Fundamentals of Project Management

Planning the Project

The PMBOK® Guide states that the planning process includes actions necessary to define, integrate, and coordinate all subsidiary plans into a project management plan. This implies that in bottom-up planning, the summary project plan being the consolidation of subsidiary plans is drawn independently.

Based on your understanding of the project planning process, answer one of the following bullet points:

• Is bottom-up planning appropriate or should the project plan be developed top-down by developing the subsidiary plans based on the documentation (charter and scope statement) that has been produced to this point? Explain. Is there any other approach you would recommend?
• List the nine components of planning sequences for software project planning. Any successful project plan must contain nine key elements. List these items and briefly describe the composition of each.
• Describe the "even planning process" and explain why it is helpful. What is shown on a linear responsibility chart? How is it useful to a project manager? In what ways may the WBS be used as a key document to monitor and control a project?