Catalog

3.2 Planning the Project

Planning for project implementation starts during the early stages of the project cycle— project preparation and appraisal. However, planning during the stages prior to project approval is generally broad and tentative, and the project manager will prepare more detailed and updated plans as soon as the project has been approved and as more specific information becomes available. Specific measures will have to be prescribed for implementation, and changes may have to be made in work schedules, assignments of responsibility for inputs, cost estimates, staffing, and other project elements.

Detailed planning is a key to the successful implementation of a project. Based on project goals and objectives, detailed planning covers strategies and work plans, project organization and staffing, schedules and budgets, management control systems, financial plans, evaluation methods, work authorization procedures, and interfacing and coordination of activities. The project manager involved in detailed planning may have to work closely with ADB and, if required, will obtain the services of consultants. Errors in detailed planning can have extremely unfavorable effects on project costs, implementation schedules, and technical performance.