Project Work Plan Development

Project Work Plan Development is an essential activity of project management that specifies all project work, and aligns factors of cost, schedule, and resource utilization to each planned work element. The following items are generally accepted as key components of the project work plan:

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)--A specification and decomposition of project work activities, normally to the work package level, where work element cost, work duration, and resources required to accomplish the work are assigned. (See Work Breakdown Structure Construction practice.)

Cost--A specification of the estimated cost to be incurred for each work package or other work element in the WBS. (See Project Cost Estimating practice.)

Schedule--A specification of the estimated time duration to be expected, per work element relationships that are established, to complete each work package or other work element in the WBS. (See Project Schedule Estimating practice.)

Resource Utilization--A specification of resources, usually by name or type, that are needed to accomplish each work package or other work element in the WBS. (See Project Resource Utilization Estimating practice.) The project work plan is fundamentally the project WBS with project cost, schedule, and resource utilization information appended at the work package level. Project work plan preparation is a collaborated and coordinated effort that brings these planning elements together. This added information is sometimes referred to as the WBS Dictionary, which expands on and clarifies the description and requirements for each project work element in the WBS. Also, project deliverables and milestones information can be appended as desired or as needed.

Conceptually ...

This practice provides the project manager, project team, and customer with a detailed specific at ion of work that will be per formed by the project team. It provides the basis for assigning and managing project work, measuring project work progress, and reporting project work status and progress.

The purpose of this practice is to provide a common reference document for all project stakeholders who have responsibility for planning, performing, and evaluating work associated with the project. To that end, the project work plan may also be included in the technical portion of any proposal submitted to the customer for consideration.

The project work plan is normally prepared during Project Planning (Plan Phase). However, the project work plan should be reviewed and updated as necessary through out the project.

Prepare the Project Work Plan

The project work plan represents the course of actions that will be taken to achieve project objectives and to complete project deliverables. Ideally, it specifies the actions and activities for all persons and organizations having responsibility for project work. It identifies what work needs be performed, and then enables the project manager to measure and track work efforts to ensure that planned work is actually performed- on time, on budget, and with adequate types and strength of qualified resources. The project work plan is essentially completed when the WBS and associated cost, schedule, and resource utilization estimates are completed. Therefore, this practice for developing the project work plan is focused on a final examination of the WBS and associated estimates for cost, schedule, and resource utilization.

It’s presumed (and recommended) that an automated project management software package will be used as a "database" to capture and store the detailed information of project cost, schedule, and resource utilization, in alignment with some format of the WBS. Alternately, these data can also be maintained using a standard database program or spreadsheet application. Thereby, estimates prepared for the project can be incorporated relative to each WBS work element in the "database" for relative ease in developing an automated project work plan.

Examine and Finalize the WBS

Details of how to construct the project WBS are presented in the Work Breakdown Structure Construction practice. Here we prescribe the examination needed to finalize the WBS work elements as a component of the project work plan.

The project manager or other project planners should examine the WBS relative to its capability to drive project performance. Does it appear that the project will be properly and adequately completed using the specified WBS work elements? Consider the following general checklist in this examination:

Does the WBS adequately reflect the scope of the project? Do the project work elements fulfill project requirements (and deliverables)? Are the project work elements realistic given the qualification of available resources? Are all critical work activities adequately addressed in the WBS? Are there any major (or minor) gaps in the work prescribed by the WBS (e.g., does the work effort flow without any missing activity steps; does it account for shipments, deliveries, and other "waiting" periods; and does it account for all activities that require project team or other stakeholder time commitments)? Are project management activities that incur time commitments included in the WBS (e.g., staff, vendor and customer meetings, resource acquisition activities, project plan preparation, performance tracking and analyses, and report preparation)? Are relevant risk management and mitigation activities incorporated as distinct work elements in the WBS, where practical? Finalization of the WBS is achieved concurrently with the introduction of cost, schedule, and resource utilization information into the project work plan, as described in the following text.

The WBS will be finalized as these elements become finalized.

Examine and Incorporate Project Cost Estimates

Procedures for estimating project costs are presented in the Project Cost Estimating practice. Here we prescribe the examination needed to introduce that cost information into the WBS work elements as a component of the project work plan.

