In this roundup, we’ve gathered a selection of the best roadmap templates designed to support different functions and project types. These free roadmap templates provide structure while remaining flexible enough to adapt to your unique planning needs, so you can focus more on execution and less on formatting.

Why Use a Roadmap Template?

Using a roadmap template streamlines the process of planning and visualizing a project or strategic initiative. Instead of starting from scratch, teams can rely on a structured format that ensures all critical elements—such as goals, milestones, timelines and resource needs—are included. This helps reduce planning errors, saves time and ensures consistency across different projects or departments.

A roadmap template also improves communication and alignment. Whether you’re presenting to executives, stakeholders or team members, a clear and well-organized roadmap makes it easier to convey progress, upcoming initiatives and strategic priorities. It supports transparency and helps manage expectations by showing how short-term tasks tie into long-term goals.

Moreover, roadmap templates can be customized to suit specific methodologies or industries, from IT and product development to marketing and operations. This adaptability makes them a practical tool for guiding teams, tracking execution and adjusting plans based on feedback or changing circumstances—all without losing the strategic big picture.

That doesn’t mean a template is ideal. There are limitations to using a static document to manage something as dynamic as project planning. Templates can’t provide real-time data. Everything must be manually updated, which means the information is always at least a step behind. Templates are also poor collaboration tools. However, there’s a solution: use project management software.

ProjectManager is award-winning project and portfolio management software with powerful roadmaps with automated updates, drag-and-drop editing and seamless integration with tasks, timeline and resources. Unlike templates, our roadmaps can link all four types of task dependencies to avoid cost overruns, filter for the critical path to identify essential tasks and slack, plus set a baseline to track progress in real time. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.

1. Roadmap Template for Excel

Download this free roadmap template for Excel to help teams plan, visualize and communicate project goals, timelines and milestones over a specific period. It includes rows for tasks, start and end dates. This structure allows users to map out project phases and deadlines in a linear, visual format.

Excel’s native features like conditional formatting, color coding and cell merging make it relatively easy to customize a roadmap to reflect priorities, statuses, and team responsibilities. These templates are particularly useful for high-level planning across departments or for presenting strategic overviews to stakeholders.

While Excel roadmap templates are popular for their accessibility and familiarity, they also have limitations. As noted above, they are static by nature and require manual updates, which can be time-consuming and prone to human error, especially as project details evolve.

Collaboration is also limited in Excel unless used in an online platform like OneDrive or Google Sheets, and even then, version control, which is included in ProjectManager, can become a challenge. Despite these drawbacks, Excel roadmap templates remain a widely used solution for teams that need a quick, straightforward way to organize and present project or product plans without specialized software.

2. Product Roadmap Template

This free product roadmap template for Excel is a strategic planning tool used to visually outline the development and evolution of a product over time. It typically includes key elements such as product goals, features, releases, timelines and responsible teams or stakeholders.

By organizing this information in a clear, linear format—often segmented by quarters or development phases—product managers and cross-functional teams can align their efforts around shared objectives. A roadmap template provides a high-level overview that helps prioritize features, communicate progress and coordinate tasks across departments like engineering, marketing, sales and customer support.

Product roadmap templates are valuable for both internal planning and external communication. Internally, they serve as a reference point to keep development teams focused on short-term deliverables while working toward long-term product vision. Externally, they can be shared with leadership, customers or partners to provide visibility into the product’s future direction.

Our free roadmap templates are also highly customizable, allowing teams to tailor them to specific methodologies, such as agile, scrum or waterfall, or to categorize by themes, epics or customer segments. With a well-structured product roadmap template, organizations can ensure alignment between business goals and development priorities, making it easier to deliver a cohesive and value-driven product experience.

3. Strategic Roadmap Template

This free strategic roadmap template for Excel is a planning tool designed to outline an organization’s long-term vision and the key initiatives required to achieve it. Unlike project or product roadmaps that focus on deliverables and timelines, a strategic roadmap provides a high-level overview of business objectives, priorities and the phased actions necessary to meet those goals. It often spans multiple years and is divided into major categories like operations, marketing, technology, finance or customer experience, helping stakeholders see how efforts align across departments.

This roadmap template includes a timeline segmented into quarters, along with strategic goals, key initiatives, responsible teams and performance indicators. A strategic roadmap template helps leadership communicate direction clearly, maintain alignment across the organization and track progress toward long-term objectives. Strategic roadmap templates are especially useful during annual planning, business transformation or when launching new corporate strategies, providing a structured yet flexible format to visualize and adjust strategy execution over time.

4. Program Roadmap Template

Download this free program roadmap template for Excel to outline the strategy, schedule and key deliverables of a program that consists of multiple related projects. It helps program managers coordinate efforts across different teams and initiatives by clearly mapping out timelines, milestones and high-level goals. Unlike a project roadmap that focuses on a single initiative, a program roadmap captures the broader view, aligning several projects under one strategic umbrella to ensure they collectively contribute to organizational objectives.

This template includes time-based sections in months, rows for individual projects or workstreams and visual markers for major milestones and phases. It allows stakeholders to see how various projects interrelate, when critical deliverables are expected and how resources are allocated across the program.

A program roadmap template is particularly useful for long-term initiatives such as digital transformation, product portfolios or cross-functional strategic goals. It facilitates communication, risk identification and alignment across departments, making it easier to adjust plans as priorities evolve.

5. IT Roadmap Template

Use this free IT roadmap template for Excel to visually outline the direction, priorities and development phases of an organization’s information technology initiatives. It helps IT leaders align technology investments and projects with broader business goals by mapping out plans across categories like infrastructure upgrades, system integrations, cybersecurity enhancements, application development and digital transformation.

Organized by a monthly timeline, an IT roadmap template gives stakeholders a clear view of what’s coming, what’s in progress and how technology will support organizational growth.

The IT roadmap template includes key sections for strategic objectives, current and future initiatives, milestones, responsible teams, budgets and resource requirements. It’s especially useful for managing complex IT portfolios where coordination across multiple teams and systems is essential.

By using an IT roadmap template, organizations can ensure better alignment between IT and business units, prioritize critical projects, reduce duplication of efforts and anticipate infrastructure or security needs. Whether you’re planning cloud migrations, enterprise software rollouts or IT governance enhancements, a well-structured IT roadmap template brings clarity and focus to your technology strategy.

ProjectManager Is Better Than a Roadmap Template

We’ve already listed why a roadmap template is a poor tool for planning and visualizing a project or strategic initiative. While anyone can download these free roadmap templates and try them out, they’ll quickly conclude that a more interactive planning tool that goes beyond the basic visualization of a roadmap template is in order.

ProjectManager is award-winning project and portfolio management software with robust roadmaps that are live and collaborative. There are also other project views, such as Gantt charts, kanban boards, sheet, task and calendar views, all of which track progress, adjust timeline and reallocate resources as priorities shift.

Stay Productive With Resource Management Features

Use our resource planning and tracking tools to keep teams working at capacity, but avoiding burnout. This begins by scheduling resources on the roadmap and then onboarding the team, where their availability can be set to ensure resources are allocated efficiently. Use the color-coded workload chart to track allocation. See who is overallocated or underutilized and balance their workload without leaving the chart.

There’s also a team page that offers a daily or weekly summary of their activities. It can be filtered by progress and priority and users can update tasks from the same page.

Track Progress and More With Real-Time Dashboards and Reports

Resources are only one metric that needs to be monitored. For a high-level overview of key project metrics, toggle to the real-time project or portfolio dashboards. They don’t require any setup and automatically collect live data that’s displayed on easy-to-read graphs and charts showing time, cost, workload and more.

One-click reports go deeper into the data and can be filtered to also provide a more general view of progress that can be shared with stakeholders. Secure timesheets streamline payroll, but also track labor costs to help keep on budget.

Related Roadmap Content

• How to Create a Project Roadmap (Example Included)
• How to Create a Product Roadmap: Examples & Templates Included
• What Is a Program Roadmap (Example & Template Included)

ProjectManager is online project and portfolio management software that connects teams whether they’re in the office or out in the field. They can share files, comment at the task level and stay up to date with email and in-app notifications. Join teams at Avis, Nestle and Siemens who are using our software to deliver successful projects. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.

The post 5 Roadmap Templates appeared first on ProjectManager.

Before we get to all that, though, we’ll define what an IT roadmap is, what should be included in one and how you can create one that supports both long-term vision and short-term execution. To help you get started, we’ve also included a customizable IT roadmap template that you can tailor to your organization’s unique priorities and timelines.

What Is an IT Roadmap?

An IT roadmap is a strategic document that outlines how an organization plans to use technology to support its business goals over a specific timeframe. It serves as a high-level visual guide for planning and prioritizing IT initiatives such as infrastructure upgrades, software implementation, cybersecurity improvements and cloud migration. The roadmap details what technologies will be adopted, when they will be deployed and how they align with business needs, helping stakeholders understand the direction and value of IT investments.

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IT Roadmap Template

Use this free IT Roadmap Template to manage your projects better.

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Beyond just listing projects, an IT roadmap helps coordinate cross-functional teams, manage resources and track progress against long-term objectives. It ensures that all stakeholders—from IT departments to executive leadership—are aligned on technology priorities and timelines. By using an IT roadmap, organizations can reduce redundancy, improve scalability and make more informed decisions about budgeting and resource allocation.

While it looks like a Gantt chart, an IT roadmap is more expansive, including the context, strategy, project breakdowns, timing and sequencing, resources and budget plans and governance. Think of a Gantt chart as a delivery timeline, while the full IT roadmap is the blueprint guiding everything, technically and strategically. We have an IT roadmap template for free, but we recommend project management software.

ProjectManager is award-winning project and portfolio management software with comprehensive IT roadmaps designed to provide a strategic, high-level view of projects, programs and portfolios. These tools help with strategic alignment, ensuring all stakeholders understand the project’s direction. It also integrates with resource management, time tracking and task management features to ensure projects stay on track. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.

What Should Be Included in an IT Roadmap?

An effective IT roadmap provides a clear and comprehensive view of how an organization plans to use technology to meet its strategic goals. Whether you’re introducing new infrastructure, upgrading software or enhancing cybersecurity, a well-structured IT roadmap aligns technology initiatives with business objectives. Here’s what should be included in an IT roadmap to ensure it serves as a reliable and actionable guide.

1. Executive Summary

This section provides a high-level overview of the roadmap, outlining its purpose, scope and alignment with the organization’s broader strategic vision. It’s aimed at stakeholders and decision-makers who need a concise summary of the roadmap’s goals.

2. Current IT Environment

This is a snapshot of the organization’s existing IT infrastructure, systems, tools and capabilities. This baseline helps identify gaps, limitations and opportunities for improvement. It should include the following.

• Infrastructure: Describes the physical and virtual computing environment, including on-premises servers, data centers and cloud hosting platforms.
• Network: Covers internal and external connectivity such as LAN/WAN architecture, VPN access, firewalls, bandwidth and network redundancy.
• End-User Devices: Refers to the hardware employees use, including desktops, laptops, mobile devices and their operating systems.
• Applications: Lists core business software in use, such as ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning), CRM (Customer Relationship Management), HRIS (Human Resources Information Systems) and collaboration tools.
• Data Storage: Involves how data is stored, backed up and retained, including total capacity, storage types and backup protocols.
• Security: Encompasses tools and processes to protect IT assets, such as antivirus software, multi-factor authentication (MFA), encryption and vulnerability management.
• IT Service Management (ITSM): Includes the systems and workflows used to manage IT support, including helpdesk software, ticket resolution processes, SLAs and response times.
• Integration Points: Describes how systems communicate using APIs, middleware and third-party software connections.
• Licensing & Compliance: Tracks software licensing agreements, renewal schedules and adherence to industry regulations such as GDPR or HIPAA.
• IT Team: Outlines the structure of the internal IT department, including team roles, skillsets and headcount.
• Vendors & Contracts: Identifies key external technology partners, service providers and the status of contractual agreements.
• Pain Points: Highlights current challenges or limitations within the IT environment, such as aging hardware or unsupported legacy systems.

3. Strategic IT Goals

These are defined objectives that the IT roadmap aims to achieve. These goals should align with business strategy and might include goals such as improving system reliability, enhancing cybersecurity or enabling digital transformation.

4. Key Initiatives and Projects

This is the core of the roadmap, detailing the major IT initiatives and projects planned to achieve the strategic goals. Each project should include a brief description, objectives, timelines and responsible teams.

5. IT Roadmap Timeline

A visual or tabular representation of when each initiative will be executed. This timeline is like a Gantt chart, showing activities required to meet the IT goals. It ensures alignment across departments and helps with planning and resource allocation.

