Project Planning for Beginners - Project Management Training
Summary
TLDRIn this session, the importance of project planning is emphasized, highlighting the potential costs of neglecting it, such as wasted time, money, and credibility. The basics of project planning are outlined, including setting a start and end date, defining deliverables, and understanding the project's scope. A high-level process for planning is provided, focusing on the 'why' and 'what' of a project, its timeline, resources, and process. The concept of a deliverables diagram is introduced as a valuable tool to visualize the project's components, helping to break down tasks, assign responsibilities, and estimate costs, ultimately leading to a successful project completion.
Takeaways
- π Planning is crucial for projects as it helps avoid negative outcomes such as wasted time, money, energy, credibility, and opportunities.
- π― Every project has a start and end date with specific deliverables, which can be a product, service, or information.
- π The planning process involves understanding the project's purpose, deliverables, involved parties, and the methodology to achieve the goals.
- ποΈ A deliverables diagram is a valuable tool for visualizing the project's components and helps in breaking down tasks and assigning responsibilities.
- π‘ Planning helps in estimating project costs by identifying expenses related to the project's execution.
- β³ Timeline creation is a key aspect of planning, which involves determining start and end dates and scheduling deliverables accordingly.
- π₯ Identifying resources and personnel involved in the project is essential for assigning tasks and ensuring timely completion.
- π οΈ The 'how' of planning includes establishing processes for team collaboration, task execution, and maintaining project momentum.
- π‘ The script uses building a house as a relatable example to explain the concept of deliverables and the importance of planning in stages.
- π A well-planned project ensures that all team members understand their roles, the timeline, and the overall project objectives.
Q & A
Why is project planning important according to the speaker?
-Project planning is important because it can prevent negative outcomes such as wasted time, money, energy, and potential loss of credibility, business opportunities, or relationships. It ensures that projects are completed successfully and can even impact the success of a company or job.
What are the potential consequences of not planning a project properly?
-The potential consequences of not planning a project properly include a failed project, a failing company, or job loss.
What are the key elements of a project according to the script?
-The key elements of a project include a start date, an end date, deliverables (which could be a product, service, or information), and the process of how to achieve these deliverables.
What does the speaker mean by 'deliverables' in the context of project planning?
-In the context of project planning, 'deliverables' refer to the specific products, services, or information that are to be produced or delivered by the project at certain points in time.
How does the speaker suggest visualizing the project planning process?
-The speaker suggests visualizing the project planning process through a deliverables diagram, which breaks down the project into its constituent parts, such as the foundation, framing, and roofing of a house.
What is the significance of a timeline in project planning?
-A timeline in project planning is significant as it establishes the start and end dates, which helps to organize the project into manageable chunks of time and ensures that deliverables are produced according to schedule.
What role do people resources play in the project planning process?
-People resources play a crucial role in project planning as they are responsible for executing the work required to deliver the project's products or services.
How does the speaker recommend determining the tasks and sub-tasks for a project?
-The speaker recommends determining tasks and sub-tasks by subdividing the main deliverables into smaller parts and then identifying the work that needs to be done for each part.
What is the purpose of a deliverables diagram in project planning?
-The purpose of a deliverables diagram in project planning is to provide a clear, visual representation of the project's main deliverables and the sub-tasks required to achieve them, which helps in organizing work and resources effectively.
How does the speaker suggest using the deliverables diagram to plan the project?
-The speaker suggests using the deliverables diagram to determine the work required for each deliverable, assign tasks to team members, estimate the time needed for each task, and create a timeline and cost estimates for the project.
What tool does the speaker recommend for project planning?
-The speaker recommends using software from projectmanager.com as a tool to help with project planning.
Outlines
π Project Planning Essentials for Beginners
The speaker emphasizes the importance of project planning, highlighting the potential costs of poor planning such as wasted time, money, energy, and even credibility or relationships. The session aims to cover the basics of project planning and provide a simple process to get started. The speaker mentions that every project has a start and end date, with a deliverable due by a certain date, which could be a product, service, or information. Project planning involves understanding the ultimate goal, the deliverables, who will be involved, and the process to achieve the project's objectives. The speaker introduces the concept of a deliverables diagram, which helps visualize the project's big picture and the various components that need to be delivered at different stages.
π οΈ Breaking Down Project Tasks and Timelines
This paragraph delves into the process of breaking down project deliverables into tasks, determining who will perform the work, and estimating the time required for each task. It discusses the creation of a timeline and specific assignments for team members, which are crucial for managing a project effectively. The speaker also touches on the importance of cost estimation and providing a clear process for all team members to understand their roles and responsibilities. The paragraph concludes with a promotional mention of a project management software that can assist in planning projects, inviting interested individuals to sign up at projectmanager.com.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Project Planning
π‘Start Date and End Date
π‘Deliverables
π‘Scope
π‘Project Cost
π‘Timeline
π‘Resources
π‘Process
π‘Deliverables Diagram
π‘Subtasks
π‘Project Management Software
Highlights
Emphasizes the importance of project planning and its impact on success.
