Explanatory Notes:
Planning is of major importance to a project because the project involves doing something that has not been done before. As a result, there are relatively more processes in this section. However, the number of processes does not mean that project management is primarily planning—the amount of planning performed should be commensurate with the scope of the project and the usefulness of the information developed. Planning is an ongoing effort throughout the life of the project.
Editors' Note: This section of the Compendium contains a wide range of practices and processes that are basic to planning a project. While the practices included are organized according to the Project Management Knowledge Areas (as outlined in the PMBOK® Guide—2000 Edition) with which they are generally associated, the sequence in which they appear is not necessarily the sequence in which they would be performed. Also, not all practices listed are needed or appropriate for every project. You must decide, based on the factors surrounding your project, such as its complexity, budgeting, and time constraints, which practices and processes will be the most useful and feasible in accomplishing your objectives.
Planning is one of the most extensive and complex aspects of project management. For this reason, rather than provide a single, simplified Planning template, we have included a number of templates in the following sections that illustrate the various key components of a typical project plan.
We have also provided a Project Planning Checklist to help you think through most of the potential steps that should be followed in the planning process.