Download - 3 Steps to a More Effective Work Plan
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3 Steps to a More Effective Work Plan
(for your next #project)
Based on the expert insights of Kevin Korterud, Accenture, originally shared on PMI’s Voices on Project Management blog.
presented by
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No battle plan survivescontact with the enemy.
Colin Powell
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You can dramatically reduce the g a p
between plan and reality by taking 3 simple steps:
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STEP 1
Design the work plan around the
project goal.
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What is the project goal?
Do you want to:
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Implement a new process across teams?
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Develop a new project or feature?
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Manage a large scale event?
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Define the desired outcome as specifically as
possible so you keep your eye on the prize.
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Taskcompletion
Orchestrationof resources
Creation ofdeliverables
Some possible outcomes may be defined as:
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Why does this matter?
If your project objective is to implement a newly defined process across multiple teams…
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then team acceptance is the critical component to success.
So, organize the work plan around teams and their needs,not around the process itself.
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Makes sense, right?
STEP 2
Measure what you need to know.No more, no less.
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For simpler projects, a straightforward percent complete scheme is great for measuring progress.
For more complex projects use:
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Gantt charts(that show dependencies)
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Resource management dashboard(to show and allocate team availability)
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Earned value tracking (to ensure precise measurement of progress)
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$
This keeps your reports clean, straightforward, and relevant.
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STEP 3
Practiceresource
management.
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Projects are powered by people.
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So tracking team availability is critical to sticking to the work plan.
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Your project will be late.
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{ } Only 18 people are available
requires 30 people
Project A
Avoid resource shortfalls;schedule a fixed time commitment for
each person you will need on the team.
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This ensures you will have the right people to complete the work plan on time and on budget.
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Good resource management tools show you who’s busy, who’s not, and help you
reallocate resources accordingly.
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ConclusionElements of an e�ective work plan
1. Align the work plan to the project goal.
2. Match reporting complexity to project scope.
3. Use resource management for team scheduling.
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Thank you to Kevin Korterud of Accenture & PMI’s Voices blog for sharing these insights.
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Join the millions of project managers who use Smartsheet’s powerful, flexible online spreadsheets
to keep projects on task and on time.
www.smartsheet.com@Smartsheet
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