What to write in the project plan. Planning technologies for project activities. Human resources of the project

Before getting down to talking directly about project development and planning, it's worth brushing up on your understanding of planning as such. The essence of planning is to set goals and determine how to achieve them by creating a set of activities and actions necessary for implementation, using the methods and ways of implementing activities and actions, linking the resources required to perform and agree on the functions performed by the project participants. It is with the question of planning that we will begin the first lesson (we will immediately make a small reservation: there is a lot of information on the development and planning of projects, so we will present it in a concentrated form, dwelling in detail only on the most important points).

Project planning

The work of drawing up a plan includes all stages of the creation and implementation of the project. It begins with the development of the project concept by the head (project manager), continues with the selection of strategic decisions, development of details, conclusion of contracts and execution of work, and ends with the completion of the project.

At the planning stage, the main parameters for the implementation of the project are established. These include:

Duration of each controlled element of the project
The need for resources (financial, logistical and labor)
Estimated delivery time necessary equipment, components, materials, raw materials, etc.
Terms and volumes of attracting organizations (construction, design, etc.)

Any process and any procedure for project planning must ensure that the project is carried out on time and in compliance with all requirements, including cost, standards and quality. In addition, in a well-organized project, a separate body should be responsible for the performance of each function and achievement of each goal: for the mission of the project - the project manager, for private goals - the responsible persons, etc. It is for this purpose that it is customary to develop a matrix of responsibility that determines the functionality of the performers and concretizes the complex of their work.

The higher the level of the governing body, the more generalized it makes decisions on the management of lower-level units. As the hierarchical level increases, the time intervals between setting tasks, monitoring their implementation, etc. increase. In these intervals, subordinate units should work independently and regardless of their peers. Their independent operation is supported by resource reserves that also need to be planned.

The main purpose of planning- this is the construction of a project implementation model, which is necessary to coordinate the actions of the persons involved in the project Thanks to this model, the order is established according to which work will be carried out, etc.

In the first stage of project planning, initial plans are developed that serve as the basis for project budgeting, determining resource requirements, organizing project support, etc. Planning always precedes control and is considered the basis for its application, because allows you to compare planned and actual indicators.

Planning is the most important process for a project, because the result depends on it. The scope and detail of planning depend on the usefulness of the information that can be obtained during the implementation process and is determined by the intention of the project itself. The planning process cannot be fully automated, because it has a lot of variable parameters. Plus, it can be influenced by random factors.

In addition to everything, project planning consists of a number of main and auxiliary processes.

Main processes (always present):

Planning, documenting and describing the scope of the project
Defining the main stages of the project and breaking them down into smaller components
Budgeting and estimating the cost of resources required for the implementation of the project
Definition and compilation step by step plan actions supporting the project
Determination of the sequence of works
Determination of technological dependencies and work restrictions
Estimation of the duration of work, labor costs and other resources required to complete individual work
Resource planning (determining the type of resources for the project's work and their volume)
Determining the timing of work, subject to limited resources
Formation of the budget and linking costs according to the estimate to specific types of work
Developing a project plan
Collecting the results of other planning processes and assembling them into a single document

Supporting processes (present as needed):

Planning and setting quality standards and identifying ways to achieve them
Organizational planning, including the definition and distribution of functionality, responsibility and norms of subordination
Selection of people necessary for the implementation of the project and team building
Establishing communication and information needs of project members
Identification, assessment and documentation of project risks (determination of uncertainty factors and the degree of their influence on the project, determination of favorable and unfavorable scenarios for project implementation)
Logistics planning (what, when, where and how to procure and deliver)

The plans that represent the results of planning (networks and schedules) should eventually be built into a pyramidal structure that includes all the necessary information, differentiated by levels, terms, etc. Project planning and systematization of plans is built according to the principles of "feedback", which provide regular comparison of planned and actual information and give the work more efficiency, relevance and flexibility.

Project planning principles

The decisions and actions taken in the field of project planning are based on several important principles:

The principle of purposefulness. It is expressed in the fact that the project is aimed at achieving the ultimate goal of the project initiator (person, group of people, organization, etc.)
The principle of consistency. It assumes that the project is managed as a single whole with its own characteristics of formation and development, but at the same time it can be divided into subsystems with their subsequent study, since they are all interconnected and affect each other and the entire project. This allows you to find and create useful links between subsystems and their effective relationships, to provide qualitative and quantitative assessments of the implementation process of the entire project and its individual elements.
The principle of complexity. According to him, the phenomena are considered taking into account their dependence and connection, different methods and forms of management are applied, the whole set of goals of project management is considered for different levels and in different links, individual elements are linked to each other and relate to the main goal of the project.
The principle of security. Means that all the activities envisaged by the project must be equipped with all the resources required for their implementation.
Priority principle. Says that when developing a project and its implementation, the main attention should be paid to the primary tasks due to the general concept strategic development.
The principle of economic security of planned activities. Economic security should be calculated, taking as a basis the probability of occurrence of losses and losses as a result of non-implementation of the event planned by the project. No innovations in work can eliminate risk, which is why in the practice of project development and planning one should not avoid risks, but deliberately take justified risks in order to reduce them to the maximum possible level.

In addition to the principles that we have named, it is also important to take into account the consistency of the tasks and interests of all persons involved in the development and implementation of the project and the timeliness of achieving the set goals within the specified time frame.

Taking into account the peculiarities of project planning and the above principles, you can move on to the next equally important issue - splitting design work into components.

Work breakdown structure, responsibility matrix, cost items

The work breakdown structure (WPP) is a hierarchical structure of the sequential breakdown of the project into subprojects and sets of detailed work of different levels. CPP is the main tool for creating a project management system that allows you to solve various organizational problems, distribute responsibility, estimate cost, create a reporting system, maintain the collection of data on work progress and display their results. Also, with the help of CPP, it is convenient to coordinate the project plan with the needs of the customer.

