ng of the outcomes, contributing to your team’s success.
Here are a few more benefits of creating and using these plans:
- Roadmap the project: No matter the project, there will be issues. If it’s simple, the project team might make erroneous assumptions about what they need to accomplish. And additional complexity could lead to uncertainty surrounding task requirements and deadlines. Creating a formal plan with detailed implementation steps defines project execution for smoother progress.
- Encourage alignment: Sharing a central, accessible document that contains all the information about a project aligns everyone involved — from clients to teammates — on outcomes, timelines, and duties.
- Foster accountability: This document publicly outlines each team member’s responsibilities and due dates, fostering task and deliverable ownership team-wide.
- Reduce scope creep: Having clearly defined parameters at the outset is a vital communication tool for project managers to maintain team alignment with the project’s scope. Everyone understands the specific needs and goals, reducing the likelihood of being distracted by work that unnecessarily expands the project’s timeline and scope.
What should an implementation plan include?
An implementation plan can include various components based on the project’s length and complexity. Consider creating a template you can customize depending on the project and team member needs.
Common elements include:
- Goals and objectives: Define your project’s ultimate goal and the achievements that contribute to its delivery.
- Scope statement: Create an outline of the work the team must accomplish over the project’s life cycle.
- Deliverables: Using a work breakdown structure, describe each task, its tangible or intangible output, and how it contributes to the final outcome.
- Roles and responsibilities: Ensure accountability for each task’s execution by assigning roles and responsibilities to team members.
- Schedule: Using a project management tool like a Gantt chart, create a timeline that includes dependencies, milestones, and deadlines to ensure timely output delivery.
- Milestones: Track project progress by identifying key milestones.
- Success criteria: Collaborate with stakeholders to determine which criteria you’ll use to determine the project’s success or failure.
- Metrics: Choose key performance indicators (KPIs), objectives and key results (OKRs), or other measures to gauge success.
- Resource plan: List the assets required to complete the project, including human resources, equipment, and materials.
- Risk analysis: Outline potential threats to project delivery using a risk assessment tool like a SWOT analysis or RAID log.
How to create an implementation plan: 7 steps
Writing an implementation plan can feel intense the first time, as there are many moving parts. But with the following seven-step guide in hand and while working with fellow leadership professionals, you’re well-equipped to create an effective guide.
1. Define goals
Start by thoroughly understanding your project’s goals, asking your team and important external stakeholders the following questions:
- What does the organization hope to achieve with this project?
- What deliverables must the project produce?
- Who’s this initiative’s target audience?
Consult fellow leadership teammates and important external stakeholders to determine the following details:
3. Identify risks
Brainstorm with your team to determine all potential risks facing the project. You might complete a SWOT analysis to identify weaknesses and threats and a risk register to prioritize risks and establish who manages them.
Keep an open mind, working flexibility and contingency plans into your document to respect inevitable upcoming adjustments due to roadblocks and delays.
4. Establish milestones
Create a visual roadmap that captures the project’s schedule, milestones, and dependencies so the team can plan their workflows accordingly. Be sure to include some wriggle room in case work estimates require adjustment or something goes wrong. You can also use mi