6. Resource Requirements

Outlines the personnel, tools, hardware and software needed to execute the roadmap. Resource requirements are essential for assessing feasibility and ensuring appropriate resource planning.

7. IT Roadmap Budget

A financial estimate for the initiatives and projects included in the roadmap. It should include capital expenses, operational costs and contingency funds.

8. Risk Management Plan

Identifies potential risks that could affect the roadmap’s success, along with mitigation strategies. Common risks include vendor delays, scope creep or cybersecurity threats.

9. Performance Metrics and KPIs

Defines how progress and success will be measured. Common IT KPIs include system uptime, project completion rate and return on technology investment.

10. IT Governance Structure

Details the roles, responsibilities and decision-making processes for overseeing the roadmap’s execution. This section ensures accountability and consistency in implementation.

11. Communication Plan

Describes how the roadmap and its progress will be communicated to stakeholders, including reporting frequency, formats and key audiences. This promotes transparency and engagement.

Benefits of an IT Roadmap

An IT roadmap delivers numerous strategic and operational benefits, helping organizations align their technology initiatives with long-term business goals. Here are some of the key advantages.

• Stronger strategic alignment
• Improved prioritization and planning
• Enhances communication and transparency
• Better risk management
• Resource optimization
• Adaptability to change

IT Roadmap Template

Now that we understand more thoroughly what an IT roadmap is, readers are most likely eager to get their hands on one to use it or, at least, play around with the tool to get a better understanding of its usefulness. Download our free IT roadmap template for Excel and give it a try.

This free IT roadmap template helps organizations plan, organize and communicate their technology strategy over time. It serves as a guide for outlining current IT capabilities, future technology initiatives and the steps needed to bridge the gap between them.

Related IT Templates

There are more IT templates than the IT roadmap. In fact, there are over 100 free project management templates available for immediate download. They cover all aspects of managing a project across multiple industries. Here are just a few that are appropriate for IT.

IT Project Plan Template

Open this free IT project plan template in ProjectManager to help project managers organize, document and communicate the key components of an IT project. It outlines what the project will deliver, how it will be executed, who will be involved and how progress will be tracked—serving as a comprehensive blueprint for successful project execution.

IT Risk Assessment Template

Download this free IT risk assessment template for Excel to identify, evaluate and prioritize potential risks to an organization’s information technology systems, infrastructure and operations. It provides a repeatable process for analyzing vulnerabilities and threats so that mitigation strategies can be developed proactively.

Agile Sprint Plan Template

Use this free agile sprint plan template to organize and manage work during a sprint (a short, time-boxed development cycle, typically one to four weeks). It helps teams outline what they aim to accomplish during the sprint, track progress and ensure alignment across team members.

How ProjectManager Helps Manage IT Projects

It may feel odd using outdated technology like templates to manage an IT project. Yes, they can provide a free workaround, but they’re limited, requiring manual updates and not built for collaboration. It’s unlikely to find IT teams working with templates. Understandably, they prefer project management software.

ProjectManager is award-winning project and portfolio management software that has multiple project views that allow IT teams to work on kanban boards, but cross-functional teams to use tools that are more appropriate for their work, whether that’s Gantt charts, task, sheet or calendar views. All project views are updated in real time to keep teams collaborating and working on the same page.

Allocate and Monitor Resources

Our software enables IT teams to allocate and monitor resources, whether people, equipment or budgets, in real time. For example, our color-coded workload chart makes it easy to see who is overallocated or underutilized and balances the team’s workload to keep them productive.

When teams are onboarded, their availability can be set to make assignments based on actual availability and skills. There’s even a team page for a daily or weekly summary of their activity, which can be filtered by progress or priority. Tasks can be updated without leaving the page.

Track Tasks and Progress With Real-Time and Reports

Sticking to the IT project plan requires constant monitoring. Our real-time tracking features ensure that the collected data is updated and relevant. For a high-level overview, toggle over to the real-time project or portfolio dashboard for instant visibility into KPIs like task completion, resource utilization and budget health.

For further details, use our customizable reports on status, variance, timesheets, workload and more. They can be filtered to show the information you want to see. Even our secure timesheets help by tracking labor costs to help keep to the budget.

Related IT Management Content

An IT roadmap is part of the larger IT management process. For those readers curious to learn more about this discipline, below are some recent blog posts that expand on the subject.

• What Is IT Management? Why Is IT Important for Businesses?
• IT Service Management (ITSM): Frameworks, Processes & Phases
• What Is an IT Budget? IT Budgeting Basics
• IT Financial Management (ITFM) Best Practices
• IT Incident Management: How to Manage IT Incidents
• IT Risk Management Process, Frameworks & Templates

ProjectManager is online project and portfolio management software that connects teams whether they’re in the office or out in the field. They can share files, comment at the task level and stay updated with email and in-app notifications. Join teams at Avis, Nestle and Siemens who use our software to deliver successful projects. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.

The post What Is an IT Roadmap? (Template Included) appeared first on ProjectManager.

That planning provides a clear path forward. When you organize the various departments of your business, everyone knows what their function is—and the tasks and processes necessary to achieve your business goals.

What Is Organizational Planning?

Organizational planning is how business owners organize the day-to-day operations of a business. This can range from simple things, like the companies’ reason for existence, to more complex considerations, like setting goals to realize a specific objective. You use the organizational plan as a framework for creating tasks that, when executed, will allow the company to achieve its goal.

Organizational planning is often used to improve a company’s overall business, but a company can direct it towards its workforce, finances or products. There are, therefore, various types of organizational planning goals; from workforce development and financial planning to products, services and expansion planning.

That’s a lot of data to organize. ProjectManager has interactive Gantt charts that help you organize all that information, create a functional plan and manage it successfully. Try ProjectManager today for free!

What Is an Organizational Plan?

An organizational plan is a strategic framework that outlines how a business or entity structures its operations to achieve its goals effectively. It defines the hierarchy, roles, responsibilities and workflow within the organization, ensuring that every department and team member understands their function and how their work contributes to the broader objectives.

This plan typically includes elements such as the organizational structure (e.g., functional, divisional, matrix), staffing strategies, communication protocols and processes for decision-making and accountability. An organizational plan helps ensure coordination across departments, improves resource allocation and supports long-term planning and adaptability in a changing business environment.

Why Organizational Planning Is Important

It goes without saying that the better you organize your company, the better your company performs. Organizational planning is important because it lets companies develop effective planning and achieve their stated goals.

Having an organizational plan is also helpful because a prepared company responds better to changes in the workplace. Furthermore, organization planning clarifies the roles, responsibilities and expectations of everyone in the company. This helps management make sure they’re meeting the determined benchmarks.

Because organizational planning creates a structure where relationships between teams and managers are clearly defined, it can also reveal where there are any shortcomings, issues or liabilities. The company can then resolve these hamstringing limitations.

Key Areas of Organizational Planning

These phases of organizational planning are defined in these four processes:

1. Strategic Planning: This is the big-picture view for the company. Here, you define the company goals. The goals must align with the overall mission, vision and values of the company. This process involves upper management, though you can bring employees into the discussion.
2. Tactical Planning: Next, the discussion moves toward how to implement the developed plan. These are more short-term goals, usually no more than a year in duration. This is where middle management takes the ball, in terms of creating plans and marketing campaigns.
3. Operational Planning: Now we’ve come to the day-to-day operations necessary to execute the tactical plan. This is where you set up work schedules, policies, rules and regulations for employees. You also assign specific tasks and create a protocol for tracking work.
4. Contingency Planning: It’s important to have a backup plan or two in case of unforeseen events or issues that make the original plan impossible. Spend time thinking of possible risks and responses. Events include natural disasters, software malfunctions or the departure of a C-level executive from the company.
5. Workforce Development: Workforce development focuses on enhancing employee skills, knowledge and capabilities through training, mentorship and career growth programs. It ensures the organization remains competitive by cultivating talent, increasing productivity and preparing the workforce to meet current and future operational demands in alignment with strategic business goals.
6. Succession Planning: Succession planning identifies and develops internal talent to fill key leadership or critical roles in the future. It mitigates disruption from unexpected departures, supports long-term continuity and fosters leadership pipelines. Effective succession planning aligns with organizational strategy and ensures business resilience through proactive talent management.

Organizational Planning Process

Organizational planning is the structured effort of aligning an organization’s goals with its internal capabilities and external environment. It involves setting long-term direction, allocating resources and defining clear steps to achieve strategic objectives. This process ensures that an organization operates efficiently and remains adaptable to changing business landscapes. Below are the key components that form the backbone of an effective organizational planning process.

Define the Mission and Vision of the Organization

The mission and vision statements articulate the organization’s purpose and long-term aspirations. The mission defines what the organization does, who it serves and how it delivers value. The vision outlines where the organization aims to be in the future. Together, they serve as a compass that guides all planning and decision-making efforts.

Conduct a SWOT Analysis

A SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis, also known as a situational analysis, evaluates the organization’s internal capabilities and external market conditions. It helps identify competitive advantages, areas for improvement and external challenges or opportunities. This assessment informs strategic choices and prepares the organization for proactive decision-making.

Create a Strategic Plan

A strategic plan sets the organization’s long-term goals and outlines the major initiatives required to achieve them. It addresses overarching priorities, allocates key resources and establishes performance benchmarks. The strategic plan aligns all departments under a unified direction and lays the foundation for more detailed planning.

Create a Tactical Plan

A tactical plan breaks down the strategic plan into specific initiatives assigned to departments or business units. It focuses on mid-term objectives, typically over a one–three year timeframe, and outlines the steps each team must take to support the broader strategy. Tactical planning ensures cross-functional coordination and accountability.

Create an Operational Plan

The operational plan details the short-term activities, daily operations and workflow required to meet tactical goals. It includes schedules, staffing needs, task assignments and process guidelines. This plan ensures that the organization’s routine activities are aligned with strategic and tactical goals.

Establish an Organizational Structure

The organizational structure defines the hierarchy, reporting relationships and communication flow within the organization. It specifies roles and responsibilities across departments, enabling clear decision-making, accountability and collaboration. Choosing the right structure—functional, divisional, matrix, or flat—impacts organizational agility and efficiency.

Assess Resource Needs and Make an Operational Budget

This step involves identifying the human, technological and financial resources required to execute operational and tactical plans. An operational budget allocates funds to departments based on priorities and expected outcomes. Proper resource assessment ensures sustainability and prevents resource shortages or overspending.

Establish Standard Operating Procedures

Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are formalized guidelines for performing routine tasks. SOPs help ensure consistency, compliance and quality across the organization. They reduce training time, prevent errors and support continuous improvement by documenting best practices.

Define Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for All Business Departments

KPIs are measurable values used to track the effectiveness and efficiency of different departments. Each department should have relevant KPIs aligned with organizational goals, such as customer satisfaction, revenue growth or project completion rates. These metrics allow leadership to monitor progress and make informed adjustments.

How to Make an Organizational Plan

The four phases of the organizational planning process create a framework, but there are different steps when making an organizational plan:

1. Start with the goals and objectives of the company: Where do you want to be in the short- and long-term?
   Then, assemble a team to lead the execution, tracking and progress of the plan.
2. Create a chart that illustrates the organizational structure of the plan: Share it with the whole company and keep them updated on progress as you hit milestones set for the long- and short-term.
3. Define the company goals and objectives: Make this a detailed list to help everyone understand the goals and objectives, as well as their part in realizing them.
4. Create a task list with roles for everyone on your team: Assign them tasks and make sure the team understands what is expected of them.
5. Review where the company is currently: What processes are in place at this moment? Reviewing this allows the team to see what they need to do to reach the company growth targets.
6. Scenario Planning: Use scenario planning to plan future strategic initiatives, make changes to the overall business model or any other actions that will allow the company to be more competitive
7. Take what you’ve collected and put it in a document: Use this to track progress when you execute the organizational plan.

What Should Be Included in an Organizational Plan?

Now that we’ve gone over the basic steps in the organizational planning process, let’s now dive into the key elements of an organizational plan document.

1. Executive Summary

A concise overview highlighting the plan’s purpose, scope, and expected impact. It summarizes key goals, strategic priorities, and the overall approach. The executive summary is often written last but appears first to give stakeholders a clear, high-level understanding of the plan’s intent and structure.

2. Mission, Vision and Core Values

These foundational statements define why the organization exists, where it aspires to go, and what principles guide its behavior. Together, they inform decision-making, shape company culture, and unify teams around a shared identity. Clear, inspiring statements provide direction and align internal and external stakeholders.

