Project Management
Chapter 4. Project Planning and the
Project Scope
,4.0 Learning Objectives and Overview
Learning Objectives
1. Describe the importance and purpose of project planning.
2. Identify the basic processes and activities required in the planning phase.
3. Explain the main components of requirements elicitation.
4. List the main components of a project management plan.
5. Describe the process to develop a detailed description of the project.
6. Elaborate on the WBS structure to subdivide project deliverables and project work
into smaller, more manageable components.
7. Practice on Microsoft Project to create a WBS.
4.0 Overview
After the project charter is approved by the sponsor, the project manager is appointed as the primarily
responsible authority to utilize the budget and resources, define the primary components of the project
such as scope, cost, schedule, quality, and risks, manage, control and monitor project activities, and
finally close the project. From now on, the project manager is ready to enter the second phase in the
project management life cycle. This is referred to as the planning phase, which directly follows the
initiation phase. The planning phase involves creating a set of plans to help guide the team through the
execution and closure as well as the monitoring and controlling which occurs throughout the whole
project. The plans created during this phase help the project manager and the team manage triple (iron
triangle) constraints, which are scope, schedule and cost, and other constraints such as quality,
resources, and risks, and other related issues and knowledge areas (e.g., integration, procurement,
stakeholders, communication). They also help the project manager lead the project team and work with
external suppliers to ensure that the project deliverables can be delivered on time, within budget, and
with the desired functionality.
92
, Project Management
4.1 Project Planning
Planning consists of the processes required to establish the scope of the project, refine the objectives,
and define the course of action required to attain the objectives that the project was undertaken to
achieve. Although most of the project effort (i.e., making use of the workforce and other resources) is
spent during the execution phase that occurs after the planning phase, project managers and their
teams face the most challenging tasks and perform many processes during the planning phase. The
project planning phase is often the most challenging phase for a project manager, as the project
manager is often required to make educated guesses about the team members, resources required for
all the activities, and the schedule and budget needed to complete the project. In addition, the planning
includes communications and procurement activities, as well as planning contracts with any third-party
suppliers.
Thorough and proper planning helps the team have a smoother execution process with a better
prediction level. However, it is of high importance to keep in mind that predictability is at low levels in
many projects in terms of scope (requirements and project activities), schedule, budget, and risks. This
is why agile (adaptive) project management comes to the forefront, which started in the 1990s with
software projects and extended to information systems projects over time, and other fields such as, but
not limited to, new product development, high technology projects, and start-ups. Agile project
management will be discussed in Chapter 12 “Agile (Adaptive) Project Management”.
Project planning is at the heart of the project life cycle and tells everyone involved where the project is
going and how the team is going to get there. It involves creating a set of plans to help guide the team
through the implementation and closure phases of the project. The plans created during this phase help
the project team manage time, cost, quality, changes, risk, and related issues. The purpose of the
project planning phase is to:
Provide guidance and direction on how scope, schedule, cost, quality, resources,
communications, risks, procurements, and stakeholders will be managed throughout the
project,
Refine and elaborate on the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-based)
objectives, establish the business, stakeholder, solution, and transition requirements, and
translate them to project activities by defining the scope and create WBS (Work Breakdown
Structure),
Develop project schedule by defining and sequencing project activities and milestones, and by
estimating activity durations.
Determine resources, identify risks based on the requirements and activities, and eventually
estimate costs and determine project budget,
Identify the methods to track, review, and regulate the progress and performance of the
93
Chapter 4. Project Planning and the
Project Scope
,4.0 Learning Objectives and Overview
Learning Objectives
1. Describe the importance and purpose of project planning.
2. Identify the basic processes and activities required in the planning phase.
3. Explain the main components of requirements elicitation.
4. List the main components of a project management plan.
5. Describe the process to develop a detailed description of the project.
6. Elaborate on the WBS structure to subdivide project deliverables and project work
into smaller, more manageable components.
7. Practice on Microsoft Project to create a WBS.
4.0 Overview
After the project charter is approved by the sponsor, the project manager is appointed as the primarily
responsible authority to utilize the budget and resources, define the primary components of the project
such as scope, cost, schedule, quality, and risks, manage, control and monitor project activities, and
finally close the project. From now on, the project manager is ready to enter the second phase in the
project management life cycle. This is referred to as the planning phase, which directly follows the
initiation phase. The planning phase involves creating a set of plans to help guide the team through the
execution and closure as well as the monitoring and controlling which occurs throughout the whole
project. The plans created during this phase help the project manager and the team manage triple (iron
triangle) constraints, which are scope, schedule and cost, and other constraints such as quality,
resources, and risks, and other related issues and knowledge areas (e.g., integration, procurement,
stakeholders, communication). They also help the project manager lead the project team and work with
external suppliers to ensure that the project deliverables can be delivered on time, within budget, and
with the desired functionality.
92
, Project Management
4.1 Project Planning
Planning consists of the processes required to establish the scope of the project, refine the objectives,
and define the course of action required to attain the objectives that the project was undertaken to
achieve. Although most of the project effort (i.e., making use of the workforce and other resources) is
spent during the execution phase that occurs after the planning phase, project managers and their
teams face the most challenging tasks and perform many processes during the planning phase. The
project planning phase is often the most challenging phase for a project manager, as the project
manager is often required to make educated guesses about the team members, resources required for
all the activities, and the schedule and budget needed to complete the project. In addition, the planning
includes communications and procurement activities, as well as planning contracts with any third-party
suppliers.
Thorough and proper planning helps the team have a smoother execution process with a better
prediction level. However, it is of high importance to keep in mind that predictability is at low levels in
many projects in terms of scope (requirements and project activities), schedule, budget, and risks. This
is why agile (adaptive) project management comes to the forefront, which started in the 1990s with
software projects and extended to information systems projects over time, and other fields such as, but
not limited to, new product development, high technology projects, and start-ups. Agile project
management will be discussed in Chapter 12 “Agile (Adaptive) Project Management”.
Project planning is at the heart of the project life cycle and tells everyone involved where the project is
going and how the team is going to get there. It involves creating a set of plans to help guide the team
through the implementation and closure phases of the project. The plans created during this phase help
the project team manage time, cost, quality, changes, risk, and related issues. The purpose of the
project planning phase is to:
Provide guidance and direction on how scope, schedule, cost, quality, resources,
communications, risks, procurements, and stakeholders will be managed throughout the
project,
Refine and elaborate on the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-based)
objectives, establish the business, stakeholder, solution, and transition requirements, and
translate them to project activities by defining the scope and create WBS (Work Breakdown
Structure),
Develop project schedule by defining and sequencing project activities and milestones, and by
estimating activity durations.
Determine resources, identify risks based on the requirements and activities, and eventually
estimate costs and determine project budget,
Identify the methods to track, review, and regulate the progress and performance of the
93
