Project Management Fundamentals and Core Concepts · Topic 3 of 6
Project Management Planning
CAPM planning basics: the project management plan and its parts, milestones versus durations, resources, the risk and stakeholder registers, and closure.
- 4 min
- The project management plan combines subsidiary plans and baselines.
- Baselines are changed only through formal change control.
- Milestones have zero duration; activities have durations.
What it is
Planning sets out how the project will reach its objectives. In a predictive project the result is the project management plan: one document, built from subsidiary plans and baselines, that describes how the project will be executed, monitored, controlled and closed. Project documents such as the risk register and stakeholder register are created and updated alongside it.
In an adaptive project, planning happens in smaller pieces and is repeated every iteration, but the same questions are answered: what, when, how much, how well, and with whom.
How it works
Why each area is planned
| Area | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Scope | Defines what is and is not included, so work and expectations stay clear |
| Schedule | Sets the order and timing of work and the key dates |
| Cost | Sets the budget and how spending is controlled |
| Quality | Sets the standards the deliverables must meet and how they are checked |
| Resources | Identifies the people, equipment and materials needed |
| Communications | Defines who needs what information, when and how |
| Risk | Defines how risks are identified, analyzed and responded to |
| Procurement | Defines what will be bought from outside and how |
| Stakeholders | Defines how stakeholders will be engaged |
The scope, schedule and cost baselines are the approved versions used to measure performance. They change only through formal change control.
Project management plan versus product management plan
| Project management plan | Product management plan |
|---|---|
| Covers one project, which is temporary | Covers the product across its whole life, which may span many projects |
| How the project work will be done | Vision, roadmap and strategy for the product |
| Ends when the project closes | Continues after the project, through operations and retirement |
Milestones versus task durations
- A milestone is a significant point or event in the project. It has zero duration, for example "design approved".
- A task or activity has a duration, the time needed to complete it, for example "write design document, 10 days".
Resources
Resource planning decides the number and type of resources: people with which skills, equipment, materials and facilities. It considers availability, cost and the work packages that need them. A resource breakdown structure groups resources by category and type.
Risk register and stakeholder register
| Register | Typical contents | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Risk register | Risk description, probability, impact, owner, planned response | Tracking each risk and its response; updated throughout the project |
| Stakeholder register | Name, role, contact, interest, influence, expectations, classification | Knowing who is affected and planning engagement |
A worked example: a new regulation could delay launch. The team adds it to the risk register with a probability, an impact and an owner, and plans a response. Then they add the regulator to the stakeholder register so communication with them is planned.
Closure and transition
Closing formally completes the project or phase. It includes obtaining acceptance of deliverables, transitioning the product to operations or the customer, releasing resources, closing contracts, archiving records and capturing lessons learned.
When a question asks where to find who a stakeholder is and how much influence they have, the answer is the stakeholder register, not the communications plan.
How the exam asks about this
- "What is the duration of a milestone?" Zero.
- "Which document lists identified risks, owners and responses?" The risk register.
- "Which plan continues after the project ends?" The product management plan.
What to remember for the exam
- The project management plan combines subsidiary plans and baselines.
- Baselines are changed only through formal change control.
- Milestones have zero duration; activities have durations.
- The risk register tracks risks; the stakeholder register tracks stakeholders.
- Closure includes acceptance, transition, releasing resources and lessons learned.
Do not confuse the risk management plan with the risk register. The plan says how risk will be managed; the register lists the actual risks.
Common mistakes
Changing a baseline informally. It needs an approved change request.
Giving a milestone a duration. It is a point in time.
Skipping lessons learned at closure. Capturing them is part of closing.
Check yourself
What is a milestone?
A significant point or event in the project, with zero duration.
What is the difference between the risk management plan and the risk register?
The plan describes how risk management will be done; the register lists the identified risks, owners and responses.
Name two activities that happen when a project closes.
For example, obtaining acceptance of deliverables and capturing lessons learned.
Topic 3 of 6 in Project Management Fundamentals and Core Concepts
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