For a project manager, CPP is equally important, because allows:

Define work and work packages to achieve intermediate goals
Be aware of whether all project objectives will be achieved
Create a suitable reporting structure
Determine milestones for project advancement
Distribute responsibility among performers
Provide team members with an objective understanding of all project objectives and goals

Complexes (packages) of work correspond, as a rule, to the lower level of detail of the CPP and include detailed work, which in turn may consist of steps. Detailed works and steps are not elements of the CPP.

CPP can be developed top-down (from main to particular) and bottom-up (from particular to main), or using both approaches. Information for the development of the CPP can be identified using. The final SRP should take into account all the goals of the project and the prerequisites for its implementation.

The detail of the CPP depends on the content of the project, the experience and skills of the team, the management system, the principles of distribution of responsibility, the reporting system, etc. To create a CPP, functional and technical specifications are often used with general requirements to work.

Due to the hierarchical structure of the project, which is based on the CPP, it is possible to use procedures for collecting and processing data on the progress of design work in accordance with milestones, work packages, etc. It also allows you to summarize information on terms, resources, costs and schedules.

The compilation of the CPP can be built on the following grounds:

Stages life cycle the project
Features of the organizational structure
Components of the result (goods, services, etc.) obtained after the implementation of the project
Functional or process elements of the organization that implements the project
Geographic location (if projects are spatially distributed)

IN practical activities almost always combined CPPs are used, created using multiple bases, and the CPP should include all project activities, including detailed activities and steps.

One of critical milestones the construction of the CPP is the analysis of its completeness, so if there are works in the project that are controlled not only by the project manager, but also by the customer, they should also be included in the CPP - this will ensure the completeness of the structure.

Taking into account the information on the plan of project activities, the CPP is divided according to the criteria and characteristics of the project. The breakdown occurs until all the important work and elements of the project are highlighted so that it is possible to plan them, determine their budget, draw up a schedule and an action plan to control them. To simplify and automate CPP, all its elements need to be assigned an identifier corresponding to the level number. The identifiers should reflect the work breakdown criteria.

It is equally important to avoid a number of mistakes when structuring a project, namely, you cannot:

Skip the structuring stage and move on to finding solutions to current problems
Use only organizational units, phases or functions in the structuring process, not end products or resources used
Forget that the SRP should cover the entire project, omitting the initial and final phases of the project and the work of individual departments
Repeat structure elements
Forgetting to integrate the project structure with the preparation system project documentation and management system financial statements
Excessive or insufficient structure detail
Create a structure so that it is not subject to computer processing (all elements or levels of the plan must be appropriately encoded)
Ignore “intangible” end products such as services, services, etc.

СРР - is the basis for the team members' understanding of the essence and dependencies of design work, which ensures the subsequent coordinated and coordinated work of all departments.

The Responsibility Matrix and Organizational Structure (ORF) mentioned above are two tools to help the project manager build a team that is aligned with the project's objectives and goals. The use of MTR and CPP in the construction of the responsibility matrix is clearly shown in the following figure:

The composition and plan of the design work greatly affect the form of the organizational structure required to achieve the goals of the project.

The responsibility matrix allows you to ensure and agree on the structures of responsibility of team members (departments) for the performance of work. In essence, this is a form of describing the distribution of responsibility for carrying out design work, which indicates the roles of team members and / or departments. One axis of the responsibility matrix displays a list of work packages for CPP, and the other - a list of performers responsible for their implementation.

Matrix elements are codes of types of work from a list compiled in advance (you can also enter the cost of work into the matrix). The scope of types of responsibility is due to the specifics of the project and its organization, however, it is recommended to use small set easy to understand and describe activities. Below is an example of a responsibility matrix:

The responsibility matrix can display the types of responsibility of managers and the roles of people who help in the implementation of the project, but do not directly participate in it. If the matrix is designed correctly, it will be an excellent tool to ensure both efficient execution of work and successful support from internal and external resources.

The persons responsible for the execution of the work are appointed even during the planning of the project, since you need to have an idea of the resources available before taking action to implement the plan. After identifying the resources, you need to determine how they can be obtained; in particular, this applies to labor resources.

The appointment of employees is carried out in stages - first, a working group is formed, and then a project team, since it is the working group that will become the backbone of the future team. The composition of the working group is determined by the tasks and goals of the project. The group is almost always made up of managers, influencers, and core staff.

Working group takes part in project initiation and planning. At this stage, it is still impossible to determine the resources, because there are only general information about the project, and more detailed data will be obtained after the detailed work and the creation of the SRP. The final appointment of performers and the definition of their functionality will take place only after the final development and approval of the plan.

In order to properly assign responsible persons, it is necessary to be aware of several types of resources that can be used:

Labor resources
Financial resources
Equipment
Technical equipment
Technology and information
Suppliers and materials

Despite the fact that performers do not always have all the levers of management and use of resources, knowledge of the seven types of resources greatly simplifies the process of describing a project and deciding on the distribution of responsibilities, because, as already mentioned, work packages must be provided with everything necessary for their implementation. ... To do this, it is important to answer two questions:

What specific resources are required for the implementation of all work on the project (a list of requirements can be obtained using the work schedule and CPP)?
Which of the necessary items is already there?

Once these questions are answered, the final allocation of responsibilities can be made.

Here we have to say about an additional tool for planning project work - the structure of cost items. It should not be confused with bookkeeping accounts. according to the articles included in it, there is a classification and collection of unconfirmed documentary management information necessary for the adoption management decisions(meaning that there is no documentation confirming the actual costs, but there is preliminary data on the resources used, work performed, etc.).

