Project Planning
Project planning is the process of project plan development. It involves forecasting future, defining activities and work results, appraising possible problems, as well as putting forward effective alternatives, policies, and measures required to complete the activities and solve the problems,
Project planning includes several sub processes (Figure-1). These sub processes may be performed iteratively and continuously to successfully complete the project plan development.
Figure-1 Relationships among the sub processes of project execution
The project plan describes what the project manager and project team will do, when the plan will be performed, who will be responsible, and how the project plan will be executed. It is the result of a series of subprocesses.
Some planning subprocesses have clear dependencies that require them to be completed prior to the start of the next subprocess. These core processes may include scope planning, scope definition, activity definition, activity sequencing, activity duration estimating, schedule development, resource planning, cost estimating, cost plan development, risk management planning, and project plan development.
Interactions among the other planning subprocesses are more independent on the nature of the project. These subprocesses, called facilitating processes, may include quality planning, organizational planning, communications planning, soliciting planning, risk identification, risk quantitative analysis and response measures.
5.1.2 Project Programming
A project plan is the document used to guide the organization, implementation, coordination and control of the project processes, the technique to deal with project uncertainty, as well as the means to improve project efficiency. It may be a progressive plan, or an overall plan of the project.
The project plan should be stable as possible. It may be modified with the development of the project and changes of the project status.