Unit 4

Project planning
Project planning is a procedural step in project management, whe
re required documentation is created to ensure successful project
completion. Documentation includes all actions required to defin
e, prepare, integrate and coordinate additional plans. The project
plan clearly defines how the project is executed, monitored, contr
olled and closed.
Project planning requires an in-depth analysis and structuring of t
he following activities:
Setting project goals
Identifying project deliverables
Creating project schedules
Creating supporting plans
Project design
What Is Project Design?
Project design is one of the earliest stages in the life of a proje
ct (exactly when it occurs varies by organization). During proje
ct design, an outline of the project is created, including:
The organization(s) responsible for completing it
A description of the project
Goals, outcomes, and objectives, and when they will be compl
eted
Major deliverables, products, and/or features Success criteria,
and/or monitoring and evaluation guidelines
Budget estimates
7 Steps to Effective Projec
t Design
1. Define Project Goal
2. Determine Outcomes, Objectives, and/or Deliverables
3. Identify Risks, Constraints, and Assumptions
4. Prepare a Visual Aid
Flow charts
Site trees
Gantt charts
Screenshots or screen designs
Photos
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5. Ballpark Your Budget
It’s important to know the budget right from the start. Even
if you don’t have a complete picture of the costs and incom
es your project will generate, create a budget in as much d
etail as you can. The clearer you can be about your budget
during the project design phase, the less likely you are to e
xperience unexpected cost overruns later.
Estimating your budget will also help you determine the fe
asibility of the project.
6. Determine Approval and Monitoring Processes
7. Use Proper Project Design Documents
Project schedule process
Step 1: Understand the Project Outcome
First you need to fully understand what it is you need to achieve. (Refer to
my article; Project Management - Begin with the end in mind). Review the
project/task in detail so that there are no "unknowns." Some difficult-to-un
derstand, tricky problems that take the greatest amount of time to solve. T
he best way to review the job is to just list all component tasks in full detail.
Step 2: Estimate Time
When you have a detailed list of all the tasks that you must achieve to com
plete the project then you can begin to estimate how long each will take.
Make sure that you also allow time for project management administration
, detailed project, liaison with outside bodies resources and authorities, me
etings, quality assurance developing supporting documentation or procedu
res necessary, and training.
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Also make sure that you have allowed time for:
• Other high urgency tasks to be carried out which will have priority over this one.
• Accidents and emergencies.
• Internal/external meetings.
• Holidays and sickness in key staff/stakeholders.
• Contact with other customers, suppliers and contractors.
• Breakdowns in equipment.
• Missed deliveries by suppliers.
• Interruptions by customers, suppliers, contractors, family, pets, co-workers, etc.
• Others priorities and schedules e.g. local government planning processes.
• Quality control rejections, etc.
• Unanticipated events (e.g. renovating the bathroom finding white-ants/termites
in the walls).
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Step 3: Plan for it Going Wrong
Finally, allow time for all the expected and unexpecte
d disruptions and delays to work that will inevitably h
appen. Sickness, strikes, materials not available, poor
quality work, bureaucratic bungling, etc.
Scheduling manpower
What Is Workforce Scheduling?
Workforce scheduling entails establishing the schedul
e of your current hourly workforce to manage the pr
edicted amount of work in your business.
Workforce scheduling is an integral component of wo
rkforce management, which involves taking into acco
unt predicted workloads and then the number of res
ources needed to complete the job.
Industries That Require Wor
kforce Scheduling
Retail
Healthcare
Hospitality
Contact centers
Manufacturing
Construction
Transportation and Logistics
the Features of Workforce S
cheduling / software
1. Labor forecasting
2. Time tracking
3. Shift swapping 4. Customizable Reports
How to Optimize Workforce Scheduling
1. Assess the demands of the business
2. Assess employee availability and employee trends/p
atterns
3. Let the scheduling begin
4. Make the schedule available to employees