everyone needs to receive equally detailed information. But everyone needs to be properly informed and engaged in decision-making throughout the project, and this requires a healthy dose of planning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Download the Stakeholder Engagement Plan Template<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n In addition to the ten main management plans, the project management plan must contain the three baselines:<\/p>\n\n\n\n As the three baselines have all been carefully planned, revised, and approved, they are used as benchmarks for determining a project\u2019s success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If the current project scope, budget, or schedule don\u2019t match the expectations defined in the baselines, it means that the project is in danger of going off the rails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udca1 Plaky Pro Tip<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you want to learn more about project baselines, and why they are necessary in project management check out this guide:<\/p>\n\n\n\n It goes without saying that an ideal project management plan should contain all the elements described thus far. However, just as most projects are vastly different from each other, so too do project management plans differ from one to another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s take a look at how to create a good project management plan that fits your particular project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before even thinking of creating a project management plan, you should first fully understand what it is that the client or sponsor wants you to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You should collect and carefully study all the already existing information related to the project (e.g. business case<\/a>, feasibility study, contract, etc.) to give you a better idea about what your job will entail. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Another wise idea is to find precedents that you can analyze in order to try and replicate their successes and plan and prepare for some of the recurring problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Similarly to planning an argument in your head and then realizing that your opponent isn\u2019t behaving as you had anticipated and that 90% of your clever comebacks are useless, projects won\u2019t always flow the way you intended them to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, when it comes to smaller projects, spending too much time in the planning phase may be counterproductive, and end up wasting more time than it saves later on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the flip side, larger and more complex projects demand much more prep work. The longer the project, the greater the chance of scope creep, schedule or budget overrun<\/a>, and eventual project failure<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Although some of the project management plan may still end up being less useful than you\u2019d have thought, you\u2019ll be glad of the time you invested in the preparations. As Dwight D. Eisenhower once said, \u201cPlans are nothing, planning is everything.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Just make sure you don\u2019t fall into the trap of endlessly planning for failure and never starting the project in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Knowing exactly who has stakes in your projects, and who are the people who have a say in how the end product will look like is a third of the work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Identifying the stakeholders is necessary for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before creating a project management plan you should create a rough outline of the plan. This is more or less the project charter \u2014 a broad image of the project at hand. The project charter will serve as a basis for the project management plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once you have the broad strokes of the plan in place, you should ask your project team<\/a> for feedback and additional input. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Two heads are better than one; ten can handle practically anything. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019ve overlooked something, picked out an inadequate approach, or can\u2019t figure out how to fit the deliverables into the timeframe and budget you were allotted, chances are the collective mind of your team will be able to find an adequate solution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But this is not the only reason to ask for additional input.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the most important skills for a project manager are people skills. A genuine interest in people and the ability to lead with confidence are what makes a good project manager<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sharing the drafts with your team, asking for feedback and advice, and actually accepting it when it makes sense to do so builds trust and transparency within the team, as well as trust in you as a project manager. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If people trust you and like you, they are more inclined to follow you, do you a favor, or go the extra mile to help you finalize the project in the best way possible. So, establishing a trusting relationship and an open communication system with your project team, especially if you\u2019ve never worked with them before, creates a solid foundation for executing the project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once the final version of your draft is completed, it\u2019s a good time to engage the stakeholders. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Running by them the finalized draft and getting their approval before moving on to the actual project management plan spares you the trouble of doing all that work to prepare a project management plan and then realizing that the stakeholders don\u2019t agree with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n Track your progress and achieve better project results with Plaky.<\/p>\n\n After doing all the necessary pre-planning, putting together the project management plan boils down to going through the list of the main subsidiary plans and baselines and composing them one at a time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The easiest way to do this is to use pre-made templates which you will then adjust to your project as needed. The free templates we\u2019ve prepared for you are all editable, so all you need to do is copy them to your Google Workspace and edit away, or use them as-is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once you have developed all the plans, it\u2019s time to collect them into a single document that will be accessible to all team members and stakeholders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once all the planning is finished, the easiest way to bring everyone on the same page and kick off the project is to input the data into a project management app and watch the cogs start to turn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Project management software helps teams coordinate work, keep track of their deadlines, and organize project milestones<\/a>. Project management tools such as Plaky<\/a> are a great way to visually present and manage everything, from your teams, and their tasks, to the progress of each individual and that of the project as a whole.<\/p>\n\n\n Cloud-based project management tools are also fantastic collaboration platforms, with the ability to comment, give feedback, and share files between people and teams. They have a plethora of different organizational methods teams can use to organize their subsidiary projects, such as Kanban boards, timelines, Gantt charts, velocity and burndown charts, and so much more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Digital project management tools can be used in any type of a work environment, but it\u2019s especially useful in remote organizations where managers need to have access to the employees\u2019 work and progress, without the need for constant nagging and micromanaging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A project management plan is a comprehensive guide that details how every aspect of the project will be managed. It normally includes the three baselines and ten subsidiary plans, or more, depending on the type and size of the project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Creating the project management plan is the responsibility of the project manager. The plan itself requires that some prep work is done in the initiation stages of the project. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Developing the plan normally takes several weeks of hard work, interviews, meetings, and constant revisions, but in the end, a comprehensive plan always pays its dividends. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The plan is consulted throughout the project and it allows PMs to dedicate their time and efforts where they\u2019re needed, and, when necessary, solve problems by applying ready-made solutions they had already devised, instead of wasting time on solving them as they go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Get started with Plaky<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udcd6 The project management plan is a useful organizational and planning tool. But, to pull it off well, a project manager needs working knowledge of many other project management areas. If you\u2019d like to learn more about all the different project management areas of knowledge and the elements they\u2019re composed of, explore our Project Management Glossary of Terms<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Everything you need to know about project management plans + templates.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":37,"featured_media":7175,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-602","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-materials","category-project-management"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/plaky.com\/learn\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/602","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/plaky.com\/learn\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/plaky.com\/learn\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/plaky.com\/learn\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/37"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/plaky.com\/learn\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=602"}],"version-history":[{"count":37,"href":"https:\/\/plaky.com\/learn\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/602\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11643,"href":"https:\/\/plaky.com\/learn\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/602\/revisions\/11643"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/plaky.com\/learn\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7175"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/plaky.com\/learn\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=602"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/plaky.com\/learn\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=602"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/plaky.com\/learn\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=602"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Project](\"https:\/\/plaky.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Project-management-plan-cover-1024x512.png\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nWhat is a project management plan (PMP)?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The importance of a project management plan<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The project management plan is the swiss knife of project management<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Project management plan builds confidence and puts everyone on the same page<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Free project management software<\/h2>\n
![\"Illustration\"](\"https:\/\/plaky.com\/learn\/wp-content\/themes\/cake-learn\/src\/images\/plaky\/banners\/features@2x.png)
\n <\/picture>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat are the elements of a project management plan?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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1. Scope management plan<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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![\"A](\"https:\/\/plaky.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Scope_SCREENSHOT_NEW_40.png\")
2. Requirements management plan<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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![\"A](\"https:\/\/plaky.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Requirements_SCREENSHOT_NEW_40.png\")
3. Schedule management plan<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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![\"A](\"https:\/\/plaky.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Schedule_SCREENSHOT_NEW_40.png\")
4. Cost management plan<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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![\"A](\"https:\/\/plaky.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Cost_MP_screenshot_40.png\")
5. Quality management plan<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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![\"A](\"https:\/\/plaky.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Quality_MP_screenshot_40.png\")
6. Resource management plan<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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![\"A](\"https:\/\/plaky.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Resource_MP_screenshot_40.png\")
7. Communications management plan<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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![\"A](\"https:\/\/plaky.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Communication_MP_screenshot_1_40.png\")
8. Risk management plan<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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![\"A](\"https:\/\/plaky.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Risk_MP_screenshot_40.png\")
9. Procurement management plan<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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![\"A](\"https:\/\/plaky.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Procurement_MP_screenshot_40.png\")
10. Stakeholder engagement plan<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/plaky.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Stakeholder_Engagement_Plan_screenshot_40.png\")
11. Project management plan constraints baselines<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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What to do before writing a project management plan<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Review pre-existing documentation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Determine the scale of your project<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Identify the stakeholders<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Create a rough outline of the project management plan<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Get feedback<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Review your draft with key stakeholders <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Free project management software<\/h2>\n
![\"Illustration\"](\"https:\/\/plaky.com\/learn\/wp-content\/themes\/cake-learn\/src\/images\/plaky\/banners\/templates@2x.png)
\n <\/picture>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n\n\n\nHow to make a project management plan<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How project management software helps turn your plans into action<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Example](\"https:\/\/plaky.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Example-of-Kanban-in-Plaky.png\")
Conclusion: PMPs are exhaustive guidebooks for managing projects<\/h2>\n\n\n\n