Project cost is usually affected by what work is done (complexity), who does it (qualification), and how long it takes to get done (time constraint). This roughly translates into the concept of "triple constraints," which describes a relationship between cost, schedule, and scope of work (quality). The concept suggests that, when one of the triple constraints changes, at least one other constraint must also change. This concept has a basis in the cost estimate examination that is presented in the following text, as Project Work Plan Development prompts planners and the project manager to consider cost, schedule, and resource utilization trade-offs.

The project manager or other project planners should examine cost estimates relative to the nature and extent of project work.

Consider the following checklist items in this examination:

Do project cost estimates appear reasonable? Do project cost estimates show consistency with project work effort durations? Do project cost estimates show consistency with the quality, experience, and availability of the project resources expected to be utilized? Do project cost estimates vary across any of the same type and duration of work efforts? If so, why are they different? Do project cost estimates provide for contingency and management reserve funding? Do project cost estimates account for all anticipated project expenses? Are the aggregated project cost estimates within the thresholds or limits of funding specified by management and by the customer? When all cost estimate questions are resolved, enter the costs into the WBS work elements in the "database," or into the WBS dictionary, ideally at the project work package level.

Examine and Incorporate Project Schedule Estimates

The procedures for estimating project work durations (i.e., project schedule) are presented in the Project Schedule Estimating practice. Here we prescribe the examination needed to introduce that schedule information into the WBS work elements as a component of the project work plan.

Project schedule estimates should be reviewed relative to the concept of triple constraints. In particular, every project manager must recognize that expediting project work, or otherwise compressing the schedule for a project work element, will have direct effects on cost and quality. Therefore, schedule estimates should be reviewed for realistic attainment and desired outcomes as they are integrated into the WBS. It’s usually better to improve the accuracy of front end work planning (e.g., schedule estimating) than to risk repeating a work element that requires extended project time to ultimately get it right.

The project manager or other project planners should examine schedule estimates relative to the nature and extent of project work. Consider the following checklist items in this examination:

Do project work duration estimates appear reasonable? Do project work duration estimates show consistency with the quality, experience, and availability of the project resources expected to be utilized? Do project work duration estimates account for all required work intended (or implied) by the work element? (e.g., does a work element entitled Paint Walls account for paint acquisition, setup, painting, cleanup, and drying of the paint?) Do project work duration estimates vary across the same type of work efforts? If so, why are they different? Do the aggregated project duration estimates create a critical path that provides the desired schedule? Does the critical path represent an unrealistic schedule or a schedule that requires further coordination with management, the customer, or other project stakeholders? When all schedule estimate questions are resolved, enter the work durations into the WBS work elements in the "data base," or into the WBS dictionary, ideally at the project work package level.

Examine and Incorporate Project Resource Utilization Estimates

The procedures for estimating project resource utilization (i.e., staffing) are presented in the Project Resource Utilization Estimating practice. Here we prescribe the examination needed to introduce that resource information into the WBS work elements as a component of the project work plan.

Project resource utilization estimates should be reviewed relative to the concept of triple constraints, but particularly relative to the schedule and the individual's ability to commit to that schedule. Resource qualifications, capability, and availability to perform specified work according to the schedule should also be examined.

The project manager or other project planners should examine resource utilization estimates relative to the nature and extent of project work. Consider the following checklist items in this examination:

Do project resource utilization estimates for all work elements appear reasonable? Do the aggregated resource utilization estimates maintain individual utilization at or below 100% time commitment? (i.e., is there any unreasonable overloading of work assignments that produces more than 100% time commitments for any individual?) Do project resource utilization estimates vary across the same type of work efforts? If so, why are they different? Do adjustments made in resource utilization require any changes in the project cost or project schedule estimates?

• Number of resources assigned to a specific work package



• Qualification of resources assigned to a specific work package



• Available "start time" of resources assigned to a specific work package

Are project resource utilization estimates consistent with the resource commitments that can be achieved?

Are project resource utilization estimates consistent with the staff allocations that have been made and approved? When all resource utilization estimate questions are resolved, enter the resources and their work commitment levels into the WBS work elements in the "database," or into the WBS dictionary, ideally at the project work package level.