Developing Primary Project Management Plans

Primary project management plans are the core documents that provide essential concepts and guidance for managing the project. These primary plans should contain more detail as the projects they support become more complex. However, they are essential components of project management, and therefore they should be developed for use on every project conducted by the organization.

It’s important for the organization to recognize a standard set of component documents that are used to guide project management activities, as prescribed by the set of primary project management plans that are presented in this practice. However, the organization should also review its need for these plans and then either confirm their use or adjust and specify another set of primary project management plans that are used for every project. The content and level of detail of primary project management plans may vary according to project size, value, and duration, but their purpose is generally applicable to all projects conducted by the organization.

Conceptually ...

This practice provides the project manager, project team, and various stakeholders with a basis for conducting project management. It specifies the documents that will be used to guide the essential project management activities that are to be performed for all projects.

The purpose of this practice is to provide some consistency in project planning and a common frame of reference for all project managers, and for all managers above project managers. It also provides, as may be included in each plan, for common report elements, a common tracking and controlling approach, and a common set of measurements of project performance-so that such information from each project in the organization has a common basis and therefore can be aggregated for compiled use.

Primary Project Management Plans Development is accomplished during project planning (Plan Phase). However, resulting plans should be reviewed and updated as necessary throughout the project.

Using Primary Project Management Plans

The following list presents six Primary Project Management Plans that are prescribed for use by all project managers across all projects conducted in the organization. More details about preparing these plans are contained within other relevant practices related to their purpose.

Risk Management Plan--This plan specifies the activities for managing risk throughout the project management life cycle. It identifies the project team members and other stakeholders responsible for managing various types of project risk, and it compiles the identified project risk events and response strategies established through a project risk assessment and other ongoing efforts to identify and manage risks. See the Risk Management Plan Development practice for more plan content considerations.

Communications Management Plan--This plan describes the methods for gathering, distributing, and storing various types of project information. In particular, it specifies the content, format, and frequency of required and optional project reports. It can also specify project document requirements and control procedures.

This plan also identifies project stakeholders and, to the extent possible, specifies their roles and responsibilities. Also, this plan indicates the protocol for project communication-what are the preferred and authorized interactions for communications among project team members, senior management, the customer, vendors and contractors, and other project stakeholders. Finally, this plan can include instructions for identifying problems and escalating project issues to the project manager, the project management office (PMO), and senior management. See the Project Communication Implementation practice for more plan content considerations.

Change Control Plan--This plan describes the management and control of project scope. It particularly includes specification of the preferred change management process as an integral component of scope management. It also specifies individual responsibility for managing scope, and it specifies "dos and don'ts" for project team members as guidance for avoiding unintentional modifications to the work effort that represent scope changes. This plan can contain a checklist of indicators of drifting scope. See the Project Change Control practice for more plan content considerations.

Note that in some organizations, a scope management plan may be used in lieu of, or is regarded to be the same as, the change management plan.

Quality Management Plan--This plan describes how the project team will implement its quality policy and practices on the current project. It includes the identification of quality requirements for direct and indirect project deliverables, specifies the technical reviews and threshold values of quality control, and identifies the quality assurance activities to be accomplished as a matter of ensuring successful technical performance.

It also can identify scheduled and ad hoc technical and project management audits that may be conducted as a part of the project oversight effort. It can reference applicable technical standards and specification documents, and adjunct technical plans having greater quality process and procedural details. When possible, it can identify individuals and organizations responsible for quality management. Finally, the quality management plan should specify the procedures and criteria for customer acceptance of project deliverables. See the Project Quality Planning practice for more plan content considerations.

Vendor Management Plan--This plan describes how external resources will be integrated into the project effort. This includes specification of their primary point of contact, and key roles and responsibilities that will be fulfilled. If not otherwise provided in a separate support plan, the procurement process for vendor and contractor acquisition can be incorporated in this plan.

This plan also will specify the deliverables to be accomplished by the vendor/contractor, the methods that will be used to accept vendor and contractor deliverables, and the process for receiving and approving invoices associated with vendor/contractor deliverables. This plan should also prescribe the management activities that will be accomplished to ensure effective and timely vendor performance on the project. See the Vendor Performance Management practice for more plan content considerations.

Staffing Management Plan --This plan describes the project resources needed, allocated, and assigned to the project effort. The plan is constructed to help the project manager and technical team leaders identify the number and type of resources needed to accomplish the project effort; when, how, and from where they will be sourced; and what steps will be taken to manage their timely acquisition and assignment. It frequently contains a project resource responsibility matrix to show alignment of individuals with project work responsibilities.

A portion of the plan should specify how the project team and individual team members will be dispersed following completion of their assigned duties.

Finally, this plan should prescribe the management activities that will be accomplished to ensure effective and timely staff performance on the project. See the Project Staff Management practice for more plan content considerations.