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What Is a Work Plan? How to Make a Work Plan In 7 Steps

Before you can accomplish your project goals, you need to plan how to reach them. A work plan creates a clear path project teams can follow to reach their desired goals and objectives. Along that path will be resources, constraints and other work management elements that need to be described in your work plan.

What Is a Work Plan?

As its name suggests, a work plan is an action plan that helps project teams achieve their goals. Work plans factor in key project planning elements such as tasks, milestones, deliverables, resources, budgetary requirements and a timeline to weave it all together.

The work plan won’t be written and initiated by a single person and it should be submitted to board members and stakeholders for approval. Once approved, you can continue building out the rest of your work plan.

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Work Plan Template

Use this free Work Plan Template for Word to manage your projects better.

Why Do You Need a Work Plan?

As we mentioned, your work plan acts as your roadmap for the entire project execution. Not only will it keep you and your team organized, but it’ll ensure that you get buy-in from key stakeholders, related departments, relevant accountability/risk leaders and more.

Additionally, it helps manage expectations on both the stakeholder level as well as on the managerial and team member level—everyone that starts off on the right foot has a better chance of landing on the right foot, too.

Work plans guide project teams in a similar way project plans do. However, there’s a big difference between these two important project management documents .

Work Plan vs. Project Plan

Work plans are not as comprehensive as project plans , which have a wider scope and involve more components. The main difference between them is that project plans are created from a high-level view and address every aspect of project management. On the other hand, work plans focus on helping project teams achieve smaller objectives.

If you build your work plan in project management software like ProjectManager , then it’s easy to continue to iterate on your plan and make improvements over time. You can use robust project planning tools such as Gantt charts, kanban boards, project dashboards and much more. Get started today for free.

How to Make a Work Plan in 7 Steps

While work plans might take many forms, here are some simple work planning steps you can follow to make one.

1. Set Goals & Objectives

Before anything, it’s important to write down the goals and objectives that’ll be achieved through your work plan. These will describe the purpose of your plan. It’s important to use SMART goals : create goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-related. This should help you start your plan off on the right foot.

Your goals might sound like your purpose, but they’re more specific in that they’re more long-term oriented — i.e., your team learned more about the process of launching a bug fix or how to respond more directly to customer or market feedback.

Similarly, your project objectives should be measurable. For example, the objective of this project after launch is to create an increase of xx% of active monthly subscribers, or a certain dollar amount in revenue generated.

2. Define the Scope of Your Work Plan

Once you’ve identified your work plan goals, you should use a work breakdown structure (WBS) to identify all the tasks that must be executed to achieve them, which is your project scope. By breaking down your project scope, you can start assembling a team, estimating costs, creating a budget and drafting a project schedule.

3. Estimate What Resources Are Needed

When you break down your project scope using a WBS, you can better estimate what resources are needed for each task in your work plan. Make sure to include different types of project resources, such as human resources, raw materials, machinery, subcontractors or anything else that you might need for the execution of your work plan.

4. Assign Roles & Responsibilities

Now, assemble a project team and clearly define the roles and responsibilities of each member. Communicate with them and make sure they understand what their job is and how they can collaborate with each other.

5. Estimate Costs & Create a Budget

Once you have a clear idea of what resources are needed for your work plan, it’s time to estimate their costs and create a budget . To do so, simply establish a measurement unit for your labor, materials and other resources to then assign a price to them.

6. Create a Project Schedule

There are different tools and techniques you can use to create a project schedule for your work plan. In fact, most project managers use Gantt charts, project calendars, kanban boards.

7. List Any Risks, Constraints and Assumptions

Remember that your work plan is the action plan that’ll guide your project, so the more details you have about constraints and potential risks, the better your team will perform their tasks to produce deliverables and achieve the goals and objectives.

Maybe some of your team members take a few sick days during this period of time; maybe unexpected tasks have to be executed; maybe some of your tools crash that requires more money pulled from the budget. Whatever your project constraints may be, factor in anything that might feel like a risk that can lead to a full-blown constraint, which may affect the completion of deliverables or even the goals and objectives of your project.

Free Work Plan Template

Our work plan template can help you document the steps explained above. Be sure to constantly monitor your template and update it as changes occur in your planning process. Or, if you’re looking for more dynamic project planning tools, you can use Gantt charts.

A work plan template can help you organize your thoughts, but in order to create your action plan and execute it, you’ll need dynamic project management software to help you throughout the planning, execution and monitoring phases.

Work Plan Example

Here’s a basic example to better illustrate how a work plan works. Let’s imagine you’re a business owner who wants to increase your production output by 25 percent by acquiring new machinery and hiring more production employees. While this project doesn’t involve producing tangible deliverables , you’ll still need a work plan.

Goals & Objectives It’s important to define one primary goal and then some smaller, more specific objectives needed for the completion of that goal.

Main Work Plan Goal Increase production output by 25 percent.

Work Plan Objectives

• Improve the company’s production capacity by acquiring new machinery
• Fill skill gaps in the production planning team
• Make sure machinery is well-maintained

Scope of the Work Plan Now, you should list individual activities that must be completed in order to achieve your goal and objectives. Here’s a simple breakdown of activities.

• Inspect the production line
• Perform preventive maintenance
• Optimize plant layout
• Acquire new machinery
• Assess the current team
• Hire new personnel

Resources/Roles & Responsibilities In this case, you’ll need a production manager, HR manager and maintenance team. They’re responsible for executing the tasks listed above.

Work Plan Budget Your budget should cover both the labor costs as well as the cost of the new equipment. Your labor costs will be the salaries of the production manager, HR manager and maintenance team. Make sure you estimate your project costs accurately before creating a budget.

Work Plan Schedule Define a timeframe for the analysis of your production line, the procurement of new machinery, preventive maintenance and hiring.

Risk, Assumptions & Constraints Think about any risks, assumptions or constraints that might affect your work plan. The best place to start is the triple constraint of time, budget and resources.

Creating a Work Plan With Project Management Software

To learn more about how project management tools such as Gantt charts , kanban boards and project dashboards can help you make the perfect work plan, watch the short video below. We’ll quickly show you all the ways that project planning software can improve your planning, execution and reporting—so you can make that work plan with confidence.

ProjectManager Can Help You With Your Work Plan

Getting every detail of a work plan sorted is no easy task—from managing your team to managing your stakeholders. It requires a delicate balance of understanding your project timeline, the tasks that make up the project scope, potential risks , balancing a budget and allocating resources. Not to mention, you’ll have to do this while keeping the customers’ ultimate needs and the project goals and objectives in mind.

With ProjectManager , our online Gantt charts let you schedule your entire project timeline, assign tasks, create dependencies and oversee tracking. Additionally, we have team collaboration features that allow your staff and managers to comment on tasks, attach necessary files, and interact with each other no matter where they’re located.

ProjectManager also features resource management tools that let you balance the hours worked across your team. This helps ensure that your time, tools and resources are balanced no matter what.

Related Work Management Content

• What Is Work Management? Creating a Work Management System
• Best Work Management Software of 2024 for Remote Teams
• What is a Statement of Work? Definition & Examples
• Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

Creating a work plan and don’t know where to start? We’ve got you covered. With ProjectManager , you’ll get access to online software that helps you to better track your work plan from milestone to milestone. Start your free 30-day trial with ProjectManager  today.

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How to create a work plan (with template)

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What is a work plan?

3 great reasons to use a work plan, work plan template and examples, types of work plans, and once you knock it out of the park….

You did it — you got promoted or landed your dream job . 

After a lot of hard work, you’re ready to make your mark with your next project. You want to make a great first impression with your boss. Whether you've got big ideas to pitch or big challenges being pitched at you, execution matters.

You know that you need to communicate your ideas clearly. But you also need to communicate your ability to execute on them and rally the resources to help. That starts with demonstrating that you have a solid grasp of the nature, size, and complexity of the project.

How? By creating a work plan that shows your approach and lets others see where they fit in. A work plan isn't always right, but it gets people to ask the right questions.

So before you change the world, think about your approach. Are you following a known methodology? Your manager will need specifics, everything from your project timelines to a high-level action plan. (And, eventually, a detailed action plan.)

In short, you’ll need a work plan — a roadmap for accomplishing your work goals . Whether you want to streamline your team's workflow, build a new app, or put on the event of the century, a strategic plan will take you there.

Let’s talk about how to create a work plan t hat meets your project management goals and achieves the outcomes and impact that matter.

A work plan is a document that helps everyone communicate more clearly about the project.

A good work plan lays out the action steps needed to complete a project.

It makes clear what the desired outcome is and the major streams of activities or deliverables that will accomplish that outcome. It also highlights needed resources or participation and dependencies.  

Key stakeholders should review and provide input to a plan before the project begins. This process is lengthy, but you’ll have a clear roadmap that everyone supports when it’s ready (more on how to create an action plan and achieve your goals in a moment).

A final work plan typically includes:

• Goals and project objectives
• Project tasks
• Task assignments (if working with a team) 
• Key deliverables
• Required resources
• Timelines, including due dates

It’s tempting to avoid creating such a rigorous document for your workflow. After all, this process is both complicated and somewhat time-consuming. But extra work now will pay off in the long run.

Creating a plan forces you to really consider how to achieve the objective. The process forces you to ask hard questions, like who will do the work, and is there enough time?

Here are three reasons to pull together a work plan:

1. It’ll help your team stay on task

A great work plan establishes deadlines and tasks. Listing out who is responsible for what keeps everyone accountable. People can also see how their work fits into the bigger picture. That can make it more rewarding but also helps them make better decisions.

2. Manage expectations

By the time you start the project, your plan will have made the rounds to all relevant stakeholders — including management. This process takes time and effort. But without it, people will inevitably throw curveballs at you throughout the project. (They still may but you are standing on more firm footing with a good work plan).

Everyone should be clear on what the plan requires and what it can accomplish. It surfaces mismatched expectations and different interpretations at the outset to reduce confusion and conflict down the road. Plus, it will highlight requirements and constraints that you might not have been aware of,  like special permissions, that you can add to the plan.

3. It’ll make it easy to know when to celebrate

Tracking your goals and milestones gives you a reason to celebrate with your team. Nothing feels better than crossing a significant item off the list. Plus, you can share your successes with management, making you and your team look good.

Understanding what level of detail is appropriate and how to present your plan to different stakeholders are some of the skills that BetterUp can help you develop.  

You can create a work plan in Microsoft Word, Excel, or a dedicated project management software. You can also find work plan templates online. We've provided a step-by-step template with examples below.

No matter what you choose, there are some fundamental principles to follow. First, start simple. At every step, try to tell a clear, easily understood story. Second, get test it on the high-level before you get too detailed. Share it with your manager, experienced team members, or trusted peers and listen for what resonates or where they have questions.

An example can help you understand how the process works. So imagine you’re the head of a public relations department at an outdoor equipment company. In this role, one of your goals is to organize a fundraiser for a high-profile local not-for-profit. Let’s prepare your work plan to pitch to your CEO. 

Step 1: Define the “why” of your project

In your work plan document, you’ll need to explain: 

• The purpose of this endeavor. How does it fit into the company's big picture? What will it bring to the organization? Provide a clear explanation .
• The background and wider context of this project. Demonstrate where the project fits in the company's business plan or key objectives. It can also be helpful to show how the project fits into the company’s core values . 

In the outdoor equipment company’s case, you want to show the company’s commitment to the local community. This helps build trust with customers and employees, who are the pillars of the company’s success.

And because you sell outdoor equipment, your charity of choice is an environmental group. This perfectly aligns with the outdoorsy image of your organization. 

Step 2: Set your project schedule

It’s always good to have a clear deadline for a project . A time-bound project helps you to prioritize and get things done. Plus, having a deadline can help you manage your time effectively . 

In this example, your time frame is clear: You have until the date of the event. Pick a placeholder date to help you establish the schedule. Keep in mind the event date could change during discussions with stakeholders.

You will also need start dates and end dates for each aspect of the project, such as creating promo materials and guest invitations. Determine which of these dates are fixed and which have some flexibility. Don't create a plan that relies on the best-case scenario every step of the way.

Be sure to assign team members to these tasks. 

Step 3: Clearly state your goals

This is where you list clear, achievable objectives. Consider using the SMART goals technique . This will help you brainstorm specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-based objectives.

Be sure to also define key performance indicators (KPIs). These are the tools you need to measure success.

For your fundraiser, a donation goal of $100,000 and an attendance rate of 50% would be reasonable indicators of success. 

Step 4: Go over your constraints

Your goals should be consistent with your chosen timeline, budget, and resources. You probably found barriers in the planning process, so make sure the project’s scope is realistic. Don’t promise a moon landing if you don’t have money for a rocket.

Your event should have a realistic way of meeting its goals of $100,000. Does your company have connections in the community? Will you have many high-profile guests who can make large donations? Are they guaranteed to show up if they RSVP? 

Answer these questions honestly, think imaginatively about alternatives, and adjust your goals accordingly.

Step 5: Discuss risk and accountability

Think of your plan from every angle . What are your core dependencies? What could go wrong? Whether it’s unexpected employee turnover or bad weather forcing the event indoors, be clear about what could prevent an ideal outcome and have a backup plan. Have several and specify what conditions would trigger a contingency plan in advance.

Every work plan will be different. As t his work plan template shows they vary  depending on the type of project, the number of people involved, and who will be using the plan each day 

The nature of these strategies makes them hard to categorize, but we can boil them down to two major types: 

Employee work plan

These plans are smaller in scope, focusing on simple projects within a department. They aim to help your team achieve its internal goals — thus negating the need for upper management approval. Usually, these small projects fall within your purview as a department head or manager.

An employee work plan includes things like:

Project goals

Materials and expenses required for the project

Deadlines and estimated date for completion

Manager work plan

A manager's work plan is more appropriate for large projects. They involve long-term goals and strategies, and may require help from other departments. These projects tend to have:

The projected impact on the company

Detailed risk analyses

Granular cost breakdowns and budgets

Because of their size and complexity, these plans often require approval from the higher-ups.

Let’s come back to your mountain equipment company fundraiser. This project would be considered a manager plan. It’s expensive, could significantly impact the company’s brand image, and involves multiple stakeholders outside of your department. Within the plan, you might find tasks that you can assign to your employees on a smaller scale — but that’s still part of the manager’s role. 

Project management plans are essential for any team leader , but they’re not everything. Having and communicating a vision and leading a team all the way through execution are important skills. Now that you kn ow how to create a solid work plan, yo u’re on your way.

BetterUp can help you level up your leadership skills to get everyone on board with your work plans. We’re here to help you create a plan to crush your goals (in the best possible way).

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Elizabeth Perry, ACC

Elizabeth Perry is a Coach Community Manager at BetterUp. She uses strategic engagement strategies to cultivate a learning community across a global network of Coaches through in-person and virtual experiences, technology-enabled platforms, and strategic coaching industry partnerships. With over 3 years of coaching experience and a certification in transformative leadership and life coaching from Sofia University, Elizabeth leverages transpersonal psychology expertise to help coaches and clients gain awareness of their behavioral and thought patterns, discover their purpose and passions, and elevate their potential. She is a lifelong student of psychology, personal growth, and human potential as well as an ICF-certified ACC transpersonal life and leadership Coach.

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10 Free Work Plan Templates & Examples

Praburam Srinivasan

Growth Marketing Manager

July 9, 2024

Are you tired of getting lost in the chaos of your new projects? As a project manager, do you wish you could make your work more organized and efficient? Are you looking for a solution that streamlines your teams’ tasks and ensures everyone stays on the same page?

Look no further, because work plan templates will help you do just that. They act as your action plan throughout your project, helping you to see the big picture, due dates, and any dependencies that may keep you from reaching your goals.

In this blog post, we’re going to talk about what work plan templates are and what makes a good template. Then, we’ll share our top 10 templates for ClickUp, Microsoft, and Google Docs. Ready to optimize your work plans like never before? Let’s dive in!

• What is a Work Plan Template?
• What Makes a Good Work Plan Template?

1. ClickUp Work Plan Template

2. clickup annual work plan template, 3. clickup project work plan template, 4. clickup remote work plan template, 5. clickup work plan whiteboard template, 6. clickup 12-week plan template, 7. clickup process plan template, 8. microsoft excel work plan template.

• 9. Microsoft Project Project Timeline Template
• 10. eFinancial Models Google Sheets Simple Project Plan Template

What is a Work Plan in Project Management?

A work plan template is a tool that outlines the specific tasks and activities required to achieve specific goals. It is a framework that helps individuals or teams to organize, plan, communicate, and prioritize their work effectively. Work plan templates typically include sections such as project goals and objectives, time frames, resource allocation , performance indicators, and potential obstacles or risks.

Work plan templates are commonly used in project management, research, education, business, and many other fields. They can be customized for the needs of different large projects or tasks, and they help individuals or teams to design achievable goals, create action steps, track progress, and make necessary adjustments to ensure successful completion.

Using a work plan template can save time and effort, as it provides a clear project plan for the task at hand. It also improves communication and collaboration among team members, as everyone can see the tasks and deadlines and has a shared understanding of what needs to be achieved.

A work plan template is a valuable project management tool that facilitates effective planning and execution of tasks or projects. By using a work plan template, individuals or teams can enhance their productivity, efficiency, and overall performance.

What Makes a Good Project Work Plan Template?

A good work plan template should be comprehensive and tailored to the specific project or task. It should include all the necessary steps and deadlines, as well as assigned responsibilities and resources required to complete the task. It should also allow for flexibility and adaptability in case of transitions or unexpected obstacles .

• Clear and concise presentation. It should be easy to read, visually appealing, and structured in a logical manner. This enhances communication and ensures that team members are on the same page regarding timelines, objectives, and strategies.
• Proper allocation of resources. Showing how to distribute time, personnel, and materials is also essential. A good template should provide sufficient time for each activity and break down complex tasks into manageable sub-tasks.
• Ongoing monitoring and evaluation. Progress and performance should be regularly assessed against the plan, and adjustments made accordingly. This helps to identify obstacles and areas for improvement, ensuring the successful completion of the task.