3. Strategic Objectives

Strategic objectives are measurable long-term goals that guide the organization toward its vision. They focus on growth, performance, innovation, and market position. These objectives provide clarity, help prioritize initiatives, and align all departments with the company’s future direction. They form the basis of actionable plans.

4. Organizational Structure

This outlines how the organization is arranged, including roles, departments, and reporting relationships. It defines how authority flows and how teams collaborate. A clear structure promotes accountability, efficient communication, and operational clarity, ensuring everyone understands their role and where they fit in the organization.

5. Workforce and Staffing Plan

Details current staffing levels, projected needs, and talent strategies. It covers hiring plans, skill gaps, training programs, and succession planning. This section ensures the organization is equipped with the right people in the right roles to achieve its objectives efficiently and sustainably over time.

6. Operational Plan

Translates strategic objectives into specific actions at the department level. It includes daily operations, key initiatives, timelines, and resource allocations. This section ensures coordination across teams, tracks progress against milestones, and serves as a roadmap for executing the organization’s short- and medium-term goals.

7. Financial Plan

Outlines the budget, funding sources, revenue forecasts, and cost estimates. It includes financial strategies for sustainability and growth. This section helps manage resources wisely, evaluate investment needs, and ensure alignment between financial decisions and organizational priorities to maintain fiscal health and accountability.

8. Technology and Infrastructure Plan

Covers the systems, tools, and facilities needed to support operations. It includes current technology, planned upgrades, and IT governance. This ensures infrastructure aligns with strategic goals, supports productivity, and addresses security, scalability, and innovation to maintain competitiveness and operational efficiency.

9. Risk Management Plan

Identifies potential internal and external risks to the organization’s success. It includes assessments, impact analysis, mitigation strategies, and contingency plans. A robust risk management plan helps protect assets, ensures business continuity, and prepares the organization to respond effectively to uncertainties and disruptions.

10. Performance Metrics and KPIs

Defines how progress and success will be measured. It includes specific, quantifiable indicators aligned with strategic objectives. Tracking KPIs allows for real-time performance monitoring, informed decision-making, and continuous improvement. This section ensures accountability and enables adjustments to stay on target.

11. Communication Plan

Outlines how information will be shared internally and externally. It includes communication channels, messaging strategies, and stakeholder engagement. This ensures transparency, boosts morale, aligns teams, and helps manage change effectively by keeping everyone informed and involved in organizational developments.

12. Review and Evaluation Schedule

Defines how and when the plan’s effectiveness will be assessed. It includes review intervals, responsible parties, and feedback mechanisms. Regular evaluations allow for course correction, validate progress toward goals, and promote continuous improvement across the organization through informed strategic adjustments.

How to Communicate Your Organizational Plan to the Team

Once you’ve created an organizational plan, you need to communicate it to the team. This is a crucial step. If you implement a plan without having everyone understand it, you may have problems that might derail the whole plan.

One way to get everyone on the same page is to call a company-wide meeting. Have a tight agenda that details the organizational plan, and get feedback from those in attendance. You can also create a one-sheet, and distribute it before or during the meeting.

If your company has project management software, you can bring the whole company in on the organizational plan, assign tasks and communicate through the tool if they have any questions. Then, when you implement the organizational plan, you can track progress and ensure everyone stays in communication.

How ProjectManager Helps with Organizational Planning

ProjectManager is a cloud-based tool with multiple project views that allow managers and their teams to choose the tool that they want to work with. No matter which they use, data is shared across the platform so everyone is working from the most current data.

Lay Out Entire Plans on Gantt Charts

Begin planning by organizing tasks and adding deadlines. Gantt charts are the traditional tool to get all your work on a timeline, but not all Gantt charts are the same. ProjectManager’s Gantt chart project view lets you to filter for the critical path without any complicated calculations. You see what is essential, and what you can skip, if time and money become an issue.

Set Baselines to Track Progress

Once the schedule is completed, you can set a baseline. This captures your planned effort around tasks, resource cost and more. That means, once you start to execute your plan, you can compare the actual effort to your planned effort to make sure you’re keeping on track.

Get Real-Time Data from Dashboards and Reports

To keep an eye on progress and performance, use ProjectManager’s live dashboard. It collects data, automatically calculates it and displays it in easy-to-read graphs and charts. Unlike other software, you don’t need to configure the dashboard; it’s up and running from the start.

Related Organizational Planning Content

• Organizational Chart Template
• Scenario Planning Template
• Organizational Project Management (OPM) Basics
• What Is Organizational Strategy in Business? (Examples Included)
• Organizational Resources Basics: Managing Company Resources
• Matrix Organizational Structure – A Quick Guide
• What Is Organization Design? Types, Principles & More
• Organizational Process Assets: Definitions, Examples & Templates

ProjectManager is award-winning software that has everything you need to plan, execute and track your organizational plan. With timesheets, automated notifications and kanban boards, managers get transparency and teams have the autonomy to manage their tasks. See how ProjectManager can help you with organizational planning and take a free trial today.

The post Organizational Planning 101: How to Make an Organizational Plan appeared first on ProjectManager.

What is analogous estimating in project management? We’ll define that term, how and when it should be used and the various types that can be employed when forecasting projects.

What Is Analogous Estimating?

Analogous estimating is a project management technique used to estimate the cost, duration or resources required for a project or task by comparing it to similar, previously completed projects. It’s a form of top-down estimation that relies on historical data and expert judgment rather than detailed analysis.

When using analogous estimating, project managers look at past projects similar in scope, complexity and scale, and use those as a reference point. For example, if a previous software development project took three months and cost $50,000, a new project with comparable features and requirements might be estimated to take a similar amount of time and budget.

Analogous estimating plays a valuable role in informing the creation of a Gantt chart, especially in the early stages of planning. Since Gantt charts are visual representations of a project schedule—including tasks, durations, dependencies and milestones—accurate time estimates are crucial to building a realistic and actionable timeline.

ProjectManager is award-winning project and portfolio management software with robust Gantt charts that schedule tasks, resources and costs. Our tool can establish milestones and link all four types of task dependencies to avoid cost overruns. It can filter for the critical path and set a baseline to track progress in real time to keep to the project plan. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.

When to Use Analogous Estimating

Analogous estimating is best used when a project is in its early stages and detailed information is scarce. It’s particularly useful for project managers who need to generate quick, high-level estimates based on the outcomes of similar past projects.

This technique relies heavily on historical data and expert judgment, making it ideal when time is limited, the scope is not yet fully defined or the project is similar to ones previously completed by the team or organization.

Analogous estimating helps kickstart planning discussions, set stakeholder expectations and develop initial budgets or schedules without getting bogged down in fine-grained analysis. While it may not deliver pinpoint accuracy, it’s an efficient way to make informed decisions and move forward when comprehensive data isn’t yet available.

Types of Analogous Estimating

Analogous estimating can take several forms, depending on the level of detail and accuracy required. Each type uses past project data to inform new estimates, but varies in how the estimate is calculated and applied. Here are the primary types of analogous estimating used in project management.

• Single-Point Analogous Estimating: This method uses a single historical data point to estimate the cost or duration of a similar current task or project. It’s fast and straightforward, but less accurate due to its reliance on just one example.
• Range-Based Analogous Estimating: Instead of a single figure, this approach provides a range (e.g., $10,000–$15,000) based on similar past projects. It accounts for variability and uncertainty, offering a more flexible outlook.
• Adjusted Analogous Estimating: This type refines the estimate by adjusting the historical data to reflect differences in project scale, complexity or scope. It allows for more tailored and accurate estimates when simple comparisons don’t fully align.

How to Use Analogous Estimating to Make a Project Estimate

Analogous estimating is a practical and efficient technique used in the early stages of project planning when limited information is available. This method works best when the new project is similar in nature and scope to one or more past projects. By following a structured approach, project managers can generate reasonably accurate estimates that serve as a foundation for further planning.

1. Gather Historical Data From Similar Projects

Start by collecting data from past projects that resemble the current one. Look for initiatives with comparable objectives, deliverables, team sizes or resource demands. Ideally, this data should include cost breakdowns, timelines and performance outcomes.

2. Review Their Scope, Budget and Timelines

Analyze the selected projects in detail. Understand the full scope of work, what was delivered, how long it took and the overall budget. This context will help determine which elements of the past projects apply to the current estimate.

3. Identify Key Differences Between the Past and Present Project

No two projects are identical. Examine where your current project diverges from the historical ones. Consider factors such as team experience, technology used, market conditions or client expectations. These differences will impact the accuracy of a direct comparison.

4. Adjust Historical Costs for Inflation

To ensure your estimates are current, adjust the financial figures from historical projects for inflation or market rate changes. This ensures the cost estimates reflect today’s economic conditions and aren’t undervalued.

5. Ask for Subject Matter Expert Input

Consult with experts who were involved in the original projects or who understand the nuances of the current one. Their insights can validate assumptions, flag overlooked risks and improve the credibility of your estimate.

6. Create a Project Estimate

With all adjustments and input considered, compile the data into a structured estimate for your current project. Document the assumptions made, the sources of historical data used and any factors that could influence the estimate’s accuracy. This becomes a valuable reference point for project planning and stakeholder communication.

Related: 7 Free Resource Management Templates

Benefits of Analogous Estimating

Analogous estimating offers several key advantages, especially in the early stages of project planning or when limited details are available. One of the most significant benefits is speed. Since this method relies on existing data from previous projects, it allows project managers to generate quick estimates without needing extensive breakdowns or bottom-up calculations. This is particularly helpful when stakeholders need an initial cost or time projection to make decisions or secure early approvals.

Another major benefit is simplicity. Analogous estimating doesn’t demand complex tools or deep technical analysis, making it accessible even for non-technical team members. It also helps ground estimates in real-world outcomes, increasing the likelihood of practical, experience-based planning.

Additionally, by using tried-and-tested project data, this technique can improve stakeholder confidence and support more realistic goal-setting. When combined with expert judgment and thoughtful adjustments, analogous estimating becomes a valuable tool for informed decision-making and early project alignment.

Disadvantages of Analogous Estimating

While analogous estimating is a quick and accessible approach, it comes with several limitations that project managers should be aware of. One primary disadvantage is its reliance on the accuracy and relevance of historical data.

If the past project used as a reference differs significantly in scope, complexity or environment, the resulting estimate may be misleading. This can lead to unrealistic timelines, budget overruns or resource shortages once the project is underway.

Another drawback is the method’s general lack of precision. Because it doesn’t involve a detailed analysis of each task or component, analogous estimating may overlook critical cost drivers or time constraints.

It relies heavily on expert judgment, which can introduce bias or variability if not carefully moderated. As a result, this estimating method is often best suited for early-stage planning rather than final budgeting, where a more detailed and data-driven approach may be required for accuracy.

Analogous Estimating vs. Parametric Estimating

Analogous estimating and parametric estimating are both top-down approaches used to forecast project costs and timelines, but they differ in methodology and precision. As noted above, analogous estimating in project management relies on historical data for quick, less detailed results.

Parametric estimating, on the other hand, uses statistical relationships between historical data and project variables. For example, if building one mile of road costs $2 million, then 10 miles would be estimated at $20 million.

This approach is more data-driven and precise, as it applies measurable units and known rates. However, it requires accurate, relevant data and a clear understanding of cost-driving variables to be effective.

Analogous Estimating vs. Three-Point Estimating

Analogous estimating and three-point estimating are both techniques used in project management to forecast duration, cost or resource needs, but they differ significantly in approach and accuracy.

Three-point estimating involves calculating three different estimates for each task or deliverable: the optimistic (best-case), pessimistic (worst-case) and most likely scenario. These three estimates are then averaged—often using the PERT (program evaluation and review technique) formula—to arrive at a more balanced and realistic projection.

This method helps account for risk and uncertainty, making it more comprehensive and accurate, though also more time-consuming to perform.

Free Related Project Management Templates

Analogous estimating is one of many tools to forecast project duration, cost and more. Below are a few of the over 100 free project management templates for Excel and Word that cover all aspects of managing projects across multiple industries. These free templates are useful when planning projects.

Project Estimate Template

Download this free project estimate template for Excel to calculate and present the anticipated costs, timeframes and resources required to complete a project. It serves as a standardized framework that helps project managers gather, organize and communicate all key estimating information in one place.

Project Budget Template

Use this free project budget template for Excel to track and manage the financial aspects of a project. It provides a structured way to estimate, allocate and control project costs across various categories such as labor, materials, equipment, overhead and more.

Cost Benefit Analysis Template

A cost-benefit analysis is used to evaluate the financial pros and cons of a project, decision or investment. This free cost benefit analysis template for Excel helps decision-makers compare the total expected costs of a project against its anticipated benefits, expressed in monetary terms.

