There are 5 steps involved when defining a project; which of the following is the second?

The amount of planning and work required to manage and complete a project can be overwhelming at first. Instead of throwing yourself out of the nearest office window, the best approach is to break it all down into ‘manageable’ portions and structure the required efforts into clear steps. Here’s how.

Inhaltsverzeichnis Show

1. Initation
2. Planning
3. Execution
4. Monitoring and control
What is project planning?
Why is project planning important?
What are the components of a project plan?
How do you create a project plan?
What are the 5 phases of a project?
What are some project planning tools and software?
What are the 5 steps involved when defining a project?
What is the second step the project manager should do?
What are the steps for defining the scope of a project?
What is the first step of project scope definition?

Most projects have 5 phases: initiation, definition and planning, execution, implementation, control and close. Each contains specific tasks that will help you reach your project goals.

1. Initation

In this phase, your team will be evaluating the project idea: Is it part of our company’s core business? Can we do this? Will it benefit the organisation? If the answer is three times yes, then you can start defining the scope or desired outcomes of the project and identifying potential partners. Consequently, if your project requires a feasibility study, this is the time to do it.

The end result of this phase is a project plan, which needs to be approved by all parties involved. Doing this right prevents misunderstandings and false expectations later on.

2. Planning

In this crucial phase, the roadmap for the rest of the project is laid out. This includes (but isn’t limited to):

setting concrete goals and objectives
estimating costs
defining scope and key deliverables

The project plan will contain information about the procurement of resources as well as how to produce quality output, handle risks and unforeseen circumstances, communicate within your team and with external stakeholders, and more. Ideally, it also contains a clear timeline of what needs to happen when. A great way to do this is by creating milestones: high-level goals with clear end dates.

3. Execution

In most cases, this is where the project becomes visible to the outside world. It usually starts with a team kick-off meeting where everyone is informed of their tasks and any relevant project details. This phase is about creating quality deliverables. As a project manager, your task is to allocate the right resources and keep your team members focused on their assignments. This also means that the success of the project execution phase depends on how thorough you were in the project planning phase.

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4. Monitoring and control

This phase often overlaps with the execution phase. In the course of the project, you’ll keep a close eye on the status of the deliverables, and schedule regular team meetings to ensure that you remain on track. This is also the phase where you’ll be vigilant for ‘scope creep’.

Want to keep the number of status meetings to an absolute minimum? Cloud-based project management software allows team members to update task status in real time.

5. Closure

A project is closed when the finished deliverable has been formally handed over, and all stakeholders have been informed. But before that happens, it’s wise to sit down with the team and evaluate the project: what went well, and what could have gone better? This will help you avoid similar mistakes in the future and allow you to build stronger processes and create more efficient teams.

What is project planning?

Project planning is a discipline addressing how to complete a project in a certain timeframe, usually with defined stages and designated resources. One view of project planning divides the activity into these steps:

setting measurable objectives
identifying deliverables
scheduling
planning tasks

Supporting plans may encompass human resources, communication methods and risk management.

Enterprises often have an information technology project planning guide that identifies the processes used. Tools used for the scheduling parts of a plan include Gantt charts and PERT charts.

Why is project planning important?

Project planning is important at every phase of a project. It lays out the basics of a project, including the following:

scope
objectives
goals
schedule

Planning enables project managers to turn an intangible idea into reality. Key purposes of planning include the following:

facilitate communication and provide a central source of information for project personnel;
help the project sponsor and other key stakeholders know what is required;
identify who will perform certain tasks, and when and how those tasks will happen;
facilitate project management and control as the project progresses;
enable effective monitoring and control of a project;
manage project risk; and
generate feedback useful for the next project planning phase.

Project managers must have a variety of skills. See the dozen that really matter.

What are the components of a project plan?

