One project plan can change the course of your business.
Everything starts with a project plan. From this departing point, you can outline other essential planning documents, like:
- Your communications plan for a given project
- Risk management plans for the project
- Individual to-dos and due dates
This planning structure is essential for IT projects, too.
What are IT projects?
An IT project in a business context is a big IT-related undertaking that goes beyond what someone can complete in a day or two. IT projects usually change something fundamental about how or where business data is stored, or how employees manage the individual accountabilities for their jobs.
Examples of common IT projects include:
- Switching to VoIP
- Updating your network
- Creating a LoB app
- Switching a major software, like your CRM
- Migrating to the cloud
IT Project Planning
Your IT project plan acts as the master document that guides how the IT project will be done, step by step. This starts with putting the scope and requirements on paper. The final plan covers every aspect of the project and the desired end result.
Of course, creating an IT project plan starts with your IT objective.
How was this IT project initiated? Are you solving a specific pain point or easing a growing pain?
Get your “why” clear in your head. Then, see that your “what” covers all elements of the “why” and the end goal you’re after.
Once you have your why and what, you plan the work that goes into it, including the schedule, budget, resources, staffing needs etc.
A detailed project plan is crucial to get any IT project done right.
How to Identify Project Activities and Deliverables
Once your “why” and “what” are clearly identified, breaking down responsibilities and assigning them to the right team members with clear descriptions and due dates is what comes next.
This is the process of identifying the activities that go into the project and the end “deliverables” those activities should generate.
For example, if you’re switching to VoIP, someone at the company with access to the existing phone account needs to get a full audit of what numbers are in use. Once you have the number and maybe even find some lines that haven’t been used for a while, or instead discover that you need more, you can work with the VoIP provider to get your account set up specifically to your needs.
The “activity” would be the research that the assigned employee does into the current account and the lines currently in use. The “deliverable” would be a spreadsheet with his or her findings.
Outlining Activities and Deliverables
As you identify “activities” and “deliverables,” build them into your plan in a simple table that includes:
- A description of each activity
- An assignee
- The deliverable identified
- A due date
Including the Right People
Include the right people in your planning, too. Decision-makers have the final say in the why and what, but direct supervisors and IT staff—or your IT service provider—should weigh in heavily on the activities and deliverables.
You can also include representatives from the affected departments who can weigh in on how existing IT resources are used.
After the planning phase, IT projects progress to the execution and then control phases.
Want help with an IT project? We’re around and happy to answer any questions!