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Planning the Plan

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02 Preparing The Plan

image of man and woman planning a project The Planning Process Group establishes the roadmap for the project by transforming intent into a workable plan. In this group, the team narrowly defines scope, estimates effort and duration. The project plan defines the workflow by sequencing work. The Planning Team builds the schedule and budget, create a plan to manage quality and establishes communication protocols. Risks are identified and responses are codified in the Risk Management Plan. Planning is iterative and integrative: as new information emerges, the plan may be refined to keep the project aligned with objectives and constraints.

Planning produces the baselines like scope, schedule, and cost. The baselines guide the Executing Phase and performance is checked with Monitoring & Controlling to keep the plan on track. These baselines are not just paperwork—they are control references that let the team measure performance, forecast outcomes, and make informed decisions when change is requested.

Key Processes in the Planning Group

According to PMI, the Planning Process Group encompasses the following processes.

  1. Plan Scope Management / Collect Requirements / Define Scope / Create WBS — Clarify deliverables and decompose work.
  2. Define Activities / Sequence Activities / Estimate Durations / Develop Schedule — Build a realistic timeline.
  3. Estimate Costs / Determine Budget — Establish the cost baseline.
  4. Plan Quality, Resources, Communications, Procurements — Define how work will meet standards and how the team and vendors will collaborate.
  5. Plan Risk Management / Identify Risks / Perform Qualitative & Quantitative Analysis / Plan Risk Responses — Anticipate threats and opportunities.
  6. Plan Stakeholder Engagement — Set strategies for involvement and support.

Planning turns what we want into what we will do—and how we will know if we are still on course. — Adapted from PMI guidance

Baselines and Change Management

The outputs of Planning form the Project Management Plan and its baselines. During Executing, the team works to the plan; during Monitoring & Controlling, performance is measured against baselines to detect variance. When warranted, changes are proposed and, if approved, baselines are updated deliberately—not drifted.

This disciplined cycle preserves control while allowing for adaptive learning. Adapted from PMI process guidance.

Example in Practice

Every Monday is a new project in CMPA. The week begins with a pre-project mini-phase where the Week Overview is reviewed. This acts as the customer request and the basis for a lightweight charter.

Then planning starts: the To-Do list becomes a rough Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), assignment deadlines shape the schedule and workflow, and the rubric defines what success looks like (acceptance criteria).

With scope clarified, tasks decomposed, and timeboxes visible, the plan keeps the week pointed in the right direction and helps prevent scope creep, missed deadlines, and blown budgets.

Planning builds the baselines and management plans that guide execution and enable effective control. When the planning phase closes, the plan is handed off to the project manager in charge of executing the plan.

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