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Tem_03 PROJECT PLAN TEMPLATE
The soft copy of this template is contained in a Word template: PROJPLAN.DOT. The hard copy is provided in this document. The template needs to be modified according to the guidelines below, to create an initial Project Plan for a documentation project. The purpose of the first version of the Project Plan is to determine if the job is likely to be completed in the time available. The initial Project Plan needs to contain an initial estimate of the scope (size and editing level) and complexity (of content) of the project. Use a previous project for a guide; use the production database statistics. Is this project bigger or smaller? Are there any pre-conceived ideas that dictate the size of the document? Does the product require a “best we can produce, useability tested and fully verified” level of effort or a “one read, one edit” level of effort? Will the document have more or less graphics than a previous job? Is more or less explanation required? Are there any competitor publications to give a guide? Include a dependencies calculation for the job. This calculation takes an industry, company or personal standard hours/page estimate for the type of job and modifies it according to a number of factors that can influence productivity. Each factor is rated on a scale of 1 – 5 (where 5 is the worst) and each number in the scale is assigned a weighting number. (The intervals between the weighting numbers represent an increase or decrease in difficulty of 5 percent.). The standard hours/page estimate, multiplied by each weighted number produces the estimated hours/page for the job. An example of the dependencies calculation is presented in Table 1. The rows identify the factors that influence production and the middle columns shows the scales. Underneath each scale value is its weighting number (the first factor uses a different weighting scale range from the other factors in the table). The grey boxes shows the scale values selected for this example and their corresponding weighting numbers are listed in the second last column. The weighting numbers are also repeated in the last column with a multiplication sign to show that the calculation extends down the column, starting with the Average hours/page value.
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Table 1 – The Dependencies Calculator
Average Hours/Page: Product Stability
weighting:
5.50 4
1.10
1
0.80
2
0.90
3
1.00
5
1.20
! 1.10 !1.00 ! 1.00 ! 1.05 ! 0.95 ! 0.95 ! 1.00 !1.00 ! 0.95
x 1.10 x 1.00 x 1.00 x 1.05 x 0.95 x 0.95 x 1.00 x 1.00 x 0.95 5.45
Information Availability
weighting
1
0.90
2
0.95
3
1.00
4
1.05
5
1.10
Subject Matter Experts
weighting
1
0.90
2
0.95
3
1.00
4
1.05
5
1.10
Review
weighting
1
0.90
2
0.95
3
1.00
4
1.05
5
1.10
Writing Experience
weighting
1
0.90
2
0.95
3
1.00
4
1.05
5
1.10
Technical Experience
weighting
1
0.90
2
0.95
3
1.00
4
1.05
5
1.10
Audience Awareness
weighting
1
0.90
2
0.95
3
1.00
4
1.05
5
1.10
Team Experience
weighting
1
0.90
2
0.95
3
1.00
4
1.05
5
1.10
Product Availability
weighting
1
0.90
2
0.95
3
1.00
4
1.05
5
1.10
Project hours/page:
For more details, see Managing Your Documentation Projects, Hackos, J.T., John Wiley & Inc, Brisbane. ISBN 0-47159099-1
The project plan also needs to contain the following information: a. Initial estimate of the time and budget required to complete the project by the deadline. • • • • • • Calculate the target number of hours by multiplying the size in pages by the Project hours/page value from the Dependencies Calculation. Calculate the calendar hours available per week or month as appropriate for the expected duration of the job. Assign enough writers to do the job. Factor in editing time as a percentage of total writing time (if performed by the writers rather than editors). Add time for final production if anything other than standard printing direct from the workstation. Factor in the illustration time as a percentage of total writing time (if performed by the writers rather than illustrators). Factor in the time for Project Management as a percentage of the total time devoted to the project by all personnel on the project (can be as high as 10% – reports and all the other administrative activities). Adjust resource time until total hours of effort matches the target number of hours and the customer’s schedule.
• b.
Initial estimate of the resources required (people, equipment and tools) to produce the specified editing level. Page 2
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This is the process of dividing the work across as many people as necessary. For example, it may make sense to use an editor to follow the work of the writers so that the writers do not do any significant edits to their own work. Similarly, it may be more efficient to have illustrators do the drawings rather than the writers because the illustrators will be quicker and do a better job on the first pass. c. Schedule of Milestones Milestones must be measurable in terms of work completed. For example the first draft will contain 20% pages completed to first copy edit level; 40% of pages with partial information and freehand drawings of all illustrations. The schedule needs to take into account any limitations on equipment availability and other such resources. There is a lower limit to how quickly some jobs can be finished, no matter how much money is available (nine women cannot have a baby in one month). d. e. f. g. h. A description of the roles and responsibilities of the team members, including those who are not members of the publications organisation. A list of technical and other reviewers and their responsibilities and estimated times for the review activities. A plan for the final production of the publications, including printing or disk duplication. A plan for useability and validation testing of the publications. A Plan for ongoing maintenance of the publications.
