Where to start if you want to create a plan for your project? In this article, we will go through the logical steps you need to formulate a project plan successfully. Project plans vary in sizes, elements, formats, and components.
So, in fact, there is no single right way of creating a project plan example. As a matter of fact, a good project plan example is the project plan that fits the project it is meant to address. You may find many templates that vary from extremely complex to extremely simple across the internet.
Thus which one to choose? Good question! If you just select any template of the sample, you may find yourself spending precious time filling in a huge amount of details. At the same time, if you select a more simplified template, you may find yourself stuck with a very limited version of the plan that does not include important details. So what should you do? We tend to use a more practical approach, instead of just hand you a ready-made project plan example template we will offer you the journey you should follow to create the right project plan example for your project.
Accordingly, our offering here will include steps you should take to create a suitable plan for your project regardless of its size and components. Now many project managers deal with project planning as a solo act.
Thus, they usually tend to neglect the team collaboration and depend on their own intellectual skills to perform the activities all by themselves. While this may seem an easy approach to create a solid project plan example, it is an approach full of flaws. As a start, consider the fact that teamwork and collaboration bring more value than individual efforts no matter how brilliant the individual is.
At the same time, the combined backgrounds and experience of your project team members cover project different aspects and angles. Now that we settled this point, you need to sit with your team to define the project work as a high level then break it down into detailed work packages. Meanwhile, the team should also work on defining the tasks they need to carry out in order to complete the defined work packages.
These tasks should detail every activity the project team will carry out in the most possible detailed way. This way, the team leaves no chance of missing any aspect of the project, also it helps the team plan and assigns proper resources to the project. As a result, this step is considered one of the most important steps in project planning.
Also, it helps in drawing the line for what should the project team consider as a part of the project scope of work and what is considered out of scope. Since you defined what work your project team needs to complete the project, you need to decide what are the quality standards needed for this work. Although it might look an easy task, deciding what quality standards to comply with is an important task. Accordingly, you and your project team should investigate what are the acceptable quality standards by both your company and customer.
Also, you need to consider any global standards you might need to include. After completing both step 1 and step 2, you can now decide what resources are needed to fulfill the work with the right quality standards. This step involves calculating the needed tools and machinery, the material needed and the human talents needed to complete the tasks.
Also, it involves deciding the skill level of talents, estimating their efforts and deciding who should you assign when possible. In addition to the previous, a good project team considers all possible scenarios of talent and resource acquisition. Building on this, identifying the risks related to resources and talents.
This helps you take into account the variables that might lead you to change your earlier resource decisions. The next step is to understand the relationship between different tasks and activities. This step is the heart of project planning since it defines opportunities for project schedule compression. In addition to the mentioned, it gives the project team the opportunity to identify schedule risks and potential conflicts over resources. Make sure it is focused on your strategic requirements key differentiating criteria so that you can concentrate on your most important requirements and quickly, yet thoroughly evaluate vendors.
Most software tools are already built with excellent functionality for use out-of-the box. Avoid customization wherever possible. Only customize something that gives you a strategic advantage in your market.
With strong Requirements Documentation and Selection Criteria, determine the scope of your targeted comparison. This makes it easier to funnel down to who you want to demo their software. Develop a structured Demo Script so you can compare vendors on a common footing.
See how they meet your key requirements and compare them in an equal manner. Involve all of your key stakeholders in demos and make sure you address all of the functional concerns to get buy-in from everyone. Armed with a strong understanding of your unique business requirements, decide on the best fit for your organization. Conduct due diligence and confirm your final decision.
The end result should be a detailed list of requirements for new ERP software solution. The list should be prioritized, and agreed upon by key leaders within the organization — with buy-in from IT as well as the overall executive team. While not necessarily industry-specific, some ERP solutions are optimized to perform best in industries such as manufacturing and distribution.
This is an important question that can help narrow the list of the ERP software you evaluate. Industry is a factor to consider not only with your software vendor Oracle, Microsoft, Infor, NetSuite etc. Whether or not the vendor and the implementation partner has had success in your industry is essential.
There are a few areas to consider when it comes to the price of your ERP software and implementation. There are direct and indirect costs to be factored in during your ERP selection process.
Below are some of the key costs to evaluate:. Pricing Model - Software Licensing. Implementation Cost. Implementation consulting is usually billed by the hour, at a rate agreed upon before the project begins. Finding the right ERP consulting partner for your business is step one for any successful implementation project and is a necessary aspect of ERP selection criteria. As you select your ERP software, and implementation partner, below are some aspects of the implementation project to consider:.
In addition to software functionality, there are other technology considerations that are important to the ERP selection process.
Best-in-class ERP software includes, at a minimum, these technology features:. Technology and ERP projects at the enterprise level inherently come with some risk. Selecting an ERP software with functionality that fits your business, along with many of the other criteria on this list vendor viability, selecting the right partner, project planning, cost, executive support , goes a long way in mitigating risk during an ERP implementation.
Taking the time to create a thorough map of the key business processes that are essential for the operations of your organization, and using that throughout the ERP selection and implementation, will also negate risk. Essential elements to map out include integrations with other systems as well as necessary ERP customizations for your organization.
Managing the initial scope of an ERP software implementation is necessary to avoid risk and ensure success. You will likely have a vision of future enhancements after the initial implementation. Vendors are also responsible for developing updates and additional releases to keep up with changes in their clients' industries.
However, these partner companies, like Terillium, don't develop the software itself. How will the software help facilitate and support future plans for your organization? Whether future plans include growth, new markets, merging with another entity, the new technology you select should mesh with the strategic direction of your organization. Both ERP software vendors and implementation partners should have references i.
Ask for references within your industry, and with similar business requirements. What is the on-going support and training plan? How will you handle any issues that arise?
Read the Top The Functional Fit for Your Organization This might seem straight forward, but evaluating how the functionality of ERP software products and services fit with your business is the most important and time consuming aspect in the ERP selection process.
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