How ProjectManager Helps Estimate Project Costs

Whether using analogous estimating techniques or templates, once the calculations are complete, the work of delivering the project is paramount. It will not be done on templates, which are simply not efficient for something as complex as project management. Professionals use project management software, and the smart ones select

ProjectManager is award-winning project and portfolio management software with multiple project views. This allows project managers to plan costs on Gantt charts and teams to execute their tasks on kanban boards or task lists, which are updated in real time to help track costs and other metrics. There’s also a calendar view that shows the project over a month.

Stay Productive With Resource Tracking Features

To keep to the budget and schedule, resources must be efficiently allocated and tracked. That starts on the Gantt chart and then, when onboarding teams, availability, skills and pay rates are set. This helps assign the right resources to the right tasks at the right time.

Project managers can then view resource allocation in real time for one or multiple projects on the color-coded workload chart. It’s easy to see who is overallocated or underutilized and balance the team’s workload from the chart. This keeps everyone working at capacity but avoids burnout. There’s also a team page for daily or weekly summaries of their activities. It can be filtered by progress or priority, and tasks updated without leaving the page.

Keep Track of Metrics With Real-time Dashboards and Reports

Resources aren’t the only part of a project that must be monitored and controlled during the execution phase. For a high-level overview of key project metrics, toggle to the real-time project or portfolio dashboards. They don’t require any setup and are automatically collecting live data, which is displayed on easy-to-read graphs and charts that show time, cost, workload and more.

Customizable reports go deeper into status, variance, timesheets, workload and more, focusing on specific data points or general information to share with stakeholders. Secure timesheets streamline the payroll process, but also track labor costs to help stay on budget.

Related Project Cost Estimating Content

Analogous estimating is only one technique to forecast project cost, duration and more. For those curious about how others work, we’ve listed links below to recently published articles on everything from the cost breakdown structure to cost control and more.

• Free Estimate Templates for Excel
• Calculating Estimate at Completion (EAC)
• What Is a Cost Breakdown Structure (CBS)
• Project Cost Management Basics
• Cost Control in Project and Business Management
• Project Cost Estimation: How to Estimate Project Cost
• Cost-Benefit Analysis: A Quick Guide with Examples

ProjectManager is online project and portfolio management software that connects teams whether they’re in the office or out in the field. They can share files, comment at the task level and stay updated with email and in-app notifications. Join teams at Avis, Nestle and Siemens who use our software to deliver successful projects. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.

The post Analogous Estimating in Project Management: A Quick Guide appeared first on ProjectManager.

We’ll first define a project plan and outline what goes into creating a project plan document. Then we’ll show how it works by illustrating several project plan examples.

What Is a Project Plan?

A project plan is a foundational document that outlines the goals, scope, timeline, resources and key deliverables. It serves as a roadmap to guide teams through execution and ensures everyone is aligned on the objectives and how they’ll be achieved. The plan typically includes tasks, deadlines, roles and risk management strategies—making it essential for setting direction.

However, while the project plan is critical, it’s not enough to effectively manage a project in real time. Projects require active coordination, dynamic scheduling, progress tracking, resource allocation and real-time communication, capabilities that go beyond what a static document can provide. That’s where project management software comes in. These tools bring your project plan to life by helping you organize workflows, track milestones, collaborate with your team and quickly adapt when things change, ensuring your project stays on time, on budget and target.

ProjectManager is award-winning project and portfolio management software that schedules and plans work on robust Gantt charts. Create plans that schedule tasks, resources and costs and link all four types of task dependencies. Then, toggle to the sheet, board, list or calendar views to see how plans are evolving in real time, or use one-click reports and dashboards to transform data into charts and graphs. If needed, share pertinent details with stakeholders using free guest licenses. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.

1. Construction Project Plan Example

In this construction project plan example, the plan is scheduled on a Gantt chart. This breaks the larger project into smaller stages, as seen in the screenshot below. There is a stage for contracts, design, procurement, construction, etc.

The project begins with document management and moves into permitting and procurement. Different colors define these sections to make it easier to distinguish at a glance. This sets up the project for when the construction begins, which is the longest phase of the project, as seen in the bar chart.

The Gantt chart also shows the planned start for each task, the planned resource cost and the planned hours for the task duration. When a baseline is set, the actual time, cost, etc., can be compared to the plan to track if the project is on schedule. On the right side, those tasks are displayed on a bar chart, which visually represents the project.

2. Event Project Plan Example

The Gantt chart can also be used for event planning. Here, the event is again broken down into phases; only these phases are planning, promotion, event prep, etc. Under each of these phases are the tasks that are necessary to complete them. Like the other Gantt charts, there are columns to show the planned effort.

Events begin with preparation, which can be viewed in the planning phase, which includes everything from finding the right venue, contracting with speakers and creating a list of attendees. This is followed by the marketing arm of the project, which grows awareness for the event through advertising, whether online or through physical media. As the event date nears, the site is set up and throughout the event, security, food services and other contractors or coordinated to ensure everything runs smoothly.

An event is also a project plan example, featuring phases and tasks. Just as in other Gantt charts, the plan is divided into a spreadsheet on the left and a bar chart on the right. The bar chart can also be colored to make it visually easier to see the different phases. Some tasks dependent on one another are shown linked on the chart.

3. Manufacturing Project Plan Example

The Gantt chart is a versatile tool used in many industries. We’ve already shown it employed in construction and event planning. Here, it’s being used to plan a manufacturing project. Though the industry is different, one can see that the layout is roughly the same.

Manufacturing a product begins with setting goals based on what customers want and then creating prototypes that are tested to ensure they are meeting that demand. This leads to setting up production to mass produce this product, which also involves various points in that production where the product is tested to ensure it’s meeting quality standards. While the product is being manufactured, other departments, such as marketing, are working on creating interest and knowledge of the product. The sales team is getting orders. All of this is coordinated so that product and delivery meet demand.

Again, the project plan example is broken down into phases. The difference is that these phases relate to the manufacturing industry. They show a design phase, prototyping phase, pre-production and so forth. However, the tasks, though different, are displayed in a bar chart to the right.

4. IT Project Plan Example

This project plan example is also on a Gantt chart. It’s an IT project and follows the course of an IT project, with phases for design, development, testing and so forth. But again, one can see that the project plan is illustrated no differently than plans in other industries.

Initiation starts the planning process, defining goals and writing a project charter. Then, define the technical details of the software product, including screen layouts, database structures and system interfaces. Next, there is refinement and the development of blueprints for developers. Testing ensures the planned system or software meets requirements, detects defects and verifies functionality before implementation.

That’s because the Gantt chart is the perfect tool for any structured project that starts with one phase and doesn’t move to the next until that phase is finished. That’s why Gantt charts are the preferred tool of project managers working in a structured environment.

5. Excel Project Plan Example

While Gantt charts are preferred, especially when they’re part of a project management software, an Excel spreadsheet can also be used. Below is an action plan, which, like a Gantt chart, breaks the project down into phases and tasks.

The action plan is made up so that each line of the spreadsheet is dedicated to a specific task, including its priority,  resources required to execute it and a column for status, which shows the percentage complete. This helps track the work so it can be completed as scheduled. However, unlike project management software, a spreadsheet must be manually updated.

Unlike a Gantt chart, there is no visual representation of the project. There is a timeline, but it’s mapped out in columns that show the start and due dates as well as the duration of each task. This project plan example is not dissimilar to the Gantt chart, except that it lacks a bar chart.

6. Agile Project Plan Example

Working in an agile environment is not ideal for using a Gantt chart, as the tool is designed for waterfall methodology. However, agile projects use project management tools. The kanban board is ideal for working more iteratively.

One of the advantages of using a kanban board in an agile environment is that the scrum team can manage their backlog of user stories and collaborate as they plan the sprint. Meanwhile, the product owner and scrum master can view the board and spot any potential bottlenecks that will slow the team down. They can then reallocate resources as needed to clear up those issues.

The kanban board is broken down into phases of production. For example, in this project plan example, there are columns for the backlog items, work that’s in progress, ready to deploy and those that have been tested and need work on bug fixes. Under each column are task cards that move from one column to the next as they work through the production cycle.

7. Word Project Plan Example

Word documents can also be used for a project plan, as illustrated below in this project plan example. This shows just a bit of an extensive outline for a project. Here one can see the project goals and objectives, an outline of the project teams, resource requirements, budget, timeline and risk log.

Planning a project involves coordinating many different things, from assembling human and nonhuman resources to accurately forecasting the budget and defining its goals and objectives. The benefit of a Word document is that it has the bandwidth to gather all this diverse data in one place, which will inform the project going forward.

For example, each field outlined in the project plan example is filled out to make it easier for stakeholders to see what the project is all about. It also informs the project team to keep them on the same page, while fully understanding what is required to deliver the project successfully. The only problem with this project plan example in Word is that the whole thing will eventually have to be manually moved over to project management software.

8. Project Plan Example Document

A project plan example is a sample document that outlines how a project will be executed, monitored and completed. It provides a clear structure for organizing tasks, timelines, resources and responsibilities.

This example is based on our free project plan template for Word and acts as a practical reference to help teams or project managers understand what to include in their plans, ensuring consistent and thorough project planning from the start.

Project Overview

The objective is to construct a 2,000 square foot single-family residential home on a cleared lot within 6 months, with a budget of $350,000. The home will include 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a kitchen, a living room and a garage. The project will follow a predictive life cycle with clearly defined phases.

Scope Management

The scope includes:

• Site preparation
• Foundation
• Framing
• Roofing
• Plumbing, electrical and HVAC systems
• Interior and exterior finishing
• Final inspection and occupancy certificate

Exclusions: Landscaping, fencing and furnishing are not included. Scope will be managed through a scope statement and WBS. Scope changes require formal approval.

Schedule Management

A Gantt chart will define all activities and dependencies. Major milestones include:

• Permits approved: Week 2
• Foundation completed: Week 6
• Framing completed: Week 10
• Final inspection: Week 24

Progress will be tracked weekly against the baseline using MS Project.

Cost Management

• Estimated cost: $350,000
• Contingency reserve: $15,000

The cost baseline will be tracked monthly, using actuals vs. planned. Variances over 5 percent will be escalated.

Quality Management

Quality standards include local building codes, structural safety and energy efficiency certifications. Inspections will occur at key stages: foundation, framing and final. Nonconformities will be documented and corrected before progressing.

Resource Management

Resources include the project manager, general contractor and subcontractors, construction crew and architect (on-call).  Resources will be acquired through contracts. Labor availability will be reviewed during weekly planning.

Communications Management

Weekly site meetings with the contractor team. Monthly progress reports to the client (homeowner). Communication will be handled via email and shared folders. Stakeholder updates will follow the RACI matrix to ensure clear ownership.

Risk Management

Key risks include permit delays (mitigation: early submission and follow-up), material shortages (mitigation: early procurement) and weather delays (mitigation: build schedule buffer). A risk register will be updated biweekly and contingency plans will be triggered if thresholds are breached.

Procurement Management

Major procurements include materials (lumber, concrete, fixtures) and subcontracted services (plumbing, electrical, HVAC). Contracts will be fixed-price where possible. Procurement will follow the company procurement policy and include vendor evaluation.

Stakeholder Management

Key stakeholders are the homeowner (sponsor), architect, general contractor and local building inspector. Engagement strategies involve the homeowner in design and finish selections and keeping the city inspector informed of inspection timelines

Change Management

All change requests must be submitted to the project manager in writing. The impact will be evaluated for scope, schedule and cost. Approved changes will be reflected in the updated baselines.

Performance Measurement Baseline

Integrated baseline includes the scope baseline (WBS), schedule baseline (approved Gantt chart) and cost baseline ($350,000). Earned Value Management (EVM) will be used at monthly checkpoints: Planned Value (PV), Earned Value (EV), Actual Cost (AC) and Variance analysis (SV, CV)

Related Project Planning Templates

It’s one thing to look at project plan examples, it’s another thing to do one. We have over 100 free project management templates for Excel and Word that cover all aspects of managing a project. Below are a few that can help interested parties play around with creating their project plan.

Resource Plan Template

Download this free resource plan template for Excel to plan, manage and execute project resources. Human resources are listed by team member, department, total effort, rate and cost. There’s also a calendar attached to schedule resources to ensure that the project has what it needs when it needs it.

Gantt Chart Template

Use this free Gantt chart template for Excel to view tasks, milestones and deadlines. It helps project managers and teams outline the project’s schedule by mapping activities along a horizontal time axis, showing when each task starts, how long it will last and when it will end.

