In any organization, project plans are essential documents that outline the goals, objectives, scope, timelines, resources, and potential risks associated with a specific project.
These plans provide a roadmap for all team members to follow and help ensure that everyone is on the same page and working towards a common goal. Better yet, having a project plan template make that roadmap even more clear and replicable across teams.
The Main Benefits of Project Plans
One of the key benefits of project plans is that they provide a clear direction for all team members involved in the project. By clearly outlining the goals and objectives of the project, team members can understand what is expected of them and how their individual contributions fit into the bigger picture. This helps to align everyone’s efforts towards achieving the desired outcome – and that’s even easier with a project plan template.
Project plans also help to ensure that projects are completed on time and within budget. By outlining the specific timelines and resources required for each phase of the project, project managers can better track progress and make adjustments as needed to keep the project on track.
Hive’s to-do list view pictured above.
This helps to mitigate the risk of delays and cost overruns, which can have a significant impact on the overall success of the project.
Additionally, project plans help to identify potential risks and challenges that may arise during the project. By considering these factors early on, project managers can develop strategies to address them proactively and minimize their impact on the project.
This can help to improve the overall chances of success and reduce the likelihood of unforeseen issues derailing the project. Making project plans repeatable with a project plan template also helps the reduction of issues that could arise.
What Does A Project Plan Template Help You Do?
What’s even better than any old project plan? A free project plan template, built custom for your team and needs. When you’re just starting out, you don’t always have the money, time, or energy to spend on paying someone to build out a complex plan. But our free project plan plan template will cover that for you.
Set Clear Goals
One of the key reasons why project plans are important is that they help teams to clarify their vision and set concrete goals for their project. By outlining the project’s mission, objectives, and strategies, a project plan provides a framework for decision-making and helps to keep the team or organization on track towards its long-term goals – it can even help you automate them.
Without a clear plan in place, it can be easy for teams to lose focus and become overwhelmed by day-to-day operations. That’s why we’re helping you develop this project plan template – it will take you 60 seconds to create, and it will save you HOURS down the line. Here’s why it’s helpful to have a project plan template.
Communicate With Stakeholders
In addition to providing a roadmap for the business, a well-developed project plan also serves as a communication tool for stakeholders. Whether it’s potential investors, employees, or suppliers, a project plan can help to convey the project’s goals and objectives in a clear and concise manner. There’s no easier way to ensure you’re all on the same page than a project template.
This can be particularly important when seeking financing, as lenders and investors will want to see a well-thought-out plan that demonstrates the company’s potential for success.
Anticipating Future Challenges
Another key reason why project plans and a project plan template are important is that they help store and replicate successful past projects. If you’ve got a project template that has been battle-tested and used throughout the course of months and years, it’s easier to guarantee project success.
This level of preparation can also help the business to navigate unforeseen challenges and adapt to changing market conditions.
6 Steps to Writing A Project Plan
Writing a project plan is essential for effectively managing and executing a project. To ensure success, it is important to follow a systematic approach to develop a comprehensive and well-thought-out plan.
The following are the steps needed to write a project plan, whether it’s from a project plan template for Word, or something more complex, like an agile project plan template:
1. Define the project scope: Identify the objectives, deliverables, timeline, budget, and resources required for the project. Clearly outline what needs to be accomplished and the constraints that need to be considered.
2. Identify key stakeholders: Determine who will be involved in the project and their roles and responsibilities. This includes team members, sponsors, clients, and any other relevant parties.
3. Create a work breakdown structure: Break down the project into smaller tasks and subtasks to organize and prioritize the work that needs to be done. This will help ensure that all aspects of the project are considered and accounted for.
4. Develop a timeline: Create a schedule that outlines the start and end dates of the project, as well as key milestones and deadlines. This will help keep the project on track and ensure that tasks are completed in a timely manner.
5. Assign resources: Allocate resources, such as personnel, equipment, and budget, to each task in the project plan. This will help ensure that the necessary resources are available to complete the project successfully.
6. Monitor and control progress: Establish metrics and key performance indicators to track progress and measure the success of the project. Regularly review and update the project plan to address any deviations or issues that arise.
By following these steps, you can develop a well-structured and detailed project plan that will guide the successful completion of your project.
Get Hive’s Free Project Plan Template
We know how hard it is to get started with a business – we started one too! Hive has been around since 2016, but we know that it can be so tricky to get out of the gate.
The good news is that we’ve used our project planning and AI superpowers to bring you a free business plan template that can be customized to your EXACT needs. How you might ask? Our super impressive new AI tool.
All you have to do to get your own personal business plan is visit mind.hive.com and type in the following command: “Create a project plan for me.”
You’ll be able to add in the amount of days you’d like it to plan across, and you can also interact in real-time and add feedback to the AI planner. So if it spits out something that you don’t like, you can just ask the AI to change it.
From there, you can get and download your project plan, get started, and head for world domination. Getting a free business plan template has really never been easier. And you’re in total control!
Best Prompts to Generate a Great Project Plan
With Hive’s project action plan template generator, you’ll need to feed a prompt to the AI. Here are a few places to start:
- “Generate a project plan for a new startup in the cosmetics space looking to launch their first product”
- “Build out a project plan for a construction company looking to kick off three local house builds at once”
- “List the steps I’d need to take to start a business in Colorado”
- “Generate a free startup plan for a non-profit dog adoption agency in Minnesota”
These are just a few places to start! The sky is the limit, and we want this project plan template to be as customized as possible.