A good workload management tool should be comprehensive, clear, and structured, provide sufficient resources and timelines, and be regularly updated for optimal results.

10 Work Plan Templates & Examples

Whether you’re a manager, team lead, or entrepreneur, having a well-crafted work plan is essential for success. A good work plan will help you stay on track and keep your projects organized, allowing you to make better decisions about how best to allocate resources and manage timelines.

But creating effective plans from scratch can be time-consuming and difficult. That’s why we’ve compiled this list of top work plan templates – so that no matter what type of project or business venture you have in mind, there’s an easy solution at hand.

From simple to-do lists to more elaborate roadmaps with milestones, these templates provide all the features needed for efficient planning without any extra effort or expense.

When you’re first beginning to use templates as part of your work planning process, sometimes starting with the basics is best. That’s what we love about ClickUp’s Simple Work Plan Template .

This template is the perfect place to begin when you’re first using ClickUp for project planning. It helps you easily visualize the activities that have to be done before the project is considered complete.

You can choose to import items and dates from an existing list, or start from scratch. Each activity can be flagged with a different priority level, and there’s spots to enter start dates and due dates so everyone can easily see what to prioritize, and when.

This template includes several different customizable fields so you can build the right workload management structure for your projects. The customization offered in this template makes it the perfect starting point for nearly any project or task.

If you’re a fan of the expression, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail,” ClickUp’s Annual Work Plan Template may just be your new best friend. To make sure you, your team, or your company is successful throughout the year, you need a process-focused approach to long-term planning with plenty of milestones along the way.

This template has 5 sections to help guide your long-term goal-setting and track your progress as you go. The template will help you and your team stay accountable to your goals over time. That way, you’ll be planting the seeds of success from the outset, leading to timely project milestones and achieving your long-term objectives . 

Sometimes, managing a project is more complex than just writing down a list of the activities that need to be completed and the status of each of them. When you need a little more detail, ClickUp’s Project Work Plan Template can help.

Think of this project plan template like an expanded version of our Simple Work Plan template. Along with the standard fields like task name, start and due date, and duration, this template also gives you a detailed look at whether or not your team is reaching their milestones.

Additional fields in this template show how your team is doing at keeping to the set schedule.

• Delays (Days) : Tracks which milestones have sticking points;
• Schedule field: Displays green (on target), amber (minor delays), or red (significant delays); and
• Effort : Shows the level of effort to complete the task, from 1-5.

This template’s scheduling fields make it especially useful when looking back at a project retroactively to see where you may have miscalculated the time or effort it took to complete a certain activity. That way, you can adjust and create a more accurate schedule for the next project.

Remote teams have unique challenges when it comes to collaborating on group projects. ClickUp’s Remote Work Plan Template just for them.

Without working in close quarters with one another, remote teams have to be more intentional about keeping everyone on the same page with project management. It can also be tricky to figure out which project requests are important for the company as a whole, and which ones would be nice to have, but aren’t important in the bigger scheme of things. That makes finding the right work from home tools critical to remote team’s success.

This template classifies each project based on its organizational impact to show its importance for the company.

• Low-importance projects: May or may not be pursued depending on the team’s workload, since they don’t significantly impact the organization.
• High-importance projects : Must be pursued since they do impact the organization significantly.

The template also has a place to write the goal of the project (“increase team participation by 90%,” or, “generate 200 new customers,” for example), the project budget and actual cost, the level of effort, and a link to the project’s key deliverables, so every person working on the task has full visibility to the context of the work and the relevant files.

Whiteboarding is a great way to visualize ideas, discuss strategies, and collaborate with colleagues .

Using whiteboards during team meetings provides an opportunity for everyone to put their thoughts down and work through problems together. But in today’s modern work environments, your team isn’t always in the same physical location to whiteboard together, and they may need to access whiteboard notes while on the go. That’s why we created ClickUp’s Work Plan Whiteboard Template . 

It gives you a planned visual reference for a project in a digital format, but just like a physical whiteboard, you can “hang” notes, jot down tasks, and move assignments around.

The whiteboard has multiple features to make it just like a physical board – but better!

• Drawing tools: Freehand with markers of different colors and sizes, add shapes and sticky notes, text, arrows, and mind maps, and even upload images and photos.
• Template library: Start with 9 different premade templates to quickly organize and add to your whiteboard.
• Tasks, documents, people, and lists: Drop or tag any of these from other boards or lists within your ClickUp workspace.
• Links: Include clickable routes to Figma files, websites, Google Docs, sheets, and slides, and Youtube.

Whether you’re brainstorming ideas or mapping out complex processes, this whiteboard template can be a helpful tool to take your work to the next level.

Bonus: Communication plan templates

Many businesses run on quarterly cycles of 12 weeks each. For those of you who use this approach, we created ClickUp’s 12-Week Plan Template to ensure your next quarter is even better than your last. But, the fun doesn’t stop there! This template can be used to manage all aspects of your life, helping you to balance your personal and professional goals with the most efficient productivity plan possible.

Our 12-week simple project plan template operates like a giant to-do list, where you can enter a detailed description of the task, add any subtasks, and create checklists. The template also includes two custom fields:

• Plan & monitor progress : Automatically populate fields that show how far along you are in completing the task
• Activity category: Tag each category with a relevant group (i.e. personal, work, family, or finances)

Use this template to “brain dump” everything you need to get done over the next 12 weeks. Then, use ClickUp’s fields to assign relevant people to the tasks, create due dates, and prioritize your list by what needs to get done, and when.  

A process plan is essentially your step-by-step roadmap to achieving a specific outcome.

It includes the steps you’ll take to complete a goal, the quality and response measures you’ll have in place, and any relevant reaction plans. It’s the best way to make sure you (or your client’s) expectations are met, and it’s why we created ClickUp’s Process Plan Template . 

Process plans are often required for compliance purposes in jobs where the product or service requires inspections to ensure its quality. This document offers fields to detail the specifics of your business’s operations.

• Section to list improvement actions : Includes a description, the input and output, the methods used, the criteria, and the actions that need to be taken if the criteria aren’t met.
• Section for process plan revision details : Includes the revision date, revision history, and a list of approval and acknowledgment people.

Whether you’re launching a new product or implementing a new sales strategy, having a process plan in place is crucial. It’ll help you stay organized and ensures that you’re following the best practices and protocols to reach success. Plus, having a clear plan can give you peace of mind in your ability to execute your vision.

While we think ClickUp’s template library provides everything a business could need to get and stay organized, we know you can’t always choose the solutions you’d like to use. For organizations that require you to use Microsoft products and for those who prefer spreadsheets to word docs, these Excel Work Plan Templates are for you.

Excel offers a few different customizable timeline and roadmap templates to help you organize your projects.

• Project Timeline: Create a timeline to track project schedules , showing which month each task will happen in. Includes a table for activity name, start, and end dates. Excel provides three detailed project timeline templates and one four-week project timeline template .
• Work Plan Template: Show your projects in 4 phases, including activities required in each. Data is entered into another worksheet and is then automatically populated into the visual roadmap.

These templates aren’t purpose-built for project management, but in a pinch, they still allow you to organize your project’s most pressing tasks and present them visually. And if you prefer documents to spreadsheets, here’s how to create a timeline using Word instead.

9. Microsoft Project Project Plan Timeline Template

If you need to keep your project planning within the Microsoft suite but want a more comprehensive solution than Excel templates, consider these Microsoft Project Work Plan Templates . 

Microsoft Project is a software program that helps you plan, schedule, and manage complex projects. With features like Gantt charts , resource management , and task tracking, Microsoft Project makes it easy to stay organized and on top of deadlines.

Project also integrates with other Microsoft programs like Excel and Outlook, so you can easily share information and collaborate with your team. Whether you’re planning a wedding, constructing a building, or launching a new product, Microsoft Project can help you stay on track and get the job done.

This project planning template can help you to organize tasks and milestones in a way that’s easy to share with multiple team members and stakeholders. But to utilize these templates, you’ll have to sign up for the service.

10. eFinancial Models Google Sheets Simple Project Planning Template

For those who can’t choose their own project management platforms and whose companies use Google Workspace, there’s Google Sheets Work Plan Templates for you, too!

The good news with Google Sheets is, If you’ve ever used Microsoft Excel, you’ll feel right at home. It’s a cloud-based spreadsheet tool that allows you to create, edit and share workbooks with others in real-time. Google Sheets lets you collaborate with your team in a centralized location, without needing to save and send files back and forth.

For work planning, you can use Google Sheets to set deadlines, track as your project progresses, assign tasks, and more. Whether you’re working on a multi-person project, a presentation, or simply need to organize your daily to-do list, Google Sheets can help streamline the process and make your work life a whole lot easier.

Optimize Your Workflow with a Work Planning Template Today

Prioritizing your workload and making plans to get your responsibilities done is imperative for the best-possible production. Luckily, there are many project management software available to help you, whether you’re looking for a way to organize work annually, by project, or by quarter.

We may be biased, but we think the easiest way to get started with workload planning is using ClickUp. ClickUp’s workspace lets you easily visualize your tasks, and our templates help you to quickly and intuitively organize them, whether you’re working solo or as part of a larger team. And when you do need to collaborate with other contributors, ClickUp makes getting feedback simple.

It’s free to get started with ClickUp, so give us a try today to see how a bit of planning upfront can maximize your production in the long run.

Questions? Comments? Visit our Help Center for support.

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How to Write a Work Plan

Last Updated: September 10, 2022 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Sydney Axelrod . Sydney Axelrod is a certified life coach and the owner of Sydney Axelrod LLC, a life coaching business focused on professional and personal development. Through one-on-one coaching, digital courses, and group workshops, Sydney works with clients to discover their purpose, navigate life transitions, and set and accomplish goals. Sydney has over 1,000 hours of relevant coaching certifications and holds a BBA in Marketing and Finance from Emory University. There are 10 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 1,699,385 times.

A work plan is an outline of a set of goals and processes by which a team and/or person can accomplish those goals, and offering the reader a better understanding of the scope of the project. Work plans, whether used in professional or academic life, help you stay organized while working on projects. [1] X Research source Through work plans, you break down a process into small, achievable tasks and identify the things you want to accomplish. Learn how to write a work plan so that you can be prepared for upcoming projects.

Mapping out Your Work Plan

• In the workplace, work plans help your supervisor know what projects you will be working on over the next several months. These often come right after an annual performance review or as teams undertake large projects. Work plans can also be the result of strategic planning sessions your organization holds at the beginning of a new calendar or fiscal year.
• In the academic world, work plans can help students create a schedule for a large project. They can also help teachers plan their course material for the semester.
• For a personal project, work plans will help you delineate what you intend to do, how you intend to do it, and by what date you intend to have it done. Personal work plans, while not strictly necessary, will help the individual keep track of his/her goals and progress.

• The introduction should be short and engaging. Remind your superiors why you are creating this work plan. Introduce the specific project(s) you will be working on during this time period.
• The background should highlight the reasons you are creating this work plan. For example, recite details or statistics from recent reports, identify problems that need to be addressed, or build off of recommendations or feedback you received during previous work projects.

• Goals should focus on the big picture of your project. List the desired ultimate outcome of your work plan. Keep it broad; for example, make your goal be to complete a research paper or to learn more about writing.
• Objectives should be specific and tangible. In other words, you should be able to check these off your list when you accomplish them. For example, finding people to interview for your research paper would make a good objective.
• Many work plans break down objectives into short- , middle- , and long-term objectives if they vary significantly. For example, a company's short-term goal to increase viewership 30% in three months may vary significantly from its long-term goal to strengthen brand visibility in social media outlets over the next year. [5] X Research source
• Objectives are generally written in the active voice and use action verbs with specific meanings (e.g. "plan," "write," "increase," and "measure") instead of verbs with vaguer meanings (e.g. "examine," "understand," "know," etc.). [6] X Research source

• Specific . What exactly are we going to do for whom? Lay out what population you are going to serve and any specific actions you will use to help that population.
• Remember that a baseline number needs to be established to quantify change. If you don't know the incidence rate of HIV/AIDS among South African newborns, it's going to be impossible to reliably say that you decreased incidence rates by 20%.
• In some cases, an expert or authority may need to be consulted to figure out if your work plan objectives are achievable.
• Relevant . Will this objective have an effect on the desired goal or strategy? Although it's probably important for overall health, does measuring the height and weight of high-schoolers directly lead to change in mental health procedures? Make sure your objectives and methods have a clear, intuitive relationship.
• Time bound . When will this objective be accomplished, and/or when will we know we are done? Specify a hard end date for the project. Stipulate which, if any, outcomes would cause your project to come to a premature end, with all outcomes having been achieved.

• At the workplace, resources can include things like financial budget, personnel, consultants, buildings or rooms, and books. A detailed budget may appear in an appendix if your work plan is more formal.
• In the academic arena, resources may include access to different libraries; research materials like books, newspapers, and journals; computer and Internet access; and professors or other individuals who can help you if you have questions.

• List specific action steps. Identify what needs to happen each day or week for you to complete your objectives. [10] X Trustworthy Source Kansas University Center for Community Health and Development Community-based research center focused on supporting public health development and education Go to source Also, list steps other people on your team will need to take. Consider using project management software or a personal calendar to keep this information organized.
• Create a schedule. Though you can create a tentative work schedule, realize that unexpected things happen and you need to build space into your schedule to prevent falling behind.

Sample Plan and List of Things to Include

Expert Q&A

• Identify milestones if your project is especially large. Milestones are points throughout the project that highlight meeting certain objectives. They can also serve as a point of reflection, allowing you to look at here you are in the process and make sure you are still on track with the work plan. [11] X Research source Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Make your work plan work for you. Work plans can be as detailed or as broad as you would like or need them to be. They can be written on a piece of paper or created on professional software, using graphics and colors. Use what is most natural and effective for you. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://www.insightful.io/blog/how-can-strategic-planning-improve-your-productivity
• ↑ http://cec.vcn.bc.ca/cmp/modules/pm-pln.htm
• ↑ https://www.betterup.com/blog/how-to-create-a-work-plan
• ↑ Sydney Axelrod. Certified Life Coach. Expert Interview. 30 June 2020.
• ↑ https://smallbusiness.co.uk/short-mediumand-longterm-objectives-27759/
• ↑ http://rootedinrelationships.org/file_download/inline/1301eeee-df67-48b0-8445-f7daed9331b8
• ↑ SMART" objectives
• ↑ https://www.projectmanager.com/blog/make-work-plan
• ↑ https://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/structure/strategic-planning/identify-action-steps/main
• ↑ https://www.projectmanager.com/blog/milestones-project-management

About This Article

To write a work plan, start by defining a specific, measurable goal that you want to accomplish, like increasing sales by 50% by the end of the year. Then, list the resources that are available to help everyone involved accomplish the goal. You'll also want to mention any constraints or obstacles that might get in the way and how you plan on dealing with them. Also, make sure you clearly explain to everyone involved what they're accountable for. Finally, come up with a strategy for how you and your team are going to be successful. To learn more about how to break your plan into short-term and long-term goals, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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How to create a work plan (examples and template)

As a kid, I watched John “Hannibal” Smith from The A-Team often say, “I love when a plan comes together.” The four action heroes appeared to be able to create elaborate plans to solve their challenge of the week and execute them on the spot. Well, I never thought that as an adult product manager, I would be saying the same words.

In practice, my planning comes with way more hurdles than the TV action heroes faced. However, both the A-team and the product teams still need a work plan to achieve success!

What is a work plan?

Now, what is a work plan in product management, especially in an agile product management world? A work plan is a high-level document that helps you gather any initiative’s goals, timelines, risks, and other aspects for a future update. It helps you coordinate and monitor these details to make sure the work is going accordingly.

“Wait a minute!” – you may shout – “That sounds like project management!”

Well, I need to agree here. But, this work plan is not there for you to get timelines from your team and monitor them with a stopwatch.

This is a communication tool. This is how you help yourself, your team members, and your stakeholders get a common understanding of upcoming challenges. When you work with your team on the plan, the right people get their chance to voice their concerns and ideas.

Also, in the product management world, it is not about setting everything in stone. It’s about being able to create clarity where possible (say, the problem you want to fix with the new initiative) and identify the moving elements (i.e., where will the development go once a certain aspect is A/B tested).

What are the 3 steps of a work plan?

To understand a tool work plan for a product manager, let’s divide it into three stages:

• Preparation

Let’s take a look at them one by one!

1. Preparation

Every change starts with an idea. However, the idea is simply not enough to convince anyone that it’s a good one. Thus, here comes the bulk of, often lonely, work of a product manager. In this stage, you should:

Create an initiative document

Establish a user story or similar, verify how the idea fits the current product fundamentals and focus, choose the product metrics to address, perform research and early product discovery, identify the internal stakeholders.

• Create a ticket in your product management software

Plan a project kick-off meeting

This is not your Jira ticket — not yet. This will be your work plan’s main document, where you will gather all the notes and key information needed. For now, this can be a private document, but be aware that you should be able to share it with anyone at any point.

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It’s not your notepad, but a document collecting all aspects of the initiative. This document will later be super handy when crafting any other communication or updates connected to this initiative. Be sure to record the information you collect from the following points in this document.

While the book approach dictates that you start with a problem to solve, let’s face it, we usually work on solutions. However, a solution looking for a problem is most likely nothing more than a waste of time.

Thus, provide the right context for your initiative, the intended user group and the value the idea delivers. This will set a solid foundation for the rest of the work you are going to do. Thus, start by filling in this sentence:

As a [description of user], I want [functionality], so that [benefit].

Every product idea needs a good context. It has to fit the current product vision and strategy, and address current goals and OKRs . Without it, it will be a distraction from the current direction. Doesn’t mean the idea is bad, but timing is also important. You can still plan it! Duh! A well-crafted work plan can be a basis to define the next period OKRs!

If you verified the context, it’s time to link your solution to your product metrics and goals. It’s OK to have ideas that don’t address any metrics directly, but build product quality to increase long-term retention. However, it will be far harder to sell such work to your stakeholders.