Project Budget Template

A project budget template is a structured financial planning tool that helps project managers estimate, allocate and track the costs associated with completing a project. This project budget template for Excel provides a framework for organizing budget items, such as labor, materials, equipment and overhead, into a clear and manageable format.

How ProjectManager Helps Manage Projects

A project plan sets the stage for a successful project, but it’s only the beginning. While one can plan out the project on templates, it’s not advisable because then, the project plan is isolated on a static document. There’s no way to collaborate and any changes must be manually made. When managing a project, it’s important to work efficiently, which is why professionals choose project management software.

ProjectManager is award-winning project and portfolio management software with powerful Gantt charts to plan out work and multiple project views that give teams the tools they need to execute that work, be it on kanban boards or task lists. There’s even a calendar view that stakeholders can use to stay updated on progress.

Keep Productive With Robust Resource Features

Missing from our project plan examples is the execution of the project. At that point, project managers are working to keep the project on track. One way to do that is by effectively delivering resources. This starts on the Gantt chart, which schedules them, and continues when onboarding teams, where their availability can be set. This helps to assign the right resources to the right tasks at the right time.

A color-coded workload chart makes it easy to view resource allocation across one or multiple projects and balance the team’s workload to keep them working at capacity but not burning them out. A team page provides a real-time daily or weekly summary of their tasks, which can be filtered by priority or progress. Tasks can even be updated without leaving the page.

Monitor Project Metrics on Real-time Dashboards and Reports

Another way to keep to the project plan is by monitoring and controlling the project during its execution. For a high-level overview of key performance indicators (KPIs), toggle to our dashboards that capture live data on time, cost, workload and more on easy-to-read graphs and charts. For example, the portfolio summary dashboard is pictured below.

To get deeper into the data, visit our customizable reports on status, variance, workload, timesheets and more. Each can be filtered to focus on specific data points or show a summary of progress that can be shared with stakeholders. Secure timesheets streamline the payroll process, but also help keep projects on budget by tracking labor costs.

Related Project Planning Content

While there’s more to project management than the project plan examples we’ve shared, there’s also more to project planning. For those interested in going deeper into the subject, below are links to various related blogs we’ve recently posted.

• How to Write an Action Plan (Example Included)
• How to Make a Program Management Plan
• What Is a Work Plan? How to Make a Work Plan In 7 Steps
• How to Make a Time Management Plan You’ll Actually Use
• How to Execute a Plan Successfully
• How to Make a Process Improvement Plan (Free Template)
• How to Plan an Event: Event Planning Steps, Tips & Checklist
• How to Create a Project Execution Plan (PEP)

ProjectManager is award-winning project and portfolio management software that connects teams whether they’re in the office or out in the field. They can share files, comment at the task level and stay updated with email and in-app notifications. Join teams at Avis, Nestle and Siemens who use our software to deliver successful projects. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.

The post 8 Project Plan Examples (Templates Included) appeared first on ProjectManager.

After defining what a project is, we’ll explain what should be included and the steps to writing a project plan. We’ll also include a free project plan template and a few others related to the planning process.

What Is a Project Plan?

A project plan is a structured document that outlines the objectives, scope, timeline, resources, risks and responsibilities needed to complete a project. It serves as a roadmap, guiding the project team through each phase while ensuring alignment with stakeholders. A project plan typically includes details such as deliverables, milestones, communication strategies and budget allocations to keep the project on track and within scope.

By clearly defining these elements, a project plan helps mitigate risks, allocate resources efficiently and ensure timely execution. It also provides a reference for monitoring progress, managing changes and ensuring accountability throughout the project lifecycle.

After writing a project plan, project managers will have the fundamental details to structure a timeline, tasks, dependencies and milestones. It also outlines the scope, objectives, key deliverables and estimated timeframes, all of which can be translated into a Gantt chart to create a clear, sequential workflow. To get the most out of the project schedule, most will execute this process on project management software.

ProjectManager is award-winning project and portfolio management software with robust Gantt charts that schedule tasks, resources and costs, but also link all four types of task dependencies to avoid cost overruns, filters for the critical path and sets a baseline to track variance in real time. Plus, plans are shared on kanban boards and task lists for teams to execute their tasks and calendar views for stakeholders to stay updated on progress. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.

What Should Be Included in a Project Plan?

A project plan is a comprehensive document made up of several subsidiary plans that detail various aspects of project management. These subsidiary plans provide structure and guidance on key project elements, ensuring smooth execution and alignment with goals. Below are the essential components of a project plan.

• Scope Management Plan: Defines the project’s scope, including deliverables, boundaries and how scope changes will be managed to prevent scope creep
• Schedule Management Plan: Outlines how the project schedule will be developed, monitored and controlled to ensure timely completion
• Resource Management Plan: Identifies the personnel, materials and tools needed for the project, along with strategies for resource allocation and management
• Cost Management Plan: Details the project budget, cost estimates, funding sources and financial controls to keep expenditures within approved limits
• Stakeholder Management Plan: Defines how stakeholders will be identified, engaged and managed to ensure their expectations are met throughout the project
• Risk Management Plan: Identifies potential risks, their impact and mitigation strategies to minimize disruptions to project progress
• Communications Management Plan: Establishes protocols for information sharing, including reporting frequency, communication channels and stakeholder updates
• Procurement Management Plan: Outlines how external vendors and suppliers will be selected, contracted and managed for project needs
• Quality Management Plan: Specifies quality standards, testing procedures and assurance measures to ensure deliverables meet requirements
• Change Management Plan: Defines how changes to the project scope, schedule, or budget will be evaluated, approved and implemented

By incorporating these subsidiary plans, a project plan provides a structured framework for managing all critical aspects of a project, ensuring efficiency, accountability and successful completion.

How to Write a Project Plan

A project plan is a structured document that outlines how a project will be executed, monitored and controlled. It’s made of various subsidiary plans that guide different aspects of project management, ensuring smooth execution and stakeholder alignment. Below are the key steps to writing a comprehensive project plan.

1. Define the Project Scope

How to write a project plan starts with the project scope, which establishes the project’s boundaries and details deliverables, tasks and exclusions.

• Make a Work Breakdown Structure: Break down the project into smaller, manageable tasks to clarify the scope and assign responsibilities effectively
• Set a Scope Baseline: Establish a reference point for the approved scope, ensuring any changes are formally evaluated
• Write a Scope Management Plan: Document how the scope will be defined, controlled and monitored to prevent scope creep

2. Create a Project Schedule

The next step in how to write a project plan is a well-defined schedule. It ensures timely project completion and efficient resource allocation.

• Use Project Scheduling Methods Like CPM and PERT: Apply techniques such as the critical path method (CPM) and program evaluation review technique (PERT) to optimize scheduling
• Set a Schedule Baseline: Define a fixed project schedule against which progress can be measured
• Write a Schedule Management Plan: Outline how the schedule will be maintained, updated and adjusted as needed

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Project Plan Template

Use this free Project Plan Template to manage your projects better.

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3. Identify What Resources Will Be Needed

Proper resource planning is also part of how to write a project plan. It ensures the project has the necessary manpower, materials and tools.

• Make a Resource Breakdown Structure: Categorize resources by type and availability to facilitate allocation
• Make a Resource Schedule: Plan the timing and usage of resources to prevent conflicts or shortages
• Write a Resource Management Plan: Document strategies for resource acquisition, allocation and optimization

4. Estimate Costs and Make a Budget

Effective cost management ensures financial feasibility and control over expenditures, which makes it financially one of the most important aspects of how to write a project plan.

• Set a Cost Baseline: Establish the approved project budget to track actual versus planned costs
• Write a Cost Management Plan: Define methods for estimating, monitoring and controlling costs throughout the project

5. Identify Stakeholders and Create a Plan to Engage Them

Stakeholder engagement is crucial for project success and alignment with expectations, which is why it’s part of how to write a project plan.

• List Stakeholders with a Stakeholder Register: Identify individuals, groups and organizations impacted by the project
• Analyze Stakeholders with a Stakeholder Map: Assess stakeholder influence, interest and engagement needs
• Write a Stakeholder Management Plan: Define communication strategies and engagement techniques to address stakeholder concerns

6. Identify Potential Project Risks and Make a Plan to Manage Them

The next stage in how to write a project plan is risk management, which minimizes uncertainties and enhances project resilience.

• Log Potential Risks in a Risk Register: Document potential risks, their impact and likelihood
• Use a Risk Analysis Matrix to Prioritize Risks: Assess and categorize risks to focus on the most critical threats
• Write a Risk Management Plan: Outline risk response strategies, mitigation measures and contingency plans

7. Create a Plan to Manage the Communication Efforts of the Project Team

How to write a project plan continues with emphasizing the need for clear communication, which ensures project transparency and stakeholder alignment.

• Define What Project Reports Will Be Used Throughout the Project: Specify reporting formats, frequency and key metrics
• Establish Channels of Communication and Reporting Frequency: Define how and when project updates will be shared among stakeholders
• Write a Communications Management Plan: Document communication protocols, responsibilities and escalation procedures

8. Define Guidelines for the Procurement of Project Resources

Procurement planning ensures the timely and cost-effective acquisition of necessary materials and services and is the next step in how to write a project plan.

• Identify Potential Vendors: List possible suppliers based on quality, reliability and cost-effectiveness
• Create a Vendor Eligibility Criteria: Define requirements that vendors must meet for selection
• Write a Procurement Management Plan: Detail procurement processes, contract management and vendor evaluation strategies

9. Establish Quality Assurance and Quality Control Procedures

Next in how to write a project plan comes quality management, which ensures the project meets predefined standards and expectations.

• Define Quality Assurance and Quality Control

1. Quality Assurance (QA): Focuses on preventing defects through planned processes
2. Quality Control (QC): Involves inspecting deliverables to detect and correct defects

• Write a Quality Management Plan: Document the standards, testing procedures and quality review methods to use.

10. Establish a Procedure for Managing Changes to the Project Plan

The last step of how to write a project plan involves change management. This part ensures that modifications are assessed and approved systematically.

• Assemble a Change Control Board: Designate a team responsible for reviewing and approving change requests
• Create Change Order Request and Approval Forms: Standardize the process of requesting and documenting project changes
• Write a Change Management Plan: Define the procedures for handling scope, schedule and cost changes to maintain project stability

By following these structured steps, a project plan becomes a comprehensive roadmap, ensuring clarity, efficiency and successful project execution.

Project Plan Template

A project plan template provides a structured framework for developing a detailed project plan. Download this free project plan template for Word that lets project managers organize key elements such as scope, schedule, budget and risk management. The template ensures consistency, improves efficiency and helps teams align with project goals.

The free template includes defining the purpose, goals and success criteria of the project as well as its governance. There are sections on team and stakeholder management, scope management, project schedule, resource management, procurement, budget and cost management, as well as changes and risk.

More Free Project Management Templates

A project plan template, like a project plan, is made up of smaller plans. To help create those plans, below are three related free project management templates from the over 100 that can be downloaded from our site. Get these templates and then look over the others, which touch on every aspect of managing a project across multiple industries.

Project Budget Template

Download this free project budget template for Excel to help estimate, allocate and track costs throughout the project lifecycle. It ensures financial control, prevents overspending and aligns the budget with project objectives.

Project Charter Template

Use this free project charter template for Word to authorize a project, define its objectives and provide a high-level overview of its scope, stakeholders and key elements. It serves as a foundation for project planning and execution by outlining responsibilities and aligning expectations.

Project Dashboard Template

Once the project plan has moved to the execution, monitoring and controlling stages, a project dashboard template is a visual tool that provides an overview of project performance, key metrics and progress toward objectives. This free project dashboard template for Excel helps project managers and stakeholders track important data, enabling better decision-making and efficiency.

How to Manage a Project Plan With ProjectManager

While it can be helpful to write a project plan with templates, it can get frustrating quickly. All that work is now isolated on static documents that have no way to connect with project management tools. Worse, as the project changes, someone will have to manually import that new data into the templates. Who has time for that? Rather than try to plan, manage and track projects with templates, use project management software.

ProjectManager is award-winning project and portfolio management software that has multiple project views that allow managers to schedule on Gantt charts, teams to execute their tasks on kanban boards and task lists, while stakeholders stay updated on the calendar view. There are also resource management and tracking tools.

Keep to the Project Plan by Managing Resources

Human and nonhuman resources are scheduled on Gantt charts. Then, teams will be assigned tasks to complete by the deadline. To ensure the right resources are assigned to the right tasks at the right time, set team availability when teams are onboarded.

