Finalising your approach
Project planning: timetable
Having identified your objectives and the budget to deliver the project, the next stage is to plan the project in detail by drawing up a detailed timetable for the work. This timetable should contain all the tasks that need to be achieved across the lifetime of the project. It should also help you to clarify the order in which they need to take place. Some tasks are independent of others. Some form part of a chain, so that other tasks need to be completed before the new one can begin.
Before a project is underway this type of timetable can help clarify:
- The individual tasks to be undertaken
- At what stage of the project they need to start
- When these tasks should be completed by
- Overlaps between different tasks
- Who is responsible for undertaking what task
- The budget for each stage of the project
Once a project is in progress the timetable can be used to:
- Monitor actual activity against planned activity
- Identify any slippage in the overall project at an early stage
For many projects it will only be necessary to use a simplified timetable covering:
- Time span of project
- The tasks that make up the project
- Milestones in the project
- Who needs to do what task
It is important to strike the right balance between planning and delivery. If you are too rigid about planning and processes, you can lose sight of the outcomes you want to achieve. However, if you get too carried away with the activity, you can lose sight of the constraints of the timescale and the budget.
There are some tools which can help you produce sophisticated timelines and other project planning documents. Ask your IT Department for advice and training on appropriate packages.
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