No worries, you just need to adjust your pitching strategy. Maybe the idea is worth pursuing as a side project or hackathon initiative. Anyway, make sure your flagship initiatives at least plan to improve some of the key product metrics. It’s best to also include that in a written product change hypothesis.

While it’s not always possible to get all the information you need, try to research the answers to the following questions:

• Was this solution tested in other areas of the product or by competitors or semi-competitors? For example, the “stories” feature worked out great on Instagram, but it was a disaster on Skype
• Is there a science paper that evaluated the idea in a controlled environment? For example, have scientists evaluated the impact of gamification on users’ behavior?
• Are you able to estimate the impact of the initiative on product metrics or are you performing a pure “guesstimation”?
• Which user personas will benefit from the update?
• What are the other ways to solve the same problem (this is just a sanity check step to see if you can come up with even a better idea)

From developers, researchers, business analysts, and other product managers to high-level executives. This will help you down the road in making sure all the right parties are up to speed!

Create a ticket in your product management software (most likely Jira)

At this stage, you should be able to create your epic and copy-paste relevant information from the initiative’s document. It’s a formality at this stage, as you basically have everything to create an exceptional epic.

Once you did all that due diligence, it’s time to call in a meeting and get all the needed stakeholders in one room to get everyone on the same page. However, the main goal will be to create a more tangible product plan and identify the unknown risks and gaps that could prevent the idea from becoming a reality.

2. Kick off

Now that all the product manager’s preparation work is completed, the kick-off meeting can be treated as sort of a handoff meeting. While the PM doesn’t move on to researching another idea right after this meeting, the responsibility of making it happen is essentially passed on to the development team. Or at least it should be like this.

If you are a product manager that also performs the project manager/development team leader duties, you will have to see all the work through until the end.

Anyway, regardless of your role, here are the elements you need to tackle during the kick-off meeting. Remember to record everything in the initiative document! The meeting here should consist of the following elements:

• Product manager presenting their findings
• Discussion on those findings to make sure all meeting members are on the same page
• Planning out the high-level technical elements needed plus the timeline
• Agreeing on the potential risks and brainstorming solutions to mitigate those
• Seeking an MVP that can be implemented to test the product hypothesis as early as possible. This can mean different things, from a product discovery process where a mock of the update is presented to random people, to a full-blown working update with perhaps only a selected pool of intended functionalities
• Drawing expected timeline and check-in points
• Finalize the design – Mart – by the 14th of August
• Build the API – Donna – by end of August
• Prepare the tracking specification – Lucas – early August
• Clearing the necessary architecture changes with team Astro – Monica – ASAP
• Expected MVP release – Jane – second sprint of September
• Agreeing on the requirements. You can come up with a draft of the update’s requirements for the Jira ticket, but it’s best to run them with the stakeholders and include their input
• Final Q&A session to make sure everyone leaves the room at least in peace, if not optimistic and confident

Now, as I mentioned earlier, what happens next depends on how your organization defines your product manager role. This might be a point after which you only check in with the team to share your opinion on the deliverables and collect status updates for your communication. However, you may also be the person who needs to change this into a full-on project management role, with full oversight, daily reports, and addressing any hurdles the team should face.

Sidenote: honestly, if you are closer to the second possibility, please consider changing employers. You won’t be growing as a product manager if project management takes the bulk of your job.

Assuming you work in an agile organization, the plan is now being realized and adjusted on the fly based on what will happen. The timeline can be pushed back for multiple reasons, but that’s OK.

Timely delivery is not about setting dates and deliverable outcomes in stone — it’s about using agile scrum to deliver the optimal value to the user and knowing how to do it transparently. It’s a neat compromise between chaotic-on-the-fly decision-making and a complex predefined structure project execution plan as presented by, i.e., PRINCE2 framework.

As you are, hopefully, an agile product manager, let’s look at the final stage of the plan:

3. Evaluation

This is a bit fuzzy part where you are meant to reflect on how the plan is coming together. While you will be making your decisions based on the MVP and following releases’ performance, it will be really impressive if you are already prepared for certain outcomes.

Try to answer the following questions:

• What happens next after the MVP is successful (or not)?
• What parts of a successful MVP should be improved first and foremost?
• Does the result of this initiative impact your roadmap going forward? How? (i.e., when your experiment is done as a small side project, but is so successful it promises way better results than other roadmap items planned)
• Can other parts of the product/company have any stake in this update? (i.e., If a new feature introduced in the mobile app is successful, perhaps the web browser version of the product should follow suit?)
• Are there any opportunities this update unlocks?

Generally, sit down and speculate what you should do next. Don’t wait until the update is released to do that, as that will be a waste of time. If you find a successful result, you should pursue it immediately – every day you don’t build on your previous success is a day lost!

Let’s make it easy for you: Template with an example

Hope you liked the framework above and would like to give it a go! If so, this article comes with both a work plan template and a filled-in example of a work plan for you to use.

I hope you will use it and it will be easier for you to deliver your next initiative to the kick-off meeting stage. Good luck!

Conclusion: “I love when a plan comes together”

I believe some of you were skeptical when you saw the beginnings of this article. A work plan for an agile product manager does seem to contradict the basic foundations of how the role should be executed.

I hope however that now you see that “agile” doesn’t mean “without a plan.” On the contrary, being agile is not about working without one — it’s about having a solid understanding and foundations to be able to adjust the plan on the go while maintaining the right vision and ability to still attain any pursued goal.

I hope this article will help you achieve those!

Dr. Bart Jaworski, Senior Product Manager at Stepstone, ex-Microsoft

Follow me on LinkedIn!

Check out my product management resources: drbartpm.com

Featured image source: IconScout

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Crafting an Effective Work Plan: A Step-by-Step Guide

September 3, 2023 - 7 min read

In any professional endeavor, having a well-crafted work plan is essential. A work plan serves as a roadmap , providing clear objectives, assigning tasks and responsibilities, and establishing realistic timelines. With a well-structured plan in place, you can effectively manage your resources, identify potential challenges, and ensure the successful completion of your project . In this step-by-step guide, we will take a closer look at the process of crafting an effective work plan and explore the benefits it brings to your work.

Understanding the Importance of a Work Plan

A work plan is a document that outlines the tasks, objectives, and timelines necessary for the successful completion of a project. It serves as a blueprint for the project's execution, providing a clear direction for everyone involved. With a well-defined plan, you can minimize confusion, eliminate unnecessary delays, and ensure that your project stays on track.

Benefits of a Well-Structured Work Plan

A well-structured work plan offers several benefits.

• Provides a clear understanding of the project's goals and helps in prioritizing tasks. By having a clear roadmap, you can identify which tasks are critical and need to be completed first, ensuring that the project stays on track.
• Aids in resource management . By allocating the right people and tools to each task, you can optimize the use of resources and ensure that everyone is working efficiently. This not only saves time and effort but also helps in avoiding any unnecessary delays or bottlenecks.
• Helps in identifying potential risks and challenges. By conducting a thorough analysis of the project, you can anticipate any obstacles that may arise and come up with contingency plans to mitigate them. This proactive approach ensures that the project is prepared for any unforeseen circumstances.
• Serves as a communication tool. It provides stakeholders with a clear overview of the project's progress and milestones. By regularly updating the work plan and sharing it with relevant parties, you can keep everyone informed and involved in the project's development. 

Preliminary Steps Before Crafting a Work Plan

Before diving into creating a work plan, there are a few preliminary steps that need to be taken.

Identifying Your Goals

• Start by identifying the main goals and objectives of your project, as this sets the foundation for your work plan. By clearly defining your goals, you can establish a clear direction for your work plan and guarantee that it aligns with your desired outcomes.
• Take the time to brainstorm and discuss with your team to ensure that everyone is on the same page regarding the project's objectives. Remember, your goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). 

Understanding Your Resources

• Take stock of the resources available to you, including human resources, tools, and materials. Understanding what you have at your disposal will enable you to allocate them effectively in your work plan.
• Assess the skills and expertise of your team members and determine how their strengths can be utilized to achieve project goals.
• Consider the tools and technologies that can support your project. Are there any software applications or project management tools that can streamline your work plan? Evaluate the availability and suitability of these resources to ensure that you can make the most out of them.

Recognizing Potential Challenges

• Identify any potential challenges or risks that may arise during the course of your project. Communicate these challenges and risks with your team members.
• Conduct a thorough risk assessment to identify possible obstacles such as budget constraints , time limitations, or external factors that may affect your project.
• Brainstorm potential solutions and develop strategies to mitigate their impact.

The Step-by-Step Process of Creating a Work Plan

Creating a work plan is an essential part of project management . In this section, we will explore the step-by-step process of creating a work plan, including setting clear objectives, assigning tasks and responsibilities, establishing a timeline, and incorporating flexibility into your plan.

Setting Clear Objectives

The first step in crafting a work plan is setting clear objectives. This involves clearly defining what you want to achieve and outlining the specific tasks required to reach those objectives. Breaking down larger goals into smaller, manageable tasks not only makes the plan more achievable but also provides a sense of direction for the project.

When setting objectives, consider the SMART criteria - Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. This ensures that your objectives are well-defined and can be effectively tracked throughout the project.

Assigning Tasks and Responsibilities

Once you have defined the tasks, the next step is to determine who will be responsible for each task. Assigning tasks to team members based on their skills and expertise ensures that the work is distributed effectively and that everyone understands their role and responsibilities.

Effective task assignment involves considering the strengths and weaknesses of each team member. By leveraging their skills and expertise, you can optimize productivity and make sure that tasks are completed to a high standard.

Establishing a Timeline

A work plan must include a realistic timeline that outlines when each task should be completed. Consider dependencies between tasks and allocate sufficient time for each. Breaking the project into manageable chunks with specific deadlines helps in tracking progress and achieves timely delivery.

When establishing a timeline, take into account any external factors that may impact the project. This includes potential delays, resource availability, and any other constraints that may affect the project timeline. By considering these factors, you can create a more accurate and achievable timeline.

Incorporating Flexibility into Your Plan

While it is important to establish a timeline, it is equally important to incorporate flexibility into your work plan. Unexpected challenges and changes are bound to happen, so it is crucial to leave room for adjustments and contingencies within your timeline.

By being adaptable, you can effectively respond to changes and ensure the project stays on track. This may involve reallocating resources, adjusting timelines, or revisiting objectives. By incorporating flexibility into your plan, you can mitigate risks and increase the chances of project success.

Maintaining and Updating Your Work Plan

A work plan is not a static document. It requires regular review and assessment to ensure its effectiveness. Schedule regular check-ins with your team to review progress, discuss any challenges, and make necessary adjustments to the plan. This allows for continuous improvement and ensures that the plan remains aligned with your project's objectives.

• Check-ins: Encourage open and honest communication among team members. This creates an environment where everyone feels comfortable sharing their thoughts and concerns. By fostering a collaborative atmosphere, you can gain valuable insights and perspectives that can contribute to the success of your work plan.
• Reviewing your work plan: Evaluate the effectiveness of the strategies and tactics outlined in the plan. Identify any areas where adjustments may be necessary to optimize performance. Assess any challenges or obstacles that have arisen during the project. These challenges may include unexpected delays, resource constraints, or changes in stakeholder requirements. Additionally, involve relevant stakeholders in the decision-making process when making significant adjustments. This ensures that all parties are aware of the changes and can provide input or support as needed. 
• Continuous improvement:  Conduct post-project evaluations with team members, stakeholders, and clients to gain insights into what worked well and what could be improved. Use this feedback to refine your work plan for future projects and enhance overall project management practices. Also, stay up to date with industry trends and best practices. Regularly seek opportunities to enhance your skills and knowledge through training, conferences, or networking events. 

Craft Effective Work Plans with Wrike

Crafting an effective work plan is key to project success. With Wrike, you can easily manage and craft your work plans. Wrike allows you to create individual folders for each work plan or project, serving as a central hub for all relevant information and updates. Beyond just crafting work plans, Wrike offers a comprehensive suite of tools designed to streamline your workflows, foster collaboration, and drive productivity. From real-time communication to intuitive task management features, Wrike provides everything you need to craft an effective work plan. Ready to craft effective work plans and boost your project success? There's no better time to start than now. Get started with Wrike for free today.

Note: This article was created with the assistance of an AI engine. It has been reviewed and revised by our team of experts to ensure accuracy and quality.

Occasionally we write blog posts where multiple people contribute. Since our idea of having a gladiator arena where contributors would fight to the death to win total authorship wasn’t approved by HR, this was the compromise.

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Comprehensive Guide to Mastering Excel Risk Assessment Templates

Risk assessment plays a crucial role in ensuring the success and sustainability of organizations. As businesses strive to thrive in highly competitive markets, it becomes increasingly important to identify potential risks and develop effective strategies to mitigate them. One powerful tool that can aid in this process is Excel risk assessment templates. Understanding the Basics Risk assessment is the systematic process of identifying, evaluating, and prioritizing risks to minimize their impact on an organization's objectives. By conducting a comprehensive risk assessment, businesses can proactively identify potential threats and take appropriate measures to mitigate their effects. Importance of Risk Assessment in Business Risk assessment is crucial for businesses of all sizes and industries and comes with various benefits. Ability to prioritize risks: Not all risks are created equal, and some may have a more significant impact on the business than others. By prioritizing risks, businesses can focus their efforts and resources on mitigating the most critical threats first. Anticipate and plan for potential disruptions: Organizations can develop contingency plans and implement measures to minimize the impact of unforeseen events. This proactive approach can help businesses maintain continuity and minimize downtime during crises. Culture of risk awareness within an organization: By involving employees in the risk assessment process, businesses can raise awareness about potential risks and foster a sense of responsibility for risk management. This empowers staff to identify and report potential hazards, leading to a safer and more secure work environment. Introduction to Excel Risk Assessment Templates Excel risk assessment templates offer a user-friendly and efficient way to conduct risk assessments. These pre-designed spreadsheets provide a structured framework for identifying and evaluating risks, enabling businesses to streamline the process and save valuable time and resources. Within an Excel risk assessment template, businesses can input relevant data and information related to potential risks. This may include identifying the nature of the risk, assessing its likelihood and impact, determining the level of risk tolerance, and outlining appropriate control measures. The templates often include formulas and calculations that automatically generate risk scores or rankings, providing a quantitative assessment of the risks. Benefits of Using Excel for Risk Assessment Ability to perform complex calculations and analyses: With built-in formulas and functions, businesses can easily calculate risk scores, determine probabilities, and assess potential impacts. This allows for a more accurate and comprehensive evaluation of risks, enabling businesses to prioritize their efforts and allocate resources effectively. Range of data analysis tools that can enhance the risk assessment process: From pivot tables to charts and graphs, businesses can visualize and interpret risk data, making it easier to identify patterns, trends, and correlations. This visual representation of risks can aid in decision-making and help stakeholders understand the significance of each risk. Customizable to suit the specific needs and requirements of a business: Whether it's adding additional fields, modifying calculations, or incorporating company-specific risk criteria, Excel allows businesses to tailor the risk assessment process to align with their unique circumstances. This flexibility ensures that the risk assessment template remains relevant and effective in addressing the specific risks faced by the organization. Step-by-Step Guide to Using Excel Risk Assessment Templates Now that we have explored the basics and benefits of Excel risk assessment templates, let's delve into the step-by-step process of utilizing these templates effectively. Setting Up Your Excel Risk Assessment Template Enter relevant information, such as the project or process name, assessment date, and responsible team members. This information sets the context for the risk assessment and ensures that everyone involved is on the same page. Customize the template based on your specific requirements so that all necessary elements are included. You may want to include sections for risk categories, risk descriptions, risk owners, risk mitigation strategies, and risk response plans.  Inputting Data into the Template Identify potential risks and enter them into the template. This step involves brainstorming and gathering input from relevant stakeholders, such as project managers, subject matter experts, and team members. Specify the likelihood and potential consequences of each risk, following a standardized approach. This can be done using qualitative or quantitative methods, depending on the complexity and nature of the risks. Excel's data validation features can be used to guarantee data integrity and consistency throughout the risk assessment process. Analyzing Risk Assessment Results Analyze the risk assessment results. Excel's calculation functionalities can be used to aggregate risk scores and prioritize risks based on their potential impact. This step involves assigning a risk score to each identified risk, which is calculated by multiplying the likelihood and consequence ratings. Generate visual representations, such as charts or graphs, to present the results in a clear and easy-to-understand format. Visualizing the risk assessment results can help stakeholders grasp the overall risk profile and make informed decisions. Essentially, you can create a risk matrix to categorize risks based on their severity and create a risk register to track and monitor risks throughout the project lifecycle. Remember that risk assessment is an iterative process. As new information becomes available or the project evolves, it is important to revisit and update the risk assessment. Regular reviews and updates ensure that the risk assessment remains relevant and reflects the current state of the project. Advanced Techniques for Mastering Excel Risk Assessment Templates While the basic functionality of Excel risk assessment templates can fulfill the needs of most businesses, there are advanced techniques that can further enhance their effectiveness. Utilize Excel functions: Excel offers a wide range of built-in functions that can be leveraged to automate and streamline the risk assessment process. Functions, such as IF statements and VLOOKUP, enable businesses to create dynamic templates that automatically update based on input data.  Customize your Excel risk assessment template: Customize the template layout by rearranging sections or adding additional columns to capture more detailed information. Additionally, you can incorporate formulas or macros to create a personalized risk assessment tool that caters to the specific needs of your business.  Incorporate data visualization techniques: Excel offers various chart types, such as bar graphs, pie charts, and scatter plots, which can help you visually represent the risk levels and trends in your assessment.  Utilize Excel's data analysis tools: These tools, such as pivot tables and data filters, allow you to analyze large sets of data and extract valuable insights. By applying filters to your risk assessment data, you can focus on specific risk categories or prioritize certain areas for mitigation. Case Study: Real-Life Applications of Excel Risk Assessment Templates To further illustrate the practical application of Excel risk assessment templates, let's explore two real-life case studies. Case Study 1: Risk Assessment in Project Management In the field of project management, risk assessment plays a critical role in identifying potential threats and developing contingency plans. By utilizing Excel risk assessment templates, project managers can systematically evaluate project risks, allocate resources effectively, and create fallback strategies to minimize the impact of unexpected events. Case Study 2: Risk Assessment in Financial Analysis Financial analysis involves assessing various risks, such as market volatility, credit risk, and regulatory changes. Excel risk assessment templates can aid financial analysts in identifying and quantifying these risks, enabling them to make informed investment decisions and minimize potential financial losses. Overall, Excel risk assessment templates offer a comprehensive and efficient approach to identifying, analyzing, and mitigating risks. By leveraging the power of Excel, businesses can streamline the risk assessment process, make informed decisions, and enhance overall risk management strategies. Whether you are a project manager, financial analyst, or business owner, mastering Excel risk assessment templates is a valuable skill that can contribute to the success of your organization. Master usage of Excel risk assessment templates with Wrike's comprehensive platform. Try it free today, improve your risk management procedures and secure business operations. Note: This article was created with the assistance of an AI engine. It has been reviewed and revised by our team of experts to ensure accuracy and quality.

