What are the best practices and lessons learned from your project planning experience?

🔄Adopt a flexible, iterative approach rather than a rigid sequence. 🎯Clearly define goals and objectives at the initiation phase to guide the project. 📅Break down tasks into manageable phases with specific deliverables. 📊Use data and metrics to track progress and make informed adjustments. 💬Maintain continuous communication with stakeholders to align expectations. 🛠Incorporate lessons learned from previous projects to improve planning. 🔍Conduct regular reviews and retrospectives to refine processes. 🚀Be prepared to adapt to changes and unforeseen challenges.

The project planning cycle is an important process for organizations to ensure that their project portfolios are aligned with their business needs and are delivering the greatest Return On The Investment i.e.ROI. The cycle is typically conducted on a yearly basis, but the amount, timing, and frequency of planning can vary depending on the development approach used. The unintended outcome of the annual cycle is an ever-widening gap between what delivery organizations are working on and what the business needs, resulting in staler and less relevant projects. Excess work-in-process (WIP) can also cause delays in realizing value from project ideas.

In my view, the project planning cycle's adaptability is its strength. It includes initiation, planning, execution, and closure, but it's not a rigid sequence. This flexibility allows for adjustments and improvements as needed.

From my project planning experience, I’ve learned and implemented the best market practices across all project phases. Initiation: I focus on defining clear objectives and engaging stakeholders to align with the contract scope of works. Planning: I create detailed schedules and programming plans using tools like P6. Execution: Effective communication, regular updates and efficient resource allocation are key factors. Monitoring & Control: I track progress, manage risks, and adapt to changes. Closing: I document lessons learned and maintain thorough records to improve future projects. Throughout all phases, flexibility, proactive RM and open communication with the team/management/ clients are the key factors for project success.

I believe that gathering data is a difficult task during the project life cycle because you will face more people in your project who don't know more about your job so they can't help you efficiently.

Project planning is a crucial phase in ensuring the success of any endeavor. Documenting lessons learned from previous project planning experiences is essential for continuous improvement. After completing the project, conduct a thorough review to identify lessons learned and areas for improvement. Summarize the key takeaways from the project planning experience and emphasize the importance of learning from past mistakes to drive continuous improvement. Of course, we need the contribution of stakeholders and other teams in it. By documenting lessons learned in project planning and implementing actionable insights, project teams can enhance their capabilities and increase the likelihood of success in future projects.

As you can see that the Scheduling and planning especially provide the Planner with the ability of having a wide-analysis mindset added to the high evaluation of gathering the non-complex data and transfer them into information plus the extraordinary benefits of finding the detects , clashes and predict the soulations

An example I've seen The project planning cycle is our concept of using all the tools to achieve the desired idea and delving deeply into the concept of the idea to move the tools correctly.

For Social impact projects it crucial to include time for key stakeholder consultations and getting their buy-in and participation. This can be done at initiation stage of the project planning cycle

clear goal definition, robust risk management, and effective communication are paramount. Resource allocation, adaptability, and continuous monitoring ensure project alignment and success. Thorough documentation aids knowledge sharing, while stakeholder engagement fosters buy-in and satisfaction. Encouraging team collaboration and continuous improvement drives innovation and efficiency. Embracing these practices enhances project outcomes, fostering a culture of success and continual growth.

The initiation phase in project planning is the first phase of the project management life cycle. It is the phase where the project is defined and authorized, and the project manager is assigned. The initiation phase is critical to the success of the project as it sets the foundation for the entire project. The key activities of initiation phase are: 👍Defining the project scope and objectives 👍Identifying stakeholders and their needs 👍Conducting a feasibility study to justify project 👍Establishing the project team and assigning roles and responsibilities 👍Developing a high-level project plan and schedule 👍Conducting a risk assessment to identify potential risks and develop a risk management plan Obtaining approval from stakeholders.

In my experience, the initiation phase is the foundation of a successful project. It's where you define the project's purpose, scope, and feasibility, identifying key stakeholders and their roles. The right start gives you advantage to finish on time and on budget and avoid conflicts.

When you initiate a project, always be a few days ahead of everyone else. That way you'll be seen as a leader and go-to resource. First impressions are important.

Planning is the second phase of the project life cycle.Planning phase sets the direction for the entire project. The key activities of planning phase are: 👍Defining the project scope and objectives in more detail 👍Developing a detailed project plan and schedule 👍Identifying project risks and developing a risk management plan 👍Developing a project budget and resource plan 👍Identifying project deliverables and developing a work breakdown structure (WBS) 👍Developing a communication plan to ensure stakeholders are informed 👍Obtaining approval from stakeholders The main deliverable of the planning phase is the project plan document, which outlines the project scope, objectives, risks, assumptions, constraints, and detailed project plan.

Make sure to develop a strong WBS that represents the scope of your project. Don't just use ordinary templates and build your whole project on.

One thing that I learned recently and that challenged my beliefs was related to this. I learned that it's really hard to set up a team that's going to accomplish a goal without giving pretty specific direction to the involved people. I was operating from a "well it's a start-up so let's all be loose and work asynchronously on what we're good at" perspective. Unfortunately a bit more structure is what's needed to make quality things happen fast. That looks like specific deliverables, timelines, and communication expectations. Go figure, all the 'boring' business stuff is actually useful in a start-up environment too.

WBS is a key component that helps a lot during the planning phase in dividing work packages and visualizing them in a very structured manner. By doing this, tracking your progress in the next stage can be increased in terms of efficiency and productivity

The execution phase is the third phase of the project life cycle.It is the phase where the project plan is put into action and the project team performs the work to deliver the project's objectives. Key activities of Execution phase are: 👍Performing the work defined in the project plan 👍Managing project resources and budgets 👍Monitoring project progress and performance 👍Managing project risks and issues 👍Communicating project status to stakeholders 👍Managing project changes Obtaining acceptance of project deliverables from stakeholders The main deliverable of the execution phase is the completed project deliverables. The project team works to deliver the project objectives and produce the deliverables defined in the project plan.

Monitoring and controlling are the most inportant skills that you have to master in this phase. Make sure that you're aware of the Earned value management KPIs like SPI CPI CV SC BAC EAC and uae them on your side.

Good Project deliverables based on below criteria's #Identify the failure and solve risks #Responding critical & bottle necks #Execution based on Sequence manner

This phase is critical to the success of the project as it ensures that all project work has been completed and that the project has met its objectives and formally closed. Key activities are: 👍Verifying that all project work has been completed 👍Obtaining acceptance of project deliverables from stakeholders 👍Conducting a final project review to identify lessons learned 👍Documenting project successes and failures 👍Archiving project documents and materials 👍Releasing project resources Closing out contracts and agreements 👍Celebrating project success The main deliverable of the closure phase is the final project report, which documents the project's successes and failures, lessons learned, and recommendations for future projects.

Best practices from engineering project planning include: 1) Thorough risk assessment and mitigation strategies, 2) Clear communication and stakeholder alignment, 3) Flexibility in scheduling and resource allocation, 4) Leveraging technology for efficiency, 5) Regular monitoring and adaptation. In energy projects, these practices ensure successful project execution and delivery.

I think the most important task on the closure is the documentation of the lessons learned. Piling lessons learned over time creates an unvaluable traseure for any new project manager.