Organising and Preparing the Project

Planning is where projects are won. Not in theory — in practice. The discipline of translating a high-level charter into a detailed, executable plan is the single most demanding intellectual exercise in project management. It is also the most underestimated.

This article covers the Organising and Preparing phase — Lifecycle Phase 2 — which maps primarily to the Planning Process Group in the PMBOK® Guide. This is the largest process group by far, and for good reason: every downstream activity depends on what is decided here.

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Why Planning is the Bedrock

Core Principle: "A good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow." Planning is not about perfection — it is about establishing a baseline against which all future performance will be measured.

The project plan is used to:

• Facilitate communication among stakeholders
• Provide a baseline for measurement of progress
• Guide execution by defining what work must be done, by whom, and when

Without a plan, there is no way to know whether the project is on track, behind, or ahead. There is no basis for corrective action and no mechanism for change control.

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The Project Management Plan

Definition: A project management plan is a formal, approved document used to guide project execution, monitoring, and control. — PMBOK® Guide, 5th Edition

The plan is not a single document — it is an integrated collection of subsidiary plans covering every knowledge area. The process Develop Project Management Plan is part of Project Integration Management and belongs to the Planning Process Group.

root((Project — Management — Plan

• Scope Management Plan
• Schedule Management Plan
• Cost Management Plan
• Quality Management Plan
• HR Management Plan
• Communications Plan
• Risk Management Plan
• Procurement Plan
• Stakeholder Plan
• Change Management Plan
• Configuration Plan

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The Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

What It Is

Definition: A WBS is a document that divides the work that needs to be done into manageable components within a hierarchical structure. It may be thought of as a large 'to do' list and is commonly represented in the form of a list, table, or chart.

The WBS is the foundational scope tool. It answers the question: What work must be done?

Key Characteristics

• Work is broken into work packages, then activities, then tasks
• Each descending level represents an increasingly detailed definition of the project work
• The objective is to ensure the project includes all of the necessary work, but none of the unnecessary work
• Each item represents a single deliverable and is unique within the project
• Each subordinate item has only one parent element
• Each item represents the sum of all subordinate items

The WBS Hierarchy

PROJECT

Work Package 1

Work Package 2

Activity 1.1

Activity 1.2

Activity 2.1

Activity 2.2

Task 1.1.1

Task 1.1.2

Task 1.2.1

Task 2.1.1

Task 2.1.2

Task 2.2.1

Relationship details

From	Relationship	To
PROJECT	leads to	Work Package 1
PROJECT	leads to	Work Package 2
Work Package 1	leads to	Activity 1.1
Work Package 1	leads to	Activity 1.2
Work Package 2	leads to	Activity 2.1
Work Package 2	leads to	Activity 2.2
Activity 1.1	leads to	Task 1.1.1
Activity 1.1	leads to	Task 1.1.2
Activity 1.2	leads to	Task 1.2.1
Activity 2.1	leads to	Task 2.1.1
Activity 2.1	leads to	Task 2.1.2
Activity 2.2	leads to	Task 2.2.1

Level 1 = Work Packages | Level 2 = Activities | Level 3 = Tasks

The Code of Accounts

The unique identifiers assigned to each WBS item are collectively known as the Code of Accounts. For a work package at the fourth level, valid codes would follow the format 1.1.1.1 or 1.2.3.4 — each number representing a level in the hierarchy.

Exam Tip: The WBS is used as the basis for organising and defining the total scope of the project. It is NOT used to define the schedule, identify the sponsor, or assign work to individuals.

Building a WBS — Step by Step

1. Identify the final product of the project
2. Define the major deliverables — these become your Level 1 work packages
3. Break down each deliverable to an appropriate level of detail

WBS Helpful Hints

• Each item represents a single deliverable
• Each item is the sum of all subordinate items
• Each subordinate item has only one parent
• Each item is unique within the project
• The coding system must be applicable to all reporting structures

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Developing a Project Schedule

With the WBS complete, schedule development translates what must be done into when it will be done.