Line Items is a management tool that is used to collect data on the actual costs of work performed and then compare them with the planned costs. These same articles are used to plan and control time and cost, since include information about the work assigned based on the CPP. Below you can see an example of the formation of cost items for work packages for which specific departments are responsible (based on the CPP):

Line items can include data for a variety of work packages based on a variety of reasons, such as:

Responsible persons
Account structure
Deadlines
Content of work

Summarizing all of the above about cost items, it remains only to note that they contribute to the formation and monitoring of the project budget, the implementation of the current management accounting and evaluation possible costs after the end of the design work.

We can now move on to consider the most effective methods planning projects to ensure the timely implementation of both the project as a whole and its individual stages.

Network planning of projects

Methods of network planning of projects, or, as they are also called, network diagrams (network graph, PERT diagram) are a graphical display of design work and the dependencies between them. The term "network" here refers to the full range of work and control points of the project with the established dependencies between them.

Network diagrams display the network model as a graph with a series of vertices that correspond to activities, and the lines connecting them show the relationships between those activities. The graph, often referred to as a precedence-succession diagram or a top-work network, is considered the most common representation of a network. Below you can see an example of a fragment of such a graph:

There is also a type of network diagram called a node-event network, but in practical work it is not used very often. In this case, the work looks like a line connecting two events (nodes of the graph), displaying the beginning and end certain work. A good example such a diagram is a PERT diagram - here it is:

Network diagrams are often confused with flowcharts, but this is not entirely true. the difference between the network diagram is that it only displays the logical dependencies of activities, while the block diagram shows the inputs, outputs and processes. Also, there are no repetitive cycles (loops) in the diagram.

Network planning methods are those methods aimed at minimizing the duration of a project. They are based on the Critical Path Method (MCP or CPM) and the Program Evaluation Review Technique (PERT).

The critical path is understood as the longest path in the network, and the work on this path is called critical. The minimum duration of design work depends on the duration of the critical path. The overall project duration can be reduced by reducing critical work. Thus, delays in the execution of work entail an increase in the duration of the project.

Using the critical path method, you can calculate approximate timetables for a work package based on the logical network structure and estimates of the duration of the work to be completed separately, and also establish an overall critical path for the project.

There is also the concept of a full reserve (reserve) of time. This is the difference between the dates of the late and early start or end of work. The managerial essence of the time reserve is that there is an opportunity to settle financial, resource or technological constraints, and the project manager can suspend work for the period available in the reserve, without fear of negatively affecting the deadline for completing the project. The time reserve for critical work is zero.

A horizontal line chart where project tasks are represented by time intervals with specific time parameters (start, end, delays, etc.) is called a Gantt chart, and it is also an integral part of network planning. Here's an example:

For effective planning, it is convenient to use both PERT charts, a network graph, and a Gantt chart. The very same network planning implies the description of all design work in the form of a set of works with specific relationships between them. To calculate and analyze a network diagram, a set of network operations called critical path method procedures are commonly used.

The network model is developed in stages:

Lists of design works are determined
Parameters of work are assessed
Dependencies between works are established

Work lists need to be defined to describe all project activities including all details. Work is the main element of the network model. Work packages define the activities that must be performed to achieve the project results. Results are usually highlighted with breakpoints.

Before developing a network model, you need to make sure that the lower level of the CPP includes all the work that guarantees the achievement of private project goals. The network model is the result of defining dependencies between activities and adding binding events and activities. In the most general form the presented approach is based on the assumption that any work is intended to help achieve private purpose... Connecting work does not necessarily have to be aimed at achieving a material result, because their purpose may be to organize an event, etc.

The main task of the project manager is to assess the parameters of the work. For this, other project participants may be involved, responsible for the implementation of individual tasks of the project. Estimation of the duration of work and the need for financial resources and resources in the most direct way affects the relevance of resource and cost plans and schedules, which are drawn up after analyzing the network model. Such an assessment must be carried out for each of the jobs. Then, on its basis, the CPP levels are generalized and formed in the project plan.

In order for individual stages of the project and the entire project to be implemented in a timely manner, it is also necessary to plan the project in terms of time parameters. Let's consider this issue in more detail.

Project planning by timing

Time parameters should be understood here as the time periods during which work and work packages are planned to be completed, as well as points of control of the project implementation process. Time is the most important factor affecting the effectiveness of the implementation of the entire plan.

The timing of the implementation of the elements of the project and the entire project is always planned in advance, and, of course, it is desirable to minimize them. But time minimization is limited by three parameters: technical capabilities, technological requirements and the quality of work. All this should be taken into account when planning.

Time planning is a key element of project management, which includes several components. These components are:

Timing project management concept
Scheduling the project
Monitoring the progress of design work
Analysis and settlement of work progress
Close project management

It is often difficult to complete a project by the deadline. The reason for this is a vague understanding of what exactly needs to be managed, and most of the problems arise even at the planning stage.

Delays in deliveries, lack of resources, etc. can be the reason for discrepancies with the schedule. If the scope and subject areas of the project are incorrectly determined, later you will have to make adjustments to the work and the schedule.

When a manager is dealing with typical recurring projects, it is convenient to accurately determine the time and sequence of actions, although in practice projects are rarely repeated.

If we talk about the reasons for temporary losses in the project, then these include:

Inadequate quality management and budgeting
No contingency plan for unexpected costs
Poor distribution of risks among project participants
Lack of structure in the communication system
Difficult project reporting system

And another important component of project time management is the management of personal time resources. This is relevant for each performer and project participant, but more important for the leader, because he is responsible for the success of the project, which means that he needs to manage to do a lot of all kinds of work.

