How to Write a Project Plan in 9 Simple Steps [+ Templates]

The success of any great project begins with a plan. As a famed founding father once said, "if you fail to plan, you are planning to fail."

A project plan sets the stage for every phase in the project. Who is responsible for what tasks? What are the goals and objectives? What metrics are being used to measure progress? Project planning is an essential part of ensuring stakeholders, teams, and project managers see the project through to completion. A lack of clear goals leads an estimated 37% of projects to fail.

To forego sufficient planning is to risk the sturdiness of the project. Every project, big or small, should utilize a project plan template. Think of your project plan template as a home for all the project information and resources. By keeping your project organized, you eliminate confusion and the risk of missed benchmarks.

At the end of the project, you'll thank yourself for being organized from day one. Let's dive into how to develop a project management plan.

What is a project plan?

A project plan breaks down the sections of your project into bite-sized pieces. It's a formal document that outlines the expectations and processes for the project. This is a single destination where team members can rapidly find answers to their questions. Project performance metrics, task summaries, and frequent updates can all live within this document, or series of documents.

Project managers can regularly check in on the project plan to assess its status, alert team members to any "at risk" areas, and inform project stakeholders of little wins along the way. They can also review the document post-project to assess its strengths and weaknesses to learn where improvements can be made for future projects.

Think of your project plan as a road trip itinerary. As you're planning a road trip, you're making note of sites you want to see, places to stay, and where you can refill a gas task. Simply put, you need to know what you want to do and how you want to do it.

What are the 5 phases of a project plan?

As you dive into creating your project plan, there are five initial steps to help you get started. Keep in mind that every project, team, and company is a little different. Modify, add, or remove sections or steps as necessary until the plan makes the most sense for your project.

1. Concept and initiation

The first phase of developing your project plan is where all the brainstorming happens. Gather your team or get their thoughts individually to create a master list of ideas. Don't worry about not having all the answers right now. Your only focus in this phase should be thinking about where you want your project to go.

2. Definition and planning

Here is where you'll get a bit more into the nitty-gritty. The definition and planning phase of your project plan establishes the goals, timeline, and responsibilities for the project. You'll want to make sure every key player knows their role and expectations. You'll also want to establish clear metrics that will be used to measure the success of the project.

3. Project execution

Step three is the fun part: execution. Now is the time to put all your brainstorming and planning into action. Make sure each stakeholder knows to utilize the project plan template for updates, discoveries, and conversation about the project. Good communication and documentation throughout a project is always important, but especially in this phase.

4. Performance and control

When it comes time to check in on the project's performance, you'll be grateful for having established clear metrics earlier on in the planning phase. Review the project from beginning to end.

Pro tip: Consider doing frequent check-ins over the course of the project instead of one final look-through at the end.

5. Project close

First, congrats! If you've reached this stage of the project process it means you've successfully worked through each step and now get to reap the benefits of your efforts. Make sure to review each step of the project, assessing what worked and what didn't. Archive your plan for future reference by you or other teams. Take a moment at the end of the project to document everything you learned. You can use this information to guide future similar projects.

How should a project plan be formatted?

Format your project plan to mimic the project's workflow. Begin by defining the project, stating its goals, stakeholders, and how its success will be measured. This can be as detailed or high-level as you feel is necessary.

Next, transition into the project phases. If you have several teams working together, here is a good place to link to other templates that outline the project workflow for those teams. Perhaps the most important section of your project plan is the "status" section. This where you can make frequent updates for the project. Leave specific notes for newly discovered project elements or general information that can be useful as the project continues.

As a general rule of thumb, avoid detailing an excessive amount of information. The more information people are required to read and digest, the less likely they are to remember all the details put forth. Only provide project stakeholders with the information they need to successfully complete their tasks in the project.

How to write a project plan

Sitting down to write the project plan can be intimidating. We get it. Starting from a pre-built template can help make the process a little less daunting. Follow these steps when writing your impeccable project management plan:

1. Identify business justification and stakeholder needs

This step should answer the "why?" of your project. Where does this project fit into your company's overall business goals? What does it need to accomplish? Make sure to set time aside to speak with the project stakeholders and understand their needs for the project.

