In many projects you will need to procure or purchase something. It might be software, hardware, professional services, office space, furniture, resources, licenses, permits, etc. It is up to the Project Manager to determine what needs to be procured, who is providing the funding, who will sign the purchase orders or contracts, and the timing of when it is needed for the project. These actions need to be tracked and managed in order to stay on schedule.

Many organizations have policies and procedures on procurement to ensure they are getting the best deal. Be sure to understand these policies and procedures for your organization

The Procurement Management Plan addresses the following:

• Lists what to purchase or acquire and when and how

• Documents all products, services, and results requirements and identifies potential sellers

• Describes how sellers will be selected

• Describes how contracts will be negotiated, administered and closed. You can reference the Contract Management policies of your organization

Managing risk stands along with having a well-defined Project Charter as the two most important disciplines of Project Management. Having a documented plan for how you will manage risk will help enforce the practice.

In a future post I will describe the metrics that are used to measure the health of a project. One of these measures is Risk Management. The health of managing risk is “green” (which is good) if you have a plan for managing risk and are adhering to it.

The Risk Management Plan addresses the following:

• Identify the template to be used as the Risk Register.  Include column definitions and an example. In a future post, when I elaborate on Risk Management, I will identify the key components of a Risk Register

• Include the procedures you will use to identify, monitor and escalate risks. This includes identifying who will participate in Risk Management sessions

• Identify standard checklists or historical risk information you can use for Risk identification