Project plan template is a document that shows the detail plan, procedures to achieve the project goals. A well drafted sample project plan can help project managers and project team to implement the project according to the project schedules.

Project Plan Overview

Project planning is a continuing process. The project plan can become a working tool that helps to keep the project team focused on the project's tasks and activities and points them towards completion. It enables managers to keep track of resources, time and progress towards achieving objectives. All projects are different and the planning for each will be different. The difficulty with planning a unique activity is that there is no prototype from which to predict all the work that will need to be done, so the plan must evolve as work proceeds.

Project plan need to conduct feasibility analysis. The feasibility of the various solution options are considered with respect to a number of criteria, typically including the cost to deliver the solution, the amount of time that would be needed to deliver the solution, the capability of the implementation team to deliver the solution, whether the solution is congruent with the technology strategies of the project’s participants, and what environmental impact the solution will have, There are, of course, many more criteria that may be used to assess the design solutions proposed.

Project Plan Template

There are free plan template you can download for reference, however, you may follow the instructions to create your own sample project plan that suit your own needs.

The first key part in project plan template is the project background. In the section, the project is discussed fully with all the stakeholders and the key objectives are identified. The costs and timescales are also established at this stage and there is often a feasibility study as well. This stage is complete when the project brief has been written and agreed. the initial scope is defined and initial financial resources are committed. Internal and external stakeholders who will interact and influence the overall outcome of the project are identified. If not already assigned, the project manager will be selected. This information is captured in the Project Charter and Stakeholder Register. When the Project Charter is approved, the project becomes officially authorized.

The second key part in project plan sample is the details of project plan. In the section, you may include: a work breakdown structure to show separate tasks and activities; the team structure and responsibilities of key people; an estimate of effort and duration for each task; a schedule to show the sequence and timing of activities; details of resources to be allocated to each task; details of the budget to be allocated to each cost identified; contingency plans to deal with risks identified etc.

The third key part in project plan example is to identify key deliverables. The project deliverables should be identified so that it will be easy to demonstrate that they have been achieved. Outputs can be defined when there is a distinctly identifiable product but outcomes are more holistic and can imply a changed state that might not be evident for some time.