The Schedule Development Process

As a function of Project Time Management, developing a schedule requires these processes:

1. Define Activities — break WBS work packages into schedulable activities
2. Sequence Activities — determine logical dependencies
3. Estimate Activity Resources — identify what resources each activity needs
4. Estimate Activity Durations — calculate how long each activity will take

Key Inputs to Activity Definition

The key inputs into activity definition are the schedule management plan, scope baseline, enterprise environmental factors, and organisational process assets.

Schedule Tools and Techniques

PERT Estimation Formula

The Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) uses three estimates to calculate a weighted average duration:

$$t_E = \frac{t_O + 4t_M + t_P}{6}$$

Where:

• $t_O$ = Optimistic estimate
• $t_M$ = Most likely estimate
• $t_P$ = Pessimistic estimate

Best Uses of PERT: PERT is used in the planning phase for "what if" analysis and to measure future consequences of activities. It is NOT used for WBS creation or change control.

Schedule Control

A controlling process for a project's schedule focuses on activities that vary from the plan, whether late or early — not just those that are behind or only on the critical path.

Gantt Chart Example

Workstream	Activity	Type	Timing / dependency / duration
Closure Preparation	Close zoo to public (Critical	Activity	crit · close · 2026-01-03 · 1d
Planning	Identify new homes for animals	Activity	crit · homes · after close · 42d
Execution	Relocate animals (Critical	Activity	crit · relocate · after homes · 28d
Execution	Vacate site	Activity	active · vacate · after relocate · 5d
Execution	Re-deploy staff	Activity	active · staff · after relocate · 28d
Execution	Engage clean-up contractor	Activity	active · cleanup · after vacate · 5d
Execution	Prepare site for handover (Critical	Activity	crit · handover · after cleanup · 28d
Milestone	Zoo closed	Milestone	milestone · closed · after close · 0d

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Determining Project Budget

Cost Management Processes

Cost Control Functions

All of the following are functions of cost control:

• Informing stakeholders of authorised changes to the cost baseline
• Monitoring cost performance to detect variances
• Ensuring changes are recorded accurately in the baseline
• Preventing unauthorised changes from being included

Key Distinction: Allocating overall estimates to individual work packages to establish a cost baseline is part of Determine Budget (a planning process) — NOT cost control.

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Planning Project Quality

Quality standards and criteria should be defined in the Organising and Preparing (planning) phase — not during execution or conceptual stages.

Quality Control Inputs

Inputs to control quality include: work performance data, project management plan, organisational process assets, and deliverables. Notably, process adjustments are an output of quality control, not an input.

Benchmarking

Definition: Benchmarking involves comparing actual or planned project practices to those of comparable projects to identify best practices and generate ideas for improvement.

When quality metrics are based on the performance percentile of previous products, this is an example of benchmarking — not statistical sampling or operational definitions.

Quality Tools

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Developing a Human Resource Plan

Output

The output from planning human resource management is the Human Resource Management Plan — not job descriptions, salary schedules, or resource types in isolation.

The Staffing Management Plan

Definition: A staffing management plan describes when and how human resources will be brought onto and taken off the project team.

The Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)

The RAM links project roles and responsibilities to the project scope definition. It is a tool — often formatted as a RACI chart — that maps who is Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed for each deliverable.

RACI Matrix

R = Responsible — (Does the work)

A = Accountable — (Owns the decision)

C = Consulted — (Provides input)

I = Informed — (Kept in the loop)

Relationship details

From	Relationship	To
RACI Matrix	leads to	R = Responsible — (Does the work)
RACI Matrix	leads to	A = Accountable — (Owns the decision)
RACI Matrix	leads to	C = Consulted — (Provides input)
RACI Matrix	leads to	I = Informed — (Kept in the loop)

Team Building

Team building in a matrix organisation is the most difficult because team members report to multiple managers with competing priorities.

A mandatory prerequisite for team building is commitment from top-level management — not collocation, open performance discussion, or funding.

