Creating a  project plan is a fundamental aspect of managing a project.   Even though standard ‘accepted’ definitions exist of what a project plan includes, there’s not necessarily broad agreement-in-practice as to the best ways to create, document, and use project plans day-to-day.  Is what’s appropriate for a large multi-organizational project really needed for a smaller project?  If an organization has one official project plan approach, how can PMs confidently deviate from the standards as appropriate for different project sizes and types (and “sell” the need to do so if there’s resistance)?    Conversely, how does a PM convince a “just do it” group that a project plan is still a good idea?  What does a project plan look like when big parts of the project are uncertain?  

This panel will discuss real world project plan how-to's:

• What’s in a good project plan and why the various aspects are so important
• How to create an effective project plan for any effort by focusing on “the spirit of the law vs. the letter of the law”
• Variations of project plans for different projects and cultures and tips for deciding what’s needed in each situation
• Creating a project plan when agile methods are called for due to project uncertainty

Skill Level: Everyone