Project Plan Presentation preview
Title Slide preview
Project Charter Slide preview
Project Cost Overview Slide preview
PERT Chart Slide preview
Critical Path Diagram Slide preview
Critical Path Table Slide preview
Gantt Chart with Critical Path Slide preview
Prooject Task Prioritization Slide preview
Prioritization Matrix Slide preview
Work Breakdown Slide preview
Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) Slide preview
Impact/Effort matrix Slide preview
Project Kanban Slide preview
Agile Kanban Board Slide preview
Issue Tracker Slide preview
Issue Tracker Slide preview
Audit Checklist Slide preview
Project Risk Analysis Slide preview
Project Risk Matrix Slide preview
Design Structure Matrix (DSM) Slide preview
RACI Assignment Slide preview
Project Stakeholder Register Slide preview
Earned Value Analysis Slide preview
Closure Survey Slide preview
Project Portfolio Slide preview
Project Portfolio Slide preview
Project Portfolio Slide preview
Project Status Report Slide preview
Project Status Report Slide preview
Project Status Dashboard Slide preview
Project Status Dashboard Slide preview
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Synopsis

What is a project plan? Below, we'll explain how to write a project plan, how to use the top project plan tools to complete your project on time, how to customize our Project Plan to get you started, and if you read to the end, you'll learn some project plan examples of how the project planners at the Hoover Dam completed production on the world's biggest masonry project since the great pyramids a whole two years ahead of schedule.

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Questions and answers
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In a project plan, potential risks could include scope creep, cost overruns, time delays, poor quality deliverables, lack of resources, and unforeseen circumstances such as natural disasters or market changes. It's important to identify these risks early on and develop contingency plans to manage them effectively.

A project plan can be customized to suit specific needs by first understanding the unique requirements of the project. This includes the project's scope, timeline, resources, and risks. Once these are identified, the project plan can be tailored to address these specific elements. For instance, if a project requires specialized skills, the plan can include training or hiring of experts. If the project has a tight timeline, the plan can incorporate strategies for fast-tracking or crashing the project. Customization can also involve using specific project management tools or methodologies that are most suitable for the project. It's important to remember that a project plan should be flexible and adaptable to changes as the project progresses.

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To write your project plan, five key questions need to be answered. To answer these critical questions, we've collected a series of top tools from our project plan template, like a PERT Chart, Critical path diagram, Work Breakdown Chart, Project Risk Analysis, and Issue Tracker, which are just some of the many slides that are available in our Project Plan template.

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Questions and answers
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The Issue Tracker in a project plan can address various potential risks such as project delays, cost overruns, scope creep, resource allocation issues, and communication breakdowns. It helps in identifying, tracking, and resolving these issues in a timely manner, thereby minimizing their impact on the project.

A Work Breakdown Chart contributes to the successful completion of a project by providing a detailed breakdown of the project into smaller, manageable tasks. It helps in identifying all the necessary tasks, assigning them to the right team members, and tracking their progress. This chart also aids in estimating costs and resources, and in identifying potential risks. It provides a clear picture of the project scope, making it easier to manage and control.

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Tool highlights

PERT chart

The first step in any project plan is to ask, "What is the project scope?" Project scope is a detailed account of all the project's elements, like related activities, resources, timelines, and deliverables. Without a thorough scope, you could find yourself adding activities to a project, that then extends the timeline, which puts you behind schedule, and then all of a sudden you understand why government projects take so long! Except not the Hoover Dam - which we'll cover at the end of this article.

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The project scope is a detailed account of all the project's elements, including related activities, resources, timelines, and deliverables. It sets the boundaries for what is to be achieved by the project. The timeline is directly related to the scope as it outlines when each part of the scope will be completed. The deliverables, which are the specific outputs of the project, are also defined within the scope. Therefore, any changes in the project scope can directly impact the timeline and deliverables of the project.

