Looking to improve your COVID-19 and other pandemic-related operations? Improving your industrial processes? Accepting franchisees to expand your restaurant business? Maybe you’re launching an event management company or a filmmaking studio or what have you.
if you want things to happen efficiently, effectively, and safely, you need a project management plan.
Program management plays a crucial role in any and all operations. When making a plan, don’t just incorporate anything that crops up in your mind. You need to be very meticulous about the process.
Let’s look into how you can make a project management plan that’s built for success.
Defining Program Goals and Objectives
The first step to creating a program management plan is to outline your goals and objectives. This will provide a roadmap for the rest of the project and ensure that all stakeholders are on the same page.
Once the program goals and objectives are defined, you can identify the key deliverables that must be completed to achieve your goals. This will help you assess the project and ensure that everyone is receiving the same information as to what needs to be done.
Next, create a timeline for the project. Define when each deliverable should be completed. This helps you keep a good sense of how your project is actually progressing.
Finally, put a budget in place so that the program can stay on track financially. This can be crucial because exceeding your budget can mean compromising on other aspects of the project as you try to contain the excess.
Creating a Detailed and Realistic Schedule and Budget
At the point, you should start listing all the activities that must take place in the correct order. Use a scheduling software or do it manually. What’s important is that the timeline is realistic and considers all the needed resources.
The schedule should also be reviewed regularly to ensure that the team is still on track. If necessary, make adjustments.
A program management plan is key to developing a realistic budget for your project. By creating it, you will be able to forecast costs more accurately and track progress against your projected expenses.
Monitoring and Evaluating Progress
It can be difficult to balance monitoring too much and too little. However, a scheduled weekly monitoring is often safe for most types of projects.
Also figure out how to collect your data and track it. You can ask team members to self-report, but be ready in case you need to keep checking in with everyone.
For data tracking, spreadsheets are still relevant. However, project management software can take your efficiencies to a whole new level. Lastly, be ready to adjust your expectations. Aim high but always stay grounded.
Creating a Killer Program Management Plan
Once you have decided on the feasibility of your program, it is time to develop a program management plan to guide your project throughout its life cycle. Most importantly, this plan should ensure that your objectives get met on schedule.
Check out the rest of our blog for more info about creating a program management plan for the win.