Project managers can view resource allocation on one or multiple projects by viewing the workload chart, which is color-coded to make it easy to see who is overallocated or underutilized. The team’s workload can be balanced without leaving the chart. This keeps everyone working at capacity without worrying about burnout. A team page provides a daily or weekly summary of their activities, which can be filtered by progress or priority and tasks can be updated from that page.

Monitor Projects with Real-Time Dashboards and Reports

To make sure the project is progressing as planned requires constant monitoring is required. Our software does that for you without having to take time away from the project to set up real-time project or portfolio dashboards. They collect live data and display it on easy-to-read graphs and charts that show time, cost, workload and more.

For a deeper understanding of status, variance, workload, timesheets and more, use our customizable reports. They can be filtered to focus on key data points or summarize progress and be shared with stakeholders to keep them updated. Even our secure timesheets help by monitoring labor costs and helping projects get delivered on budget.

Related Project Management Content

How to write a project plan is just the beginning of the larger story of project management. For those who want to read more about the big picture, below are some recently published articles from our blog covering the project life cycle, documentation and much more.

• What Is the Project Life Cycle? Project Phases Explained
• Project Documentation: 15 Essential Documents
• How to Write Effective Project Objectives & Goals Every Time
• Project Management Tools & Techniques
• Project Management Basics: Definitions, Methods and Tools

ProjectManager is online project and portfolio management software that connects teams whether they’re in the office, out in the field or anywhere in between. They can share files, comment at the task level and stay updated with email and in-app notifications. Join teams at Avis, Nestle and Siemens who use our software to deliver successful projects. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.

The post How to Write a Project Plan: Step-by-Step Guide appeared first on ProjectManager.

Let’s start by defining project contingency and what makes up a contingency plan. Then, we’ll show how to execute that plan to avoid scope creep, budget overruns and schedule delays. Finally, we’ll share a few free templates to help facilitate the process.

What Is Project Contingency?

Project contingency refers to a reserved amount of time, money or resources set aside to address unexpected events or uncertainties that may arise during a project. It acts as a buffer to manage risks, deal with unforeseen challenges and ensure the project remains on track despite disruptions.

The purpose of project contingency is to provide a financial or time cushion to handle identified and unforeseen risks. It also helps to cover unexpected expenses without jeopardizing the project’s financial health. This allows for extra time to accommodate delays or unplanned tasks. It also reassures stakeholders that the project is prepared to handle uncertainties.

Get your free

Contingency Plan Template

Use this free Contingency Plan Template to manage your projects better.

Get the Template

Whether applying a cost contingency, time contingency or resource contingency, when the time comes to implement a contingency plan, project management software will be essential. That’s because they have Gantt charts that can set the initiative to a timeline, add resources and ensure that unexpected delays or issues can be managed without disrupting the entire project.

ProjectManager is award-winning project and portfolio management software with robust Gantt charts that can schedule tasks, resources and costs. But it also links all four types of task dependencies to avoid cost overruns and absorb delays without immediately affecting subsequent tasks.

Improve Contingency Planning with ProjectManager

• Use the Gantt chart alongside the sheet, board, list and calendar view to manage contingencies
• Leverage one-click reports and dashboards to keep an eye on data
• Share contingency plans with stakeholders using free guest licenses. Try it free

Key Elements of Project Contingency Planning

Project contingency planning is a crucial process for managing uncertainties and ensuring the successful completion of a project despite unforeseen risks or challenges. By preparing for potential disruptions, project managers can minimize the impact of unexpected events on timelines, budgets and resources. Below are the key elements that contribute to effective project contingency planning.

Risk Identification & Analysis

Risk identification and analysis involve recognizing potential risks, assessing their impact and prioritizing them based on their likelihood and severity. By systematically analyzing risks, project managers can create a targeted approach for risk management and establish effective contingency measures to address them before they become significant issues.

Risk Mitigation Plan

A risk mitigation plan outlines strategies and actions to minimize or eliminate identified risks. It focuses on reducing the probability of risks occurring or their impact if they do happen. This plan provides a proactive approach, ensuring that preventive measures are in place and contingency plans can be executed when necessary.

Project Controls

Project controls are systems and processes put in place to monitor and manage project performance. These controls help track progress, compare it against the baseline and detect any deviations early. Effective project controls allow for corrective actions to be taken promptly, helping to keep the project within scope, budget and schedule.

Project Status Reports

Project status reports provide regular updates on the progress of the project. They highlight key performance indicators (KPIs), risks, issues and the overall project health. These reports help project managers and stakeholders stay informed and make data-driven decisions to address potential problems that arise during the project lifecycle.

Issue Log

An issue log is a documented record of problems or issues that arise during the project. It tracks the nature, impact and resolution of these issues, helping the project team to address them effectively. An issue log ensures transparency and accountability, providing a structured approach to resolving problems quickly.

Contingency Budget

A contingency budget is a reserve fund set aside to address unexpected costs or changes in a project’s scope. This budget ensures financial resources are available to handle unforeseen circumstances, preventing the project from exceeding its allocated budget and maintaining financial control throughout its lifecycle.

Contingency Reserve

A contingency reserve is a specific allocation within the project budget or schedule to cover anticipated risks. It provides a safety net, ensuring that funds or time are available to deal with risks that have been identified and assessed. This reserve allows the project to adapt to changes without affecting its overall objectives.

Management Reserve

A management reserve is an additional fund or time set aside for unforeseen risks not initially identified. It acts as a buffer for risks outside the project’s current risk profile, providing flexibility to address unforeseen challenges that might emerge unexpectedly during the project.

Schedule Compression Techniques

Schedule compression techniques, such as crashing or fast-tracking, help reduce the project timeline when delays occur or unforeseen circumstances arise. These methods involve adding resources (crashing) or overlapping tasks (fast-tracking) to recover lost time, ensuring the project remains on schedule despite setbacks.

By integrating these elements into contingency planning, project managers can effectively navigate uncertainties and ensure that their projects remain on track, even in the face of unforeseen challenges.

When to Execute a Project Contingency Plan

A project contingency plan is crucial for navigating the unexpected during a project. It provides a pre-established set of actions to mitigate risks and manage any disruptions that may arise. Knowing when to activate the contingency plan is key to ensuring the project’s success, and it should be triggered under certain conditions when the project deviates from its original course.

Scope Creep

Scope creep occurs when the project’s scope expands beyond the initial agreed-upon parameters without proper control or approval. This can lead to additional work, resources, and costs that were not originally planned for. When scope creep is identified, executing the contingency plan helps address the issue by realigning the project with its original objectives or allocating additional resources and time to accommodate the changes.

Budget Overruns

Budget overruns happen when the project exceeds its financial resources due to unexpected costs, poor planning or mismanagement. When a budget overrun occurs, it’s essential to activate the contingency plan to assess the impact, identify solutions such as securing additional funds or re-scoping the project and implement measures to keep the project on track financially. This ensures that the project can continue to progress without jeopardizing its completion.

Project Delays

Project delays can happen due to unforeseen events, such as resource shortages, external factors or changes in priorities. When delays occur, executing the contingency plan may involve schedule compression techniques or reallocating resources to recover lost time. It may also require reevaluating the project timeline to determine if adjustments are necessary to deliver the project on time. The contingency plan helps project managers minimize the impact of delays and maintain progress toward completion.

Free Related Project Management Templates

As promised, some templates can help with project contingency. These templates address risk management and action plans to get the project back on track. Below are links to those free templates, which are but a few of the over 100 free project management templates available for instant download from our site. These Excel and Word templates cover all aspects of managing a project.

Contingency Plan Template

Use this contingency plan template as part of the risk management process. It encourages the team to think ahead and develop strategies before issues arise. It’s fully customizable and can support projects across industries such as IT, manufacturing, construction and more.

Risk Register Template

Download this free risk register template for Excel to document and track potential risks in a project, including their likelihood, impact and proposed mitigation strategies. It helps with project contingency by identifying and prioritizing risks early on, allowing project managers to plan for uncertainties.

Risk Assessment Template

Use this free risk assessment template for Excel to identify, evaluate and prioritize potential risks in a project. It helps with project contingency by assessing the severity and likelihood of risks, enabling project managers to develop targeted mitigation strategies.

How ProjectManager Helps Manage Project Contingency

Templates are fine, but they are not the best way to plan for project contingency. That’s because they’re static documents and projects are dynamic. Templates must be manually updated and are poor collaborative tools. Much better to use project management software, but not all those products are created equally.

ProjectManager is award-winning project and portfolio management software that has contingency planning tools like Gantt charts, kanban boards and calendar views that outline tasks, assign responsibilities and collaborate in real time. Task lists can be used to detail all elements of a contingency plan, including necessary resources. But there’s more.

Effectively Manage Resources

While human and nonhuman resources can be scheduled on Gantt charts, when making assignments, our software can set team availability, skills and pay rate. This streamlines the assignment process and ensures the right resources at the right time and place. To view resource allocation, visit the color-coded workload chart.

It shows who is overallocated or underutilized and can balance the team workload from that chart. This keeps everyone productive without threatening burnout. To view a daily or weekly activity summary, use the team page. It can be filtered by progress and priority, plus tasks can be updated from that page.

Get Real-Time Monitoring With Dashboards and Reports

For a high-level overview of live data, visit the real-time project or portfolio dashboards that automatically populate with unique project data. They display easy-to-read graphs and charts showing key project metrics such as time, cost, workload and more to glean insights at a glance and keep contingency plans executed effectively.

For more details, use customizable reports on status, variance, workload, timesheets and more. They can also be filtered for a more general view of progress, which then can be shared with stakeholders. Secure timesheets track labor costs to help stay on budget.

Related Project Management Content

Project contingency is akin to risk management and part of the larger project management process. For those who want to read more about this topic, below are some recently published blog posts that cover everything from budgets to risk response.

• Budget Templates for Business & Project Budgeting
• Manage a Project Budget with Project Budgeting Software
• The Best Risk Management Tools & Techniques for PM Pros
• Free Risk Management Templates for Excel
• Risk Response in Project Management: Key Strategies

ProjectManager is online project and portfolio management software that connects teams whether they’re in the office or out in the field. They can share files, comment at the task level and stay updated with email and in-app notifications. Join teams at Avis, Nestle and Siemens who use our software to deliver successful projects. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.

The post Project Contingency: How to Get Projects Back On Track appeared first on ProjectManager.

While a project outline might seem obvious, it’s worth spending a little time defining what the phase means. Once that’s clear, we’ll show when a project outline is made, what should be included and provide an example to show how it works in a real-life scenario.

What Is a Project Outline?

A project outline is a high-level overview that summarizes the key components of a project. It typically includes the project’s objectives, scope, timeline, key milestones, deliverables, stakeholders and resources. A project outline serves as a roadmap, providing an understanding of what needs to be accomplished and how the work will be structured, helping to ensure alignment and effective project management.

True, a project outline isn’t a formal, standardized term that one would find in project management frameworks, such as the Project Management Institute (PMI) and its Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK), PRINCE2 (PRojects IN Controlled Environments) or agile. However, it’s still a widely used concept across industries and project types. The idea can be found in the project brief (PRINCE2), project charts (PMBOK), statement of work and project initiation document.

A project outline also serves as the foundation for creating a Gantt chart by providing the essential details needed to map out tasks and timelines. It identifies key tasks, milestones and deliverables. Additionally, identifying dependencies, resources and responsible team members from the project outline helps accurately sequence tasks and assign responsibilities in the Gantt chart. This is all facilitated by the use of project management software.

ProjectManager is award-winning project and portfolio management software with multiple project views to turn a project outline into an actionable plan. Tasks, resources and costs can be scheduled on the Gantt chart, which goes further by linking all four types of task dependencies to avoid cost overruns.

Improve Project Outlines with ProjectManager

• Use the sheet, list, kanban and calendar view alongside the Gantt to execute outlines
• Reference real-time reports and dashboards to see how outlines are being executed
• Share data with stakeholders using free guest licenses. Try it free

When to Make a Project Outline

A project outline is typically created in the early stages of project planning, often before or alongside the development of a project charter or project proposal. It acts as a simplified version of those documents, helping to break down the project’s key components and organize initial thoughts. Creating a project outline can clarify objectives, identify major tasks and estimate timelines, making it easier to draft a more detailed and comprehensive charter or proposal.

It’s useful for stakeholder discussions, ensuring alignment before committing to more detailed planning. Essentially, a project outline is a practical starting point that streamlines the development of formal project documents by providing a clear, high-level structure.