How To Increase Efficiency Using Excel Workflow Templates

In today's fast-paced business world, finding ways to increase efficiency is crucial for staying competitive. One powerful tool that can help streamline processes and boost productivity is Excel workflow templates. By utilizing these templates effectively, businesses can automate repetitive tasks, improve accuracy, and save valuable time and resources. In this article, we will explore the basics of Excel workflow templates, step-by-step instructions for creating your own template, and tips for enhancing efficiency. Understanding the Basics of Excel Workflow Templates An Excel workflow template is a pre-designed, structured spreadsheet designed to automate and streamline a particular business process. These templates are customizable, allowing businesses to tailor them according to their unique needs and processes. They typically consist of columns, rows, formulas, and functions that facilitate data entry, calculations, and analysis. Benefits of Using Excel Workflow Templates There are numerous benefits to utilizing Excel workflow templates within your organization. Firstly, these templates simplify complex workflows by breaking them down into manageable steps, so that all necessary tasks are completed. Providing a clear structure and predefined instructions lets employees follow the workflow, reducing confusion and errors. Additionally, Excel's powerful formulas and functions allow for automated calculations, reducing the risk of errors and saving time spent on manual computations. With built-in functions like SUM, AVERAGE, and IF, businesses can perform complex calculations with ease, eliminating the need for manual data manipulation. Moreover, when using workflow templates, employees can collaborate more effectively, promoting a coordinated approach and preventing miscommunication. Having a standardized template that everyone can access and work on lets staff easily track progress and share updates. Lastly, Excel workflow templates facilitate data analysis and reporting. With the ability to input and organize data in a structured manner, businesses can generate meaningful insights and reports. By leveraging Excel's data analysis features, such as pivot tables and charts, organizations can gain valuable insights into their operations, identify trends, and make informed decisions. Steps to Create Your Own Excel Workflow Template Now that we understand the importance and advantages of Excel workflow templates, let's dive into the process of creating your own. By following these steps, you can design a customized template tailored to your business needs: Identifying Your Workflow Needs Before creating your template, it's crucial to identify the specific workflow you want to streamline. Analyze your existing processes, pinpoint bottlenecks, and determine the requirements for an optimized workflow. For example, if you're in the manufacturing industry, you may have a workflow that involves inventory management, production planning, and order fulfillment. Each of these steps has its own set of requirements and challenges. By identifying these needs, you can create a template that captures all the necessary information and automates calculations to streamline the entire process. Designing Your Excel Workflow Template When designing your template, consider the information you need to capture, the calculations required, and any expected outputs. Create columns for relevant data entry, set validation rules for accurate inputs, and incorporate formulas and functions to automate calculations. Organize the template in a logical and user-friendly manner, making it easy for users to navigate and understand. Continuing with the manufacturing example, your template may include columns for product codes, quantities, and production dates. You can set up validation rules so that only valid product codes are entered and that quantities are within acceptable ranges. Additionally, you can use formulas to calculate the total production cost based on the quantity and unit cost of each item. Implementing Your Excel Workflow Template Once your template is designed, it's time to implement it within your organization. Train your employees on how to use the template effectively, emphasizing its benefits and encouraging their active participation. Provide clear instructions and guidelines on how to enter data, execute calculations, and interpret the results. Regularly monitor the template's usage, gather feedback, and make necessary adjustments to further optimize the workflow. For successful implementation, conduct training sessions where employees can familiarize themselves with the template's features and functionality. Encourage them to provide feedback on any areas that may need improvement or additional customization. Additionally, consider the possibility of creating a user manual or documentation that outlines the step-by-step process of using the template. This resource can serve as a reference guide for employees and help them navigate the template effectively, reducing the likelihood of errors and confusion. Tips to Increase Efficiency with Excel Workflow Templates While creating and implementing an Excel workflow template is a significant step towards increased efficiency, there are additional strategies to consider: One strategy to enhance your Excel workflow template is by utilizing Excel functions and formulas. Excel offers a vast array of functions and formulas that can automate complex calculations, saving time and reducing errors. Familiarize yourself with commonly used functions such as SUM, AVERAGE, and VLOOKUP, and explore advanced formulas to further streamline your processes. For example, you can use the IF function to perform conditional calculations or the CONCATENATE function to combine data from multiple cells. Another way to increase efficiency is by automating tasks with macros. Macros allow you to automate repetitive tasks with a single click, eliminating the need for manual execution. You can record a series of actions and assign them to buttons or key combinations. For instance, you can create a macro that generates reports, formats data, or sends emails. By automating routine activities, you can focus your time and energy on more critical tasks, improving productivity. Streamlining data entry is also crucial for efficiency. Data entry can be time-consuming and prone to errors. To simplify the process, consider implementing drop-down lists within your template. For example, if you have a template for tracking expenses, you can create a drop-down list for categories such as "Food," "Transportation," and "Entertainment." Additionally, you can combine drop-down lists with conditional formatting to further improve data quality. Conditional formatting can highlight any input that doesn't meet specific criteria, making it easier to spot and correct errors. So, let us embrace the potential of Excel workflow templates and unlock our organization's true efficiency. With a little creativity and the right tools, we can revolutionize our project management processes and pave the way for success. Increase efficiency using Excel workflow templates in conjunction with Wrike's comprehensive workload management features. Sign up for a free trial and innovate your work processes today. Note: This article was created with the assistance of an AI engine. It has been reviewed and revised by our team of experts to ensure accuracy and quality.

Tips for Keeping Stakeholders Informed with an Effective Progress Report Template

Effective communication with stakeholders is crucial for project success. A well-designed progress report template can play a significant role in ensuring that stakeholders are informed about project progress, milestones, and potential issues. In this article, we will explore the importance of stakeholder communication, key elements of an effective progress report, tips for designing a comprehensive progress report template, and strategies for writing persuasive and informative progress reports. We will also examine a case study that highlights the benefits of using an effective progress report template for stakeholder communication. Understanding the Importance of Stakeholder Communication In project management, stakeholders play a significant role in shaping the project's outcome. They provide valuable input, resources, and expertise that contribute to the project's success. By identifying and understanding the different stakeholders involved, project managers can effectively manage their expectations, address their concerns, and ensure their needs are met. Internal stakeholders, such as project sponsors, team members, or department heads, are responsible for providing the necessary resources and support for the project. They have a vested interest in the project's success and play a critical role in its execution. By communicating regularly with these stakeholders, project managers can keep them informed about the project's progress, address any challenges or roadblocks, and ensure that the project stays on track. External stakeholders, like clients, suppliers, regulatory bodies, or the general public, bring a different perspective to the project. They may have their own goals, objectives, and expectations that need to be considered. For example, clients may have specific requirements that need to be met, while regulatory bodies may have certain guidelines that must be followed. By engaging in effective communication with these stakeholders, project managers can ensure that their needs are understood and incorporated into the project plan. The Role of Effective Communication in Stakeholder Management When it comes to stakeholder communication, it is important for project managers to adopt a proactive approach. This means regularly updating stakeholders on the project's progress, involving them in decision-making processes, and seeking their feedback and input. Managers should also consider the use of various communication channels and tools so that stakeholders receive pertinent information in a timely manner. These can include face-to-face meetings, email updates, project management software, and online collaboration platforms. Lastly, managers should actively listen to their stakeholders. They should create opportunities to voice feedback and concerns, in order to foster an environment of trust and collaboration. The Preliminary Work A progress report serves as a means to track and communicate project status to stakeholders. Before creating your report, here are some elements to keep in mind. Setting Clear Objectives Establish clear objectives that are aligned with the overall project goals. They should also be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). Clear objectives provide a framework for assessing progress and help stakeholders understand the value the project is delivering. For example, if the project's objective is to increase customer satisfaction, the progress report should outline specific metrics, such as the percentage of positive customer feedback received or the number of resolved customer complaints. These measurable objectives allow stakeholders to gauge the project's success and make informed decisions based on the data provided in the progress report. Regular Updates and Timelines Include regular updates on project milestones and timelines. This helps stakeholders track progress and anticipate any potential delays or bottlenecks. Providing a clear timeline also allows stakeholders to plan their involvement or allocate resources accordingly. For instance, if the project involves multiple phases or deliverables, the progress report should outline the expected completion dates for each milestone. This information enables stakeholders to monitor the project's progress and identify any potential roadblocks that may hinder its timely completion. Additionally, the progress report should include updates on any changes to the project timeline, providing stakeholders with the necessary information to adjust their plans accordingly. Including Quantitative and Qualitative Data Include both quantitative and qualitative data. Quantitative data provides measurable indicators of progress, such as budget allocation, resource utilization, or completion percentages. Qualitative data, on the other hand, captures the subjective aspects of the project, including stakeholder feedback, lessons learned, or success stories. Combining both types of data provides stakeholders with a holistic view of project performance. For example, a progress report for a marketing campaign may include quantitative data via the number of leads generated, conversion rates, or return on investment (ROI). Qualitative data could include testimonials from satisfied customers, feedback from focus groups, or anecdotes illustrating the campaign's impact on brand perception. By incorporating both types of data, the progress report provides stakeholders with a comprehensive understanding of the project's success and areas for improvement. Designing a Comprehensive Progress Report Template Designing a comprehensive progress report template involves considering the needs and expectations of the stakeholders. A well-designed template should be visually appealing, easy to understand, and customizable to fit specific project requirements. Essential Components of a Progress Report Template An effective progress report template should include the following essential components: Project Summary: Provide a brief overview of the project objectives, scope, and current status. Key Achievements: Highlight significant milestones or accomplishments since the last progress report. Current Challenges: Discuss any obstacles or issues that may impact project progress. Next Steps: Outline the planned activities for the upcoming period. Risks and Mitigation: Identify potential risks and provide mitigation strategies. Resource Utilization: Present information on resource allocation and utilization. Customizing the Template to Suit Project Needs While it is essential to have standard components in a progress report template, customization is crucial to meet unique project requirements. Project managers should adapt the template by including additional sections or modifying existing ones to provide relevant information specific to their projects. This ensures that stakeholders receive the most valuable and pertinent information for effective decision-making. Tips for Writing a Persuasive and Informative Progress Report Writing a persuasive and informative progress report requires clear and concise language, visual aids, and a focus on transparency and honesty. Using Clear and Concise Language Avoid jargon and convoluted phrases in progress reports. Instead, use clear and concise language to convey information effectively. Present facts and figures in a straightforward manner, so that stakeholders can easily understand and interpret the information provided. Incorporating Visuals for Better Understanding Visual aids, such as charts, graphs, or infographics, can enhance the readability and comprehension of progress reports. Visuals present information in a visually appealing format, making it easier for stakeholders to grasp complex data. When using visuals, select appropriate formats that align with the nature of the information being presented. Ensuring Transparency and Honesty in Reporting To build trust and maintain stakeholder engagement, progress reports should demonstrate transparency and honesty. Acknowledge challenges, setbacks, or areas with room for improvement. By providing an honest assessment of project progress, stakeholders can better understand the risks involved and work collaboratively towards solutions. Case Study: Successful Stakeholder Communication through Effective Progress Reports Let's explore a case study that demonstrates the benefits of using an effective progress report template for stakeholder communication. In a large construction project, the project team faced challenges in keeping multiple stakeholders informed about the progress and potential delays. The lack of clear communication resulted in misunderstandings and frustration among stakeholders, adversely affecting project outcomes. To solve this issue, the project team developed a comprehensive progress report template that included all the critical elements mentioned earlier. The template provided a structured framework for reporting progress, challenges, and upcoming activities. It also included visual representations of progress and resource utilization, making the information easily understandable. With the implementation of this progress report template, the stakeholders gained a clear understanding of the project's status, challenges, and next steps. The transparent communication fostered trust and collaboration among stakeholders, resulting in timely decision-making and issue resolution. In the end, the project team successfully completed the construction project on time and within budget, achieving the desired outcomes and ensuring stakeholder satisfaction. Ultimately, keeping stakeholders informed through effective progress reports is crucial for successful project management. By understanding the importance of stakeholder communication, implementing key elements in progress reports, designing comprehensive templates, and employing persuasive writing techniques, project managers can ensure that stakeholders are engaged, informed, and supportive of project goals.  Keep stakeholders informed with efficient progress report templates available in Wrike’s advanced suite. Get started with a free trial today and enhance your transparency, ensuring stakeholders are always in the loop. Note: This article was created with the assistance of an AI engine. It has been reviewed and revised by our team of experts to ensure accuracy and quality.

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Work Plan Template

Define the milestones of a project and create a detailed plan to achieve your goals.

Trusted by 65M+ users and leading companies

About the Work Plan Template

Miro’s work plan template is a free and fully customizable visual roadmap you can start using to plan your projects. It outlines the steps you should take to achieve the desired goal, sets demonstrable objectives, and establishes measurable deliverables. An effectively completed work plan template guides you throughout the project lifecycle, allowing you to realize an outcome by collaborating with your team.

While the work plan template is a powerful tool for project management on its own, you can also incorporate the Lean Six Sigma methodology to enhance your experience. Lean Six Sigma is an approach to streamlining business processes that originated in the manufacturing industry. It aims to reduce waste, improve quality, and increase efficiency and product value.

We’ll walk you through more tips to make the most out of Miro’s work plan template.

How to use Miro’s work plan template

To get started, scroll to the top of this page and click on the blue “Use template” button. That’ll allow you to access the work plan template in Miro. Once you’re in, here are a few steps you can take:

1. Align on goals and strategy

Before you can start filling the work plan template in, make sure you’ve got a clear goal you’re working towards. Gather input from team members, stakeholders , and project sponsors — including information about your project timeline, resources, constraints, and key deliverables you’d like to have.

Want to collaborate on the work plan template? Invite team members to edit your Miro board together with you in real-time by clicking on the blue “Share” button on the top right.

2. Add tasks to the work plan template

The template’s work plan is split into three rows, with key dates being at the top, tasks in the middle, and deliverables or outcomes at the bottom. Start by adding your tasks to the pre-made cards in the middle row. Double-click on a card to start typing, and expand it to add more details for each task. You can easily add more cards from the toolbar — or by duplicating existing ones.

3. Add your timeline

Tracking time is an important way to measure progress for any project. Use the sticky notes in the top row to fill out key dates and move them around as needed. You can also add more sticky notes by grabbing them from the toolbar or pressing N on your keyboard.

4. Add outcomes and deliverables

While you won’t know all your outcomes just yet, you can start identifying what your desired outputs and important deliverables are in the bottom row. Double-click on the sticky notes to start typing, and drag them around to adjust them as needed.

Of course, it’s normal for things to change throughout the course of a project (especially for large projects). Your work plan template cannot be all-encompassing – nor should it be. List as many goals, strategies, objectives, and tactics as possible and add dates for specific tasks, but don’t worry if you need to make adjustments later. Project management tools can be useful in helping you keep track of dates, tasks, and assignments.

What are the key components of a work plan?

A work plan has four components: goals, strategy, tactics, and deliverables. The goals are the ultimate aim of your project — what you want your team to accomplish. Your strategy is the big-picture approach to your project plan that you’ll implement to achieve your goals. Tactics are the smaller decisions, techniques, and action steps that you’ll employ to achieve your broader strategy. Deliverables are the specific, time-bound results you want to achieve from specific tasks — defined by your overall strategy.

Can I customize the look and feel of Miro’s work plan template?

Yes, Miro makes it easy for you to customize the work plan template according to your preferences. You can easily change the colors of your sticky notes, cards, and even the work plan itself. You can also customize font types and sizes and edit or remove any of the text boxes.

When to use a work plan?

You can use a work plan at the beginning of a project for strategic planning purposes, to scope the project, and continue to update the plan as the project progresses with actual data. Set a cadence of regular meetings so you can go over the plan, ensure you’re staying on track, and adjust as necessary. Work plans are especially helpful if you’re juggling many complex projects, managing multiple stakeholders, or working in tandem with cross-functional partners.

Get started with this template right now.

The Team Canvas

Works best for:.

The Team Canvas is a versatile tool for aligning on goals, roles, and processes. It provides a structured framework for defining purpose, clarifying responsibilities, and visualizing the working environment. By fostering open communication and shared understanding, this template facilitates collaboration and increases team cohesion, empowering you to create a shared vision and drive collective success.

Process Map Template

Agile Methodology, Product Management, Mapping

Process mapping allows you to assess, document, and strategize around any plan or approach your team has put in place. It’s a useful tool for eliminating or preventing blockers. Organized by stages, a process map enables your team to divide up a process or system and record deliverables and action items at each stage of the process. By breaking down the objectives, activities and deliverables at any stage of a project, you can gain insight into whether you are on track or effectively working through a problem.

Agile Marketing Kanban

Agile, Kanban

The Agile Marketing KANBAN template adapts Kanban principles to the marketing domain, enabling teams to manage campaigns, tasks, and workflows efficiently. It provides visual boards for planning, prioritizing, and tracking marketing activities, ensuring alignment with strategic goals and timely delivery of campaigns. With customizable columns and swimlanes, this template empowers marketing teams to visualize work, limit work in progress, and optimize their processes, driving agility and effectiveness in marketing operations.

