This Guest paper was submitted for publication and is copyright to Jamal Moustafaev, MBA, PMP, © 2013.
Published here August 2014.
The material has been abstracted from Jamal Moustafaev's forthcoming book on Project Scope Management.

Introduction | Quick Overall Outline | The Project Plan Contents
Overview and Recipient Stakeholders | Project Scope Management | Project Quality Management
Project Time Management - Schedule and Milestones | Project Cost Management - Budget
Project Risk Management | Project Human Resources Management
Project Procurement Management | Project Communications Management | Concluding Remarks

Quick Overall Outline

An "Overview" statement describing the overall purpose of the document (i.e. the project) is highly recommended, especially for those stakeholders who are not very proficient in the area of project management.

Next state the assumptions on which the directive is based. As an example, the following assumptions were made before writing this paper:

  • Assumption 1: The document contains the absolute minimum of information required for planning a medium-sized project.
  • Assumption 2: If the project is larger, more sophisticated or simply has additional requirements specific to a given industry or a company, then the reader is expected to expand and tailor it according to the specific needs.
  • Assumption 3: Alternatively, if the venture is smaller and a simple one, it is recommended to insert "N/A" (Not Applicable) with a brief explanation as to why, rather that delete the section altogether.

The following nine management knowledge areas cover the territory of the project plan well. Those conversant with the Project Management Institute's Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) will find them familiar.

  • Scope Management section — contains project scope description and reference to the detailed scope documentation.
  • Quality Management — describes quality tools and techniques that will be utilized on the project.
  • Time Management section — includes the project schedule and key milestones.
  • Cost Management section — contains project budget broken down into variable, fixed and other costs.
  • Risk Management — lists all relevant assumptions, constraints and risks.
  • Human Resource Management — outlines the project team and the tasks they will be responsible for.
  • Procurement Management — clarifies all the relevant procurement and outsourcing guidelines for the project.
  • Communications Management — explains the distribution of project documentation.
  • Stakeholder management — sets out the main stakeholders involved and their role in the project.

Finally, the project plan should include a "Revision History Table" to keep track of all the changes, updates and modification made to the document. This is especially important if the document is likely to go through several changes as it circulates amongst the principal stakeholders. The Revision History should be in place either that beginning of the Project Plan or at its end.

Introduction  Introduction

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