Not properly defining a project scope can lead to several potential risks. These include scope creep, where additional tasks are added to the project beyond its original scope, leading to delays and increased costs. It can also result in misalignment between the project team and stakeholders, as there may be differing understandings of what the project entails. Additionally, it can lead to poor resource allocation, as without a clear scope, it's difficult to accurately estimate the resources needed for the project. Finally, it can lead to project failure, as without a clear scope, the project may not meet its objectives or deliver the expected value.

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However, even the tasks you do plan for can hold your project back. That's because many tasks are dependent on one another - even those that don't happen in order. A PERT Chart is a visualization that tracks these various tasks in a freeform flowchart to show their dependency on one another with arrows. Instead of a GANTT Chart that flows left to right in a timeline format, tasks might not be solely sequentially dependent, as you might have to go back and repeat work on one task that changes a future task and vice versa. The arrows also dictate whether something is directly connected versus dependent without resources. Dependent without resources refers to when the tasks aren't connected to each other but still relate. (Slide 5)

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A PERT (Program Evaluation Review Technique) Chart is a project management tool that provides a graphical representation of a project's timeline. It allows a manager to analyze the task dependencies in the project. In a PERT chart, each task takes a form of a node on the chart with arrows that show dependencies between tasks. This visualization helps to understand the sequence of tasks, the time needed for each task, and the overall time needed to complete the project. It also helps to identify the critical path in the project, which is the sequence of tasks that must be completed on time for the project to finish on the scheduled finish date.

The PERT (Program Evaluation Review Technique) Chart is a project management tool used in the IT industry for planning, scheduling, coordinating, and monitoring tasks within a project. Practical applications include:

1. Visualizing the sequence of tasks and their dependencies, which helps in identifying critical paths and potential bottlenecks.

2. Estimating project completion time by considering the best-case, worst-case, and most likely scenarios.

3. Facilitating risk management by highlighting tasks that can be delayed without affecting the overall project timeline.

4. Assisting in resource allocation by showing which tasks are dependent on others.

5. Providing a clear picture of the project's progress and status, which aids in communication with stakeholders.

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PERT Chart

For instance, think of how a product launch is directly dependent on a feature test but is indirectly related to a product website. You still need a website to sell your product, but you don't need a website to make your product - unless your product is a website. A great example of this is actually what happened when the Six companies company started the Hoover dam project. They not only had to build a dam, but they had to build an entire town to house all the workers to build the dam. More on that at the end of the article!

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Critical path

The timeline to complete a project is the second most vital question to answer. Timelines are vital to a project's success. In order to meet that timeline, you need to forge a critical path. Critical paths show the dependency and connection between a project's most important tasks. The template we created has multiple slides to help structure your critical path, either with a flowchart (Slide 6), with a table (Slide 7), or with a table and Gantt Chart.

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In a project plan, SPRINTS play a crucial role in dividing the tasks into manageable chunks. Each SPRINT represents a specific duration during which certain tasks or sub-tasks are to be completed. This helps in better organization and tracking of the project progress. It also allows for dependencies between tasks to be clearly visualized, aiding in decision making and risk management.

A project plan can help in preparing for potential risks by providing a structured approach to identify, assess, and manage risks. It allows for the identification of potential risks in advance, which can then be evaluated in terms of their potential impact and likelihood of occurrence. This information can then be used to develop risk mitigation strategies. The plan also provides a framework for monitoring and controlling risks throughout the project lifecycle, ensuring that risks are managed and mitigated effectively.

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This visualization tabularizes your critical path across the tasks, responsible team member, start and finish date, duration of the task, and its current status. The GANTT Chart at the bottom divides these tasks into SPRINTS with the sub-tasks underneath. Because this Gantt chart correlates to critical path, the arrows can be used to show the dependencies between these tasks. This can be used to determine which (if any) single decision can make or break another one. (Slide 8)

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Gantt Chart with Critical Path

Work breakdown chart

The next task in a project plan is to determine what resources are available. Work breakdown structure tackles resource allocation, time management, and budgeting all in one so resources match up to the project scope you just created.

