Project Planning and Documentation

Introduction

My paper is a discussion of some fundamentals of project management. From proper planning and documentation to communication, resource allocation, and client acceptance, I have learned some valuable tools of project management. I feel that communication is essential for effective and efficient project management and when used in combination with the methods and procedures I have discussed, the process of project management is easier to manage.

I chose to plan a wedding for my project in this Project Planning and Documentation class. The wedding coordinator job sounded exciting to me and I have been able to use some of my own personal experience in the planning of my client’s wedding. I planned my own wedding in five weeks so I understand the chaos and anxiety related to planning a wedding. I only wish that I could have had an excellent team like my project team to help me plan my own wedding. Putting everything together and understanding project management much better now, I think I have planned a very nice wedding!

What I Learned About Project Management

I have learned how proper planning, review, and coordination with all parties involved in a project contribute to successful project completion. The methods used in project management will vary depending on the type of project but they all seem to follow the same basic guidelines.

The basic premise begins with an understanding of what the client’s needs are. We need to determine what the client’s needs are and focus on those needs. Needs may differ from wants and it is important to stay on track with actual needs and prevent scope creep, which is a result of trying to accommodate wants in addition to needs. For clarification, we can use the conditions of satisfaction communication method to help develop the project overview statement. The client and project manager will communicate back and forth to discuss and clarify the client’s request until a mutual understanding is reached. This understanding is based on what the client wants and what the project manager is capable of providing (Wysocki, 2009).

The results of the conditions of satisfaction are documented as a statement of success criteria in the project overview statement. As the project gets underway and throughout the life of the project, the conditions of satisfaction are continuously reviewed as a part of the project monitoring process (Wysocki, 2009).

The project-scoping meeting is held to introduce detail into the project plan and to formulate the requirements document. This will help project managers to decide which project management approach will work the best for their type of project. This meeting should include the client, project manager and important team members, and a facilitator, if necessary. The agenda of the meeting will be to introduce everyone involved in