Milestone Planning
The characteristics for a successful plan are to provide a path that lead towards a specific goal within a projects scope. The path to create a decent plan can be divided by various activities, uncertainties, phases, and decisions. The similarly between those unknown variables are that they are a part of a milestone plan which is an essential project, program and portfolio management tool. Managing or using a milestone plan allows management on different detail levels. The tool can navigate between important phases and its decision points. [1]
A milestone plan is constructed by milestones instead of focusing on activities. When using a milestone plan in a project planning it gives a goal- and result orientated planning. [2] In a beginning of a project a milestone plan can give assistance to clarify some of the deliverables for the project within the present knowledge. It is important to know the project goal(s). Some project goals are not concrete and therefore alternated although the planning. Changes though the planning is necessary to reach a common goal that satisfies all stakeholders. The goal can be redirected by new knowledge and that is why it is important to have milestones which create a decision point on “Are we going in the right direction, or do we need to alternate our future planning?” or “Have we achieve the deliverables for this milestone?”.
This article will explore a few scenarios where a milestone plan is either used in a program plan or a contribution by creation a monitoring platform that allows a regular review of the project-, program, or portfolio achievements with in an organization´s strategic plan. Furthermore, the concept will be reflected critically with a practical approach and guidance. [3]
Contents |
Context
Explanation and its purpose
- Short introduction that leads on to the use of a milestone plan.
- Describe the concept/tool by making nice figures that explain milestone planning.
Guidance with a practical approach
- Make a guidance which can be used by a project manager, steering committee, and top management of a company
- Maybe include examples on the approach.
Limitations
- Explain shortly what makes a milestone plan a good tool.
- Discuss the limitations and usual mistakes throughout a project and reflect on how and why these mistakes are happening. The right way to use a milestone plan and the wrong way to use a milestone plan.
Annotated bibliography
Project Management Institute, Inc.. (2017). Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) (6th Edition). Project Management Institute, Inc. (PMI). Retrieved from https://app.knovel.com/hotlink/toc/id:kpGPMBKP02/guide-project-management/guide-project-management - write something smart
The Standard for Program Management – Fourth Edition (2017). - write something smart
Reference
- ↑ Project Management Institute, Inc.. (2017). Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) (6th Edition). Project Management Institute, Inc. (PMI). Retrieved from https://app.knovel.com/hotlink/toc/id:kpGPMBKP02/guide-project-management/guide-project-management
- ↑ Andersen, E. S. (2006). Milestone planning—a different planning approach. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2006—Asia Pacific, Bangkok, Thailand. Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute. Retrieved from https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/milestone-different-planning-approach-7635
- ↑ The Standard for Program Management – Fourth Edition (2017).