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P R O J E C T
Project: Project Manager: Start: Plan Approved: Date: Issue Number: 1.
P L A N
_______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________
INTRODUCTION
This document does not have to be developed in the same sequence as the headings. The headings are there to used or deleted as required. State in this section the specification that has brought this plan into existence. For example: This Project Management Plan (PMP) has been prepared in accordance with the XYZ Subcontract.
1.1.
Identification
State the Contract Deliverable Requirement List ID for this document.
1.2.
Scope
State what project or part there of is covered by this document and the limits of its coverage. For example: The XYZ Project Management Plan covers all of the XYZ project ....
1.3.
Project Overview
Provide an Executive Summary of the project. Summarise (in 1 or 2 pages): • • • • • • Project objectives The final product Major work activities to produce the product Major milestones Resources Schedule
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•
Rat Pack Processes and Procedures
Budget
1.4.
Project Deliverables
List all the deliverables.
1.5.
Project Plan Maintenance
Describe the triggers for updating the Project Plan
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2.
Applicable Documents
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3.
Project Organisation
Describe the general structure of the project in terms of the management challenge. For example, it will be located on one site with a large number of staff working on several significant subsets of work and interacting with multiple subcontractors.
3.1.
Process Model
Present the project in terms of its major activities and interrelationships with major components, reviews, milestones, deliverables and acceptances.
3.2.
Organisational Structure
Present a management structure.
3.3.
Management Interfaces
Describe the management interfaces with all external parties associated with the project. Describe the interfaces with the independent or semi-independent administrative entities within the project, including the QA, CM and Test organisations.
3.4.
Responsibilities
Describe the responsibilities that apply on the project side of the external interfaces in the previous subsection. Describe the responsibilities for each of the internal entities described in the previous subsection.
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4.
Managerial Process
Describe the relationship between this plan and the Quality Management System and the order of precedence between the contract and the Quality Management System.
4.1.
Administration
Describe the requirements for at least the following administrative activities: Internal and external management meetings and report requirements for the senior management. The policy for dealing with conflicts concerning requirements, schedule and budget.
4.2.
Assumptions, Dependencies And Constraints
Describe the nature and impact of any assumptions, dependencies and constraints applicable to the project.
4.3.
Risk Management
State the policy for raising issues and risks that will apply to the project. Under each of the following headings either describe the risks and the contingency plans or state none known (depending on the tracking mechanism for risks, use crossreferences to external mechanism using the appropriate risk ID):
4.3.1. Contract
4.3.2. Technology
4.3.3. Size and Complexity
4.3.4. Personnel Acquisition and Retention
4.3.5. Final Acceptance
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4.4.
Monitoring And Controlling Mechanisms
Describe the administrative mechanisms supporting the risk management process. Cross-reference company procedures where appropriate.
4.5.
Staffing Plan
Present the staff requirements for each activity or group of activities in the project. Describe the mechanisms for ensuring people have the necessary knowledge, how new employees will be inducted into the project and the mechanisms for minimising frustration and lack of attention.
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5.
Technical Process
Summarise the technical philosophy that will be fostered and maintained on the project. For example, mechanisms for ensuring that grapevine communication does not circumvent the proper development processes and reporting lines; the attitude to be fostered towards the use of internal and external specification and design documents.
5.1.
Development Environment
In the absence of a separate Development Manual, describe the development environment in terms of: • • • • Technical standards Development methods Tools and development equipment (including the policy that will govern tool development) Organisation structure for the development staff
5.2.
Software Documentation
Identify the documentation standard or style guidelines that will apply to the project. Describe the project tools that will be used for documentation at all relevant levels and describe the general production process. State the policy towards tool development. Identify any special tools that need to be development and summarise the upsides and downsides associated with the development, including a mini-schedule for their development and deployment.
5.3.
Project Support Functions
For each of the following list items, identify the respective plan documents or describe the resource requirements, schedules and budgets for the following support functions: • • • • • • • Quality Assurance Configuration Management Verification and Validation Security System Development Environment Library General Administration
Justify the exclusion of any of these functions from the project. Additional support functions and their plans may be included as required.
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6.
WBS, Schedule And Budget
6.1.
Work Breakdown Structure
Present the WBS structure for the project. This may by handled by cross-reference to the Project Management mechanism that records work done. In either case, describe the mechanism for establishing the baseline associated with each deliverable.
6.2.
Dependencies
Describe the mechanism for monitoring progress of the project. Describe the methods for detecting deviations from plan and the mechanisms for correcting them.
6.3.
Resources Profile
Present profiles for each type of resource that will be used by the project (people, hardware, space, office consumable, transport, facilities maintenance, catering). If the project includes manufacturing, describe the manufacturing philosophy for acquisition, delivery and storage of components, in addition to the manufacturing profile.
6.4.
Budget And Resource Allocation
Present the budget and resource allocation by project function.
6.5.
Schedule
Present the project schedule.
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