Page 48 - DMGT302_FUNDAMENTALS_OF_PROJECT_MANAGEMENT

Unit 3: Project Planning

Stage 3 – Exploring Options Notes

By this stage you should know where you are and what you want to do. The next thing to do is
to work out how to do it. The Creativity Tools section of this site explains a wide range of
powerful creativity tools that will help you to generate options.

At this stage it is best to spend a little time generating as many options as possible, even though
it is tempting just to grasp the first idea that comes to mind. By taking a little time to generate as
many ideas as possible you may come up with less obvious but better solutions. Just as likely,
you may improve your best ideas with parts of other ideas.

Stage 4 – Selecting the Best Option

Once you have explored the options available to you, it is time to decide which one to use. If you
have the time and resources available, then you might decide to evaluate all options, carrying out
detailed planning, costing, risk assessment, etc. for each. Normally you will not have this luxury.
Two useful tools for selecting the best option are Grid Analysis and Decision Trees. Grid Analysis
helps you to decide between different options where you need to consider a number of different
factors. Decision Trees help you to think through the likely outcomes of following different
courses of action.

Stage 5 – Detailed Planning

By the time you start detailed planning, you should have a good picture of where you are, what
you want to achieve and the range of options available to you. You may well have selected one
of the options as the most likely to yield the best results.
Detailed planning is the process of working out the most efficient and effective way of achieving
the aim that you have defined. It is the process of determining who will do what, when, where,
how and why, and at what cost.

When drawing up the plan, techniques such as use of Gantt Charts and Critical Path Analysis can
be immensely helpful in working out priorities, deadlines and the allocation of resources.
While you are concentrating on the actions that need to be performed, ensure that you also think
about the control mechanisms that you will need to monitor performance. These will include
the activities such as reporting, quality assurance, cost control, etc. that are needed to spot and
correct any deviations from the plan.
A good plan will:
1. State the current situation.
2. Have a clear aim.

3. Use the resources available.
4. Detail the tasks to be carried out, whose responsibility they are, and their priorities and
deadlines.

5. Detail control mechanisms that will alert you to difficulties in achieving the plan.
6. Identify risks, and plan for contingencies. This allows you to make a rapid and effective
response to crises, perhaps at a time when you are at low ebb or are confused following a
setback.
7. Consider transitional arrangements – how will you keep things going while you
implement the plan?

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