A project outline is particularly useful when you’re still in the brainstorming or early planning phases. It allows you to explore the project’s feasibility, refine the objectives and identify potential challenges without the commitment of a formal document. If you’re working on a project proposal to gain stakeholder approval or secure funding, the outline summarizes the key points, ensuring you’re aligned on the project’s purpose and scope before investing time in detailed planning. Similarly, when preparing a project charter, which formally authorizes the project and defines roles and responsibilities, the outline serves as a precursor by organizing the core details in a clear, manageable format.

What Should Be Included in a Project Outline?

A project outline serves as a high-level summary that provides clarity and direction for project stakeholders. It helps establish a shared understanding of the project’s purpose, scope and key details. Below are the essential sections that should be included in a project outline.

Project Background

The project background provides context for why the project is being initiated. It typically includes information about the problem or opportunity the project is addressing, relevant industry or organizational challenges and any previous efforts to resolve the issue. This section helps stakeholders understand the motivation behind the project.

Project Overview

This section offers a concise summary of the project, including its name, purpose and a brief description of what will be accomplished. It should cover the key aspects of the project in a few sentences to provide a clear understanding of the project’s intent.

Project Goals and Objectives

Clearly state the goals and objectives the project aims to achieve. Goals are broad statements that define the desired outcomes, while objectives are specific, measurable actions that contribute to those goals. This section provides a benchmark for measuring the project’s success.

Project Scope

The project scope defines the boundaries of the project, outlining what is included and excluded. It specifies the deliverables, features, functions and activities involved. Establishing a clear scope prevents scope creep and ensures all stakeholders are aligned.

Project Management Team

Identify the key individuals and their roles within the project. This typically includes the project manager, team members, sponsors and other stakeholders. Describing the responsibilities of each role ensures accountability and clarity within the team.

Resource Requirements

List the resources necessary to complete the project, including personnel, materials, equipment, technology and facilities. This section helps in planning resource allocation and estimating the overall project needs.

Project Estimated Costs

Provide an initial estimate of the project’s budget. This should include direct and indirect costs such as labor, materials, software and any external services. While the estimate may not be precise at this stage, it should offer a realistic view of the anticipated expenses.

Estimated Project Timeline

Outline the project’s expected timeline, including key milestones, deliverable dates and deadlines. While a detailed schedule may come later, providing an estimated timeline helps stakeholders understand the project’s duration and major phases.

Risks and Assumptions

Identify any potential risks that could impact the project, along with assumptions made during planning. Risks may include technical challenges, resource limitations or external dependencies. Understanding these factors early allows for proactive risk management and contingency planning.

Including these components in your project outline will provide a solid foundation for further planning and ensure that all stakeholders have a clear, consistent understanding of the project from the outset.

Project Outline Example

Now that we understand what a project outline is and the components that make up one, let’s illustrate the process by imagining how one is applied in a real-life scenario. Below is a project outline for the design and construction of a new warehouse.

Project Background

The rapid growth of the client’s e-commerce operations has outpaced the capacity of their current distribution infrastructure. To meet rising demand and reduce shipping times, a new regional warehouse is required.

Project Overview

This project involves the design and construction of a 100,000 sq. ft. warehouse facility in the Greater Dallas area. The warehouse will include receiving and shipping docks, climate-controlled storage, office space and parking for delivery vehicles.

Project Goals and Objectives

Here’s a list of the project’s goals and objectives.

• Expand storage and distribution capacity by Q2 2026
• Improve delivery efficiency in the southern U.S. region
• Construct a cost-effective and scalable facility
• Ensure compliance with local zoning and building regulations

Project Scope

Below is what will be in and out of scope for the project.

• In Scope: Site preparation, permitting, foundation, structural framing, HVAC, plumbing, electrical, interior build-out and final inspection
• Out of Scope: Staffing operations and ongoing warehouse management

Project Management Team

Another step towards realizing the project is determining the team that will lead and execute it. For this project, the project team includes the following.

• Project Sponsor: VP of Logistics
• Project Manager: Construction PM from General Contractor
• Architect: XYZ Design Studio
• Contractor: ABC Commercial Builders
• Civil Engineer, Structural Engineer and MEP Specialists

Resource Requirements

Resources are the people, materials, equipment, etc., needed to execute the project tasks. Those resources are included below.

• Construction materials (steel, concrete, insulation)
• Labor crews for all phases of construction
• Heavy equipment and machinery
• IT infrastructure for security and operations
• Legal and permitting services

Project Estimated Costs

Projects cost money, and the funding needed to complete one must be estimated in advance. Here are the forecast costs for the project.

Total estimated cost: $8.5 million, includes design, construction, materials, equipment, labor, permits and contingency reserves

Estimated Project Timeline

The project schedule will determine the estimated start and finish dates for the project.

• Design and Permitting: April–June 2025
• Site Prep and Foundation: July–August 2025
• Structural Framing: September–October 2025
• MEP and Interior Work: November 2025–January 2026
• Final Inspection and Handover: February–March 2026

Risks and Assumptions

Risk are potential events or conditions that could negatively or positively impact the project, while assumptions are factors considered true without definition proof.

Key Risks

• Delays due to permitting or weather
• Rising material costs
• Supply chain disruptions

Assumptions

• All permits will be approved on time
• No major zoning or environmental constraints
• Contractor availability remains stable throughout the project

Benefits of Making a Project Outline

Creating a project outline provides numerous benefits by offering clarity, alignment and efficient project management. First, it establishes a shared understanding among stakeholders by clearly defining the project’s goals, scope and responsibilities. This minimizes misunderstandings and ensures that everyone is working towards the same objectives.

Second, a project outline is a practical planning tool that helps identify potential risks, resource needs and timeline constraints early in the process. By highlighting these elements upfront, project managers can make informed decisions, allocate resources effectively and mitigate risks before they become major issues.

Finally, a well-structured project outline acts as a reference document throughout the project’s lifecycle. It keeps the team focused on priorities, tracks progress against milestones and supports effective communication with stakeholders. This alignment and visibility contribute to the successful execution of the project from initiation to completion.

Free Project Management Templates

While project management software is better suited to planning, managing and tracking projects, for those not ready to upgrade, we have over 100 free project management templates that can be immediately downloaded from our site. Some templates address every aspect of managing projects across multiple industries. Below are just three that can help with the project outline process.

Project Charter Template

Download this free project charter template for Word to outline the key details of a project and authorize its initiation. It serves as a foundational reference that provides stakeholders with a clear understanding of the project’s purpose, objectives and structure.

Project Plan Template

Use this free project plan template for Word to detail the steps required to complete a project. It serves as a roadmap that guides the project team through each phase, ensuring all tasks are completed on time, within scope and budget.

Scope of Work Template

A scope of work (SOW) outlines the specific tasks, deliverables, timelines and expectations of a project. This free scope of work template for Word serves as a detailed agreement between the project team and stakeholders to ensure mutual understanding of the project’s scope.

How ProjectManager Helps Bring a Project Outline to Life

Templates can help gather the information needed to create a project outline, but then all the hard work will have to be replicated onto the tools needed to plan the project. That’s because templates are static documents that must be manually updated and are poor for collaborating on project execution. They might help at first, but then they slow progress and can lead to project failure. To avoid that, use project management software.

ProjectManager is award-winning project and portfolio management software that has multiple project views that are collaborative and easy to edit. We also have resource management features and tools to track progress to help projects succeed.

Use Resource Planning to Stay Productive

Both human and nonhuman resources are scheduled on the Gantt chart. When onboarding team members, project managers can set their availability, which makes it easy to know which resources can be assigned to which tasks and when. To view resource allocation across one or multiple projects, use the color-coded workload chart.

See who is overallocated or underutilized at a glance and balance the team’s workload to keep them working at capacity without threatening burnout. A team page provides a daily or weekly overview of their activity, which can be filtered by progress or priority, and tasks are updated without leaving the page.

Track Progress With Real-Time Dashboards and Reports

Ensuring that the execution of the project goes as planned requires close monitoring of key project metrics. Project managers can get a high-level overview of progress, cost, resources and more by toggling over to the real-time project or portfolio management dashboards. Each dashboard offers unique data on easy-to-read graphs and charts that show time, cost, workload and more.

For deeper analysis, use customizable reports on status, workload, variance, timesheets and more. Each can be filtered to show key data points or a more general summary of progress, which can then be shared with stakeholders. Even our secure timesheets help by monitoring labor costs to help keep to the budget.

Related Project Planning Content

A project outline is like an overview of what is needed to deliver a project. For those readers who’d like more information on project planning, you’re in the right place. Below are a handful of links to recently published articles from our blog on the topic.

• What Is the Project Life Cycle? Project Phases Explained
• Project Documentation: 15 Essential Documents
• How to Write Effective Project Objectives & Goals Every Time
• Project Management Tools & Techniques
• Project Management Basics: Definitions, Methods and Tools

ProjectManager is online project and portfolio management software that connects teams whether they’re in the office or out in the field. They can share files, comment at the task level and stay updated with email and in-app notifications. Join teams at Avis, Nestle and Siemens who use our software to deliver successful projects. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.

The post How to Make a Project Outline (Example Included) appeared first on ProjectManager.

Using a project list is so important it’s worth taking a moment to explore what it is, how to create one and how it fits into managing your project with project management software tools.

What Is a Project List?

The most straightforward answer is that a project list is a to-do list for a project. You could use a project list as you would any to-do list, creating a list of tasks you need to do today, this week or over the course of a month.

But it can be so much more than a to-do list, too. You can use it to collect the phases of your project, the teams, contractors and vendors you’ll need to complete it, the equipment, tools and more. Project lists can help you frame every part of the project work for better task management.

The versatility of a project list can’t be overstated. If you’re managing a portfolio or program and have lots of projects to keep track of, a project list can serve as the structure that keeps your portfolio from devolving into a chaotic mess. It can remind you of important dates and deadlines, shared resources and other key elements.

(It’s worth pointing out that sometimes the term “project list” is also used to describe an attachment that a project manager adds to their resume when job hunting. That is, a literal list of all the projects they have worked on. Similar to the task-list type of project list, it generally follows the same rules for an outline, though it describes complete projects.)

Make Online Project Lists in ProjectManager

Software makes creating and managing project lists significantly easier. ProjectManager offers a powerful list view to help you quickly make and collaborate on a list. Set priority, tags, due dates and more to deliver on time and on budget. Switch to the Gantt chart or track hours with timesheets to take your project execution even further. Try it for free today.

Why Make a Project List?

A project list can serve as a checklist that makes sure you have all the important project information logged and accessible. You want to be thorough. It’s better to have too many than too few items—you can always edit it down later.

Another reason to be thorough is that project lists keep you organized. Especially in traditional projects, every activity is assigned a process and level of urgency. You can use a project list to detail those steps, including the priority, due date, who’s assigned, what resources are needed and more. Once you have this information, you’ll want to trim the fat. You want the list short, but substantial.

A project list is a living document: it should always be open to updates. Project information changes as you develop your project plan and schedule. Even once a project is being executed, there are likely internal and external forces that are going to force you to adapt or delete some parts of the project list.

When to Use a Project List

Project lists are incredibly versatile and can help organize, track and prioritize tasks and projects at multiple points in a life cycle.

• Start of a project: A list is a helpful tool to use during the project intake and prioritization process. It helps define the scope, identify tasks and establish a roadmap, offering clarity on the project’s initial scope and planned activities. This list can help provide structure and increase the chances of success.
• Project closure: Use a project list when closing out a project to ensure all loose ends are tied up and that the project is formally concluded. Use it to verify that all tasks were completed and compare the planned deliverables against what the stakeholders accepted. This is also a great opportunity to manage project documentation and knowledge transfer on the project list to reference in future projects.
• During execution: A project list is dynamic, however, and can be utilized throughout a project’s duration. For example, use it to break down tasks into smaller action items and set realistic due dates based on dependencies and estimates. During execution, the project list can monitor dependencies to ensure subsequent tasks can start on time. It also helps with things like risk monitoring and performance reporting.

How Do I Make a Project List?

Now that you’re ready to make a project list, where should you start? Most people begin with a pen and paper, or the notes app on their phone, and just jot things down. There’s nothing wrong with this static approach, but it doesn’t lend itself to collaboration, and you often need other people involved to get the full picture.

Another problem with just making a list is that all the work you do there will have to be transferred to whatever tool you’re using to manage the project. A piece of paper is great for going to shop at the store, but not as helpful if you’re managing architects, engineers and contractors when building a bridge.

Building a Project List with Project Management Tools

If you start with a project management tool, then you’re already ahead of the game. Most will allow you to import a spreadsheet if you gathered your initial thoughts there, and then you have the ability to assign, track and report on progress to make sure you stay on schedule.

Even better is if you’re using an online project management tool for your project list. This means that you’ll be able to collaborate with your team in planning, keep stakeholders in the loop and access your plan anywhere and at any time.

