Defining a Workplan in a Project

People that are not familiar with project management often think that it’s a very simple job that anyone could do. If you’ve ever actually tried to manage a project then you will know that this certainly isn’t the case! Many people who are not used to managing projects end up overcomplicating things, which can cause other problems.
If you want to take a project management role on, then it would be a very good idea to understand exactly what the role entails. Picaso Consulting aims to suport companies throughout the project management life cycle.

Assembling your Team
Before you can get on to designing the workplan for your project you need to assemble your team. This should include a representative from people who will play a part in the project. Be sure to include customers, employees and subcontractors. This is an important step as it helps you to define the roles of each person.

Objectives
This is the step that most people skip, you need to think of exactly what you want to achieve by doing the project. Although you may know already, it’s important to think about it again now.

Plan
You should then organize the project into a simple work plan and make sure that you include the estimated durations in the plan. The idea of the plan is to work out how the project will be completed. The project manager should be able to use the plan to predict when certain phases of the project will be completed; it will be used to stay on target to finish on time.

Enhance your Plan
Once you have your initial project plan you should improve it by adding more information to it. You need to consider the costs, risks and resources. For example every company has a limited number of employees, these are resources. If the project manager believes that employees are too busy, then some form of contingency planning needs to be worked into the project plan.

The cost of the project is also important, if you run well over your estimated amount then the value of the project plan will be greatly reduced. Moreover, accurate cost forecasts will help you to manage your cash flow much better.

Sometimes something occurs to endanger the project even if you are doing everything you possibly can. In this case, you should use risk management techniques to minimize the risks.

Trial and Error
Once the team has published your project work plan, many people think that you can just sit back and relax. That’s just not the case!
You should keep an eye on the project and continually adjust the plan if you need to. These adjustments to the plan should be used to minimize the risks, make up for delays, or incorporate scope changes. The plan can be republished and given to stakeholders until no more correction is needed.

Closure
Once the project has been completed the project can be closed by the project manager. This will include filing away the project documents, and some financial tasks. As a project manager, you should be willing to learn from your mistakes, in order to benefit future projects.

Allow Picaso Consulting to help you deliver the projects in a timely and Professional manner.