Project Management For Dummies®

Chapter 4. Developing Your Game Plan: Getting from Here to There

In This Chapter

• Breaking down your project

• Knowing how much detail is enough

• Developing and displaying a Work Breakdown Structure

• Dealing with unknown activities

The keys to successful project planning and performance are completeness and continuity. You want to identify all important information in your project plan, and you want to address all aspects of your plan during project performance.

Your description of project work provides the basis for: scheduling and resource planning, defining roles and responsibilities, assigning work to team members, capturing key project performance data, and reporting on completed project work. This chapter gets you on the right track.

Dividing and Conquering: Working on Your Project in Manageable Chunks

One of my major concerns when I start a new project is remembering to plan for all important pieces of work. Another concern is accurately estimating required time and resources. To address both issues, I develop a logical framework to define all work that is necessary to complete the project.

I have a friend who loves jigsaw puzzles. A while back, he told me about an acquaintance who had asked him to assemble a 5,000‐piece puzzle of the United States. When his acquaintance suggested that he should determine whether any pieces were missing, my friend laughed. He had always determined whether a piece was missing by assembling the puzzle and then noting whether the picture had any holes. How ...