Project Plan DP

[OVERVIEW OF PROJECT BUDGET Comment by me: Delete OVERVIEW and this comment BEFORE submitting the template.

B

udgets need to be complete and detailed enough so there is no question on how the money is being spent. Organizations are different on what they include on their project budgets because many of the human resources are already on the payroll being paid for operational work.

However, some organizations want a full accounting of the project and will include the costs of the personnel even though they are already on the payroll. It is expected that you will include personnel in this assessment budget or offer an explanation on why these monies are not tracked. ]

[GUIDANCE: Moving towards distinguished performance on the Project Budget Comment by me: Delete OVERVIEW and this comment BEFORE submitting the template.

Please add this additional information in the appropriate places in the body of the section above. Here are some additional things that may be added to the template to customize it or elaborate on information that is known about the project:

· Business Segment Justification – Add Column.

· Notes – Clarify the Line Items – Add Column.

· Insert a Graph Showing Allocation of Funds.

· Author Comments – Add Column.

· Use Excel Note Feature to Clarify Line Items.

· Tie Into WBS Task Items for Estimation.

· By Process (Initiate, Plan, Execute, Monitor/Control, Close).

· Embed Excel Spreadsheet in Word Document to Expand Upon the Explanation of the Budget Items.

· Use Formatting Features in the Tool. Example, highlighting a Line Item that may be Critical to the Budget.

· Change the Title of the Budget Template Document to Reflect the Name of the Project.]

[OVERVIEW OF COMMUNICATIONS MATRIX Comment by me: Delete this OVERVIEW and this COMMENT BEFORE submitting the template.

C

ommunications Matrices assist the project manager in making sure all information is distributed to the correct personnel, whether it is the project team, sponsor, upper management, customer, or stakeholders. Usually, this section has a glossary of terms and definitions of TLAs (“three letter acronyms”) so that everyone understands the project’s terminology. For example, a NIC stands for “network interface card,” which is a common piece of hardware used on personal computers.]

Glossary

[GUIDANCE: Moving towards Distinguished Performance on the Communications Matrix Comment by me: Delete this GUIDANCE and this COMMENT BEFORE submitting template.

Add this additional information in the appropriate places in the body of the section above. Here are some additional things that may be added to the template to customize it or elaborate on information that is known about the project:

· Perform a stakeholder communication analysis.

· Determine best communication medium for project (Media Choice Table).

· Include an Expectations Management Matrix.

[OVERVIEW OF RISK MATRIX Comment by me: Delete this OVERVIEW and this COMMENT BEFORE submitting template.

R

isk Matrices are at the core of solving problems before they impact project scope, cost, schedule, and product quality. Clearly, one may categorize risks on what they are going to impact or the type of risk. For example, there may be risks because of the personnel on the team (They may need training on a new technology, or if one team member is sick, their contributions and expertise will be lost.), or there may have been problems in the past with a certain vendor and so forth.

However, another way of looking at it is whether the risks may fit into three different scenarios:

· Known, knowns (It is known when the risk may occur and what it is).

· Unknown, knowns (It is unknown when the risk may occur but it is a known entity).

· Unknown, Unknowns (Neither the timing nor the risk is known, a surprise).

There are many ways to categorize and order risks so that the project manager and the team will stay on top of the situation and able to mitigate or control the risks when they occur. The important part of the Risk Matrix is to make sure that most of the risks are identified and that there are defined actions to deal with them.]

[GUIDANCE: Moving towards Distinguished Performance on the Risk Matrix Comment by me: Delete GUIDANCE and this COMMENT BEFORE submitting template.

Add this additional information in the appropriate places in the body of the section above. Here are some additional things that may be added to the template to customize it or elaborate on information that is known about the project:

· General Overview of the Risk Matrix Table and the Main Purpose for the Project.

· New Column – Category (Personnel, Budget, Equipment, Software, Logistics, Time, Technical, PMBOK ® Guide Knowledge Areas, et cetera)

· Color Code (Show Intensity of Risk: Yellow = “Low,” Orange = “Medium,” Red= “High”)

· Present a Key stating what the colors mean.

· Color Code (Show Status of Risk: Green = “OK,” Yellow = “Look At,” Red = “In Trouble”)

· New Column – Risk Owner (Who has to watch out for and report the certain risk occurring.)

· Add general information outside of the risk matrix table, such as who to contact in case of a severe risk occurring. What is the chain of command?

· New Column – Rank the risk.

· New Column – Number the risk.

· New Column – Description of Loss (or Gain) from the risk occurring.

· Categorize Risks that will need attention and those on a “watch list.”]

[OVERVIEW OF PROJECT SCHEDULE Comment by me: DELETE this OVERVIEW and this COMMENT BEFORE submitting this template.

S

chedules are used throughout the project. Usually, a project manager is told how much time is available to complete a project. Many times, a project manager has to make the project “fit” into the time allotted. However, when a detailed schedule is created, the project manager may have to go back to the sponsor to discuss a more realistic schedule to achieve the product of the project.

A detailed schedule is not put in place until the Scope Statement and Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is discussed and created by the project team. The schedule emanates from the Scope Statement and Work Breakdown Structure.

Part of the reason for introducing learners to Microsoft Project software is to enable them to use this tool to effectively create a project schedule for their assessment. Do not be afraid to use features introduced in the Microsoft Project Labs such as hyperlinks to relevant websites or using notes or comments to clarify the milestones or tasks.

Embedded below is a blank Microsoft Project document:]