Discusses the potential costs of poor planning, including time, money, energy, credibility, and business opportunities.
Outlines the basic elements of project planning, such as start and end dates, deliverables, and the planning process.
Differentiates project planning from ongoing operational work.
Describes the project planning process, including defining the project's purpose, deliverables, and methodology.
Introduces the concept of a deliverables diagram as a valuable tool in project planning.
Explains the use of a graphical representation to map out project timelines and deliverables.
Details the steps to break down project deliverables into actionable tasks.
Discusses the allocation of resources and the assignment of tasks to team members.
Covers the creation of a timeline and specific assignments to ensure project progress.
Mentions the compilation of project expenses to determine the total project cost.
Highlights the need for a process to guide team members on their roles and responsibilities.
Provides a simplified approach to project planning for beginners.
Promotes a software tool to assist with project planning.
Encourages sign-up for a project management software to streamline the planning process.
Transcripts
[Music]
today we're talking about project
planning for beginners so in today's
whiteboard session I want to talk about
planning and why it's so important and
what it can cost us if we don't I also
want to cover a few basics of a project
in planning and then I want to provide
just a simple high level process to get
started so first of all many of times
I've caught my own self saying hmm I
should have planned that better so this
is typically not a good thing it means
that something didn't turn out the way I
expected or wanted and it as a result it
cost me time money or maybe even my
energy in some cases it may have cost me
credibility or a business opportunity or
even a relationship so when planning a
project is a career it the lack of
planning can result in a failed project
or a fill company or a job so let's talk
about some of the basics so we know from
this planning is important so the basics
of a project is for every project it has
a start date and end date with something
to deliver by a specific or certain date
usually it's a product or service these
days it could be information so it's not
to be confused with ongoing operational
work so in planning planning is a
process of delivering you know why are
we doing this project ultimately what
what's the ultimate deliverable what
other deliverables are going to be
produced like what product or service
who's going to be involved in doing it
and how are we going to do it so if we
look at a graphical picture we've got a
start date and we've got an end date
maybe we have different chunks of time
this specific one is by months we've got
five months highlighted and then we have
different deliverables according to
different points in time we could have
three deliverables due here one
delivered here and maybe four here and
then there's the process of how we go
about doing that so let's look at
planning
so planning again we're talking about
why are we doing this project what is
the big picture what are we what are we
delivering from a high level is it like
a building are you delivering or
planning a wedding something like that
and then what specific are we delivering
according to deliverables and in some
places you may hear that referred to as
scope we also as a result of the project
will have the expenses and those are
compiled to our project cost then we
look at when okay when is the start date
when is the end date and that creates
our timeline we also look at who
actually does the work to deliver the
products or the service so those are our
people resources and then how do we get
there what is the process how do we know
on the project who knows what to do when
and where there's got to be a process so
one of the most valuable things I found
in planning is what's called a
deliverables diagram so ultimately why
the big picture of what we're all tamale
delivering again I love using the
example of a house so ultimately the
project maybe you're building a house
people can visualize that better people
understand what a house is so some of
the deliverables again from the the
diagram you used earlier there may be
three deliverables coupled together in a
package here's one deliverable and
here's four here but if we subdivide it
and we're delivering a house these
deliverables may be the foundation the
second one could be the framing of the
house the third one could be the roof
and then later once that's done and
improved and inspected we could have
another deliverable which is maybe the
plumbing and the wiring delivered
together as a package and inspected and
then we have the remaining deliverables
which may be like that the inside
workings the inside of appliances and
everything inside can be the outside it
could be the landscaping or maybe even
some kind of security system but
when these deliverables are done you
deliver the project but from this
deliverables diagram you take this and
you determine what work has to be done
to do this if you're building the
foundation what sub work or tasks have
to be done there if you're framing the
house divide that down into sub parts
and then also if you're roofing and then
once you have it divided into tasks
you've got to figure out well who's
going to do that work and then how long
is it going to take and then from there
again
you begin coming up with your timeline
and specific assignments for your people
you're also going to be able to
determine your cost and then of course
being able to provide the process for
everyone involved so that you know how
to work together when to work together
to produce the project so this is just a
simplified version of the basics for
planning so if you need a tool that can
help you plan your project then sign up
for our software now at
projectmanager.com
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