Key characteristics of project plans

A project plan can be considered to have five key characteristics that have to be managed
SCOPE QUALITY

TIME
RESOURCE

RISK

Scope defines what will be covered in a project. Resource what can be used to meet the scope. Time what tasks are to be undertaken and when.

Quality the spread or deviation allowed from a desired standard. Risk defines in advance what may happen to drive the plan off course, and what will be done to recover the situation.

The sad thing about plans is you cannot have everything immediately and Many people plan using planning software packages, without realising the trade-offs that must be made. They assume that if they write a plan down, reality will follow their wishes. Nothing is further from the truth. The point of a plan is to balance.

The scope, and quality constraint against, The time and resource constraint, While minimising the risks.

Balance Plan: If The scope of a project plan is so large that there is no way the time, resource, and quality constraints can result in the project delivering, which means there are enormous risks. To salvage this plan, requires reducing the scope, increasing the time, or resource, or lowering the quality standard. Any of which will reduce the risk of failure. The key lesson is that plans have to be balanced within the project constraints if they are to deliver.