The three major parts of a project plan are the scope, budget and timeline. They involve the following aspects:

Scope. The scope determines what a project team will and will not do. It takes the team's vision, what stakeholders want and the customer's requirements and then determines what's possible. As part of defining the project scope, the project manager must set performance goals.
Budget. Project managers look at what manpower and other resources will be required to meet the project goals to estimate the project's cost.
Timeline. This reveals the length of time expected to complete each phase of the project and includes a schedule of milestones that will be met.

How do you create a project plan?

Project planning includes the following 10 steps:

Define stakeholders. Stakeholders include anyone with an interest in the project. They can include the customer or end user, members of the project team, other people in the organization the project will affect and outside organizations or individuals with an interest.
Define roles. Each stakeholder's role should be clearly defined. Some people will fill multiple roles, however.
Introduce stakeholders. Hold a meeting to bring stakeholders together and unify the vision behind the project. The topics covered should include scope, goals, budget, schedule and roles.
Set goals. Take what is gleaned from the meeting and refine it into a project plan. It should include goals and deliverables that define what the product or service will result in.
Prioritize tasks. List tasks necessary to meet goals and prioritize them based on importance and interdependencies. A Gantt chart can be helpful for mapping project dependencies.
Create a schedule. Establish a timeline that considers the resources needed for all the tasks.
Assess risks. Identify project risks and develop strategies for mitigating them.
Communicate. Share the plan with all stakeholders and provide communications updates in the format and frequency stakeholders expect.
Reassess. As milestones are met, revisit the project plan and revise any areas that are not meeting expectations.
Final evaluation. Once the project is completed, performance should be evaluated to learn from the experience and identify areas to improve.

Through these steps, an organization can ensure that a project plan is reliable and well-communicated.

What are the 5 phases of a project?

Projects typically pass through five phases. The project lifecycle includes the following:

Initiation defines project goals and objectives. It also is when feasibility is considered, along with how to measure project objectives.
Planning sets out the project scope. It establishes what tasks need to get done and who will do them.
Execution is when the deliverables are created. This is the longest phase of a project. During execution, the plan is set into motion and augmented, if necessary.
Monitoring and management occur during the execution phase and may be considered part of the same step. This phase ensures that the project is going according to plan.
Closing and review is the final Contracts are closed out and the final deliverables are given to the client. Successes and failures are evaluated.

Planning is the second step in the project lifecycle, but it affects all of the phases of the project lifecycle.

What are some project planning tools and software?

Project planning and project management software facilitate the project planning process. The best tools support collaboration among stakeholders, have intuitive user interfaces and provide built-in time tracking and invoicing.

Some project planning software tools include the following:

Asana offers different project views to suit a team's preferences.
ClickUp comes with several Agile-based features, including a custom automation builder that lets users create reusable task templates.
Freedcamp lets users organize their projects using a Gantt chart or Kanban
Hive has a template creation tool in the task management feature that speeds up task creation.
Scoro is a combination of tools and includes customer relationship management
Trello provides Kanban features, budget management, resource management and progress tracking features.
Wrike integrates with tools like Jira, Slack and Dropbox.

Learn more about the various tools that help with project management.

This was last updated in September 2021

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What are the 5 steps involved when defining a project?

Here are the 5 most important steps to define the scope of a project in your business:.

Identify project needs..

Figure out project goals..

Consider project limitations..

Define resources and budget..

Write a killing project scope statement..

What is the second step the project manager should do?

The second project management step is definition and planning. Once your project's been given the go-ahead, it's time to stamp out the scope, schedule, and cost of a project. This is usually done by drawing up a project plan, scope or charter, then calculating a budget, the resources needed, and a schedule.

What are the steps for defining the scope of a project?

8 Key Steps to Developing a Project Scope Statement.

Understand why the project was initiated. ... .

Define the key objectives of the project. ... .

Outline the project statement of work. ... .

Identify major deliverables. ... .

Select key milestones. ... .

Identify major constraints. ... .

List scope exclusions. ... .

Obtain sign-off..

What is the first step of project scope definition?

The first step toward defining project scope is to create a statement of work . This is the official document that outlines the requirements for a particular project. It includes a general description of the work requested, a timeline, a schedule, any special skills necessary and the work location.