Editing Project management (section)

===Planning===
After the initiation stage, the project is planned to an appropriate level of detail (see an [[:File:Planning Process Group Activities.jpg|example of a flowchart]]).<ref name="VA03"/> The main purpose is to plan time, cost, and resources adequately to estimate the work needed and to effectively manage risk during project execution. As with the Initiation process group, a failure to adequately plan greatly reduces the project's chances of successfully accomplishing its goals.

[[Project planning]] generally consists of<ref>{{cite book | author = Kerzner, Harold | year = 2003 | title = Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling | url = https://archive.org/details/projectmanagemen0000kerz_h0w8 | url-access = registration | edition = 8th | publisher = Wiley | isbn = 0-471-22577-0| author-link = Harold Kerzner }}</ref>
* determining the project management methodology to follow (e.g. whether the plan will be defined [[Waterfall model|wholly upfront]], [[Iterative and incremental development|iteratively]], or in [[Rolling-wave planning|rolling waves]]);
* developing the [[scope statement]];
* selecting the planning team;
* identifying deliverables and creating the product and work breakdown structures;
* identifying the activities needed to complete those deliverables and networking the activities in their logical sequence;
* estimating the resource requirements for the activities;
* estimating time and cost for activities;
* developing the schedule;
* developing the budget;
* risk planning;
* developing quality assurance measures;
* gaining formal approval to begin work.

Additional processes, such as planning for communications and for scope management, identifying roles and responsibilities, determining what to purchase for the project, and holding a kick-off meeting are also generally advisable.

For [[new product development]] projects, conceptual design of the operation of the final product may be performed concurrent with the project planning activities and may help to inform the planning team when identifying deliverables and planning activities.