Welcome back, we've gotten out project charter approved, and we have a project ready to start. The next step is to start developing the project plan. The project management plan is the document that describes how the project will be executed, monitored, and controlled. It contains the elements shown here. Each of these plans is typically developed independently by different groups on the project. Each function develops their own plan. On smaller projects, they may be combined into a single document and done by fewer people. However, each plant should have its own section as a minimum. Over the course of this specialization, we have or will address each of these elements. For now it's enough to note that as the project manager, it's your role to setup a high level parameter to each plan. And then coordinate and integrate them into a consistent overall project management plan. Additional elements of the project management plan you may want to consider include the executive summary. The executive summary gives the reader a overview of the key elements of each plan in the scope of the project. An execution approach, the execution approach document is a good place for the project manager to lay out his or her strategy for the project. This is where you can outline how you want to approach each of the plan elements and the key parts of your management plan. One trick I use in integrating the overall project management plan is to prepare a draft a of these two sections in advance of the rest of the plan. This allows you as a budget manager to convey your thoughts on how the project should be executed to the rest of your team in written form. It gives them a template to use in preparing the remainder of the more detailed plans. This is particularly more relevant on larger projects where the project management plan can get very large. Finally, you may want to include a change management plan. On some projects, the change management plan is separate from the other plans. If you expect change management to be a big issue, this is usually a good approach. Change management can also be included as part of the scope management plan or the cost management plan, or both. Setting up the project management plan is a key element in setting up, planning, directing, and controlling the project. The project management plan is one of the baseline elements to define the project and how it will be executed. We talked earlier about the iron triangle of scope, schedule and cost that define the project parameters to such an extent that if one element changes, then one or more of the other element must also change. In actual execution, there are other elements that also impact the project to a similar extent. These include the project charter and or the contract if it is this. The project management plan that we just discussed and the project risk register that will be developed. I like to refer to the total of these six documents as project baseline document. Why are these added elements so important? The project charter and contract define the project scope and the requirements. Any change in one of these documents is essentially a change in the scope, and should be treated as such. Once you develop your project management plan, your project schedule and cost estimate are based on this plan. Any change to the plan should be treated as a potential change to the cost and schedule, perhaps even the scope. Finally, the risk register is key because it defines the risk in mitigation plans with the project. If the risk profile changes significantly, then we can expect corresponding changes in scope, schedule or cost. So why add these extra elements to our watch list if there are resulting changes to the scope, schedule and cost? Can't we just stick with the iron triangle? We watch these extra elements closely, because we know that changes to these elements will eventually result in changes elsewhere. A good project manager will use these types of changes as an early warning system, and take steps to mitigate their impact before the changes to the scope, schedule, and cost appear. A good project manager assists his team in achieving the project deliverables and objectives. He does this by directing the work and following the baseline as set out in the six elements discussed earlier. He or she will manage the project stakeholders and communicate to all members. They will adjust their plans to meet new challenges and obtain the necessary resources to meet those plans. Good project managers train their staff and work with them to enhance their performance individually and also as a team. Planning and directing a project is challenging work, it is the key to driving the work to a successful conclusion. The next step in the subject in the next lesson is controlling and monitoring the work. In this step, we will look at the project manager's responsibilities in this area and also review the concept of change management.