Team Meeting Agenda Template

Documentation, Team Meetings, Workshops

Making the time for your team is important to help you to make decisions, align on priorities, and move in the same direction together. Team meeting agendas help add a schedule and structure to your allocated time slot when you need to share information and collaborate with your team. They also allow your team to agree on goals, talking points, action items, and who will lead the next steps. Uninterrupted team meeting time with an agenda can help your team review progress against OKRs, share updates, discuss roadblocks, and brainstorm ideas.

Project Timeline Builder

Timeline, Planning

The Project Timeline Builder template is a powerful tool for planning and managing project timelines. It helps you break down projects into manageable tasks, set deadlines, and track progress. This template ensures you stay organized and meet your project goals efficiently.

Kanban Pizza Game

The Kanban Pizza Game is an interactive way for teams to learn and apply Kanban principles. By simulating a pizza delivery process, teams experience how to visualize work, limit work in progress, and optimize flow. Through rounds of iteration and reflection, participants gain insights into continuous improvement and lean thinking, fostering collaboration and driving efficiency. Get ready to slice through inefficiencies and deliver value faster with the Kanban Pizza Game!

Free Work Plan Templates

By Kate Eby | February 23, 2024

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Work plan templates are tools for structuring and executing successful projects. Our free, editable work plan templates enable teams to streamline project management, optimize workflows, and enhance productivity, with adaptable builds and guidance.

On this page, you’ll find a  team work plan template , an  individual work plan template , a  monthly work plan template , and more. Plus, learn more about  the core components of a work plan template , and find a  step-by-step guide to creating an effective work plan .

Work Plan Template

Download a Work Plan Example Template for  Excel  |  Microsoft Word  | Google Sheets Download a Blank Work Plan Template for Excel  |  Microsoft Word  | Google Sheets

When to Use This Template:  This template with or without sample data is ideal for both individual and collaborative projects, providing a structured framework for organizing tasks and achieving set goals. Whether you're working solo or with a team, this template is your go-to tool for breaking down complex objectives into manageable steps, facilitating efficient scheduling, and ensuring progress tracking.

Notable Template Features:  This template outlines responsibilities and timelines. The built-in milestone-tracking feature allows for seamless progress monitoring, ensuring adaptability and alignment with set targets.

Check out this page of  free action plan templates to help you break down your larger projects and work plans into actionable steps that help you meet your goals. These templates are a valuable starting point for building out your work plans.

Team Work Plan Template

Download a Team Work Plan Template for Excel  |  Microsoft Word  | Google Sheets  

When to Use This Template:  This template is an essential tool for teams aiming to align their efforts toward a common goal. Whether embarking on a new project or working toward shared objectives, teams can use this template to streamline collaboration by organizing tasks, assigning responsibilities, and establishing clear timelines. Notable Template Features:  This template outlines collective goals, individual responsibilities, and project timelines, promoting clarity on team tasks and fostering a sense of accountability. The result is smoother progress, strengthened teamwork, and improved achievement of shared objectives. We have also collected a comprehensive list of  project plan templates that offer a robust way to plan and visualize your project, no matter the size or complexity.

Individual Work Plan Template

Download an Individual Work Plan Example Template for  Excel  |  Microsoft Word  | Google Sheets Download a Blank Individual Work Plan Template for Excel  |  Microsoft Word  | Google Sheets

When to Use This Template:  This template, with or without sample data, is ideal for promoting self-management and productivity by providing sections for outlining tasks, setting priorities, and allocating time effectively. Use this template for a personalized and structured approach to task organization and goal setting. Tailor it to individual responsibilities and objectives, enabling users to delineate their workflow, set achievable targets, and establish realistic timelines.  Notable Template Features:  This template provides a platform to track progress, adjust goals, and adapt strategies. With a focus on fostering discipline and forging a clear path toward completing objectives, it serves as a compass for effective self-management and goal achievement. Visit this comprehensive page of  free weekly schedule templates to further organize your work, school, or home life. These templates are a wonderful complement to these work plan templates, adding detail and accountability to your planning.

Monthly Work Plan Template

Download a Monthly Work Plan Template for Excel  |  Microsoft Word  | Google Sheets

When to Use This Template:  Use this template when planning and organizing tasks, priorities, and objectives within a month-long timeframe. It serves as a valuable tool for creating a comprehensive roadmap, offering an organized approach to activities within a specific month. Notable Template Features:  This template provides designated spaces for deadlines, milestones, and progress tracking, facilitating assessment and suggesting adjustments. It ensures a well-structured approach to monthly planning and goal achievement. If you are looking for more tools to help manage a complex schedule — and that can help organize content for your work plans — check out this page of customizable  Excel schedule templates .

Quarterly Work Plan Template

Download a Quarterly Work Plan Template for Excel  |  Microsoft Word  | Google Sheets

When to Use This Template:  Use this template when crafting a comprehensive plan for a quarter. Ideal for individuals or teams aiming to tackle midrange goals, this template accommodates the complexity of quarterly plans, allowing for detailed milestone tracking, deadline setting, and deliverable planning. Notable Template Features:  This template offers dedicated sections for prioritization, progress tracking, and periodic reviews, fostering a proactive stance toward goal achievement. With a focus on midrange planning, the template allows in-depth analysis, adjustments, and recalibration of strategies, ensuring consistent progress aligned with broader organizational or personal objectives throughout the quarter.

Annual Work Plan Template

Download an Annual Work Plan Template for Excel  |  Microsoft Word  | Google Sheets

When to Use This Template:  Use this template to orchestrate a comprehensive, year-long roadmap encompassing overarching goals, strategies, and milestones. Tailored for long-term planning, it enables the strategic breakdown of annual objectives into actionable steps, fostering clarity and direction. Notable Template Features:  This template offers sections for defining yearly goals, allocating resources, and establishing timelines for major milestones. It facilitates agility through periodic checkpoints, progress evaluations, and adaptable planning.

What Are the Main Components of a Work Plan?

A work plan typically includes several key components:  

• Objectives or Goals: Include clear and specific statements outlining what needs to be achieved.
• Tasks or Activities: Break down the work into actionable steps or tasks required to accomplish the objectives.
• Timelines and Deadlines: Set specific dates or timeframes for completing tasks or reaching milestones.
• Responsibilities: Assign tasks to individuals or teams, specifying who is accountable for each part of the work.
• Resources: Identify necessary resources, such as budget, materials, or manpower required for each task.
• Monitoring and Evaluation: Select methods for tracking progress, assessing achievements, and making adjustments if needed.
• Risk Assessment and Contingency Plans: Identify potential risks or challenges and make plans to mitigate them if they arise.
• Communication Plan: Set strategies for effective communication within the team or with stakeholders regarding progress, changes, or updates.  

These components collectively form a comprehensive work plan, providing a roadmap for successful project completion. Adjustments and additional components might be necessary based on the specific nature and scope of the project.

How to Create a Work Plan

A successful project often hinges on a well-structured work plan. Follow these steps to craft an effective work plan that outlines tasks, assigns responsibilities, and sets achievable timelines:  

• Define Objectives Clearly outline the goals and objectives the work plan will address.
• Identify Tasks Break down the objectives into smaller, actionable tasks or milestones.
• Allocate Resources Determine the resources — for example, time, budget, and manpower — needed for each task.
• Set Timelines Establish realistic timelines and deadlines for task completion.
• Assign Responsibilities Allocate tasks to specific individuals or teams, ensuring clarity on who is accountable for what.

Download a Template to Capture Your Project’s Timeline and Phases Select and download a template, such as the  basic work plan template from this article, to organize and share the critical steps of your work plan.  

Use the Template to Develop Your Project’s Activities Go through each prompt in the template, and enter your project information into each cell.  

Document and Communicate Project Activities and Outcomes Fill in the chosen template with all the details of the project’s activities and outcomes, ensuring it is accessible and understandable to all involved parties.  

• Review and Adapt Regularly review the work plan, track progress, and make adjustments as necessary to stay on course toward achieving the set objectives.

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A project manager’s guide to work planning: steps, tips & a real-life example

Your work plan is a roadmap of your project—see how you can use it to organize tasks, people, budget, and timelines.

Table of contents

You have an overall project plan, but how do you translate that into something real? How do you figure out which resources to use and when? How do you know if you’re on track? How do you keep your team focused on what matters?

Work planning helps you get organized, stay focused, and hit your targets so you can succeed. With it, you can create a visual roadmap that your whole team can follow.

In this guide, we’ll dive into what work planning is and show you how to create a work plan that tames your project chaos.

What is a work plan?

A work plan is a roadmap that details exactly how a project will be completed. It’s an operational plan that helps you effectively manage resources , project milestones , budgets, and timescales. A work plan does this in a way that’s user-friendly and easy to share with stakeholders.

Think of your work plan as an action plan that breaks down your project into smaller tasks. These tasks are then assigned to individual team members or resources. With a work plan, you can see who is working on what and feel confident that your project is on the right track.

Your work plan should include the following elements:

• Purpose and background of the project
• Goals and objectives
• Level of effort
• Roles and responsibilities
• Risks, assumptions, and constraints

You can break your work plans down by day, week, month, or quarter. This gives you a better understanding of how they fit into your team members’ working days.

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Why do you need a detailed project work plan?

Any great work plan should help you stay on time, on budget, and on schedule. It’s a resource management tool that gives project managers a strategic overview of what’s happening daily.

That’s not the only upside to outlining a work activity plan, though. Creating a project work plan also gives you better, more useful ways to:

• Identify resource/ scheduling conflicts or challenges as they arise
• Help your team stay focused and organized on their workload
• Look after your team members’ workloads to avoid overscheduling or burnout
• Identify where a project might go over budget before it happens
• Report on progress to stakeholders
• Unite your team to work toward a common goal to deliver a successful project in the right time frame

While project planning can help you plan and assign tasks, work planning takes it a step further. It gives you a more powerful, strategic way to understand and optimize your resources for both small and large projects. Your work plan outline becomes an invaluable document that helps you plan projects and track progress across many projects at once.

How to create an effective work plan

A detailed work plan is one of the strategic planning must-haves, but if it’s not already in your toolkit, don’t worry—you can have one set up in no time! Especially if you are using resource management software to gather data to build your plan of work. Here’s a walk-through of the planning process, from zero to awesome work plan (and you can use our free work plan templates to save even more time!).

1. Understand the project scope

Before you can create a work activity plan, you first need to understand the project as a whole. Review the project scope and make sure you’re comfortable with everything it involves. Study the timeline, milestones, deliverables, budget, and stakeholders. Read through the short-term and long-term goals to get an understanding of what success looks like.

Check whether you can make the project a success with what you have or if you need to rethink one or more aspects. Consider any challenges or constraints that you might face while managing the project. This can include a lack of resources for that period of time or a scheduling conflict with another project. Pay close attention to your project budget . While there might be some wiggle room, you want to come in on or under budget. Set your budget and stick to it with the help of Float’s resource scheduling tools.

Within Float, you can set a project budget by hours per project, fee by project, or hourly fee. Plus, you can do the same for phases—which is ideal if you’re working on a large, multistage project. Knowing your budget and setting it within your resource planning software gives you the best chance of staying on target.

Once you’re happy you can meet the project scope, you can start work planning. Think about the different tasks and teams involved, and consider how to build this into a fully-fledged project work plan.

2. Understand your available resources

To make your project happen, you’ll need the right resources at the right time. That means you need to know exactly who you have available and when.

The resources you need will depend on the project you’re tackling. Your human resources list can include full-time and part-time staff members, contractors, freelancers, or agencies. Beyond people, your budget, software, and materials are all other project resources to consider.

With resource management software like Float, you can quickly and easily see and assign resources to projects. It’s a smarter approach to capacity management , so you don’t end up overscheduling people or falling behind because you need an extra pair of hands. Float can help you track and manage your team members’ time, set their days and work hours, account for public holidays and vacations, and see at a glance if they’re approaching overtime hours.

Using a dedicated tool like Float helps set your project up for success. Right from the start, you’ll have an overview of your people, resources, and task schedule. This means you can handle challenges, conflicts, and capacity in a more strategic way.

<tip>

Float works extremely well in combination with traditional project management tools—think Asana, ClickUp, or Monday.com. Float is where people planners do their project planning and estimating and then schedule and allocate resources. Project management tools are for project managers who need detailed task lists to help their teams stay laser-focused on processes and execution.

</tip>

Get a live view of your resource availability to plan project work

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3. Break the project down into manageable tasks with deadlines

You can break every project down into tiny moving parts that take you one step closer to success. Here’s where you map these out to create a practical plan of work for your team to follow.

Think about all the tasks you need to complete to reach your project goals. Take your project objective or outcome and identify the major components. Next, split each area of the project into smaller tasks that you could assign to an individual. Once you have a list of tasks, figure out the best order to work on them. For example, you might need competitor research done before you can work on an SEO strategy. Create a program evaluation review technique ( PERT ) chart to help you create an achievable roadmap for your project tasks.

Assign each section of your new work plan to a department or team lead. This holds them accountable and gives them the responsibility to motivate their team. It also means that everyone knows exactly who is in charge of what, so you can streamline decision-making.

4. Schedule tasks for your team

Every task needs someone assigned to it, or it’s likely never to get done.

With tasks assigned to departments, it’s time to drill down further and make those individual tasks someone’s responsibility. Resource management software makes scheduling tasks to team members easy. In Float, all you need to do is click and drag on someone’s work schedule to create a new task. You can then name the task, assign a client and project, set hours, and assign your team members.

Sometimes tasks are a solo affair, but not always—which is why you can assign a task to lots of people or a whole team with a few clicks. This is great if you need others to check in on progress or if you’re happy to delegate management.

Assigning tasks is easy, but you can run into trouble trying to motivate others to complete them. Float offers email, push, and Slack notifications so your team can personalize how they receive their schedule. You can also map schedules to a user’s time zone, making it ideal for distributed teams. This personalized approach means your team members are more likely to stay engaged and get things done on time.

5. Check-in as the project work plan progresses

Any good plan only works if it’s followed. Be proactive and check in with your team members as the project moves along to identify issues before they become a major problem. Make it part of your daily routine to check in on your team’s progress. Review your plan of work to get a quick overview of whether tasks are being completed as expected or not, then follow up with individuals if you need to.

Float’s people reports are a great resource for reviewing progress. You can check in on budget spend, hours worked, overtime, time off, and more to reassure you that things are on track.

Here’s a quick video on how to monitor the progress of your plan in Float.

7 bonus tips to help you stick to your work plan

Introducing a new way of working always comes with a few obstacles. From tackling a lack of engagement to making the most of useful features, here are some tips to help guide you toward work-planning success.

1. Have staff members communicate when things are behind schedule

Life isn’t perfect. Sometimes things happen that cause a project to fall behind schedule. What matters is creating a work environment where your team members tell you as soon as they realize it’s an issue.

Have your team members check in with any challenges at your standup meetings. Ask them to be proactive about keeping you updated. Encourage your teams to request a call or meeting if they need to bring something to your attention.

These unscheduled calls or meets can be tricky if you’re working across different time zones. Use Float’s status feature to share where team members are working from and when they’re available. If you’re using Slack, you can sync your scheduled status , allowing you to schedule the conversation without leaving the app.

2. Plan around dependencies

There are some actions you can’t take without something else happening first. Plan around these dependencies to help you create the best route toward your goals.

Make sure you have a good knowledge of the order your team members need to complete tasks. As an alternative, check in with the department lead to confirm that the order of tasks makes sense. If it doesn’t, you’re likely to fall behind or run into scheduling conflicts.

Plan where tasks sit on your project timeline based on their dependencies. For example, plan your new feature testing well before publishing a new blog post about it. Check progress on your first task, too, so you know whether to delay the launch, which, in turn, would delay the publicity.

Planning around these links between tasks makes the whole process smoother for you and your project team. Take time to identify and account for linked tasks now to avoid conflicts later on.

3. Have staff track their time

With so many tasks to complete, you need to know where your team is spending their effort in real time. The only problem? Time estimates are notoriously nuanced. Sometimes we get predicted hours right, with work going as expected. Other times the actual hours worked end up being different from what we have planned for.

Ask your team to track their time against tasks so you’re able to see how this compares to your predictions. The time tracking feature in Float gives your team pre-filled timesheets based on their scheduled tasks. This means when the estimated time is correct, it’s easy to log your hours with a click.

Plus, when the actual hours worked were more or less, your team can simply adjust how many hours the task took and hit Log . Project managers can track their spend in real time to monitor progress and compare their estimates vs. actuals for their next project.

When a task takes longer or you identify a delay earlier in the process, your project can stall. Tracking your time from the start means you can spot these delays early before they can impact your final timeline.

Time tracking gives you a measurable way to understand how your resources are being used. Make this a key part of your work process so you’re strategic about resource allocation .

Did you know?

You can get a live view of your project progress by tracking your team’s actual hours worked in Float. Compare your estimated vs. logged hours to monitor progress in real-time and create more accurate future work plans.

<tip-button> Find out more </tip-button></tip>

4. Allow space in your work plan for the unexpected

Team availability can change at the last minute, clients can shift project scopes, and sometimes, you don’t fully know what you’re dealing with until a project is in flight. Make sure there’s room in your work plan to tackle any unforeseen issues without throwing the whole project schedule off.

Even the best of us can’t operate like machines, so it’s a great idea to give everyone breathing space between tasks. Don’t overschedule your team members—instead, space things out more than you think you might need. You can always adjust your schedule if you find they’re getting through things in good time.

It’s also wise to give your team members enough space between stages of the project or dependencies. If you’re relying on one person to complete the first stage, schedule the second stage to begin a week or two after. That way, there’s time to play catch up if you need to, and you won’t impact the final timeline too much.

The sweet spot recommended for resource utilization is 70 to 80% of a team member’s scheduled time.

5. Give allocations to placeholder roles

We don’t always have our whole team ready when a project kicks off. If you need someone to fill a role but haven’t hired them yet, account for this. Schedule these tasks using a placeholder role so you don’t forget about them.

