When you are having work done on your home or office building, one of the most important things will happen before a single brick gets laid in the planning. 

You need to know how long something will take, how much it will cost and more. 

At Key2Success, we’re all about planning! Planning is an essential part of any project, and it can help you stay on track, check progress and see if your estimates are correct. The project plan can also be used as a measure of success. 

You can choose any type of project planning software or a template that suits your needs. But here are five steps that are essential in your planning stages.

Goal

For every project, there is a goal – and you need to decide what yours are. You might be working with a team, in which case you will all need to contribute to what the final goal should be. It will often be ‘to add a new building to X plot’ or perhaps ‘to add a new wing to the home’. 

Keep things on track by using a project management tool. There are many available on the market, which you can customise to work with your internal structure and workflow. If you don’t already have a chosen PM tool then https://teamhood.com/kanban/best-kanban-board-tools/ is useful for multi-team projects.

You may have more than one goal, like using sustainable materials and completing it in a set timeframe. 

Get clear on your goals.

Scope

The project’s scope is a big deal and will cover the list of features the project has to have to meet the goals. 

You will discuss the systems that will be put in place, the team, the finances, and everything contributing to successful completion. 

 Process 

Consider each team member’s tasks and responsibilities, communication, and how to manage risks – and it is pertinent to have a list of support should things go awry like Thompson Builders litigation. Each team member should be aware of their responsibilities at each project stage. 

There should be clear signposting for any issues, with a list of the correct contact details. It is essential to hold regular meetings to keep everyone up to date on the project’s development. 

It can be a challenge to highlight all the risks associated with a construction project because things can happen during progression that present threats. 

Design

The project team may begin the design process once the process strategy has been created. 

During this design stage, there will be many meetings and discussions in progress, and while it can feel like a slower part of the planning, a lot happens. Collaboration and communication are required to make this process as seamless as feasible. 

There will be regular meetings so the updates can occur and conversations about the project can be made. The purpose of the review meetings is to make sure that the schedule, budget and progress are all on track.  

Adjustments can be made as the project progresses and estimates become firmed up. 

Making revisions and alterations as needed is necessary for the design process. How the project looks in the end and how it was imagined at the start can be very different. 

A well-constructed plan is one of the most important parts of almost all projects and will be one of the best ways to track the performance and the success.