The Project Plan Introduction

The PP is the mental or first creation. PMI (2008) defines a PP as A formal, approved document used to guide both project execution and project control. The primary uses... are to document planning assumptions and decisions, to facilitate communication among stakeholders, and to document approved scope, cost, and schedule baselines. The PP is the documented roadmap of the project prepared before the project gets underway. And recall, for purposes of this chapter and book, that project is broadly defined. 

Clearly, a PP is not something in project manager s head. Instead, it is a written, hopefully, consensus product prepared under the leadership of the project manager. A PP is not necessarily a single document. It may be a place or places where project team members and possibly the client, owner, customer, and stakeholders can go, such as a hard file or a project website. 

The term PP is used in this book because it is preferred by the PMI, the gold standard of project management professional societies. However, other names include project delivery plan, project execution plan, project implementation plan, project management plan, project operations plan, project work plan, task plan, and technical operating plan. What we call it is not important preparing and using it is. 

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