Create a Project Plan in 10 Steps – Using a Checklist

A project plan (also: project management plan) is the central control document for any project. It serves as a roadmap that clearly outlines how a project will be implemented from the initial idea to successful completion. Its primary purpose is to create clarity, structure, and transparency for everyone involved. A good project plan provides answers to the following essential questions:

• What are the objectives and deliverables?
• Why is the project being undertaken?
• How will it be implemented?
• Who is responsible for which tasks?
• By what date must specific milestones and tasks be completed?
• Where is the work being carried out, or where are resources required?
• What budget and resources are available?

Why is a project plan essential in project management?

The project plan is the foundation for the successful execution of projects. Its absence causes a lack of orientation, which can then lead to chaos, poor decisions, and ultimately the failure of the project.

Creating a project plan is not a bureaucratic exercise but a strategic necessity. Careful planning helps to identify risks early on, use resources efficiently, monitor progress, and ensure that project objectives are achieved within the defined time and cost framework. Common mistakes when creating a project plan include vaguely defined objectives and unrealistic resource or time planning.

Not all project plans look the same – they vary depending on project size, complexity, and methodology (traditional, agile, hybrid). Naturally, an agile sprint plan will differ significantly from a detailed waterfall project plan.

Modern project management software can help you to comprehensively plan your project. Good tools offer features such as:

• Interactive Gantt charts for scheduling
• Tools for building a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
• Integrated resource and cost planning
• Functions for risk management and communication

These are the 10 essential steps to creating a comprehensive and practical project plan.

1. Define Project Scope
2. Create Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
3. Break down Objectives into Milestones
4. Plan Resources
5. Create Project Schedule
6. Set Project Budget
7. Identify and Assess Risks
8. Develop Communication Plan
9. Determine Quality Requirements
10. Define Change Management Process

Table of Contents

1. Define Project Scope
2. Create Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
3. Break down Objectives into Milestones
4. Plan Resources
5. Create Project Schedule
6. Set Project Budget
7. Identify and Assess Risks
8. Develop Communication Plan
9. Determine Quality Requirements
10. Define Change Management Process
11. Checklist for the creattion of a Project Plan
12. Common mistakes in project planning
13. How Project Management supports planning
14. Conclusion: Creating a Project Plan
15. FAQ

1. Define Project Scope

The first and perhaps most important step in the creation of a project plan is the clear definition of the project scope. At this stage, you define what the exact project objectives and limits are. Describe the main objectives, the key deliverables, and the measurable success criteria of the project.

A precise scope definition establishes a shared understanding among all stakeholders and protects the project from the dreaded “scope creep”, the gradual and uncontrolled expansion of the project during  implementation.  Create a clear documentation of all assumptions and boundaries of the project and obtain the approval of key stakeholders.
This step lays the foundation for all further planning activities.

2. Create Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

Once the scope is clear, the next step is to break the project down into smaller, manageable work packages. This is done using the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) . The WBS organizes the project hierarchically, from the main phases or deliverables down to detailed tasks.

This structure helps reduce complexity and ensures that no essential tasks are overlooked. Each work package in the WBS should be clearly defined, estimable (in terms of effort and duration), and assignable to a responsible person or team.
The WBS forms the basis for time, resource and cost planning in the subsequent steps.

3. Break Down Project Objectives into Milestones

Milestones are critical check points or significant events in the course of a project. They mark the completion of important phases, the delivery of essential components or key decisions. Define clear, measurable and time-bound milestones derived from the overarching project objectives and the WBS.

Milestones not only help to structure the project timeline, but also serve to motivate the team and communicate progress to stakeholders. They help you  to stay on top of things and show whether the project is still on track.
Each milestone should represent a specific result or an accomplished stage .

4. Plan Resources

Resource planning is a critical step in project planning that is often underestimated. This is where you determine which resources (personnel, materials, equipment, financial means) are required for the individual work packages. Identify the resource requirements per task and compare them with the available capacity. Make sure to take required skills and team availability into consideration.

Thorough resource planning is essential to avoid bottlenecks, overloading, and to ensure that the right people are working on the right tasks at the right time. This is particularly challenging in multi-project environments. Especially when multiple projects run simultaneously, a central overview of capacity utilization across projects becomes indispensable:
Who has the necessary skills and when are they available?
PM tools that offer centralized, skill-based resource planning are the key to success here.

5. Create Project Schedule

The project schedule (often visualized as a Gantt chart) puts the WBS work packages on a timeline.Define the estimated duration and establish dependencies for each task  (e.g., which task must be completed before another task can start).

Take into account the availability of the planned resources as well as buffer times for unforeseen events. Identify the critical path – the sequence of tasks that determines the total project duration.
A realistic schedule is essential for keeping deadlines and allows proactive management in case of delays.

6. Set Project Budget

Based on the WBS and the resource planning, you can now calculate the project budget in detail. Estimate the costs for each task or work package and consolidate them into an overall budget. Include personnel costs, material costs, external services, travel expenses, and other expenditures. It is advisable to also plan a contingency reserve for unexpected costs.

The defined budget serves as an important control metric during project execution. Transparent and realistic budget planning is essential to ensure the project’s cost-effectiveness and to avoid budget overruns.

7. Identify and Assess Risks

No project progresses exactly as planned. That’s why proactive risk management is indispensable. Identify potential risks that could jeopardize the project’s success – for example: technical problems, resource bottlenecks, budget overruns, or changing requirements.

Evaluate the identified risks in terms of their probability of occurrence and the potential impact they have on the project. This enables you to derive measures for risk prevention, mitigation, or management.
The results of this risk analysis should be part of the project plan and reviewed on a regular basis.

