Let us remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our nation and the world.
A new post will be published June 2.
Month: May 2025
The Project Management Plan – Schedule Management #projectmanagement
Before I dive into Schedule Management I want to note the difference between the schedule and what many refer to as “the project plan”. You will often hear the Microsoft Project artifact referred to as “the project plan”. In reality, it is only the project schedule. The Project Plan is the combination of the Project Management Plan (being discussed in this series of posts), the Project Activity Plan (or Work Breakdown), which will be discussed in future posts, and the Project Schedule. I encourage you to use this terminology correctly.
The Schedule Management Plan addresses the following:
• Indicates how the project schedule will be created (who will be the sources of start/end dates and effort), when it will be base lined and lists any scheduling constraints
• Describes the implementation approach (phased, iterative, pilot, etc)
• Defines what level of the schedule will be subject to change management (typically these are the high level milestones and major phase start/end; all other changes can be informally negotiated)
• Defines how schedule performance is monitored and reported (e.g., variance analysis)
• Defines the project schedule software to be used
• Includes a plan for change management: How a schedule change is requested, authorized, and documented
• Reference the Project Charter for the priority of Schedule in the triple constraints
Schedule Management is a critical part of project management and communication. In future posts I will show how to construct the schedule and monitor performance.
My book, “Project Management For The Real World”, is available in paperback and Kindle formats at
The Project Management Plan – Scope Management #projectmanagement
The Project Management Plan defines how the project is executed, monitored, controlled and closed. The first component of the Project Management Plan is the Scope Management Plan.
The Scope Management Plan addresses the following:
• Defines how the Scope of Work will be created. This includes a roles/responsibilities matrix (who will create the scope, who will contribute to the scope, who will approve the scope)
• Defines what the Scope of Work will contain (Scope exclusions, process and physical scope, organizational scope, application scope, deliverables, Work Breakdown Structure aka WBS)
• Defines what constitutes the baseline Scope for change management purposes. This is not the actual Scope, it is the sources of Scope (e.g. “The deliverables as listed in section x of document z and the approved WBS”)
• Includes a plan for change management: How change is requested, authorized, and documented
• Describes the process for getting approval for completed deliverables
• References the Project Charter for the priority of Scope in the triple constraints
My book, “Project Management For The Real World”, is available in paperback and Kindle formats at
The Project Management Plan – Overview #projectmanagement
There are two main types of high level planning for a project: (1) The Project Management Plan; (2) The Project Activity Plan (aka The Project Plan). The Project Management Plan describes the approach and processes for managing the project. The Project Activity Plan describes the work to be done to achieve the project objectives. This series of posts address the Project Management Plan.
The Project Management Plan defines how the project is executed, monitored, controlled and closed. It addresses the management of scope, schedule, cost, quality, staffing, communications, risk, and procurement. Whenever matters of project procedure are in question, this document shall be the first source consulted.
This is a dynamic document and reflects the current thinking regarding the project approach based on what is known at this time. It is expected to be updated with new information as the project unfolds. Original and revised versions should be distributed to the entire project team.
The components of the Project Management Plan are:
- Scope Management
- Schedule Management
- Budget Management
- Staff Management
- Communications Management
- Risk Management
- Procurement Management
- Project Close Definition
- Post-Project Audit Plan
In subsequent posts I will elaborate on each of these sections.
For large projects I highly recommend creating a Project Management Plan and sharing it with your sponsor and key stakeholders. This plan describes the “rules of engagement” for the project and will minimize assumptions and misunderstandings regarding project process. I have also found this to be very helpful if you are new to an organization. It is a way to document your understanding of the project management practices of that organization.
There is a good reason the Project Management Institute (PMI) includes these plans in their best practices. Once I obtained my Project Management Professional (PMP) certification, I included a formal Project Management Plan on all of my large projects.
My book, “Project Management For The Real World”, is available in paperback and Kindle formats at
Practical Project Management Tips and Tools 