Project Planning Task

A Project Planning Task is a systematic project management task that creates project plans to define project scope, project schedules, and resource allocations for achieving project objectives.

• AKA: Project Planning, Project Plan Development Task, Project Schedule Planning Task, Project Organization Task, Project Definition Task.
• Context:
  • It can typically define Project Scope through scope definition processes.
  • It can typically create Project Schedules through scheduling methods.
  • It can typically allocate Project Resources through resource planning.
  • It can typically identify Project Risks through risk assessment.
  • It can typically establish Project Baselines through baseline definition.
  • ...
  • It can often determine Critical Paths through network analysis.
  • It can often estimate Project Costs through cost estimation methods.
  • It can often define Project Milestones through milestone planning.
  • It can often optimize Resource Usage through resource leveling.
  • ...
  • It can range from being a Simple Project Planning Task to being a Complex Project Planning Task, depending on its project planning complexity level.
  • It can range from being a Manual Project Planning Task to being an Automated Project Planning Task, depending on its project planning automation level.
  • It can range from being a Waterfall Project Planning Task to being an Agile Project Planning Task, depending on its project planning methodology.
  • ...
  • It can utilize Project Management Software for planning automation.
  • It can produce Work Breakdown Structures for task decomposition.
  • It can generate Gantt Charts for schedule visualization.
  • It can create Project Charters for project authorization.
  • It can develop Risk Registers for risk management.
  • ...
• Example(s):
  • Software Project Planning Tasks, such as:
    • Software Development Project Planning Task that plans software release cycles.
    • System Integration Project Planning Task that coordinates integration phases.
    • Software Migration Project Planning Task that schedules migration activities.
  • Construction Project Planning Tasks, such as:
    • Building Construction Planning Task that sequences construction phases.
    • Infrastructure Project Planning Task that plans infrastructure development.
    • Renovation Project Planning Task that schedules renovation activities.
  • Business Project Planning Tasks, such as:
    • Product Launch Planning Task that coordinates launch activities.
    • Marketing Campaign Planning Task that schedules campaign elements.
    • Organizational Change Planning Task that plans change initiatives.
  • Research Project Planning Tasks, such as:
    • Scientific Research Planning Task that schedules research phases.
    • Clinical Trial Planning Task that plans trial protocols.
    • Academic Project Planning Task that organizes research milestones.
  • IT Project Planning Tasks, such as:
    • Cloud Migration Planning Task that phases cloud transitions.
    • Security Implementation Planning Task that schedules security deployments.
    • Data Center Planning Task that coordinates infrastructure upgrades.
  • Event Project Planning Tasks, such as:
    • Conference Planning Task that organizes conference elements.
    • Wedding Planning Task that coordinates wedding activities.
    • Festival Planning Task that schedules festival components.
  • ...
• Counter-Example(s):
  • Project Execution Tasks, which implement project plans rather than create them.
  • Project Monitoring Tasks, which track project progress rather than plan project activities.
  • Resource Management Tasks, which manage existing resources rather than plan resource allocations.
  • Risk Management Tasks, which handle identified risks rather than plan risk mitigation.
  • Strategic Planning Tasks, which define organizational strategy rather than project plans.
• See: Project Management Task, Planning Task, Project Plan, Project Schedule, Gantt Chart, Work Breakdown Structure, Critical Path Method, Resource Planning, Project Management Software, Earned Value Management, Project Charter, Risk Management, Automated Project Planning.

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References

2015

• (Wikipedia, 2015) ⇒ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/project_planning Retrieved:2015-1-23.
  • Project planning is part of project management, which relates to the use of schedules such as Gantt charts to plan and subsequently report progress within the project environment. Initially, the project scope is defined and the appropriate methods for completing the project are determined. Following this step, the durations for the various tasks necessary to complete the work are listed and grouped into a work breakdown structure. Project planning is often used to organize different areas of a project, including project plans, work loads and the management of teams and individuals. The logical dependencies between tasks are defined using an activity network diagram that enables identification of the critical path. Project planning is inherently uncertain as it must be done before the project is actually started. Therefore the duration of the tasks is often estimated through a weighted average of optimistic, normal, and pessimistic cases. The critical chain method adds "buffers" in the planning to anticipate potential delays in project execution. Float or slack time in the schedule can be calculated using project management software. Then the necessary resources can be estimated and costs for each activity can be allocated to each resource, giving the total project cost. At this stage, the project schedule may be optimized to achieve the appropriate balance between resource usage and project duration to comply with the project objectives. Once established and agreed, the project schedule becomes what is known as the baseline schedule. Progress will be measured against the baseline schedule throughout the life of the project. Analyzing progress compared to the baseline schedule is known as earned value management. The inputs of the project planning phase include the project charter and the concept proposal. The outputs of the project planning phase include the project requirements, the project schedule, and the project management plan.

    The Project Planning can be done manually. However, when managing several projects, it is usually easier and faster to use project management software.

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