To improve personal time management, it is desirable to use the so-called forms. The form is a list of work required to complete, indicating the performers and deadlines. The most priority work should be transferred to the time blocks of the planning calendar. A planning calendar might look like this:

Unscheduled events or jobs of lower priority can be added to empty time blocks. In cases where the amount of work is more than the amount of time, work can be scheduled several days in advance. But this should not be abused, otherwise there may be delays in the execution of high-priority tasks. And given the fact that in the following days the priority of low-priority work may increase, all tasks should be completed on time.

For you need to competently set priorities and act in accordance with them. The project manager should not be distracted by minor and fuzzy tasks and hesitate to make important decisions. He must also be able to delegate authority.

And the last thing we will focus on in the first lesson are some organizational issues.

Organization of work on project planning

Project planning is the process of forming decisions that determine the sequence of design work and activities. It plays a pivotal role in project management, representing the organizing start of the project implementation process.

Project planning includes several stages:

Setting goals and objectives
Resource calculation
Creation of a schedule of duration
Optimization of the work schedule
Organization of work execution
Creation calendar plan increase in labor intensity of work
Monitoring the progress of work
Correction of work progress

A project implementation plan is a comprehensive plan containing an exhaustive system of tasks and goals, detailed work, actions and measures to achieve the main goal of the project. Increased attention should be paid to the preparation of the implementation plan, trying to avoid common mistakes, such as:

Setting erroneous goals
Use of incomplete information
Ignoring past experiences
Ignoring the issue of resource availability
Lack of focus on coordination of project participants
Ignoring the motivation of performers
Excessive attention to detailing the plan
Making a plan for the sake of a plan and ignoring the control of following the plan

Despite a fairly large number of errors and their specificity, taking into account all the planning elements that we told you about helps to bypass them. It is only important to remember that project planning is a systematic ordering of tasks, the purpose of which is to achieve the main result - the implementation of the project. And given that the plan always contains instructions for action and the actions themselves, it can be safely considered a standard or benchmark against which actual indicators will be compared. If, as a result of such comparisons, any discrepancies are found, it is necessary to take measures to adjust the plan.

In the second lesson we will talk about another element of project management that is important for a leader - team management. Issues such as the composition of the project participants, the functions of the project manager, the peculiarities of the formation and development of the project team, the characteristics and composition of the team, the settlement of conflicts and a number of others will be considered.

Test your knowledge

If you want to test your knowledge of the topic of this lesson, you can go through small test consisting of several questions. In each question, only 1 option can be correct. After you have selected one of the options, the system automatically proceeds to the next question. The points you receive are influenced by the correctness of your answers and the time spent on passing. Please note that the questions are different each time, and the options are mixed.

Planning is the process of developing and adopting targets of a quantitative and qualitative nature and determining the ways to most effectively achieve them. These attitudes, most often developed in the form of a tree of goals, characterize the desired future and, if possible, are numerically expressed by a set of indicators that are key for a given level of management.

The need to draw up plans is determined by many reasons. The most significant of them: the uncertainty of the future, the coordinating role of the plan, the optimization of economic consequences.

Indeed, if the future of the project were absolutely predetermined, there would be no need to constantly develop plans, improve the methods of their preparation and structuring. From this it is clear that the main objective drawing up any plan is not the definition of exact numbers and benchmarks, since this is impossible in principle, but the identification of a certain "corridor" in each of the most important directions, within the boundaries of which this or that indicator can vary.

The meaning of the coordinating role of the plan is that the presence of well-structured target settings disciplines both promising and current activities, brings them into a certain system, and allows the company to work without significant disruptions.

The final reason for the need to draw up plans is that any mismatch in the activities of the system requires financial costs(direct or indirect) to overcome it. The likelihood of such a mismatch will be much lower if the work is carried out according to plan in addition, the negative financial consequences are less significant.

Planning allows you to ensure a high degree and high probability of achieving goals based on the systematic preparation of decisions. Thus, it is a prerequisite for the effective implementation of the project. The project plan is the main tool for integrating project participants. Developing and agreeing on a project plan ensures that all participants better understand their tasks and responsibilities.

The project plan details how to balance project costs, lead times, schedule and quality.

At the stage of project planning, the following tasks are solved:

clarification and detailing of the goals and results of the project;
clarification of the scope and scope of the project;
development of a real schedule and budget of the project (or its individual phases);
clarification of the project's need for resources, a plan for resource provision of the project (or individual phases of the project);
risk assessment and development of a risk response plan;
clarification of the order of interaction in the project team, as well as between project team and the external environment;
development and refinement of project management procedures;
agreement of the plan by the main project participants;
approval of the project plan.

Enlarged structure of the project management plan

The main stages of planning

Formation of goals

Within the framework of planning, two groups of goals are set.

Formal goals are a criterion for assessing the usefulness of the activity and the state of the project, which is derived from the motivation of the activities of decision-makers.

Real goals represent the ways to achieve formal goals (the product to be produced, its quality and quantity, the required resources, their quality and quantity).

Problem analysis

Problem analysis includes the following steps:

determination of the actual state (analysis of the position);
position forecast;
identification of problems by contrasting the system of goals and the results of analysis and forecast of the situation;
structuring problems.

When structuring problems, you first need to break them down into two groups:

External problems, the solution of which cannot be influenced by the project team throughout the entire planning period.
Internal problems, the solution of which depends on effective management project.

Then it is necessary to divide the problems classified into the second category into two classes:

Problems, the solution of which does not require significant financial and time costs. This class of problems is solved in the course of ongoing or operational planning.
Problems that take a long time to solve and a significant amount of funding.

These issues are being addressed in the process forward planning and forecasting.

Search for alternatives

Alternatives are mutually exclusive solutions.

Forecasting plays an important role in the implementation of long-term projects. In this case, two types of forecasts should be distinguished.

