PROJECT PLANNING

The success of a digital media project will depend critically upon the effort, care
and skill applied in its initial planning.
• Following the acceptance of the feasibility report a project plan can be
developed for the approved option.
• The plan commences with a clear definition of the project and its
deliverables and a schedule illustrating the tasks to be completed and the
important key events (milestones) in the project’s plan.

The Project Definition

• A project definition describes exactly the project, its extent and nature,
among the key people involved in a project.
• The definition provides a foundation upon which successful projects are
built.
• In many cases a definition serves as a sort of contract between the parties
participating in a project, clearly stating expectations for project time,
resources, and results.

The Project Task List

• The Project Task List is used by the team as a guide to reaching
milestones and eventually completing the project.
• The task list changes over time.
• The initial task list is a list of tasks that need to be accomplished in order
to at least reach the first milestone.
• Each task in the list should include who is responsible for doing it and
when it is due by (these dates are used in the Project Schedule).
 • The project task list is updated as needed as the project progresses.

The Project Schedule

• Scheduling project work is an essential element of project management.
• A project schedule makes clear to all participants when work is expected
to be completed.
• It also shows the time-related dependencies between different project
tasks.
 Module 3
EXERCISES

Download this Project Planning handout to assist you to complete the following
exercises:

PROJECT PLANNING handout.doc

FOR YOUR REBRANDING PROJECT
The plan commences with a clear definition of the project and its deliverables
and a schedule illustrating the tasks to be completed and the important key
events (milestones) in the project’s plan.

1. Project Definition.
Use the template in the handout to complete a Project Definition for your project.
Embed your template in your wiki space.

All projects need to go through the definition process. Lack of a definition leads to
unclear and ambiguous goals, confusion, misunderstanding, and poor
communication. Failure to formalize and document scope, goals, and
expectations puts a project at risk before it even begins.
Use the following template to clearly define your project:

PROJECT DEFINITION TEMPLATE

Element Description
Project Name Short, descriptive, official project name.
Project Sponsor(s) Customer/client
Project Manager Name
Web Site Provide URL
Project Team Individual names and roles of team members
Problem Statement The problem to be addressed by the project.
Project Benefits Project’s expected benefits.
Constraints Obstacles to achieving the project objectives.
Specific Objectives What will be achieved?
Specific Deliverables What will be delivered to the customer?
Start Date/Est. Start date and planned schedule. Refer to the task
Timeline list/schedule
Completion Target
Delivered to customer.
Date

2. Project Task List

Refer to the handout and prepare a task list and work schedule with milestones
for your project.

The Project Task List is used by the team as a guide to reaching milestones and
eventually completing the project. The task list changes over time. The initial task
list is a list of tasks that need to be accomplished in order to at least reach the
first milestone.
Each task in the list should include who is responsible for doing it and when it is
due by (these dates are used in the Project Schedule). The project task list is
updated as needed as the project progresses.

Milestones — markers of important completion points — should be identified at

the end of each major activity to measure progress. It is a good practice to give
milestone tasks a name that conveys completion or reaching an important point
in the project lifecycle.

The purpose of the Project Task List is that it provides a clear method of
communicating:
• Which tasks needs to be done
• Who is doing each task
• When each task is to be completed

Add your task list, schedule and milestones to your Project Management Plan in
the next exercise.

3. Project Management
Refer to the following Scribd document and develop a Project Management Plan
for your project using the information from exercises 1 and 2 and the Creative
Pro Office web service.
Add a screen shot with a link to your Management Plan's URL, to your wiki
space.

Scheduling project work is an essential element of project management. A project

schedule makes clear to all participants when work is expected to be completed.
It also shows the time-related dependencies between different project tasks.
Setting overall completion dates and estimating times for completion of project
tasks is usually the role of the project manager with stakeholders.
Once an overall schedule is set, the project manager is responsible for
monitoring the progress of the project and revising the schedule if needed. This
must be done in consultation with project team members who are doing the work.
The project manager must balance the needs for honesty and realism with
appropriate motivation to keep the project on track despite inevitable surprises. It
is essential for the project manager to keep all participants informed as to current
schedule status.

The Gantt chart is a popular format for displaying schedule information

You can specify the time that you estimate it will take to complete the tasks by
entering either work or duration. Work is the amount of effort or person hours
needed to complete a task. Duration is the amount of actual time that will pass
before the task is completed. Thus, if a task takes 16 hours of work and one
person does the work, its duration is two days (assuming an 8-hour work day). If
two people do the work, its duration is one day.

Work schedule example:

1.Preparation
1.1.Developer training 30h
2.Inception
2.1.Requirements gathering 30h
2.2.Requirements specification 20h
2.3.Requirements validation 10h
3.Elaboration
3.1.High-level design 5h
3.2.Low-level design (break down by component)
3.2.A.Object design 10h
3.2.B.User interface design 10h
3.2.C.Database design 3h
3.3.Design review and evaluation 5h
4.Construction….etc.

References:
http://www.see.ed.ac.uk/~gerard/Management/art8.html