Plans are a record of

• What tasks are expected to be done
• When
• By whom
• With what outcome

Used by

• Managers to track how a project is progressing
• Staff to understand what to do, and how tasks are related to each other

Help the project move toward a goal

• Helps people make decisions that move the project in the direction it needs to go
• Helps people do work efficiently by avoiding stalls, unneeded work
• Avoids a project becoming a random walk, changing direction constantly and not making progress Lets staff know what to work on
• What working on today or this week
• What the future will hold for them Helps managers manage the project
• Analyze what may happen, what resources or time needed
• Plan for coordinated tasks Maintain flexibility
• As needs change, situation changes & Respect the cone of uncertainty:
  • Things farther in the future are less certain
  • As a project moves forward, tasks and design are worked out and things become more certain
  • Always: this week’s tasks are more certain than the ones a year or two out
• Plan needs regular re-evaluation to adjust
• Planning in too much detail too far out is a waste and gives a false sense of security