Impact projections give an idea of what results will be achieved by the adoption of each of the available decisions, i.e. how this decision will affect the performance of the project.
Development forecasts situations extend to indicators of the external environment, which the decision-makers cannot influence in the period under review.

Assessment of alternatives

Evaluation of alternatives in terms of their acceptability, effectiveness and risk is the basis for decision making. The optimal is considered a legal and practically realizable alternative, which maximally allows one to approach the achievement of the set real goals under existing constraints - resource, time, labor, etc.

During the implementation of the project, the plan should be updated taking into account current state and the changes being made. Thus, the project plan becomes the basis for assessing the progress made during the implementation of the project.

To ensure the feasibility and accuracy of the project plan, the project manager must solve the following tasks.

Involvement of the main project participants in the planning process, ensuring responsibility for the planned parameters.
Achieve an agreed understanding of the structure and scope of the project and the resource requirements with the customer and the main project participants.
Planning the organizational structure of the project and ensuring that the necessary resources are attracted to the project.
Alignment of responsibility for the main participants for the results.

Project planning principles.

Work breakdown structure.

Project planning according to time parameters.

Project network planning methods.

Organization of project planning work.

Project management: tutorial/ A.G. Ivasenko, Ya. I. Nikonova, M.V. Karkavin. - Rostov n / a: Phoenix, 2009 .-- pp. 177-212.

Mazur I.I. Project management: textbook. manual for students studying in the specialty "Management of the organization" / II. Mazur [and others]. ; under the general editorship of I.I. Mazur and V.D. Shapiro. - 6th ed., Erased. - M.: Publishing house "Omega-L", 2010. -960 p.

The essence of planning consists in setting goals and ways to achieve them based on the formation of a set of works (activities, actions) that must be performed, applying methods and means of implementing these works, linking the resources necessary for their implementation, coordinating the actions of organizations participating in the project.

Plan development activities cover all stages of project creation and execution. It starts with the participation of the project manager (project manager) in the process of developing the project concept, continues with the selection of strategic decisions for the project, as well as with the development of its details, including the preparation of contract proposals, the conclusion of contracts, the execution of work, and ends at the completion of the project.

At the planning stage, all the necessary parameters for the implementation of the project are determined:

duration for each of the controlled elements of the project,

the need for labor, material, technical and financial resources,

terms of delivery of raw materials, materials, components and technological equipment,

terms and volumes of attracting design, construction and other organizations.

Project planning processes and procedures should ensure that the project is feasible within the specified time frame, with minimal cost, within the normative resource cost, and with adequate quality.

In a well-organized project, a specific governing body should be responsible for the implementation of each goal: the project manager for all goals (project mission), responsible executors for particular goals, etc. That is, the project goals tree should coincide with the structure of the organizational unit responsible for implementation. project. For this, the so-called matrix of responsibility is being developed, which defines the functional responsibilities of the performers on the project, specifies the set of works for the implementation of which they are personally responsible.

The higher the level of the management body, the more generalized, aggregated indicators it makes decisions on the management of subordinate units. With an increase in the level of the hierarchy, the time interval between the issuance of planned tasks, the control of their execution, etc., increases. At the same time, in the intervals between the moments of intervention (the issuance of planned targets, the determination of benchmarks, etc.), the subdivisions of the lower level work independently, regardless of the subdivisions the same or adjacent level. The independent functioning of departments must be provided with certain reserves of resources, which must also be planned.

The main goal of planning is to build a model for project implementation. It is necessary to coordinate the activities of the project participants, with its help, the order in which the work should be performed is determined, etc.

Planning is a set of interrelated procedures. The first stage of project planning is the development of initial plans, which are the basis for developing a project budget, determining resource requirements, organizing project support, contracting, etc. Project planning precedes project control and is the basis for its application, since a comparison is made between planned actual indicators.

Planning is one of the most important processes for a project, since the result of its implementation is usually a unique object, product or service. The scope and detail of planning is determined by the usefulness of the information that can be obtained as a result of the process and depends on the content (intent) of the project.

The planning process itself cannot be fully algorithmic and automated, since it contains many uncertain parameters and often depends on random factors. Therefore, the options for the plan proposed as a result of planning may differ if they are developed by different teams, specialists in which differently assess the impact of external factors on the project.

TO main processes planning include:

scheduling project content and documenting it;

budgeting, estimating the cost of the resources required to carry out the work of the project;

definition of works, formation of a list of specific works that ensure the achievement of the goals of the project;

arrangement (sequence) of work, definition and documentation of technological dependencies and restrictions on work;

assessment of the duration of work, labor costs and other resources required to perform individual work;

calculation of the schedule, analysis of technological dependencies of work performance, duration of work and resource requirements;

resource planning, determining what resources (people, equipment, materials) and in what quantities will be required to complete the work of the project. Determining in what time frame the work can be completed, taking into account the limited resources;

budgeting, linking estimated costs to specific activities;

creating (developing) a project plan, collecting the results of other planning processes and combining them into a common document.

Supporting processes performed as needed. These include:

quality planning, defining quality standards appropriate to this project, and finding ways to achieve them;

organizational planning (design), definition, survey, documentation and distribution of project roles, responsibilities and reporting lines;

selection of personnel, formation of a project team at all stages of the project life cycle, a set of necessary human resources included in the project and working in it;

planning communications, determining the information and communication needs of the project participants: who and what information is needed, when and how it should be delivered to them;

identification and assessment of risks, determination of which uncertainty factor and to what extent can affect the progress of the project, determination of favorable and unfavorable scenarios for project implementation, documenting risks;

planning of supplies, determining what, how, when and with the help of whom to purchase and supply;

planning proposals, documenting product requirements and identifying potential suppliers.

Determination of planning levels is also a subject of planning and is carried out for each specific project, taking into account its specifics, scale, geography, timing, etc.

