Project Manager Question:

Answer #1
Project Planning defines in detail the project activities and the product that will be produced, and describes how the project activities will be accomplished. Project Planning defines all major tasks, estimates the time and resources necessary to complete them, and provides a framework for management review and control.

Project Planning activities include defining and documenting the following:

► Work to be performed,
► Project goals,
► Estimates for planning, tracking, executing, and controlling the project,
► Commitments of the affected groups, and
► Project alternatives, assumptions, and constraints


Planning is a process that includes activities to estimate the size of the project, the scope of the effort, and the resources required to complete the project, as well as steps to produce a project schedule, identify, assess and manage risks, and negotiate commitments. Several iterations of the planning process may be performed before the Project Plan is completed.

Answer #2
The planning process consists of the following basic steps:

1. Define the process for specifying, documenting, and controlling project requirements,

2. Define the technical approach used to solve the problem,

3. Identify all deliverables associated with the project,

4. Define and sequence all tasks to be performed,

5. Define the dependencies between tasks,

6. Estimate the resources required to perform each task,

7. Schedule all tasks,

8. Establish a budget for performing the tasks,

9. Define organizational structure (e.g., roles and responsibilities),

10. Identify and assess initial risks to successful project completion,

11. Define the process that will be used ensure product quality.