Your Key to Project Success
Solid project planning is the bedrock of project success, and that’s true whether you’re managing a highly complex project or even just a small initiative. When a project is well-planned, everything flows smoothly.
Yes, roadblocks and risks will show up, but you’re able to deal with them much more easily when you have a solid plan in place.
The key to great project planning is no mystery – it all depends on knowing how to use key project planning tools.
Project Planning tool #1 – The project charter
Your project charter is like your project’s birth certificate – it officially authorizes your project and gives it life. It’s a vital tool for planning your project because it gets everyone on the same page – your sponsor, your team, and your stakeholders.
Use your charter to outline:
- What’s being delivered – The project goals and objectives.
- Who’s involved – Roles, responsibilities, and key decision-makers.
- What’s expected – The commitments and constraints everyone agrees on.
Project Planning tool #2 – The risk management plan
Risk is inevitable on every project, and that’s what makes your risk management plan one of the most critical project planning tools you’ll use as PM. A lot of people think they can save time by dealing with risk if it shows up. But I can tell you from experience, doing that is a big mistake, because risk will show up – it’s just a question of when.
Think of the time you invest in a risk management plan as insurance for your project. It ensures that when risk shows up, instead of scrambling, you’ll already have strategies in place to keep your project on track.
More essential project planning tools
I have four more critical project planning tools I’d like to outline, so I created a video explaining how each of them drives project success by preventing:
- Misaligned priorities and stakeholder expectations.
- Disorganized and overwhelmed teams.
- Bottlenecks and lack of flow with project tasks.
- Confused and resistant end-users.
Follow me over to YouTube and we’ll keep chatting about this!
Cheers,
Adriana Girdler, PMP | Creator of Slay Project Management™