Team Selection Criteria

When selecting team members, evaluate: availability, personal interest, personal characteristics, and previous experience. Political philosophy is NOT an appropriate evaluation criterion.

Tuckman's Team Development Model

Teams evolve through predictable stages:

Forming

Storming

Norming

Performing

Adjourning

Relationship details

From	Relationship	To
Forming	leads to	Storming
Storming	leads to	Norming
Norming	leads to	Performing
Performing	leads to	Adjourning

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Planning Project Communications

Why Communication Matters

A typical project manager spends 75–90% of their time communicating. The project manager is the critical element in a project's communication system — facilitating all project-related communication.

The Three Major Types of Communication

1. Written and oral
2. Verbal and nonverbal

These are the accepted categories per PMBOK — not "verbal, written, and electronic."

Communication Model

In communication, the sender is responsible for confirming the message is understood — not for ensuring the receiver agrees. The receiver decodes messages based on culture, semantics, language, and knowledge — but NOT distance.

The sending or conveying of information from one place to another is the process of transmitting.

Communication Plan Contents

A communication plan details: information flow and distribution methods, information gathering processes, access methods between scheduled communications, and production schedules. It does NOT include all memos, correspondence, and documents from all personnel.

Inputs to Plan Communications Management

The inputs are: project management plan, stakeholder register, enterprise environmental factors, and organisational process assets.

Output

The output from Plan Communications Management is the Communications Management Plan.

Document Control

The three principal reasons for maintaining good document control are:

1. Effective communication
2. Ability to reconstruct why decisions were made
3. Historical value

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Planning Project Risk Responses

When to Identify Risks

Risk identification should be done on a regular basis throughout the project — not just at the start, not just before client meetings, and not only during planning.

Risk Management Processes

The major processes of project risk management are: identify, analyse, mitigate, and control.

Key Outputs

One of the outputs of identifying risks is the Risk Register — not expected monetary value, alternate strategies, or corrective actions.

Risk Management Plan Contents

A risk management plan includes: responsibility assignments for risk areas, reserve allocation methods, risk identification and quantification processes, and contingency plan implementation. It does NOT include a WBS.

External Risks

Exam Tip: Inflation is NOT an external-unpredictable risk — it is predictable and can be estimated.

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Planning Project Procurement

Contract Types

Key Fact: Time and materials contracts are a hybrid of cost-reimbursable and fixed-price contracts. Fixed-price contracts contain the most risk for the seller, not the buyer.

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Planning Stakeholder Management

Stakeholder management planning builds on the stakeholder register created during initiation. It defines detailed strategies for engaging each stakeholder group throughout the project lifecycle.

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Common Pitfalls

Treating the WBS as a schedule. The WBS defines what work must be done. The schedule defines when. They are sequential tools, not substitutes.

Skipping the critical path analysis. Without knowing the critical path, you cannot identify which delays will extend the project and which have float.

Under-planning communications. With 75–90% of PM time spent communicating, an ad-hoc approach to communications is a recipe for misalignment.

Ignoring resource constraints in scheduling. A schedule built without resource levelling is a fiction — it assumes infinite availability.

Setting quality standards during execution. Quality criteria must be defined during planning. Defining them mid-execution leads to scope disputes and rework.

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Key Takeaways

• The Project Management Plan is the master document guiding execution, monitoring, and control.
• The WBS decomposes project scope into work packages → activities → tasks. Each item is unique, has one parent, and represents a single deliverable.
• Schedule development requires: define activities, sequence activities, estimate resources, estimate durations.
• PERT uses the formula $$t_E = \frac{t_O + 4t_M + t_P}{6}$$ for weighted duration estimates.
• Quality standards belong in the planning phase. The fishbone diagram is for cause-and-effect analysis, not scheduling.
• The PM spends 75–90% of their time communicating. The sender is responsible for ensuring the message is understood.
• Risk identification is continuous — not a one-time event. The Risk Register is a key output.
• T&M contracts are hybrids. Fixed-price = seller risk. Cost-reimbursable = buyer risk.