This slide has a work breakdown visualized like an org chart and shows the main tasks and subtasks to accomplish the goal. While this visualization has each budget listed under its task name, this could also be edited to track the role of the team member responsible as well. To track each task's progress toward completion, the middle of each task shows percentage-based status bars. For instance, if your task was to learn how to make a project plan, congratulations, you're 50% of the way done! (Slide 11)

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A project plan template can help in structuring a timely implementation plan by providing a structured framework that outlines the key components of a project. This includes defining the project scope, setting realistic timelines, identifying potential risks, and planning for risk mitigation. It also helps in tracking progress and ensuring that the project stays on schedule. The template can be customized to suit the specific needs of the project, making it a versatile tool for project management.

A risk matrix plays a crucial role in risk analysis. It is a tool used to assess the level of risk by considering the category of probability or likelihood against the category of consequence severity. This helps to identify and prioritize the risks and thus, aids in the decision-making process about the risk mitigation strategies. It is particularly useful in managing project risks as it can highlight the risks that need to be managed carefully due to their high impact and likelihood.

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Work Breakdown

Project risk analysis

Project Risk Analysis

This risk analysis table breaks down the risks associated with your project and then ranks them based on impact and probability of occurrence. Multiply these together to calculate a risk value, or an estimate of the cost of the risk. (Slide 18)

Project Risk Matrix

Inform your risk analysis with this risk matrix to track risk likelihood against level of consequence. If a risk has an catastrophic level of impact and certainty, it needs to be managed carefully. (Slide 19)

Issue tracker

Here's one last tool to help with risk management - an issue tracker, which is helpful to assess if your project is on target according to what you thought at the start or if need to push your timeline back. This pairs well with the PERT chart, since if dependent tasks become issues, it could be a red flag to push back your project timeline. This is helpful for complex, mid to large scale projects - like, say, the Hoover Dam! (Slide 16)

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Questions and answers
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A project plan can help in visualizing project scope by providing a clear and detailed outline of the project's goals, objectives, and deliverables. It allows project managers and team members to understand the breadth and depth of the project, including the tasks that need to be completed, the resources required, and the timeline for completion. This visualization can help in identifying potential challenges, dependencies, and risks, enabling proactive planning and management. It also aids in setting realistic expectations and ensuring that all stakeholders have a shared understanding of what the project entails.

A realistic timeline in a project plan is crucial for several reasons. Firstly, it helps in setting achievable goals and expectations for the team members. It allows for proper allocation and utilization of resources, preventing wastage. Secondly, it aids in monitoring the progress of the project, enabling timely identification and rectification of any deviations from the plan. Lastly, it assists in managing stakeholders' expectations and maintaining their confidence in the project's success.

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Issue Tracker

Case study: Hoover Dam

So how did the Hoover Dam end up two years ahead of schedule? While the Dam was the largest government project in history at the time, in order to win the bid, the Six Companies group had to put up the first $5 million themselves. Then, they faced fines for every day they went behind schedule. This incentive mandated that they find ways to stay on schedule - great motivation for any project plan.

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One of the ways the project saved time was by not waiting for the town to be built before they started work on the dam. *If this was visualized on a PERT Chart, the project planners could see that the two tasks were dependent without resources, as noted by the blue arrows in the above visualization. Since one required concrete and steel and the other required lumber and food. Because they started in 1931, two years into the Great Depression, they had access to a wealth of workers looking for a job. So workers started six months ahead of schedule and lived in a "rag town" while they waited for utilities to be piped in from 500 miles away.

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In order to stay on track, the project planners also had to get around another critical issue: the dam required so much concrete that if they poured it all in one block, it would take over 125 years to cool. This was the critical path needed to overcome to finish on time. They would have to break up this large task across multiple, smaller tasks in order to reach their target end date. The solution: pour the concrete into five-foot blocks, then use pipes to pump cold water through each block to cool it enough to pour the next block on top of it. While 80% of projects don't set baseline schedules, this extreme attention to timeline made all the difference.

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Conclusion

If the tools to make a solid project plan are in your way, you need this presentation. Download the Project Plan for more slides on the Impact and Effort matrix, Project Portfolio, Status Reports, Stakeholder Registers, Task Prioritization, and many more to save time and hours of work.

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