A Project Management Plan is commonly referred to by professionals as a Gantt chart or a schedule. Professionals who bring this misconception into the PMP® certification exam have the lowest chance of passing. A Project Management Plan, as defined in this article, is a document that defines how a project is executed, monitored, and controlled; it is much more than a schedule chart. A solid understanding of the project plan can pay huge dividends in your preparation for the PMP® certification exam, as well as in project management.
This article will go over the following topics in-depth:
What exactly is a project management plan?
– Project management plan components
– Creating a Project Management Plan
– Approval of the project management plan
What exactly is a Project Management Plan (PMP)?
Following input from the project team and key stakeholders, the project manager develops the project management plan. A project management plan is a formal, approved document that specifies how the project will be carried out, monitored, and controlled. It could be a summary or a detailed document, with baselines, subsidiary management plans, and other planning documents included. This document is used to define the approach that the project team will take to deliver the project’s intended project management scope.
The project’s performance is measured against the performance measurement baseline included in the project management plan as work progresses. The performance measurement baseline is made up of the scope baseline, the schedule baseline, and the cost baseline. If a deviation from the baseline occurs while the work is being completed, the project manager handles it by making adjustments to correct the deviation. If these adjustments fail to correct the deviations, formal changes to the baselines are required.
Project managers devote a significant amount of time to ensuring baselines are met, and that the project sponsor and the organization reap the full benefits of their projects. A project manager’s abilities include not only proper planning, but also efficiently controlling the project and ensuring project deliverables are on time—and that the project is completed in accordance with the project management plan.
What Constituents a Project Management Plan?
A project management plan is made up of baselines and subsidiary plans such as:
Scope, schedule, and cost benchmarks
Management strategies for scope, schedule, cost, quality, human resources, communications, risk, and procurement
Plan for managing requirements
Change management strategy
Plan for Configuration Management
Plan for Process Improvement
Putting Together a Project Management Plan
The project management plan is an output of the Develop Project Management Plan process in the Project Integration Management Knowledge Area, according to the PMBOK® Guide.
The project management plan is not created in a single step. It is gradually elaborated, which means that it is created, refined, revisited, and updated. Because the project management plan combines all of the knowledge area management plans into a unified whole, it must be assembled after all of the component plans have been completed.
The majority of project management plan components are developed in various processes defined in the PMBOK® Guide; for example, the Communications Management Plan is developed in the Plan communications process.
The Schedule Management Plan, Cost Management Plan, and Scope Management Plan, on the other hand, are created during the Develop Project Management Plan process. When the initiating process group creates a project charter, it includes a summary of scope, budget, and a summary (milestone) schedule.
You can go ahead and develop the scope management plan, cost management plan, and schedule management plan because you already have these things when you start developing the project plan. Later, when you complete the Plan Scope, Estimate Costs, and Develop Schedule processes, you can revise the project plan components in greater detail to reflect a more in-depth understanding of the project.
Approval of the Project Management Plan
Because the project management plan is a formal document used to manage the project’s execution, it must be formally approved. Who approves the project management plan is determined by the organizational structure and a number of other factors.
Typically, the project management plan document is not approved by the customer or senior management of an organization. The customer signs the contract but frequently ignores the internal workings of the organization responsible for completing the project. Typically, the project manager, project sponsor, or functional managers who provide project resources approve the project plan.
It is easier for a project manager to get the project management plan approved if the following conditions are met:
All stakeholders, as well as their requirements and objectives, are identified.
Priorities that conflict is handled in advance by the project manager.
Watch this video on PMP Certification Training to learn how to build a career in project management and how certification training prepares you for project management job roles in any industry.