In the course of this process, the type and number of planning levels corresponding to the selected work packages for the project, their meaningful and temporal relationships are determined.

Plans (schedules, networks) as an expression of the results of planning processes should form in the aggregate some pyramidal structure with the properties of aggregating information differentiated by levels of awareness management, echeloned by development time (short-term, medium-term and long-term). Planning levels and the planning system should be built using “feedback” principles that ensure constant comparison of planned data with actual data and have great flexibility, relevance and efficiency.

Project management is a symbiosis of technology and the art of solving a unique task on time within the budget allocated for its purpose. For the project to be done successfully, it is necessary to reach an understanding of the management of the company and RM, how it will be implemented, by whom, when and what kind of work should be performed. The project plan is not considered as a single document, but as a whole set of documented solutions that answer the above questions. Here's an overview article that looks at the basics of project planning technology.

The essence of project planning

Project planning involves many interrelated iterations that result in a single master plan. Under the project plan, we will further understand the system of planned activities, documented as a result of drawing up. This system consists of parameters connected in a special way, ensuring that a separate development problem is solved. These parameters are formed based on a number of functional areas project activities:

content;
timing;
cost;
staff;
supplies;
communications;
risks, etc.

A plan is a key element of a project management system. If the RM managed to draw up a detailed elaborated complex planning documents, then he has the right to expect a guaranteed receipt of the required results at the output of the work. For this, timelines, resources and other aspects must be well planned. Until a plan is developed, it is impossible to know how much money and time it will take to complete a unique task. Without a plan, the manager is practically devoid of guidelines for the compliance of work with the goals of the project.

It must be understood that planning does not always yield positive results in the end, but negative conclusions can bring no less, and sometimes even more, benefit. In any case, the efficiency of investment of funds increases, and the "dispersion" of the earned profit does not occur. Project planning lays the foundations for productive work and solves the following applied problems.

Clarify, detail the goals and results of the event.
Determine the composition and scope of work.
Estimate the timing and budget cost.
Schedule and budget for major phases or for the entire project.
Conduct an updated estimate of resource requirements for each phase or for the entire task.
Draw up a resource plan.
Carry out a risk assessment and create a response plan.
Explain the details of the event to the customer.
Agree on a plan with key stakeholders.
Distribute responsibility for work and tasks among the participants.
Approve the master plan.
Clarify interaction plans, planning management procedures.

Place the project management plan at the stage of its life cycle. Source: PMBOK 5 Guide

Place of planning processes among other processes of project implementation. Source: PMBOK 5 Guide

Project planning cannot be suspended in the air. It is preceded by initiation, and the output of these processes is the actual execution of the project. And we are aware of a number of important points that planning:

tied to a specific time point in the life cycle of a unique task and to its significant length of time (see the diagrams shown above);
iteratively - it does not end after the plans are written, it requires regular updating up to the active closing phase;
comprehensively - not limited to one tool and includes a number of tools and corresponding documents at the exit.

The enlarged composition of planning processes

A project plan is different from a project management plan and related planning processes. As we have already determined, in a broad sense, under the plan we mean a pre-planned system of activities, for which the order of execution, sequence and time frame of work are established. In a narrow sense, a plan is a document that reflects the order of the planned actions and the deadlines for implementation. A project management plan is the result of regulated planning procedures (processes), in which the management principle is taken over by regular, by regulations, fixed procedures for creating plans as documents.

Definitions of basic planning concepts from PMI. Source: PMBOK 5 Guide

Event planning includes two groups of processes: processes for direct development of plans and supporting procedures. The result of a development block is a document called a master plan for the project. It includes a calendar plan, an event budget and a number of other documents. The composition and content of work, the resources required for their implementation determine the sequence, duration and amount of costs for their production.

Planning for potential risks (identifying, identifying and assessing) and managing them affect not only the development of the schedule, but also the budgetary requirements. Clarifying goals, defining the boundaries of a unique task, and structuring the team and responsibilities lay the foundations for full project planning work. Further, we propose to your attention a model of links between the main procedures of the processes under consideration.

Model of planning processes in project management

It is known that according to the PMI standard, almost every section of the PMBOK Guidelines allocates a whole block to planning. Based on the above scheme, this is quite natural. The most holistic picture of planning management and creating a unified master plan is demonstrated by the PMBOK section "Project Integration Management". Below is a local block of the event management plan development data flow diagram.

Local block of the data flow diagram of the development of the project management plan

The visual block presented above is notable for a number of circumstances. The knowledge base for project management, all the experience gained in this direction, regulations are essential for the success of planning. This also applies to standards, software, organizational structures and culture, management practices, infrastructure, etc. The charter is a key planning guideline. These processes are the basis for integration into the master plan and offer as inputs for the development of its final version:

project parameters management plans;
basic plans for content, cost, and schedule;
plan updates.

Stages of developing a schedule

As we remember, project management is based on "three pillars": the content of work, constraints and risks. If a manager knows how to work well with these three parameters, then there are no unsolvable problems for him. Let's consider the development of a calendar plan from the perspective of the above three positions and divide this process into stages. We will refer the first and second stages to the content of the work.

The stage of determining and writing the list of works. Errors are often made due to the fact that it is impossible to present all the works at once. To qualitatively determine the composition of operations, it is useful to use the basics of the sequential work decomposition method.
The stage of determining the execution of the project in terms of the sequence and duration of work, which depend on the technology of their implementation. To create a high-quality result of this stage, the already named method of sequential decomposition of tasks and expert review duration of work using methods such as, for example, the brainstorming method.
Determining the availability of resources. The event uses a variety of resources: financial, material, labor, information, etc. From the point of view of monetary resources, it is required to link the work schedule with the financing schedule. The concept of scarce resources is introduced: unique specialists and capacities. This leaves an imprint on the sequence and duration of the work.
Determination of external constraints. These restrictions include seasonality, technological processes equipment supplies, various external events. If we take into account the example of special wishes of the customer (for specific partners) or external events (for example, the timeliness of the completion of the stage at the time of a national holiday), then such events are included in the event in the form of milestones.
The stage of creating a risk response plan. We analyze the risks of the project and develop a response plan for the main threats. With this plan in mind, we then refine the schedule.