It’s easy to miss something if one of your team members isn’t responsible for it yet. Forgetting about a whole area of a project can be disastrous, so make sure these tasks get assigned. While your new user won’t have a name yet, their presence will be visible on the work plan—helping the rest of your team stay organized.

Assigning tasks to a placeholder role also has another benefit. It means that when a new person joins your team, things are all ready to go. You can then update the work plan to feature their name and details, and it’s as if they’ve always been there—no last-minute scheduling of tasks and hours to fit them in.

6. Set budgets

One of the hardest aspects of any project is staying within budget. There’s always a problem that crops up or an exciting opportunity you hadn’t considered.

Within Float, it’s easy to set up your budget for a project. You can set this in hours or by dollar value—whichever makes the most sense for your project or business plan. Use this in combination with milestones for larger projects to make it easy to view progress by stage. Once you’ve set your budget up, you can check your progress against it.

With budget tracking and time tracking, you have a powerful way to see exactly what’s happening. You can estimate project costs and find out whether you’re likely to overspend (and by what date) and take action to fix it. The same goes for if you’re under budget, so you can commit more resources to your project.

7. Adjust your work plan when you need to

Your work plan doesn’t need to be set in stone. Don’t get into the habit of making changes every day, but don't be afraid to step in and extend a due date or re-prioritize tasks if you need to.

The right resource management platform gives you a streamlined way to make adjustments and communicate them. After all, if your team doesn’t know that an end date or deadline has changed, you’re going to run into problems.

With a tool like Float, it’s easy to make these changes in moments. You can click and drag to adjust hours, change the users on a project, or create new tasks. Once you’ve made updates, team members will receive notifications on Slack or via email.

Type "@" followed by a person’s name on any allocation note to mention and notify them. Depending on the person’s settings, they will receive a notification via email, Slack, or mobile push.

<tip-button> Learn more </tip-button></tip>

3 work planning examples (from teams who use Float!)

1. buzzfeed.

Buzzfeed is one of the biggest media companies on the planet—and it’s a company that moves fast, with hundreds of projects going out the door at any given time. With so many moving parts, everyone needs to know exactly what’s happening to hit deadlines.

This is how the people at Buzzfeed manage their creative team : when a new project is received, they complete a form with project details such as team members, estimated timeline, and deliverables. Afterward, the post-production team coordinators review the timeline and start planning in Float.

They create a new project and add high-level information like the project’s due date and budget. This information helps them identify team members with the necessary capacity and availability, as Float’s schedule displays who is available during the planned project dates. Then, they assign editing tasks to available team members who have the right skills.

The team often has to juggle new and ongoing tasks by assigning them to the most suitable team member available. Float’s Schedule enables them to see everyone’s current projects and choose the right person for new tasks.

They use the filter option to create and save views of their team members. For instance, they can open a saved view to find a video editor who is available for a few hours next week to add sound to a video.

Curious about how Buzzfeed uses Float to power such a resource-heavy team? Dive into the details with our full case study .

2. Show + Tell (formerly Impression)

Show + Tell is a full-service agency dedicated to creating exceptional digital experiences and pushing design boundaries. Every week, the team at Show + Tell has a standup meeting to discuss the status of projects and plan work for the following week. The entire agency is present at the meeting to get a good idea of what is going on, ensure they are aligned on projects, and give the chance to everyone to pitch ideas and suggestions. With so many projects at different stages, there’s a lot to keep track of—so, the team uses Float as their single source of truth to drive the meeting. To read more about how Show + Tell plans work and stay on top of task allocation, head over to this case study .

3. Accounts & Legal

This London-based consultancy firm is one of the few that specializes in both accounting and legal services—and given the nature of their industry and the size of their clientele, they need to deliver work under strict deadlines and in-between many client calls.

...which, inevitably, makes planning work a challenge . Much like the Show + Tell folks above, Accounts & Legal use meetings to stay on top of plans and schedule; but instead of a weekly cadence, they run:

• A monthly call, in which the team determines all the due dates and deliverables they need to hit, then goes through extra client requirements to work out the whole team’s priorities
• A daily sync, in which someone shares their screen with the Float schedule, and everybody has a conversation around these questions: ✔️ What did we do yesterday? ✔️ Is there anything that took longer than anticipated or got done quicker? ✔️ What are we doing today and can it get done? ✔️ Does anyone need any support? ✔️ Is there any capacity or is anyone overloaded with work?

A better way to manage your work plan

The work planning process doesn’t have to be complicated, though. With the right resource management platform, you can build your work plan faster and make it easy to manage.

With Float, you can see at a glance what your team is working on. It’s easy to update deadlines, reassign tasks, and move new projects into a gap in your schedule. You can track your budget and make strategic decisions based on real-time data and knowledge. It’s the smarter way to do work planning!

Ready to revolutionize your approach to work planning? Jump on board and manage your work plans with Float, the #1 tool for resource management.

Start your free trial .

As the project manager, you are on the hook for developing the project work plan.

Traditionally, the project sponsor writes the charter, and then the project manager adapts the charter into a work plan for the team. In theory, the project hasn’t officially kicked off at the charter stage, so there is no project manager yet. Therefore, the person commissioning the project is responsible for the charter.

The difference between theory and practice? In my 15-year career, I have yet to work on a project where I didn’t write the charter. Bottom line: project managers are responsible for it all!

Here are some elements often included in work plans:

1. Purpose and background – Sets the stage for what the project is trying to accomplish, the context behind it, and the business drivers

2. Goals and objectives – What are the goals for this project? How do these goals align with company objectives? What does success look like?

3. Level of effort – What is the expected level of effort for this project? What is the high-level timeline , including milestones and deliverables? What is the work breakdown structure (i.e., the list of activities required to complete the project?)

4. Roles and responsibilities – What are the roles on this project, who is assigned to these roles, and what activities will they perform?

5. Budget – The expected project costs by phase. Who is funding this project? What are the funding sources? How does the budget align with the estimated level of effort? These initial estimates will help you track finances throughout the project.

6. Risks, assumptions, and constraints – What are the risks that could derail the project? What are the assumptions at the project’s outset? What are the known constraints?

Remember that the work plan is formed from the project charter. So you’ll need to dedicate a bit of real estate upfront to remind the reader what the project is about and why it’s essential.

While you should absolutely share the project charter with your team, the primary audience for that document is executives. The charter grounds the project in the company strategy and explains the business drivers. It deliberately doesn’t say too much about execution—that’s where the work plan comes in.

The work plan is a blend of the visionary and the tactical. It’s geared towards the team members who are engaged in project delivery and helps set them up for success throughout the project lifecycle.

Once you’ve oriented the reader, pivot from the big-picture goals and strategy to the details of execution. Focusing on the tactics is important for two reasons:

1. To avoid regurgitating the charter and

2. To make the work plan useful to its intended audience.

Related reads

How to flesh out a successful resource management plan in 6 steps.

Happy team, happier clients: the ultimate guide to equitable workload management

Less guesswork, more getting things done: a tactical guide to capacity planning.

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How to write an effective project plan in 6 simple steps

Contributing writer

If you’re a Type A personality, project planning might sound like music to your ears. Setting deadlines, organizing tasks, and creating order out of chaos — what’s not to love?

The reality is that project planning isn’t for everyone. In one survey by Association for Project Management, 76% of project professionals said their main project was a source of stress . Poor planning, unclear responsibilities, and overallocation are often the culprits behind the stress. 

An effective project plan helps teams stay within budget, scope, and schedule, while delivering quality work. In short, it gets you to the finish line without the stress.  

What is a project plan?

A project plan, also known as a work plan, is a blueprint of your project lifecycle. It’s like a roadmap — it clearly outlines how to get from where you are now (the beginning of the project) to where you want to go (the successful completion of the project). 

“A project plan is an action plan outlining how…[to] accomplish project goals,” says Jami Yazdani , certified Project Management Professional (PMP), project coach, project management consultant, and founder of Yazdani Consulting and Facilitation . 

A comprehensive project plan includes the project schedule, project scope, due dates, and deliverables. Writing a good project plan is key for any new, complex project in the pipeline.

Why Are Project Plans Important?

Project plans allow you to visualize your entire project, from beginning to end—and develop a clear strategy to get from point A to point B. Project plans steer stakeholders in the right direction and keep team members accountable with a common baseline.  

Project plans help you stay agile

Projects are bound by what is traditionally called the “iron triangle” of project management . It means that project managers have to work within the three constraints of scope, resources (project budget and teams), and schedule. You cannot make changes to one without impacting the other two.    

Modern-day project management has shifted to a more agile approach, with a focus on quality. This means that resources and schedules remain unchanged but a fixed number of iterations (flexible scope) helps teams deliver better quality and more value. 

A project plan puts this “agile triangle” in place by mapping out resources, schedules, and the number of iterations — sprints if you’re using a Scrum framework and work in progress (WIP) limits if you’re using the Kanban methodology . 

As Yazdani points out, “Project plans help us strategize a path to project success, allowing us to consider the factors that will impact our project, from stakeholders to budget to schedule delays, and plan how to maximize or mitigate these factors.” 

Project plans provide complete visibility

A project plan, when created with a comprehensive project management software , gives you 360-degree visibility throughout the project lifecycle. 

As a project manager, you need a single source of truth on team members and their project tasks, project scope, project objectives, and project timelines. A detailed project plan gives you this visibility and helps teams stay on track.

Project plans also help to get everyone involved on the same page, setting clear expectations around what needs to be accomplished, when, and by who. 

“Project plans create a framework for measuring project progress and success,” says Yazdani. “Project plans set clear expectations for…stakeholders by outlining exactly what…will [be accomplished] and when it will be delivered.”

Project plans boost engagement and productivity

A well-written project plan clarifies how each individual team member’s contributions play into the larger scope of the project and align with company goals. When employees see how their work directly impacts organizational growth, it generates buy-in and drives engagement , which is critical to a project’s success. 

“Project plans provide…teams with purpose and direction,” says Yazdani. “Transparent project plans show team members how their individual tasks and responsibilities contribute to the overall success of the project, encouraging engagement and collaboration.”

How To Write A Project Plan in 6 Steps

Writing a project plan requires, well, planning. Ideally, the seeds for a project plan need to be sowed before internal project sign-off begins. Before that sign-off, conduct capacity planning to estimate the resources you will need and if they’re available for the duration of the project. After all, you want to set your teams up for success with realistic end dates, buffer time to recharge or catch up in case of unexpected delays, and deliver quality work without experiencing burnout .

Based on organizational capacity, you can lay down project timelines and map out scope as well as success metrics, outline tasks, and build a feedback loop into your project plan. Follow these project planning steps to create a winning plan:      

1. Establish Project Scope And Metrics

Defining your project scope is essential to protecting your iron, or agile, triangle from crumbling. Too often, projects are hit with scope creep , causing delays, budget overruns, and anxiety.

“Clearly define your project’s scope or overall purpose,” says Yazdani. “Confirm any project parameters or constraints, like budget, resource availability, and timeline,” says Yazdani.

A project purpose statement is a high-level brief that defines the what, who, and why of the project along with how and when the goal will be accomplished. But just as important as defining your project scope and purpose is defining what metrics you’re going to use to track progress.

“Establish how you will measure success,” says Yazdani. “Are there metrics, performance criteria, or quality standards you need to meet?”

Clearly defining what your project is, the project’s overall purpose, and how you’re going to measure success lays the foundation for the rest of your project plan—so make sure you take the time to define each of these elements from the get-go.

2. Identify Key Project Stakeholders 

Get clarity on the team members you need to bring the project to life. In other words, identify the key stakeholders of the project. 

“List individuals or groups who will be impacted by the project,” says Yazdani. 

In addition to identifying who needs to be involved in the project, think about how they’ll need to be involved—and at what level. Use a tool like Confluence to run a virtual session to clarify roles and responsibilities, and find gaps that need to be filled. 

Let’s say you’re managing a cross-functional project to launch a new marketing campaign that includes team members from your marketing, design, and sales departments. 

When identifying your key stakeholders, you might create different lists based on the responsibility or level of involvement with the project:

• Decision-makers (who will need to provide input at each step of the project)
• Managers (who will be overseeing employees within their department) 
• Creative talent (who will be actually creating the project deliverables for the campaign) from each department. 

Give your project plan an edge by using a Confluence template like the one below to outline roles and responsibilities.

Define roles, discuss responsibilities, and clarify which tasks fall under each teammate’s purview using this Confluence template. 

Getting clarity on who needs to be involved in the project—and how they’re going to be involved—will help guide the rest of the project plan writing process (particularly when it comes to creating and assigning tasks).

3. Outline Deliverables

Now is the time to get granular.

Each project milestone comprises a series of smaller, tangible tasks that your teams need to produce. While a big-picture view keeps teams aligned, you need signposts along the way to guide them on a day-to-day or weekly basis. Create a list of deliverables that will help you achieve the greater vision of the project. 

“What will you create, build, design, produce, accomplish or deliver?” says Yazdani. “Clearly outline your project’s concrete and tangible deliverables or outcomes.” Centralize these deliverables in a Trello board with designated cards for each one, like in the example below, so you keep work moving forward.

Each card on a board represents tasks and ideas and you can move cards across lists to show progress.

Defining the concrete items you need your project to deliver will help you reverse-engineer the things that need to happen to bring those items to life—which is a must before moving on to the next step.

4. Develop Actionable Tasks

Task management is an important component of any project plan because they help employees see what exactly they need to accomplish. Drill down those deliverables into actionable tasks to assign to your team. 

You can use either Confluence or Jira for different task management needs. If you want to track tasks alongside your work, like action items from a meeting or small team projects, it’s best to use Confluence. But if a project has multiple teams and you need insight into workflows, task history, and reporting, Jira makes it easy.      

“Let your deliverables guide the work of the project,” says Yazdani. “Break down each deliverable into smaller and smaller components until you get to an actionable task.” If a major deliverable is a set of content pieces, the smaller actionable tasks would be to create topic ideas, conduct research, and create outlines for each topic.  

Once you’ve broken down all of your deliverables into manageable, assignable subtasks, analyze how each of those tasks interacts with each other. That way, you can plan, prioritize, assign, and add deadlines accordingly.  

“Highlight any dependencies between tasks, such as tasks that can’t be started until another task is complete,” says Yazdani. “List any resources you will need to accomplish these tasks.”

When a task has multiple assignees, you need to streamline the workflow in your project plan. Say the content pieces you outlined need to be edited or peer-reviewed. A couple of articles may need an interview with a subject matter expert. Lay down a stage-by-stage process of each piece of content and pinpoint when each team member comes into play so you prevent bottlenecks and adjust timeframes.     

5. Assign Tasks And Deadlines

Assign tasks to your team and collaborate with employees to set deadlines for each task. When you involve employees in setting workloads and deadlines , you increase ownership and boost the chances of delivering quality work on time.  

After all, you want to move projects forward at a steady pace, but you also want to make sure your teams stay motivated and engaged. So, when writing your project plan, make sure to “set realistic and achievable deadlines for completing tasks and deliverables,” says Yazdani. “Highlight dates that are inflexible and factor in task dependencies. Add in milestones or checkpoints to monitor progress and celebrate successes .”

Use Jira and Confluence to create tasks that live alongside your project plan or meeting agendas.

Once you map out all of your tasks and deadlines, you should have a clear picture of how and when your project is going to come together—and the initial writing process is just about finished.

But that doesn’t mean your project plan is complete! There’s one more key step to the process.

6. Share, Gather Feedback, And Adjust The Project Plan As Necessary

While steps 1 through 5 may make up your initial writing process, if you want your project plan to be as strong and complete as it can be, it’s important to share it with your team—and get their input on how they think it can be improved.

“Share the plan with your project team and key stakeholders, gathering feedback to make adjustments and improvements,” says Yazdani. 

A tool like Confluence helps knowledge flow freely within teams and departments, leading to better teamwork, higher collaboration, and a shared understanding of priorities. Coworkers can use comments, mentions, notifications, and co-editing capabilities to provide and discuss feedback. 

After you gather your team’s feedback —and make any necessary adjustments based on that feedback—you can consider your project plan complete. Hooray! 

But as your project progresses, things may change or evolve—so it’s important to stay flexible and make changes and adjustments as needed.

“Expect to update your plan as you gather more information, encounter changing requirements and delays, and learn from feedback and mistakes,” says Yazdani. “By using your project plan to guide your activities and measure progress, you’ll be able to refine and improve your plan as you move through the project, tweaking tasks and deadlines as deliverables are developed.”

Download a  template to create your project plan and customize it based on your needs.

Example of a simple project plan 

A project plan doesn’t have to be a complicated spreadsheet with multiple tabs and drop-down menus. It’s best to use a project planning tool like Confluence — or at least a project plan template — to make sure you cover every aspect of the project. A simple project plan includes these elements:

• Project name, brief summary, and objective.
• Project players or team members who will drive the project, along with their roles and responsibilities.
• Key outcomes and due dates.
• Project elements, ideally divided into must-have, nice-to-have and not-in-scope categories.
• Milestones, milestone owners, and a project end date.
• Reference material relevant to the project.

Best Practices For Writing Effective Project Plans

A project planning process can quickly turn into a mishmash of goals and tasks that end up in chaos but these best practices can give you a framework to create a project plan that leads to success.

Use Other Project Plans For Inspiration

There’s no need to reinvent the wheel for every new project! Instead, look to other successful project plans for inspiration—and use them as a guide when writing the plan for your project.

“Review templates and plans for similar projects, or for other projects within your organization or industry, to get ideas for structuring and drafting your own plan,” says Yazdani.

To get started, use a Trello project management template and customize it for your project plan by creating unique lists and adding cards under each list.

Build your team’s ideal workflow and mark each stage of the project plan as a list, with cards for each task. 

Get Your Team Involved In The Process

You may be in charge of spearheading the project. But that doesn’t mean that you have to—or even that you should—write the project plan alone. 

“Collaborate with your project team and key stakeholders on crafting a project plan,” says Yazdani. “Input into the project plan supports buy-in to project goals and encourages continued engagement throughout the project.”

With Confluence , you can organize project details in a centralized space and build a project plan collaboratively.

Don’t Let Perfect Be The Enemy Of The Good

You may be tempted to write (and rewrite) your project plan until you’ve got every detail mapped out perfectly. But spending too much time trying to get everything “perfect” can actually hold up the project. So don’t let perfect be the enemy of the good—and instead of getting caught up in getting everything perfect from the get-go, stay willing and flexible to adjust your project plan as you move forward.

“Focus on outcomes, not plan perfection,” says Yazdani. “While it would be awesome for the first draft of our plan to require no changes while also inspiring our team and ensuring project success, our goal shouldn’t be a perfect plan. Our goal is a plan that allows us to successfully deliver on project goals. Responsiveness to changing needs and a shifting environment is more important than plan perfection.”

Use the right tools to succeed with your project plan

Writing a project plan, especially if you’re new to the process, can feel overwhelming. But now that you know the exact steps to write one, make sure you have the tools you need to create a strong, cohesive plan from the ground up—and watch your project thrive as a result. 

Atlassian Together can help with project planning and management with a powerful combination of tools that make work flow across teams.

Guide your team to project success with Atlassian Together’s suite of products.

Advice, stories, and expertise about work life today.

Creating a Successful Work Plan in 7 Steps

A work plan is vital to the success of any project. While writing a plan can be a tedious process, the consequences of not having one are too great. 

According to a Spikes Cavell finance survey, 39% of projects fail due to a lack of planning. A recent study by PMI found that another big factor in project failure is the improper application of power skills — sometimes known as soft skills.

Having a plan in place can help you keep everyone focused, establish a foundation for teamwork and make it easier to anticipate potential problems. How you create that plan, however, is crucial. It’s not enough to write down a list of tasks and a proposed timeline. 

Below, we’ll dive into the process of creating an effective work plan. 

What Is a Work Plan?

A work plan, or project plan, is a “road map” that guides your team to project completion. It outlines the goals of the project, the timeline you need to follow, the tasks everyone needs to complete and the processes required to thread those tasks together.

Without a strategic work plan in place, you run the risk of not allocating resources properly, which increases the odds of encountering roadblocks or producing confusion among your team and clients.

How Do I Write a Work Plan?

Here are two of the simplest ways to write a work plan yourself. 

• Start from scratch with a blank Word or Excel document or download a free work plan template . Break up goals, tasks, resources and obstacles into different sections. You may choose to include which tasks are in progress, pending and complete.
• Another popular approach to a work plan is a Gantt chart. In simplest terms, a Gantt chart is a visual representation of tasks scheduled over time. It shows you what the team needs to do and when. It typically includes tasks, due dates, assignees, timelines and task overlap. You can easily create Gantt charts in Excel or by using project task tracking software . 

7 Steps of Building a Successful Work Plan

1. identify a goal.

Your first step in work planning is to identify the goal — the driving force — of your project. Are you looking to meet the needs of your customers in a better, more efficient manner? Or, are you looking to scale up to meet the needs of your market? Even if you find that your goals for every project are similar, it’s still important to identify each one so that everyone is aligned. 

Having a clear business strategy makes it easier to determine project goals.

2.  Define SMART Objectives

Along with your larger goal, you’ll need to identify milestones, or objectives. These are the things you check off along the way. One of the most helpful ways to define your objectives is by using the SMART concept — each must be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-Bound. These parameters focus your team’s attention and resources on what’s most important.

If you’re struggling to pin down objectives, comb through past projects for measurable outcomes you can bring forward into your next project.

3. List Resources and Assign Tasks

Write down a list of every resource you’ll need to achieve your goal and objectives. This includes everything from documents and assets, including internal blogs or guides, to consultants and budget. Clearly defined accountability ensures that every task gets completed in a timely fashion. During this stage of work planning, you need to assign team members or groups to specific tasks. Make it clear who needs to do what to avoid confusion later on.

Expand upon this step with resource allocation and resource management templates . 

4. Establish a Clear Timeline

Like objectives, a work plan should be time-bound. To determine how long your team will have to complete each task, you’ll need to have deadlines — not just estimates. While they could shift over the course of your project, these dates are important for managing both internal communication and client expectations.

Keep track of your team’s time throughout each project so you have the data to compare actual time spent vs. estimated time for each task.

5. Identify Potential Obstacles

Even if you’re following an airtight plan, you could experience hiccups. A critical component of work plan creation is to identify potential obstacles and a plan for working around them. What if one or more of your employees becomes sick or experiences an emergency? What if vital technology breaks down? Plan for both solving the technical problem and communicating to your team and clients about it.

Schedule visibility and an adaptive scheduling tool can facilitate quick adjustments to project responsibilities.

6. Execute the Plan

Finally, it’s time to look over your plan to make sure everything is in order. If you’re satisfied and have informed your team of their responsibilities, it’s time to set it in motion. The best part of having a well-thought-out work plan is that you’ll be able to refer to it as a source of truth throughout the project. Especially if you don’t have a dedicated project manager, a work plan can be vital to successful project completion.

Consider how well your tech stack supports your work plan. Have you consolidated your software lately?

7. Track Progress

Once your work plan is in motion, don’t forget about it. Go back periodically to review your current progress against the original goals and objectives. Tracking your progress will help ensure that everyone stays on task and nothing falls behind. It also allows you to make adjustments more quickly if they’re necessary. 

Make it easy to review project status and profitability with a platform that provides real-time reporting .

Enlist a Work Plan Partner

If you want to take your work plan to the next level and reduce the manual labor required, consider implementing a client work management solution. The right platform can act as a partner in every step of planning and project execution and automatically generate invaluable data about real-time progress. Learn what to look for in client work management software . 

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15 Great Work Plan Templates & Samples (Excel / Word)

If you’re preparing to launch a new product or manage a big project, having all your information in one document can make your life much easier. A detailed work plan helps you plan your goals and divide tasks into more manageable parts. 

A unique work or project planning template outlines the steps necessary to complete a project or task on time. It allows users to streamline and organize a project, improving efficiency throughout the process.

Table of Contents

• 1 Free Work Plan Templates
• 2 What is a Work Plan
• 3 Work Plan Samples
• 4 Why Is a Work Plan Necessary
• 5 What are the Different Types of Work Plans
• 6 How to Create a Work Plan Template
• 7 Project Work Plan Templates
• 8 3 Steps to Create a Work Plan Template
• 9 Conclusion

That said, the structure of work plan templates and the tools used to make one vary. This article will cover a few ways to create a unique work plan template that suits your business needs.

Free Work Plan Templates

What is a Work Plan

A work plan is a simple project plan template that works as an organizational tool. It specifies the processes required for a project and sets reasonable completion dates.

This type of project planning aims to establish a visual reference for the project’s goals, objectives, tasks, and team members responsible for those tasks. 

Project planners encourage everyone involved in the project to actively participate and communicate. Project managers can develop an overall project work plan and then create phase-specific individual work plans for complex projects with several phases of completion.

A work plan template helps save time as you switch between projects. Your template can be modified to add, remove, or replace team members or tasks. It can also include customized prompts for setting objectives or goals.

Typically, a work plan template includes the following areas:

• Group duties
• Individual responsibilities
• Project phase deadlines
• Budget for the project
• Potential setbacks

Work Plan Samples

Why Is a Work Plan Necessary

During the project management phase, a project work plan template serves as a road map for the full project execution.

It creates structure and guarantees the support of important stakeholders, relevant departments, accountable leaders, and more.

In addition, it assists in managing the expectations of all of the above-mentioned parties. Like how project plan templates direct project teams, work plans do the same.

They clarify specific tasks and outcomes for each team member, paving the way for accountability and successful collaboration.

What are the Different Types of Work Plans

Work plans come in many different shapes and sizes. Work plans can be adapted to suit the roles of individuals responsible for executing them. That said, the work plan’s actual content may differ depending on the project’s intended use.

Understanding project specifics and duties allows you to establish team roles, lower the possibility that you and your team will go over budget, and increase the likelihood that you will accomplish your goal within the given time frame.

As you choose the form of work plan to create for your present project, take into account the following typical types:

• Work Plan for Employees This work plan includes the team members and personnel who will be working on the project. It can provide guidance and detailed tasks for each individual role in the project. This strategy can also help your staff members comprehend their present and future roles and their interactions with their coworkers. It can be used by small groups to establish objectives, track progress, adhere to deadlines, and stick to the project schedule to finish the project. Work plans for employees could include: The project’s objective. Predicted budget for the project. The supplies and costs needed. Estimated due dates.
• Work Plan for Managers To discuss team activities, evaluate accomplishments, and set future objectives for each department or team, a project manager from any department within an organization may construct work plans for their departments. It could include short-term objectives and metrics that management can use to monitor progress, like a thorough budget, performance data, and project or department development details. This work plan may include the following to help project management by providing a wider scope: How the project is advantageous to the company. The company’s complete descriptions of project expenses. Predicted and actual budgets. Project timeline with all the tasks that need completing. Statistics demonstrating how the business can profit (more sales, visibility, or traffic).

How to Create a Work Plan Template

After determining which kind of work plan best suits your needs, you should consult with those who will be assisting in its execution. To establish and explain your long-term and short-term goals, you can decide if you wish to create a number of work plans or stick to one.

Following these steps will help you create a work plan that will assist your team in organizing its goals.

• Establish objectives and goals Setting specific goals and objectives is the first stage in developing a work plan. Your objectives should be clear and measurable, focusing on the bigger picture. For instance, if you’re launching a new product, your objective might be to attract 100,000 website visitors over the course of the following six months. Launching a fresh social media campaign could be one of the objectives for that goal.
• Define the duties of the team Assign team members to lead each effort after you’ve determined the goals. A leader should be appointed if a team is being formed to carry out certain tasks. Assign hierarchy levels if the project is vast and complex with numerous teams. A project manager could be in charge of multiple team leaders, meeting with just those people and concentrating on the overall development to keep a project on track.
• Create project schedules Setting deadlines helps teams stay on target and controls costs. You can set a realistic deadline for completing your task and be willing to adjust your team’s plan if there is a chance to adopt a more efficient technique. When drafting your business plan, take into account the SMART goals principles, which stand for: Specific: Be sure to set clear and explicit goals, objectives, and next steps. Measurable: This is where you will state how your project progresses toward your objectives. Attainable: Your team can actually complete your goals and objectives within the allotted time limit if they are deemed to be attainable. Relevant: Match your values and long-term aspirations with the target, task, and goal. Time-specific: Your plan allows you to set priorities for your time since it has a realistic finish date.
• Create a budget It’s time to estimate expenses and develop a budget after you are certain of the resources your job plan will require. Simply decide on a measurement unit for your labor, materials, and other resources to do this, and then give each one an estimated price. Obtaining quotations from other vendors may be part of your work plan. You should allocate distinct duties to the various teams and break down expenditures in your budget. You can assess your expenses and ascertain whether the team is on budget by reviewing them each time a team completes a task or reaches a new milestone. If the team is running behind schedule or over budget, you can reallocate resources from other departments or postpone the project altogether. With a thorough work plan, you can identify areas where your team needs extra resources and adjust your plans accordingly.
• Outline any risks, restrictions, and suppositions The more information you have regarding restrictions and potential hazards, the better your team can carry out its duties to create deliverables and accomplish the project’s goals and objectives. Remember that your work plan template is the action plan that will direct your project. During the project, it’s possible that some team members will take a few sick days, there will be unforeseen jobs to complete, or certain tools will break down, necessitating the expenditure of more funds. Any potential risk that could develop into a full-blown constraint and affect the fulfilment of deliverables or even the project goals and objectives should be considered, regardless of the project limitations.

Project Work Plan Templates

3 Steps to Create a Work Plan Template

• Plan ahead Every transformation begins with an idea. The concept, though, simply isn’t strong enough to persuade anyone that it’s a good one. So now begins the bulk of a product manager’s labor: Create a document of initiative – This will serve as the main document for your work plan, where you will compile all pertinent notes and data. This document includes every element of the initiative, including any future communications or updates related to the entire project plan. Create a user story or something similar – Here, you must provide your project, the intended user group, and the value it offers the company. This will lay a strong basis for the remaining work you’ll perform using your work planning template. Check whether the concept fits the present product’s core principles and purpose – It must address current goals and OKRs and suit the existing product vision and strategy. Without it, it will serve as a detour from the existing course. A well-written work plan can be a foundation for defining the period’s OKRs. Pick the product metrics you want to address – It’s time to connect your solution to your product metrics and goals after you’ve confirmed the context. It’s acceptable to have suggestions that improve product quality rather than directly affect any KPIs in order to promote long-term retention. Conduct analysis and prototype discovery – Even though it’s not always practicable, make an effort to look up the answers to the following questions: Was this solution evaluated by competitors or potential competitors in other product areas? Do we have the appropriate project management software? Is there a scientific study that examined the theory in a controlled setting? Have researchers examined, for instance, how gamification affects users’ behavior? Are you able to predict how the initiative would affect product metrics? Which user personas will benefit from the update? What alternative approaches exist for this problem? Decide the internal stakeholders – High-level executives, developers, researchers, business analysts, and other product managers. Set up a project launch event – Once you’ve completed your due diligence, schedule a meeting to bring together all the necessary stakeholders and get everyone on the same page. The major objectives will be to develop a more concrete product plan and identify any gaps or unanticipated dangers that might stand in the way.
• Kick-off Now that the product manager has finished all of the necessary planning, the kick-off meeting can be considered a sort of handoff meeting. The duty of making it happen is largely transferred to the development team following this discussion, even though the PM doesn’t immediately move on to studying another proposal. You must see all work through to completion if you are a product manager who also manages projects and leads the development team. Whatever your role, the following topics need to be covered at the kick-off meeting: Presentation of conclusions by the product manager. Discuss those conclusions to ensure everyone in the meeting is on the same page. Creating a plan for the high-level technical requirements and the timeline. Recognizing the risks and coming up with strategies to reduce them. Seeking an MVP that can be used to test the product idea as soon as possible. This can refer to various things, such as a product discovery process showing a mockup of the update to random individuals or a fully functional update with possibly only a chosen pool of targeted users. Creating a timeline with expected check-in spots. Deciding on anticipated delivery dates and parties in charge. Confirming the conditions. Final question-and-answer period to ensure that everyone leaves the room at the very least in peace, if not upbeat and confident.
• Analyze Now you need to reflect on how the strategy is coming together at this point. Try to respond to these inquiries: What follows the MVP, whether it is successful or not? What elements of a successful MVP need to be improved the most? Does the outcome of this project affect your future plans? How? Can other areas of the product/company have any ownership in this update (i.e., when your trial is carried out as a minor side project but is so effective that it promises far greater results than other roadmap items planned)? Are there any opportunities that this change opens up? In general, take a seat and consider your options. Waiting until the update is available to accomplish that would be inefficient. A successful result should be pursued right away since every day you don’t build on it is a day you’ve lost.

Work plan templates will come in handy when preparing for a product launch or new company project. With all of the necessary information in one document, it’s easy to refer to and helps teams stay organized.

With the right work plan template, you can streamline your workflow and improve efficiency within the company.

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Tips for Allocating Work Assignments

It’s probably a no-brainer that improper delegation of tasks has obvious consequences, such as increased frustration, stress and workload. The quality of work and team morale may suffer while trust, productivity, efficiency and profitability dwindles. In such a situation, the organizational structure fails, clients’ trust dies, reports of unaccountability emerge, staff may underperform and project failure becomes imminent. This is why it’s vital to ensure that work assignments are delegated efficiently and to the appropriate team member.

Approximately 94% of companies lack exceptionally good management. The 6% of firms with excellent management culture and style tend to be dedicated to their workforce and team building rather than external stakeholders.

Achieving excellence in organizational operations is an enormous challenge for most organizations and begins with the manner and style of delegation of assignments.

Management has to choose the right team , build trust and accountability , develop its team through delegation, manage performances, have tough conversations and acknowledge and reward excellence to enhance employee engagement and lower turnover.

What exactly are work assignments?

Work assignments are remarkable tools for enhancing employee growth and must be managed deliberately; otherwise, they could limit efforts towards building a diverse workforce.

Evidence shows that experimental learning accounts for 70% of leadership development , particularly, effective delegation of work assignments.

Work assignments are tasks that are deliberately designed for organizational purposes. They are allocated to staff to achieve results. In the simplest terms, these assignments are activities or projects for a specific end. Work assignments should come with a task description, deadline and expected results.

Work assignments tips

Why delegate work assignments?

Employee empowerment.

Managers with great team building skills understand the importance of instilling trust in team members for enhanced morale and performance because they believe they are wired to drive organizational objectives.

Strengthens trust

Assigning work means trusting the employee’s ability to achieve a particular result through task performance. Frequent delegation builds the trust needed to create collaborative skills within organizations.

Helps lower workload

Successful delegation of work assignments lessens the burden of tasks that pile up. It saves the time needed to focus on other important organizational tasks and goals.

Planning for fair distribution of work assignments

Most industries, such as hospitality, telecommunications and healthcare need to ensure uninterrupted service delivery. At the same time, they must consider the health of their employees, who need regular breaks and leave to stay productive and rested.

With the rise of flexi-workers , ensuring everyone gets a fair share of leave could become a logistics nightmare for business owners. This also applies to contractual staff who may feel overburdened.

When planning and distributing work assignments, managers must take into account employees’ vacation days, sick leave, emergency absences and so on. Things to consider include, but are not limited to:

• Employees should have their preferences fulfilled to avoid bias.
• Organizations should try to accommodate employees’ requests for rest days as much as possible.
• The duty roster should be planned in such a way as to allow enough time for deadlines and urgent tasks.
• There is also an allowance for fair leave/day swapping among employees.

The manager planning the duty roster should keep track of requests and demands in real time. This enables the planner to synchronize replacement leave and overtime pay calculations at the end of the roster period.

Delegating work assignments to employees

Create an effective work plan.

An effective work plan is the key to the success of every project. Approximately 58% of organisations don’t understand the value of project management, which explains why most projects fail as soon as they begin.