2. Outline the project objectives and goals

The project's stated objectives and goals will be an integral resource for the entire duration of the project. This is information you will likely reference frequently as phases of the project are completed. It also helps inform the steps of the "execute" part of the project. Consider these factors when completing the project objectives and goals:

• Determine the project methodology/framework
• Expectations for deliverables
• Identify key risks and countermeasures
• Set milestones
• Create an overview of the project timeline
• Estimate the resources need to complete the project

3. Define the project scope

This part of your project plan includes a detailed outline of all aspects of the project. Resources, timelines, deliverables, and any other related documentation exists in this section of the plan template. You can also identify potential obstacles and milestone markers as they relate to the project as a whole or as individual tasks. Use the markers below to guide your scope.

Align project objectives

When you start with project objectives, you can more easily determine project steps. You have a clear understanding of what the project is meant to accomplish and can articulate this to team members as they begin working through their responsibilities of the project. Here is the framework to set goals that your entire organization will reference.

Set projects goals to align with OKRs

Your OKRs mark your project objectives and key results. Now that you've defined these measurable goals, it's time to set project benchmarks to help you achieve these goals. Break each objective down into smaller pieces that can be given metrics. Use these benchmarks to assess the project’s success from beginning to end.

Determine how goals will be measured

Now that you've broken down your objectives into highly-specific goals, it's time to assign useful metrics to each goal. The numbers you use to determine the success of your project will vary. Whether it's the percent of website traffic coming from social media or the number of new product signups, you can choose metrics that are best designed to showcase your project's success at the end.

4. Create the project plan

With your metrics and objectives handy, it's time to dive into the project plan. Here is where you'll define what is needed and when. It's the framework for establishing a timeline.

Determine the deliverables

What does your project need to succeed? The deliverables of your project can derive from internal or external stakeholders. They can include design drawings, proposals, engineering reports, competitor analysis, or technical assessments. Anything from physical items to number-based targets are considered potential deliverables for your project.

Set expectations on process for deliverables

Name the teams or individuals who will be players in the project. Assign tasks based on a stakeholder’s areas of expertise. Set expectations for every team member or stakeholder involved in the project. Clear communication is pivotal in the success of any project.

Identify necessary tasks for completion

There is no room for excess work in your project, especially if you’re working on a tight deadline. With a list of the expected deliverables for the project, you're going to outline the order in which these deliverables must be completed. If there are specific needs for each deliverable, ensure this is communicated to the person responsible for them.

Create a communication plan

How will acting parties of the project keep in touch? Does it work better for your team to have weekly meetings to check the status of the project or would you rather all communication be done asynchronously? You could even consider doing meetings on an ad-hoc basis. You can communicate largely in your project management software or rely on a knowledge base to record information and answer questions.

Create a change management plan

A change management plan outlines the precise steps a company will take to smoothly embrace changes in the workflow. Change in any project plan can be challenging. Accounting for these changes in a change management plan can help ease the stress that comes along with making sudden adjustments to what was previously considered the workflow.

5. Identify and allocate project resources

Before the project kicks off, take stock of what resources might be needed to ensure the project runs smoothly. Do you need to create supplemental internal documentation? Have similar projects been completed by your company in the past that you can reference? Make sure every key player in the project has what they need to complete their work well and on time.

Estimate needed resources and resource availability

Is there specific documentation needed for certain steps in the process? There might be software or tools that teams need to complete their project responsibilities. Touch base with your stakeholders to ask what they need. If you need to add new tools or resources to your budget, make sure to note these during the project planning process.

Identify contribution and dependencies for task completion

Within the project workflow, there might be some tasks that rely on other tasks being completed in order to be done themselves. At the same time, there might be places where stakeholders encounter bumps in the road. Consider the contingencies and make note of them in the project plan template.

Create a cost management plan for budget

As with any project, launch, or initiative, you need to have a budget. Whether it's spending on ads or outsourcing work, you should have a detailed summary of the project's required finances. Take note of where the budget might be adjusted based on variables that could come into play. This will help reduce the risk of running into surprise expenses that delay the project.

6. Establish a project timeline

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Big or small, all projects and assignments need due dates. When working with a large-scale project, there might be several teams and stakeholders involved. Make sure each person knows their role and ensure everyone is informed of the project timeline.

Determine duration of activities and tasks

Touch base with project stakeholders to get a sense of their workload and personal timeline to make sure this aligns with the master timeline you're putting into place. The people responsible for each part of the project are usually specialized in that area -- they will know best how long it takes to complete a part of the project.

Set start and end dates for project activities and tasks

Choose the desired project end date and work backwards. From here, set end dates for project activities. If setting a date range rather than a specific date works better for your team, do it.