The third and fourth stages are related to positions of restrictions, the fifth stage is related to risks. Two bases of response (active and passive) determine the moment of the decision and its inclusion in project plan... Responsiveness means we include in our schedule additional work aimed at minimizing risks. This may affect the timing of other work.

As an example, we can consider the project of launching a new service on the market. Let's say there is a risk that it will not be in demand in the market. Then, to minimize this risk, additional research is needed, and this work has to be included in the schedule. Passive response implies the formation of additional financial reserves for the identified risks. The stages of the development of the schedule can also be presented in the logical sequence presented below.

The logical sequence for developing a schedule

Basic Project Planning Activities

To create a master plan, the project manager implements a series of planning iterations. In the course of the planning processes, important instrumental and final documents are formed, which together make up a master plan. Among them:

work breakdown structure (WBS);
network diagram;
quality management plan;
project schedule;
budget;
organizational chart;
risk register;
communication plan;
master plan of the project.

Visual model of project planning processes

Above is a model of planning processes for a project task. You can see the complete set of processes in the diagram. Basin lane planning processes are tied to virtually all areas of project management. Many of the processes indicated in the model will be able to be presented in separate articles on our site. In this article, we briefly focus on the key planning procedures.

The process of defining the content is carried out in order to clarify the scope of the project, the boundaries with the description of its product. The process begins with clarifying the objectives of the event, its connection with the company's strategy, consideration of variable approaches to implementation. The PM must be clearly aware of what work is outside the scope of the project and what the requirements for the product are.
The process of defining the scope of work. The foundations laid down in the previous process are developed into the full range of necessary operations to achieve success. Their structure and composition are related to the main task of the project. The WBS is the primary tool used by the PM to accomplish the task of this process.
Determination of work relationships. The logical sequence of work is the subject and purpose of this process. The best tool and the result of the implementation of the process is a network model (diagram, graph), built and optimized using the PERT and CPM method.
The process of estimating the duration of the work. The forecasting of the duration of each job included in the WBS and the network model is performed using a variety of approaches. The main methods are methods of assessment by analogs, “bottom-up”, from performers, expert and parametric assessment.
Resource Needs Assessment Process. The purpose of the process is to determine the required quantity human resources, resources of machines and mechanisms. Resources are divided into groups: renewable, expendable and financial.
Schedule development procedure. The process is carried out in order to determine the estimated timing of individual work and the project as a whole. The issue of detailing the plan is important. The depth of its study should be sufficient so that the project manager can control the progress of work and the implementation of the assigned tasks.
Development of a master plan for the project. It combines all the results of the event planning work into a single project integration document.

In this article, we got acquainted with the "maximum configuration" of procedures and documents that create a project plan. In real practice, especially when the project is medium to small in scale, it is regular and unnecessary planning effort is often not required. In such cases, you can limit yourself to typical planning solutions and incomplete documents. At the same time, it is hardly possible to do without a basic documentary set in the master plan, and the efforts spent on its development pay off handsomely.

Imagine that you are faced with the need to develop a website for the first time. How not to forget anything on the way and already on initial stage estimate financial and labor costs? Below I share my experience in drawing up a project plan for developing a selling website for a service company.

There are simpler options, such as making a Landing Page using the LP Generator service or the like. You can go beyond a one-page page and create a full-fledged website using a website builder. These are working options, I am not discouraging anyone from them. It all depends on the goals that you set for the site and, accordingly, on your requirements. I propose a plan for a multi-page website with a focus on SEO promotion without using a website builder.

Determination of the main blocks of work

The task of developing a site includes various stages in which various specialists are involved. I start by defining the main large blocks. At this point, the plan looks like this:

Classic marketing: acquaintance with the product, competitors, development of USP
Selection of semantics
Website structure development
Prototyping
Design
Layout
Programming
Testing
Launch

The picture becomes clearer, but there is not enough detail, so I split large tasks into smaller ones.

Approximate number and types of pages

To calculate the plan for the project, I make an approximate list of site pages and the types of tasks that are required for this page. It helps me to do the calculation of labor hours for tasks. The list of pages will most likely change in the course of work, but at this stage it will be enough for calculations. The plate will look something like this.

Pages (masks)	Number of pages	Collect SIA	TK from SEO specialist	Text	Prototype	Design	Layout	Programming
the main	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
to corporative clients	1	1	0	1	1	1	1	1
Services (section page)	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
Service section	3	3	3	3	2	2	2	2
Service subsection	7	7	7	7	1	1	1	1
Questions and Answers (FAQ)	1	0	1	0	1	1	1	1
Single article page	NS	NS	NS	NS	1	1	1	1
Contacts	1	0	1	1	1	1	1	1
About company	1	0	1	1	1	1	1	0
Prices	1	0	1	0	1	1	1	1
	17	13	16	15	11	11	11	10

Detailing the task list

To calculate labor costs, I try to divide tasks so that one responsible specialist can be assigned to each task. Immediately add the "Executor" column to the list of tasks and the estimated number of hours to complete the task.