8. Develop Communication Plan

Clear and effective communication is key to project success. The communication plan defines who receives what information, at what time, how and at what frequency. Identify target groups (e.g. project team, steering committee, stakeholders), content (e.g. status reports, risk alerts, decision requirements) and  communication channels.

Ideally, all participants are seamlessly integrated into the communication flow through the project management software. This way, they see the current project status and receive notifications. They  can optionally be sent via email – thus reducing the usual email flood to a minimum and keeping all project information centralized within the software.

A well-thought-out communication plan ensures that all stakeholders receive relevant information at the right time. This prevents misunderstandings and enables informed decision-making – thereby promoting cooperation and team engagement.

9. Determine Quality Requirements

Quality means meeting agreed requirements and expectations. Define in your project plan what the quality standards for deliverables are and how these standards will be ensured and verified. Establish concrete quality criteria, metrics, and methods for quality assurance and control.

This can be done through reviews, testing, or audits. Defining quality requirements helps to avoid rework at a later stage, ensures customer satisfaction, and secures long-term project success.
Integrate the planned quality assurance activities directly into your schedule and resource planning.

10. Define Change Management Process

In projects, changes are often inevitable – what matters is how you manage them. Define a clear change management process. This process should describe how change requests are submitted, evaluated, approved or rejected, and documented.

Specify who is authorized to decide about changes and how such changes affect the project scope, schedule, budget, and resources.
A formalized change management process ensures transparency and traceability and prevents uncontrolled changes that could jeopardize the project.

Checklist for the Creation of a Project Plan

A reliable project plan is the key to project success. But planning alone is not enough: consistent project monitoring and controlling, along with the actual execution of tasks, are also crucial for success.

Use this practical checklist to enhance your planning and execution:

Common Mistakes in Project Planning

Even experienced project managers can fall into traps when creating a project plan. Inadequate planning often leads to serious problems later in the project. A lack of clear accountability for tasks and responsibilities can have a particularly negative impact on the project’s success.

Here are some of the most common mistakes you should avoid:

• Unclear or unrealistic project objectives
• Insufficient definition of the project scope
• Missing or incomplete Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
• Unrealistic time and effort estimations
• Inadequate resource planning (overload, wrong skills)
• Poor budget planning and lack of cost control
• Negligence of risk management
• Absence of a defined communication plan
• Missing or unclear change management process
• Failure to use the project plan as a living document

How Project Management Software supports planning

Without appropriate tools, project planning can quickly become confusing and error-prone – especially in complex projects or multi-project environments. This is where professional project management software comes into play. It serves as a central platform to consolidate, structure, and visualize all relevant planning data.

Good PM software assists you actively in every planning step – from scope definition to the creation of WBS and schedule, to resource, budget and risk planning. It allows you to display dependencies, calculate the critical path, and simulate what-if scenarios.

But the benefits go far beyond mere planning . PM software also simplifies project execution, progress tracking, team communication, and stakeholder reporting. It provides transparency in terms of :

• the current project status
• potential issues
• resource workload

To support effective planning, PM software should offer the following features:

• Tools for creating and visualizing Work Breakdown Structures (WBS)
• Interactive Gantt charts for scheduling with dependencies and critical path
• Centralized resource management with skill-based allocation and workload overviews
• Functions for cost and budget planning and tracking
• Integrated risk management with risk assessment matrices
• Task management and collaboration tools
• Reporting functions and dashboards for progress tracking

What advantages does PM Software such as PLANTA offer?

PLANTA Project is a project management solution specifically designed to support the creation and management of project plans. It combines all essential planning disciplines in a single system and offers distinct advantages over standalone tools or manual methods relying on tools like Excel.

PLANTA Project allows you to create detailed and interactive WBS, which are directly linked to scheduling and resource planning. Any changes in structure or effort estimates are automatically reflected in the Gantt chart and in the resource load.

The central resource database enables realistic, skill-based planning across multiple projects and helps to identify bottlenecks early. Features for cost planning, budgeting, and risk management round off the planning capabilities and establish a solid foundation for project control.

Conclusion: Creating a Project Plan

Creating a reliable project plan is a fundamental step toward project success. It provides clarity on:

• What (objectives, deliverables)
• Why (reason and purpose)
• How (tasks and method)
• Who (responsible persons)
• When (schedule, milestones)
• How much (resources, budget)

The 10 steps – from project scope definition, WBS creation, milestones definition, resource, budget and schedule planning, to risk, communication, quality, and change management – form the framework for comprehensive planning.
Common mistakes, such as unclear objectives or unrealistic estimates, must be avoided.

Professional project management software, such as PLANTA Project, provides integrated features and transparency to support this process.

Remember: A good project plan is not a one-off task but a living document. It must be maintained throughout the project lifecycle and actively used as a control and communication tool.

Dashboards and status reports keep all stakeholders informed about the current status.
Time recording provides up-to-date values within the project plan and dashboard.
The project manager immediately sees when efforts increase or when timelines deviate from the original plan – and can respond quickly.

FAQ

What is a project plan and why is it important?

A project plan is the central document that outlines in detail how a project will be carried out – discussing the questions what, who, when, where, why, how, and how much.
It is indispensable as it serves as a roadmap, provides structure, supports control, and ensures transparency for all parties involved – which is essential for project success.

What’s the difference between a project plan and a project charter?

The project charter (also: project brief) is a short document that formally authorizes a project and outlines the high-level framework (objectives, scope, stakeholders).
The project plan is significantly more detailed and describes the concrete path to implementation – including the schedule, resources, budget, and risk handling.

How can I track project progress?

Regularly updating the project plan with current data helps you to stay on top of the project progress (e.g., completed tasks, time and cost spent).
Status meetings, project controlling reports and dashboards in your PM software help you to spot deviations at an early stage and take counter measures as required.