Workshop Aim: the aim of this workshop is to identify issues that are occurring in the Planning phase of projects. The workshop can also be used to train new Project Managers or to introduce a framework for managing projects.
Purpose of the phase: Build a robust, realistic, and integrated project plan that aligns scope, schedule, cost, and risk — turning the approved charter into an executable roadmap.
1. Workshop Goals
By the end of this workshop, the team will:
- Translate project objectives into a structured Work Breakdown Structure (WBS).
- Develop an integrated, achievable schedule with dependencies and milestones.
- Identify and assess key risks and define mitigation strategies.
- Establish a cross-functional planning baseline (scope–time–cost–quality alignment).
- Build team ownership of the plan and clarify accountability for each workstream.
2. Prerequisites
Before the workshop:
- Approved Project Charter and initial stakeholder alignment
- Resource availability list (roles and key contacts)
- Preliminary budget constraints or funding envelope
- Known technical or regulatory constraints
- Templates / Tools ready: WBS template, risk register, and integrated Gantt structure
3. Workshop Structure and Content
| Segment | Duration | Activities | Outputs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Kick-Off & Context | 30 min | Review charter, confirm objectives, constraints, and success metrics. | Shared understanding of project intent. |
| 2. WBS Development Session | 90 min | Guided exercise to break down project deliverables into components and work packages. | Draft Work Breakdown Structure (WBS). |
| 3. Schedule & Dependencies Mapping | 90 min | Identify task sequences, milestones, and dependencies; integrate into high-level timeline. | Preliminary Project Schedule (Gantt). |
| 4. Risk Identification & Prioritization | 60 min | Brainstorm risks, assess probability/impact, and assign owners. | Updated Risk Register with response actions. |
| 5. Cross-Functional Integration | 45 min | Review interdependencies across teams, align resource needs and sequencing. | Integrated, validated plan baseline. |
| 6. Review & Commitment | 30 min | Confirm ownership, discuss monitoring cadence, and finalize planning outputs. | Agreed draft of the Project Management Plan. |
Total Duration: ~6 hours (full-day session or two half-days for large projects)
4. Workshop Deliverables
- Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
- High-Level Integrated Schedule (with milestones)
- Initial Risk Register
- Preliminary Budget and Resource Estimates
- Planning Baseline Document (Scope, Time, Cost, Quality)
5. Learning Outcomes for Participants
Participants will learn to:
✅ Apply structured decomposition techniques to create a comprehensive WBS
✅ Translate deliverables into logical, sequenced tasks
✅ Use risk-based planning to build realistic schedules and budgets
✅ Understand how interdependencies drive integrated planning
✅ Gain confidence in aligning the plan with PMBOK knowledge areas (Scope, Time, Cost, Risk)