: Project Initiation Phase

The planning phase is considered the most important phase in project management. Time spent up front identifying the proper needs and structure for organizing and managing a project saves countless hours of confusion and rework during the execution and control phases of the project.

Project planning defines project activities that will be performed, the products that will be produced, and describes how these activities will be accomplished and managed. Project planning defines each major task, estimates the time, resources and cost required, and provides a framework for management review and control.

Planning involves identifying and documenting scope, tasks, schedules, cost, risk, quality, and staffing needs. This planning process:

▲    Identifies specific work to be performed and the goals that define the project.

▲    Provides documented estimates regarding schedule, resources and cost for planning, tracking, and controlling the project.

▲    Obtains organizational commitments that are planned, documented, and agreed upon

▲    Continues the development and documentation of project alternatives, assumptions, and constraints

▲    Establishes a baseline of the plan from which the project will be managed.

The result of the project planning, the project plan, will be an approved, comprehensive document that allows a project team to begin and complete the work necessary to achieve the project goals and objectives (product/process). The project plan will address how the project team will manage the project elements. It will provide a high level of confidence in the organization’s ability to meet the scope, timing, cost, and quality requirements by addressing all aspects of the project.

The planning phase is comprised of a number of processes that will estimate the project’s size, technical scope, and the required resources. It will produce a schedule, identify and assess risks, and negotiate commitments. Completing these processes is necessary to establish the entire, comprehensive project plan. Typically, several iterations of the planning processes are performed before the plan is completed and approved.

Figure 0.5 depicts the planning process as a series of activities and steps to be completed that result in a complete project plan. These process activities will: