The essential elements of a project plan and templates to create all of them

Project plans are the driving force behind any project and an essential part of any new endeavor. Not only do project plans clearly define the scope, structure, resources, goals, deliverables, and timelines of your project, but they also act as a central space for all contributors to check on progress and get realigned on the project plan.

Without a project plan, it’s likely that your project will encounter issues such as running over budget, missing deadlines, as well as frustration and burnout from the team.

The importance and elements of project planning

A project plan is a must-have to ensure that your project can go off without a hitch. Your project plan will actively prevent scheduling conflicts and make clear who is responsible for which elements of the plan, avoid confusion or surprises by aligning everyone on expectations, scope, process, and communications from the outset, help the overall goals and purpose of the project remain front and center overtime, set expectations regarding workload and timing, and hold team-members and stakeholders accountable. The following elements must be covered within your project plan to ensure the smooth-running of your next project.

Executive summary

Provide an overarching description of the plan’s inclusions, direction, and deliverables.

Scope

Define everything the project should include to achieve success — features, goals, and high-level tasks — while also considering constraints.

Budget

Align expectations with the set spending cap or by itemizing expenses to determine a total cost.

Schedule and timeline

Establish the project delivery date along with the dates for milestones and individual task assignments. This can be done as a schedule of deadlines as well as a visual timeline demonstrating resource allocation and overlapping responsibilities.

Requirements

Dig deeper by defining the requirements needed to achieve the project objective. Make sure these align with stakeholder expectations for the project output.

Quality criteria

Set the standards by which successful iterations or project work will be completed. Include steps for review, revision, and cross-checking quality by team members and stakeholders.

Project resources

Determine the resources needed to complete the project to meet expectations. People representing the desired skillsets should be included along with the tools or assets they will need to perform their work to the highest standard and efficiency.

List of stakeholders

State all of the responsible and accountable parties including roles for review, administration, approvals, and project work. Remember stakeholders can encompass everyone from project managers to executives and individual team contributors.

Communication plan

Outline exactly how, and how frequently, stakeholders will be updated regarding project progress. Choose an interval and format to encourage feedback and make it easy for everyone to share input while feeling heard and appreciated.

Risk management

Identify any threats that could disrupt project progress and create a contingency plan to mitigate the impact. This can include accommodations for employee leave, timetable delays, or setbacks due to quality testing.

Create your own project plan with Adobe Express

While we’ve reiterated the importance of a good solid project plan through this article, actually creating your project plan can be tricky without a template to follow. Fortunately for you, with Adobe Express we have access to many project plan templates that can help you outline your project and kickstart the planning process. Simply select your chosen project plan template from our library of options and easily edit to include the details of your project.

Try Adobe Express today

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