The key to a successful project is in the planning. Creating a project plan is the first thing you should do when undertaking any kind of project.
Often project planning is ignored in favour of getting on with the work. However, many people fail to realise the value of a project plan in saving time, money and many problems.
This article looks at a simple practical approach to project planning. On completion of this guide you should have a sound project planning approach that you can use for future projects.
Step 1 Project Goals
A project is successful when the needs of the stakeholders have been met. A stakeholder is anybody directly or indirectly impacted by the project.
As a first step it is important to identify the stakeholders in your project. It is not always easy to identify the stakeholders of a project, particularly those impacted indirectly. Examples of stakeholders are:
* The project sponsor
* The customer who receives the deliverables
* The users of the project outputs
* The project manager and project team
Once you understand who the stakeholders are, the next step is to establish...