PLANNING STAGE (INTEGRATION) : DEVELOP PROJECT MANAGEMENT PLAN

This is a final planning process for the project which explains how the project activities will be combined, unified, communicated and coordinated through all the above-discussed processes. The processes will be overlapped or interacted practically. Moreover, planning integration allows making choices about the allocation of resources as well as managing the interdependencies among the knowledge areas of the project management. In this aspect, the project management plan is developed by the process called Develop Project Management Plan whereby all plans discussed (scope, quality, cost, risk, stakeholders, procurement, human resources, communication and schedule) are integrated together.

Develop Project Management Plan process has the following inputs:

• Project charter, the document produced during Initiation stage
• Outputs from other processes as discussed including all baselines and plans as outputs of other planning processes
• Enterprise Environmental Factors such as organizational structure, culture, infrastructure, Governmental or Industrial standards, project management information system and personnel administration are few that need to be considered when developing the project management plan
• Organization Process Assets by referring project management plans made from the previous projects and historical information. There might be some templates, guidelines, criteria and procedures for the same.

The Develop Project Management Plan process can be done by brainstorming, having meetings and using experts.

The output, Project Management Plan will be in form of a summary or detailed document with the following contents but are not limited to:

• Project baselines such as scope baseline, schedule baseline and cost baseline
• Subsidiary plans such as scope management plan, requirements management plan, schedule management plan, cost management plan, quality management plan, human resource management plan, communications management plan, risk management plan, procurement management plan, stakeholder management plan and change management plan.

Once the project management plan is made as the baseline, it will only be changed if the change request is generated and approved by Integrated Change Control Board. It is important that every stakeholder involved agrees with the project management plan. Make sure that as a project manager, the project management plan is realistic and formal before execution stage starts.

References:

PMI (2013). A Guide to the Project Management Book of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide 5^th Ed.) USA, Project Management Institute

https://blog.masterofproject.com/develop-project-management-plan-steps/