Project planning is a vital part of any significant engineering undertaking. As such you should
view it as an important learning exercise and preparation for work in industry.
A typical project planning process will carry out the following:
• define objectives
• list tasks;
• estimate effort and duration to complete tasks
• determine task interdependencies (i.e. what tasks must proceed others, or can be
conducted at the same time)
• schedule tasks
• schedule resources
• balance resources
A project plan is a living document that should allow all participants in the project to have clear
and common understanding of the project. As the project progresses circumstances may arise
requiring the plan to be revised and modified accordingly. Regular review and revision of the
project plan is a normal part of project management. Any changes to the project plan must be
signed off by all stakeholders and updated copies distributed to all relevant personnel.