Developing the Project Management Plan

The project management plan process covers all activities that identify and direct the actions of many other processes in the planning process group. Developing the project management plan includes coordinating the development of the subsidiary plans and incorporating them into the complete project plan. The main purpose of the project management plan is to define how the project is to progress from its beginning to completion.

In short, the project management plan provides the high-level gameplan for how the project moves through its life cycle. PMI defines many potential subsidiary plans that make up the overall project management plan. These subsidiary plans provide the specific details for managing each aspect of the project from initiation through closure. The subsidiary project management plans could include

• Communication management plan

• Cost management plan

• Process improvement plan

• Procurement management plan

• Project scope management plan

• Quality management plan

• Risk management plan

• Schedule management plan

• Staffing management plan

This list of subsidiary plans is a great outline of a project. Use the list as a table of contents when you consider what should be in a project management plan.

One of the more common mistakes inexperienced project managers make is to confuse a project plan with a project schedule. The output from many common project management software packages do not qualify as a project plan. They are a good start, but a true project plan is made up of much more information than just scheduling information. This process requires a focused effort to create a plan that incorporates all known information about a project. Table 3.1 shows the inputs, tools, techniques, and outputs for the develop project management plan process.

Table 3.1. Develop Project Management Plan Inputs, Tools, Techniques, and Outputs

Inputs	Tools and Techniques	Outputs
Preliminary project scope statement	Project management methodology	Project management plan
Project management processes	Project management information system
Enterprise environmental factors	Expert judgment
Organizational process assets