A task	Executor	Clock	A comment
Highlighting core services and identifying competitors	Marketer	6	It is important to understand the scope of the site. After studying competitors, the list can be adjusted.
Express analysis of competitors' websites	Marketer	24	Depending on the knowledge of the market and the complexity of the project, the time can be adjusted.
Formulation of benefits and development of USP	Marketer	8	On the basis of information about the company and competitors, we develop a basic proposal and give a thesis answer to the question: “why should you buy from us”.
Initial planning of the site structure	Marketer	2	Only then can you create the basic structure of the site, which at this stage looks like a list of pages.
Semantic core collection and segmentation	SEO-special	26	SEO specialist collects full list requests and unites them into semantic groups. I calculate the time for about 2 hours for each page of the preliminary site structure (for which SEO is relevant, of course). If a site already exists, then you should take into account the requests for which the site is already in the search results.
Coordination and approval of this. kernels	Marketer	8	Better semantic core agree with the customer in order to avoid misunderstandings in the future.
Correction of the site structure taking into account the sem.core	SEO-special	6	SEO-specialist's suggestions on the list of pages, navigation.
Finalization and coordination of the site structure, taking into account the sem.core	Marketer	4	At this stage, we get the skeleton of the site. Further I assume the presence of typical pages. For example, that all pages of different services are made according to the same template.
Basic SEO guidelines for page content	SEO-special	8	In order not to have to redo prototypes or even finished pages, I recommend getting SEO wishes already at this stage. This point is about blocks on the page. I put 0.5 hours on 1 page.
SEO TK for page content	SEO-special	30	This point is about recommendations for the texts that should be on the pages. I put 2 hours on each page.
Writing texts	Copywriter / Marketer	90	If you are lucky enough to find a good copywriter, you can entrust the writing of texts to him. In most cases, texts for service pages, unique pages such as "About company", "404", "Contacts", etc. I write myself. I take time according to my own standards, so I put 6 hours on 1 page. But it can change from project to project.
Page prototyping	Marketer	82	I also lay down 6 hours on 1 page, plus 2 working days on the main page, since it is necessary to prepare the layout of the layout, the header and the footer. It is convenient for me to make prototypes in parallel with writing texts.
Preparation of technical assignment for the designer	Marketer	13	Although the prototypes in Axure RP are quite descriptive, there are some points where the designer needs to make separate recommendations, especially at the beginning. Describe the style, color range... It is convenient for me to send in examples of style and discuss verbally to make sure that we are talking about the same thing.
Home page design + adaptive recommendations	Designer	16	Since it is now impossible to live without a mobile site, I advise you to think about the adaptive version already at this stage. She showed herself working scheme when the designer prepares not several design options, but writes recommendations. Less time is spent, and the result is the same.
Design of the rest of the pages + recommendations for adaptive	Designer	66	I count 6 hours per page. Somewhere there may be more, somewhere less. At this time, I also lay down and prepare recommendations for the layout designer for adaptive layout.
Design approval and approval	Marketer	14	It always takes time to approve layouts, especially when it comes to approving the style and design of the front pages. I advise you to plan time for this.
Preparing optimized meta tags and H1	SEO-special	16	In general, this item can be turned on at any time before the launch of the site, but don't forget!
Drawing up technical specifications for layout and programming	Marketer	17	Since I am considering a version of a service site, I do not assume modules that are difficult to implement. Therefore, I put 1.5 hours on the page.
SEO recommendations for the stage of layout and programming	SEO-special	6	Again, in order not to redo it, it is better to immediately prepare the site, taking into account further promotion in search engines.
Layout (adaptive)	Layout designer	104	It all depends on the complexity of the layouts. I assume 2 days for the deployment of infrastructure, preparation for work and 8 hours for 1 page.
Approval and approval of the layout	Marketer	24	You may not include this item, but you still have to check the layout, write edits and accept. This can be quite time consuming depending on the team and project. Therefore, I recommend putting it into the project.
Programming	Programmer	80	Assembling disparate pages into a finished website. Output to CMS of modules for further site content management without developer involvement.
Approval and approval of the software part	Marketer	15	To be honest, it seems that I have little time to lay on this task. You cannot do without this stage 100%, leave time for it.
Testing and debugging	Marketer	40	This is a task to click on all the buttons, see all the pages, try all the functions in the CMS and check the site in different browsers and on different devices. If the project is small, then it may be enough to check on our own; for complex ones, we connect testers.
Launch of the combat version of the site	Programmer	8	Up to this point, all checks were carried out on the test site. Only now we are going to the open site for users.
Connecting analytics + CallTouch + setting goals	Marketer / Programmer	16	An optional item that begins to become the norm, since without analytics it is impossible to understand how well the site is doing its tasks.
Initial SEO recommendations	SEO-special	8	We listen carefully to what the SEO specialist tells us and follow his recommendations. If initially the site was prepared according to the current plan, then there should be a minimum of improvements, but we are preparing robots.txt and a sitemap only now.
Implementing SEO Recommendations	Layout / Programmer	16	I calculate 2 working days.
Checking the application of SEO recommendations on the test site	Marketer	4
Applying SEO recommendations on the main site	Programmer	3

Calculation of project terms

Most of the work has been done, then we describe the received hours by day. Some stages will run in parallel. For example, I give a calculation when 1 specialist of each direction is working on a project, respectively, the maximum number of working hours per day is 8 hours per specialist.

The table is large, so I give a link to the Google spreadsheet, where you can see the finished result.

At the end, I give the labor costs for each specialist. Thus, knowing the rate per hour, you can estimate the costs of the project. The table looks like this.

I also add a general table on the timing of the project.

	Hours	Days
Total project time:	760	62
Working days per month		20
Project duration (months)		3.1

I understand that 62 days does not equal 760 hours. The difference is due to the simultaneous execution of some tasks by different specialists.

This site development plan was developed on the basis of personal experience and is not the only one the right option... But, I hope, it will be useful as a starting point if you are developing a website for the first time or, as a business representative, plan to order a website in a studio and want to better understand this process.