BUS605: Strategic Project Management

The planning process group supports planning of the entire project and each individual phase. Supporting project management processes may include scope planning, activity planning, resource planning, cost estimating, schedule estimating, and procurement planning. The planning process should be in line with the size and complexity of the project - that is, larger, more complex projects may require a greater planning effort than smaller, less complex projects. Planning processes are most important during the second phase of the IT project methodology when the project charter and plan are developed. However, planning processes can be important for each phase whereby objectives and activities may need to be defined or refined as new information becomes available. In addition, planning is often an iterative process. A project manager may develop a project plan, but senior management or the client may not approve the scope, budget, or schedule. Or circumstances may arise that warrant changes to the project plan. This could happen as the result of a competitor’s actions or legislation (external), or even changes to the project team or sponsor (internal).