How to Maintain and Prioritize a Project List

Using project management software to build your project list gives you the tools to maintain it over the course of every project phase. First, you can collect the items on your list. If they’re tasks, add the duration and description, so your team knows what to do.

Tag Priority

Tagging the priority of each item on your project list is another step in organizing your work. It helps you see which activities must occur first, those that are not as important to the project and which can be skipped if time or money becomes scarce.

Use Timeline Views

Moving the project list into a timeline allows you to see all the items in one place on a chronological chart. This gives you an overview and can help you see where you can tighten things up or need to add more activities to your list.

Use Gantt Chart Features

If you’re using a Gantt chart, which is both a spreadsheet and a timeline, then you get even more control over your project list. Some of the items might be dependent on others to start or finish before they can start or finish. Linking these dependencies saves you from bottlenecks later on.

Track Resources

Once you execute your project list there are other project management tools that will help you stay on track. For example, having resource management features can help you see the availability of your team and balance their workload to keep them more productive.

Pros & Cons of Project Lists

While useful, there are pros and cons of project lists to consider.

Pros:

• Offers a central and structured overview of all project tasks, deliverables and key information, which can help the project team feel less overwhelmed
• Allows for easy monitoring of task status and overall project progress to easily see what is on track, delayed and completed
• Provides a historical record of completed tasks and the overall project execution, which can be valuable for future projects and lessons learned
• Online project lists enhance team collaboration by providing a real-time overview of progress and responsibilities

Cons:

• Large and complex projects may not benefit from a simple list, as it can become too long and difficult to manage
• Basic project lists might not offer sufficient context around tasks, such as detailed requirements, communication history or related documents
• Basic lists may lack advanced features such as resource leveling, critical path analysis, resource leveling, etc.

If not well organized, project lists can result in information overload and make it difficult to focus on what’s important

How to Make a Project List in ProjectManager

ProjectManager is a cloud-based project management tool that helps you organize your project and teams, so everyone can collaborate on plans and tasks. Moving your project plan into its interactive Gantt chart helps you better schedule, link dependencies, set milestones and a baseline to measure project variance once you execute.

Try the software free for 30 days and then see what it can do in giving you greater control over your project list and more. Once you’re in, here’s how to get started.

Build Your Project List

Add tasks to the Gantt chart to begin. You can also import a task list or use one of our industry-specific templates to help you get started.

Add Durations

Set the start date and the due date for each of the tasks on your project list. This is called the duration and will populate the timeline, with a duration bar connecting both dates.

Set Priority & Tags

Tag the priority of each item on your project list to determine the order in which to do them. You can also add customizable tags, which make it easier to find specific tasks. This may be easier to do in the list view, rather than the Gantt view.

Link Dependencies

Drag and drop one task to the next on your timeline and they’re connected by a dotted line to remind you that these tasks are dependent on one another.

Bonus Step: View All Your Projects in One Place

Use the Portfolio Projects page to see all your projects in a project master list. From this page, you can get high-level metrics on progress and more.

More Examples of Project Lists and Free Templates

Project lists can be invaluable project management tools. We offer dozens of free project management templates for Excel, Word and more on our site, and we’ve outlined only a handful of examples that can help with project lists.

To-Do List Template

This to-do list template for Excel is a great way to organize your tasks and time. Use it to map out your work, track your team members’ tasks and prevent you from feeling overwhelmed.

Action Items Template

Action items are tasks that need to be completed. Use our action items template for Excel to capture all of the information you need to answer about the who, what and when of the task. For example, use it as a personal list of the work you have to do or when executing a project.

Punch List Template

A punch list is a list of tasks that don’t conform to contract specifications but still need to be completed to close out a project. Usually, they are used in construction projects, helping managers keep track of additional tasks not included in work orders. Download this free punch list template for Excel to avoid missing crucial work that wasn’t planned in your schedule.

Product Backlog Template

This free product backlog template for Excel includes a prioritized list of features, enhancements, bug fixes and other work items that need to be completed for a product. It can help ensure work items are documented and prioritized to ensure collaboration is smoother between product owners, developers and other team members.

ProjectManager is an award-winning project management tool to build, organize and track the progress on your project lists. But that’s just the basics. Your project list is integrated into a full suite of features that help you plan, manage resources, track progress and report on performance, whether you’re working on one project or a portfolio. Click here to start your 30-day free trial!

The post How to Make & Maintain a Project List appeared first on ProjectManager.

The product owner is focused on the business side of the project, the scrum master is the expert, who acts like a coach. The team is self-directed and works as they see fit to meet the goals of the product owner.

If you’re interested in the nuts and bolts of scrum, check our our guide. For this post, we’re going to take a deep dive into one of the events in the scrum framework, the sprint plan.

What Is a Sprint?

In order to provide some regularity and minimize the need for meetings, scrum is broken down into events. One of these events is the sprint. A sprint is an iteration in the development cycle of a project, and is one of the fundamental principles of agile project management methodologies.

The sprint is defined by a small amount of planned work that the team has to complete and ready for review. Sprint comes from an agile framework for projects and is usually associated with scrum. However, sprint also fits into the technique of kanban with its continuous delivery concept. Scrumban will also deploy sprints.

As in the dictionary meaning of the word, sprint is like a short race. It defines a duration usually no more than two to four weeks. The target of a sprint is decided on between the product owner and the team, which is called a “sprint goal.” The work comes from a sprint backlog, which is a list of tasks to be completed. Backlogs are often housed on boards or task lists for easy maintenance. Teams work collaboratively to complete the sprint and have it ready for review. But the sprint cannot start until there has been a sprint plan.

Project management software makes it easy to collect your task into a back log and then execute work in sprints. ProjectManager has customizable kanban boards so you can organize your sprints and collaborate as a team. Create tags, set priorities and assign work to people based on their skill sets. Once the work begins, you can track progress, workload, budgets and more with our real-time dashboard. Plan better sprints with a 30-day free trial of ProjectManager.

Key Elements of Sprint Planning

During sprint planning, the stage is set for the upcoming sprint. The goal is for the scrum team to better understand the work, goals and how they will achieve them. Here are some core elements.

• Product backlog: An ordered list of everything that may be needed in the product. This is the sole source of requirements for any changes to be made in the product.
• Sprint goal: A concise objective that the development team will work toward during the sprint. It offers focus to the work being undertaken and is collaboratively defined by the scrum team.
• Selected product backlog: Based on the sprint goal, the development team selects a set of product backlog items (PBIs) that they believe they can complete during the sprint.
• Sprint backlog: The development team makes a plan for how they will create the increment (the valuable and usable product functionality) during the sprint.
• Development team capacity: This team will consider its capacity for the upcoming sprint and factor in holidays, time off, other commitments, etc. It helps them determine how much work they can commit to.

To summarize, sprint planning aims to answer what can be delivered in the sprint, why the sprint is valuable and how the chosen work will get done.

How to Make a Good Sprint Plan

The sprint plan is another event in the scrum framework of an agile project. It starts with the team deciding which items in its backlog to work on during the sprint. This is the sprint goal that is a collaborative decision between the team and the product owner.

Sprint planning usually involves everyone on the team. There’s the product owner who helps with prioritizing the backlog and suggests which items should be part of the sprint goal. The team comes in to determine what is a feasible number of tasks for the backlog to work on during the sprint.

Also, involved in the sprint planning is the scrum master. The scrum master is an expert in the scrum framework for agile projects. They act as a facilitator for the sprint plan to make sure it’s effective, the appropriate backlog items are being addressed and that there’s agreement among the parties involved. There are three main phases for sprint planning.

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Use this free Sprint Plan Template to manage your projects better.

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1. Designing

The design of a sprint is usually just a one-time event, though it can be tweaked moving forward to improve the process. Unless the design is not working, then, of course, you’d have to return to the drawing board.

The parts of the design phase of a sprint plan begin with a sprint planning meeting. This is where business initiatives are measured and the sprint backlog is created. Another meeting will breakdown that backlog into tasks, which finalizes the backlog.

There will be daily scrum meetings. These are check-ins to update the progress of the sprint. Tasks are further prioritized at this time and assigned based on reviewing the burndown chart, which graphically shows how fast a team is working.

Also, throughout the sprint, there is something called backlog grooming. This is when the product owner and team will review and refine the backlog based on how much progress they’re making.

Once the sprint is finished, there’s a sprint review meeting. Here the results of the completed sprint will be analyzed against the project objectives from the planning meeting. There is also a sprint retrospective meeting that looks at the processes and tools used during the sprint and how they can be improved for the next one.

These designs are focused on creating a realistic schedule and milestones that the team needs to hit. The design should be agreed upon by all members of the project team. The design is the structure that will determine the length of the project, so it must meet with the approved scope, cost and time of the project.

2. Estimate Sprint Velocity

Before the sprint, the product owner will determine its velocity. That is, how much work should be done within the sprint. This decision is based on the schedule of the team and their capacity.

This estimate is created at the start of every sprint. While there might be an urge to do so during the design stage, it’s better to wait. There are valuable insights that come after each sprint that should be applied to the next one.

What the estimation’s goal is to develop a new sprint velocity for each sprint. This should reflect the objectives of that sprint, efficiencies that we’re learned from the previous one and what can be realistically done with the current resources. There are also many tools available now to help maximize the number of objectives met during each spring, from test automation tools to CI/CD solutions.

3. Allocation of Sprint Work

This is where the scrum master comes in handy. Because of their expertise, they can work closely with the team to meet the requirements given by the product owner. Together, the scrum master and the team allocate the work of the sprint.

But the team is working relatively independently, which is one of the principles of an agile framework. The idea of self-directed teams is fundamental to working scrum, and they’re in charge of managing the sprint to the sprint goal.

This is done by assigning those most skilled at the tasks to executing them. The right people are used, and the team gains a greater sense of accountability for the work. They’re empowered by the autonomy.

Main Advantages of Sprint Planning

When executed properly, sprint planning offers many key advantages that can help improve a scrum team’s effectiveness while improving the overall product development process. It ensures the scrum team has a common understanding of the sprint’s goals and how the work contributes to the overall product vision.

It also creates a clear sprint objective, guiding the development team and helping them make strategic decisions. Sprint planning also comes with a sense of empowerment and self-organization; as the development team helps select the backlog items they think they can achieve during the sprint, it provides a sense of ownership and helps them make a more realistic commitment.

Transparency into what the team will be working on is always beneficial to stakeholders as well. They will be informed about the progress and direction of product development. All of these advantages work together to foster commitment, collaboration and clarity during the process.

The Difference Between a Successful Sprint Plan and a Failed One

Telling if your sprint is successful is fairly simple. Has it met its goal? The sprint goal is decided upon before starting the sprint by the product owner and the team. If that criteria has been met, the sprint is successful. It means you’re going through the backlog at an acceptable rate.

In contrast, if the team is not able to complete everything on the backlog that had been set up as the sprint goal, then that sprint has failed. The fact that sprints are quick and they are constantly evolving is to avoid ending up with a product at the end of your project that no one wants. This would be a failure, too.

Success is measured by sprint reviews, which ensure that the project is moving in the right direction. If the key stakeholders and end-users are dissatisfied, if the deliverables don’t meet their expectations, this is a failure. If nothing is learned at the end of a sprint, it can also be considered a failure. After all, it’s all about experimenting and the empirical process.

ProjectManager Helps with Sprint Planning

ProjectManager is a flexible project management software. When it comes to planning your next sprint, you can use our sprint planning templates to get you started on the right foot. The template is designed for dev teams. You can easily move tasks out of the backlog and into development on the board view.

Once you have your board, teams can customize columns and collaborate on cards. They can add their own to-do lists and comment with other team members. We have unlimited file storage, so add as many documents and images as you like. They’re all attached at the task level, so no more endless searches for the important paperwork. Also, @ the product owner or scrum master, who’ll be notified by email, and bring them into the conversation.

Our task list view is a great tool for backlogs. You can manage that backlog by filtering the data by the due date, owner, project, etc. Tasks can also be tagged to make them easier to find. ProjectManager is cloud-based, so any status update on tasks is immediately reflected in the software, creating greater transparency.

Finally, there’s our real-time dashboard. It tracks the project across a number of metrics, including tasks, progress and variance. This is another feature that will help with dealing with stakeholders and presenting them with project updates.

ProjectManager.com is a cloud-based project management software that is ideal for whatever methodology you’re working in. We have the tools to help managers plan, monitor and report on their project. Teams get a collaborative platform that gives them the autonomy to work in self-directed groups and boost productivity. Try ProjectManager.com today with this free 30-day trial.

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