Delegate individual roles and responsibilities

Delegating individual roles and responsibilities might come from the project manager or from within each individual team. Once you've pinpointed the teams involved in the process, make sure they've named specific individuals who are responsible for their team's share in the project.

Identify important phases and milestones

Break your overall project into phases and mark these phases with milestones. Treat milestones as little victories. If you hit them on time, it means you're well on your way to successfully completing the project.

Create a project roadmap

Your project roadmap is your timeline with a little extra information. This can take the form of a calendar, a dated list of milestones, or a task board built out in your project management software of choice. Here is what the roadmap should contain:

• Objectives
• Project deliverables
• Milestones and key deadlines
• Resources

Import tasks into a project management tool

Once you've built a project timeline, you need a place to list all the individual tasks that fall within it. The template serves as a high-level view of the project's timeline. Use it as you break out tasks into actionable items in your favorite project management software. Feel free to include a link to the template for easy reference throughout the project.

7. Conduct a risk assessment

No one likes to think about the ways their project can go wrong. However, you'll be grateful for considering all possibilities if somewhere in the process you run into problems. Conducting a risk assessment allows you to define potential issues and problem solve them before they arise. In doing this, you minimize the risk of setting the project back by having to pause everything to troubleshoot unplanned problems.

Create a risk management plan

Your risk management plan should reference places in the project plan where setbacks could occur. Maybe you're working with a third-party vendor that could turn in work late or require more communication than you hoped. In this case, budget more time in the project plan for collaboration with this vendor.

8. Meet with team and stakeholders

Now that you're nearing the end of your project planning, it's time to meet with stakeholders, either as a group or individually, to outline responsibilities. This also provides a space for key players to ask questions or offer suggestions before diving into the project.

Communicate individual roles, expectations, and deadlines

We've touched on it before, but we're circling back to it again because it's just that important. Communication is at the heart of your project's success. Transparency with expectations and needs from stakeholders removes confusion and missed opportunities. If you communicate each individual's roles and responsibilities clearly, you're setting everyone up for success.

9. Execute project

Finally, the planning is done. Now it's time to see all your hard organizational work come to fruition. At this point, most project managers are monitoring the project, checking in with stakeholders, and making sure key metrics are being recorded.

Monitor performance throughout project life cycle

As you monitor performance through the project, you can make adjustments to metrics or the workflow as needed. Frequent check-ins provide an opportunity to provide stakeholders with performance updates. Along with ensuring you're on track, it can also boost team morale to see positive feedback.

Utilize reporting to track efforts and costs

Keep your budget in mind when working through the project. When you do regular check-ins on performance metrics, consider taking a quick look at the budget too. Again, frequent status reviews, especially of the budget, help prevent large setbacks.

Utilize change management plan to adapt to needs of project as necessary

You have your project plan in place and it's running smoothly, but this doesn't mean you won't run into any setbacks that require adjustments. If this happens, consult your change management plan. It can prove to be a tremendous tool when hiccups occur. Instead of being caught off guard and risking not hitting your benchmarks, make a quick adjustment and continue on with your project.

Project plan example

See how PetDesk moves new features from idea to implementation.

What are the benefits of using a project plan template?

Project goals hinge on the meeting of benchmarks that rely on stakeholders completing their work as expected and on time. Here at Guru, we use pre-built templates to help streamline the project management plan process. We treat them as the jumping-off point for scoping a project and its goals. Take a look at why incorporating a project plan template into your workflow can help make the process easier.

No time spent designing a template

Your time is valuable when planning a project. Your greatest efforts should be spent brainstorming creative ideas and solutions to ensure your project performs well. Avoid spending time and mental energy trying to decide how your project management plan template should look by starting with a template.

Avoid starting completely from scratch

A blank page is daunting for everyone. It might seem near impossible to know where to start when working from scratch. Use a template to get a sense of the timeline of your project. When starting from a project plan template, you just need to fill in the gaps.

Single source of information about the project

It's a slippery slope to having information scattered throughout project management software, email, internal communications, and more. Treat your project plan template as the single source of truth. It houses all the information and updates stakeholders need to get a grasp of the project's scope. If one template isn't enough, use different templates for different phases of the project and link them up!

Tools to integrate your project plan into your business

There are a million ways to create and share your project plan. Our project management plan templates are fully customizable, so you can share all the key information about your project with your team wherever they're working. Collaborate, spread knowledge, and meet your goals by quickly exchanging information and processes overtop any tool your team uses throughout your project.

Guru integrates seamlessly with your favorite project management software so you have everything you need, right in one place.