So far we have described a number of steps for building a project plan, and they were described in an order that seems logical. First we work out what we are going to deliver, then we work out what tasks we need to do, then we group and order our tasks, then we work out how long each task will take.
It all makes perfect sense. But it probably won’t happen that way. Sure, you’ll work out what you are going to deliver and then think about what steps you need to take…but maybe that will make you re-think what you are going to deliver. When you get to grouping and ordering tasks, you might be reminded of a task that you forgot earlier. While you are estimating the duration of the tasks you may be prompted to re-think the way you ordered your tasks.
Planning is not always the kind of logical, step-by-step process it might initially appear:
Planning is not always the kind of logical, step-by-step process it might initially appear:
- It is an iterative process, which means you will have to keep going back to the beginning and working through the process again, refining as you go.
- There is an element of creativity in planning, using your experience and imagination to predict what is needed and how best to achieve it.
- Each step is likely to help your thinking about other steps.
- You can keep refining each piece of the puzzle until you are happy with it.
For this reason, you might want to consider doing your early stages of planning in a very rough and ready way. Using paper and pencil, or a whiteboard can help to free your thinking in a way that staring at a computer based planning tool (such as MS Project) can’t. You can move faster, think quicker, make notes and scribble things out as you go. Brainstorming with others can also help to speed up your planning. It may be that you will finish your planning in a software tool, but try starting with a method that allows you to plan using broad brush strokes – it can save you a lot of time.