The planning phase determines either the failure or success of such project. Organizations must have a solid work plan, including a weekly action plan for greater efficiency and productivity. You can create a good work plan by following the steps below.

• Set specific goals that include actual numbers and quantifiable terms and scope.
• Lay out the objectives and deliverables, including the project schedule. Consider rewarding your team based on achievement. The incentives will boost productivity.
• Brainstorm and detail the key resources that your team needs. Brainstorming and planning will help colleagues become creative, forecast unforeseen obstacles and promote teamwork. Converse with your them about the resources that can help them achieve set objectives and give them available resources.
• Identify task sequencing . The schedule of a project outlines activity sequencing, tracks performance and calculates the duration of tasks sequences.

Delegate assignments based on aptitude

By assigning work to employees based on their areas of strength and skills, you set them up to excel. This means you need to understand your employees’ strengths, preferences and weaknesses. You may also allow your staff to choose their preferred tasks. This is important for building trust.

Give your team prior notice

No need to stress everyone out and kill their morale with endless impromptu and urgent work assignments. As far as is feasible, try to give your employees a couple of days’ notice at least.

Foster project ownership

Encourage your team to ask questions for clarity. Determine your availability and take the time to give them clear instructions, feedback and assistance. Giving them a sense of ownership allows your team members to see the big picture.

Real delegation is when you encourage your team to own the project. This gives them the authority to take initiative for the execution process.

Most companies spend hours and weeks planning and generating roasters manually when they can use TimeTrack Duty Roster to save time. TimeTrack Duty Roster creates a perfect overview of both employers and employees and allow managers to personalize shifts according to preferences.

TimeTrack Duty Roster

Monitoring work assignments

Monitoring work assignments helps your team complete their duties successfully and meet the desired outcomes. There’s no need to micromanage, but you can certainly help keep employees focused while tracking processes.

Ensure an effective project plan

• Compile a clear project outline, including a schedule. Collaborate with your team to create the plan and include the project scope, tasks, deadlines and resources. Creating a timeline is vital; use a flow chart to make things clearer. A clear work plan helps you understand the key performance indicators you can monitor.

Set SMART goals

• One of the key ways to monitor assigned work is to create specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound goals. This SMART criteria helps you identify detailed and quantifiable goals with effective deadlines. You then have quantifiable items to monitor the performance of the assignments.

Steady check-ins

• Creating a schedule for progress check-ins is a key step in monitoring assignments. The regularity of the check-in depends on the project. For example, check-ins for long-term and short-term projects differ in intervals. Check-ins should be balanced to support effective monitoring of performance indicators.

Records and analysis of data

• For each of the scheduled check-ins, keep records and analyze data to understand the progress of projects. You can gather data through team meetings and input into spreadsheets or project management tools. The data will then be analyzed to determine the status of the assigned work.

Every organization wants to empower its workforce for enhanced morale, focus, accountability, efficiency and productivity. These achievements are only possible with effective delegation of work assignments and tasks.

I am a researcher, writer, and self-published author. Over the last 9 years, I have dedicated my time to delivering unique content to startups and non-governmental organizations and have covered several topics, including wellness, technology, and entrepreneurship. I am now passionate about how time efficiency affects productivity, business performance, and profitability.

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Project Management Plan: Samples, Examples & Free Template

Learn how to create a project management plan that actually works and ensures you get your project over the line on time and on budget, with samples and examples

Table of Contents

What is a project management plan, what is a project management plan used for, what are the main elements of a project plan, how to write a project management plan, sample project management plan outline, using our project management plan template to build your project plan, project management plan: faq's.

A project management plan is a comprehensive document that outlines how a project will be executed, monitored, controlled and closed. For project managers and their teams, it's the ultimate toolkit for achieving their objectives while managing day-to-day pressures such as time, cost, scope, resourcing and risk. This guide outlines what a project management plan is used for, why it's important , and offers a step-by-step guide on how to make one that actually works.

Your project plan document is where you go deep on the ins, outs, overs, and unders of your project. It's where you break this vision down into the day-to-day execution of your project, covering everything you need to do to reach your project goals.

A detailed project plan will plot out everything from timelines to budget, resourcing to deliverables, and more, giving you a blueprint of what needs to be done (and when) that you can use to guide — and assess — your project.

The key components of a project management plan are:

Project Objectives

Scope Statement

Schedule Management

Cost Management

Resource Management

Communication Plan

Stakeholder Management

Procurement Management

Closure Criteria

Project Organization

Ready to get down to business? Here are 5 key things you need to do when writing a project plan.

1. Identify the baselines for your project

Before you begin writing a project plan, you need to make sure you have the basics down. Start by identifying the baselines for the project’s scope, schedule and cost, as the rest of your project planning will need to fit in around those constraints.

As mentioned above, these baselines should already be roughly outlined in your project charter — but here’s where you really start to map them out and create accurate estimates. And the more detailed, the better, because these are what you’ll be using for comparison to measure how your project performs.

2. Identify your project dependencies

Or in other words, ask yourself: what needs to happen before this other thing can happen? Identifying your project dependencies at the outset of your project means you can plan your timelines more efficiently, spot potential blockers, and ensure that you avoid unnecessary delays.

3. Identify project stakeholders

You’ll already have done the groundwork for this in your stakeholder analysis, but as you flesh out your project management plan and think through the phases of your project in more detail, you’ll likely start to find more project stakeholders at each phase.

Now is also a good time to go deeper on which stakeholders need to be informed and involved at which stages, for a more comprehensive stakeholder management plan you can use at each phase of your project.

4. Identify project milestones

What are the key markers of your project’s progress? It can be a concrete deliverable, the end of a phase in a stage-gate process — whatever milestones make sense to you, breaking your project down into manageable chunks, each with a defined goal, helps to keep the team motivated, allows you to celebrate each achievement, and signposts how the overall progress is coming along.  Learn more about using Milestones here .

5. Identify who’s responsible for what

Once you start to get a big-picture understanding of the work that’s needed and the resources you have to complete it, you can start deciding who should do what. Giving each item an owner is essential to getting things done. No more “oh, was I supposed to do that?” — once you identify who’s responsible for what, you can ensure accountability and transparency.

The 5 Stages of Team Development

All teams develop according to some natural patterns and using that knowledge, you can offer some guidance to build the kind of team that communicates well and finds better ways to collaborate and achieve the goals you’ve established. Here’s what you need to know.

Now let's go through a sample project plan. In the below example, we highlight the main sections of the plan and what needs to be included in each one to set your project up for success.

Section 1: Executive summary

The executive summary offers a concise overview of the entire project. It includes key highlights such as the project's purpose, objectives, scope, timeline, budget, and major stakeholders. It's often the first section stakeholders read to get a high-level understanding of the project.

Section 2: Project introduction

This section sets the stage by providing context and background information about the project. It explains why the project is being undertaken and introduces the main objectives and scope of the project.

Section 3: Project objectives

Here, the project's specific goals and objectives are outlined in detail. Objectives should be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) to provide clarity and guidance.

Section 4: Project scope

The scope section defines what is included and excluded from the project. It helps prevent scope creep by establishing clear boundaries and also mentions any assumptions and constraints that may affect the project.

Section 5: Schedule management

This section details the project's timeline, including milestones and deadlines. It breaks down the project into tasks and identifies task dependencies. Often, visual representations like Gantt charts are used for clarity.

Section 6: Cost management

Here, the project budget is presented, including cost estimates for various project components. It may also outline cost control measures to ensure the project stays within budget.

Section 7: Quality management

This section focuses on the quality standards and objectives for the project. It describes quality control and assurance processes, as well as any inspection and testing procedures that will be implemented.

Project management template

Save time on setup without sacrificing attention to detail. With our project management template, you can quickly create project management plans that help you complete your project on time and on budget.

Section 8: Resource management

In this section, the project team is introduced, and roles and responsibilities are defined. It addresses resource allocation, scheduling, and, if applicable, procurement needs.

Section 9: Risk management

The risk management section identifies potential risks and uncertainties that could impact the project. It discusses risk assessment, prioritization, and mitigation strategies to reduce the impact of these risks.

Section 10: Communication plan

The communication plan outlines how project information will be shared with stakeholders and team members. It specifies communication methods, frequency, and reporting channels to ensure effective communication throughout the project.

Section 11: Stakeholder management

This section lists project stakeholders and analyzes their interests, influence, and expectations. It also outlines strategies for engaging and managing these stakeholders to ensure their needs are addressed.

Section 12: Procurement management

If procurement of goods or services is involved, this section explains the procurement strategy, vendor selection criteria, and how contracts will be managed.

Section 13: Change management

Change management procedures are detailed here, including how changes to the project scope, schedule, or other aspects will be requested, evaluated, approved, and communicated.

Section 14: Closure criteria

Criteria for determining when the project is complete and ready for closure are specified in this section. It may also include plans for project handover and post-project evaluation.

Section 15: Project organization

This section describes the project team's structure, roles, and responsibilities, ensuring everyone understands their positions and reporting lines. It may also mention external stakeholders and their roles if applicable.

Once you’ve documented your project management plan, bring it to life with a project management tool that will help you to stay on track, keep your team accountable, and promote transparency.

Here are 3 ways you can use Teamwork.com to supercharge your project management plan.

Add your supporting documentation to Teamwork Spaces

Use the Teamwork.com and Teamwork Spaces integration to link a project in Teamwork.com with a space in Teamwork Spaces, so your important project documents are only ever a click away.

Some documents you might want to add in addition to your project charter and project management plan include:

Scoping documents

Risk assessments

Change management plans

SOPs for important project processes

List of stakeholders and their roles

Outline of approval processes

Communications management plan

Any other best practices documentation or supporting info as necessary

You can even embed task lists into your pages and mark tasks as complete right from Teamwork Spaces, so you can keep work flowing without even needing to switch tabs.

Start adding your Milestones

Break down your work into Milestones and task lists that are going to help you reach them. With Teamwork.com, you can assign an owner to each Milestone, map out your Milestone due dates and see them represented in the project calendar, and even get a full change history for milestones so you can track any edits.

Visualize your task dependencies with a Gantt chart

Gantt chart-style views are a useful way to get a visual representation of your tasks and their dependencies, allowing for better scheduling and resourcing. In Teamwork.com, you can drag and drop to quickly rearrange your project schedule , without throwing everything out of order or straying off-plan.

Remember: software should support the way you work, not dictate it. So regardless of methodology or team type, create a project plan that works for you and your team — and find a tool that helps you put it into action.

Use our project plan template

Now that you know how to create a project management plan that actually works, you’re ready to implement using our team management software . To help you get up and running quickly, we’ve created a ready to use project plan template . Our project template will help you quickly create project plans that ensure all of your projects are completed on time and on budget

What is a project management plan template?

A project management plan template is a pre-designed framework that provides a structured format for creating a project management plan. It serves as a starting point for project managers and teams to develop their specific project plans, saving time and ensuring that key project management components are properly addressed.

How can a template help you build a great project management plan?

A template can help you build a great project management plan by saving time, ensuring comprehensive coverage of project management aspects, and incorporating industry best practices and visual aids for clarity. They also support collaboration, version control, and customization to fit the unique needs of each project, making them a valuable tool for project managers in achieving successful project outcomes.

What is the main purpose of a project management plan?

The main purpose of a project management plan is to provide a comprehensive and structured roadmap for successfully executing, monitoring, controlling, and closing a project. It serves as a central document that outlines project objectives, scope, schedule, budget, quality standards, resource allocation, risk management strategies, and communication approaches.

What tools do I need to help manage a project plan?

To effectively manage a project plan, you'll need a set of tools and software that cover various aspects of project management. These include project management software, communication and collaboration platforms, file and document management solutions, time and task tracking apps, and budgeting and financial management tools.

What steps are involved in the project planning process?

The steps involved in the project planning process include defining specific project objectives and scope, identifying deliverables and key milestones, budgets, risk assessment and quality control measures. It should also include a communication plan and stakeholder engagement strategies.

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How To Assign Tasks To Team Members Effectively? Our Full Guideline

How can I effectively assign tasks to people?

Why is it that despite assigning tasks, some groups reach peak productivity and project success, while others grapple with conflicts and burnout?

And how can I address and solve issues related to task assignment?

In this article, we’ll provide answers to all of these questions.

Ready to elevate your task assignment skills and boost your project success? Let’s dive right in!

I. Assigning Tasks: Quick Overview

1. What is task assigning?

Task assigning is the process of allocating specific duties to team members to achieve a common goal.

2. Why is assigning tasks to team members important?

Effective task assigning is crucial for achieving team goals and maintaining productivity because it improves:

• Fair workload distribution.
• Resource efficiency.
• Seamless team collaboration
• Simplifying project progress tracking.

There’s more.

As everyone knows their role, responsibilities, and how their work contributes to the bigger picture, they feel less confused and more accountable for their assigned task.

II. How to assign tasks effectively in a project?

Below are the best strategies, practices, and tips for assigning tasks to others effectively.

Stage 1: Before assigning tasks

• Understand the project & your team members

Ensure you get a clear understanding of:

• Project’s objectives, scope, desired outcomes, and any deadlines.
• Team members’ skills, strengths, weaknesses, and preferences.

This step allows you to match the right tasks with the right team member, which helps allocate tasks efficiently, increase productivity, and maximize project success.

• Break down the project into individual tasks

Follow these steps:

• Identify major components of the project based on its goals.
• Break components into smaller tasks.

This makes it easier for managers to allocate responsibilities and track progress while helping team members better grasp the overall process.

• Prioritize tasks

Prioritize tasks based on 3 factors: 1) urgency, 2) importance, and 3) complexity. Here’s how:

• Identify time-sensitive tasks.
• Address tasks contribute to your long-term goals and should not be neglected.
• Categorize tasks based on difficulty levels, and time and resources required.
• Create a priority list of tasks based on the combination of all three criteria.

This valuable step helps managers make informed decisions on which tasks to tackle first and find the right people to work on each task.

Stage 2: While assigning employee tasks

• Match the right person to the right task

Assign tasks to the most qualified people.

Start by allocating high-priority tasks to the first available person with the matching expertise. Schedule low-priority tasks.

Straightforward tasks can be assigned to less experienced members, while complex tasks may be given to those with advanced skills.

• Be mindful of your team’s availability.
• Set realistic deadlines. Ensure to give members sufficient time to complete their assigned task.
• If someone shows interest in a particular task, consider assigning it to them.

If you know your employees well enough, then make a list of dependable people who are ready to take on a little more duties.

Give them low-priority yet important tasks with authority.

• Communication

To avoid disputes, constant clarification, or errors, it’s important to help your team members understand:

• Project’s goals, desired outcomes, and deadlines.
• Tasks’ requirements and priorities, plus how they contribute to the overall project’s success.
• Who is responsible for which task and what is expected of them.

Tips: Use clear and concise language when communicating. Encourage employees to ask questions and seek clarification on the project and their assigned tasks.

Stage 3: After assigning tasks

• Monitor Progress & Offer Help

Check-in with team members regularly to see how they are doing and if they need any help.

Encourage them to open up and transparently communicate their concerns and challenges.

On your side as a team leader or project manager, be available to offer assistance if they encounter challenges.

This helps resolve issues and improve the task assignment process.

• Provide Necessary Resources

Ensure that team members have the necessary resources, tools, and information for their task completion.

Stage 4: After the task/project is completed

• Reflect on Past Assignments

After each project or task, take time to reflect on what worked well, what didn’t, and where certain tasks weren’t up to par.

Address any issues and offer feedback on completed tasks. Use this feedback to refine your approach in future assignments.

Recognize and reward everyone’s efforts and contributions. This helps keep employees excited and motivated.

• Continuous Learning and Improvement

Invest in training and development opportunities for your team to enhance new skills and knowledge.

Extra tips for assigning tasks effectively:

• Use project management software to help you manage workload, make time estimates, performance reviews, etc.
• Be flexible. Things don’t always go according to plan, so be prepared to adjust your assignments as needed.
• Don’t be afraid to experiment. Try different approaches to see what works best for your team.

III. How to assign tasks in Upbase?

In this section, I’ll show you how a project management tool like Upbase helps simplify task assignments, improve morale, and increase outcomes.

Quick info:

• Upbase organizes and manages projects by lists.
• Members of a list can’t see and access other ones except those lists’ owners allow them to.
• Upbase offers unlimited free users and tasks.

Sign up for a free Upbase account here , follow this guide, and take your task assignment process to the next level.

1. Break down projects into smaller tasks

Create a new list:

• Hover over “Lists” on the left sidebar to open the dropdown menu.
• Select “List”
• Edit the list’s icon, color, name, and description. Then, add your employees.

Add new tasks to the list:

• Navigate to the Tasks module.
• Create and edit sections.
• Add tasks to sections by clicking “+” or “Add task”.

Add new tasks via emails : Open the dropdown menu next to the list name, select “add tasks via emails”, and follow the instructions.

Add task details:

You can add specific instructions, priorities, deadlines, and other attributes to individual tasks and subtasks.

Keyboard shortcuts : Hover over a task card and press:

• “S” to set high priority
• “D” to open the Due date picker
• “C” to open the Tag picker

Upbase Tip : Use task tags to categorize tasks by urgency, importance, and complexity. This makes it easier to match the right tasks to people for later.

2. Assign tasks

Check your employee availability:

Go to the Members page, and click on the team member you’d to assess their workload.

You’ll be driven to a separate page that shows that member’s assigned tasks, along with their due dates, priorities, etc. You can also filter tasks by one of these attributes.

Use this page to check each employee’s availability and identify who can complete additional tasks.

Assign tasks:

Open the desired task, click “Assignee”, and choose the right team member(s).

Keyboard shortcuts : Hover over the task and press “A” to open the Assignee picker. Press the space bar to assign yourself. This way makes assigning tasks easier and quicker!

If you want multiple people to work on a particular task, consider dividing it into subtasks, give time estimates for each, and then assign them to the right team member(s).

Communicate tasks:

Use the Messages and Chat modules to communicate with your team.

Messages is best suited to show the big picture, like project goals, desired outcomes, everyone’s duties, and how their work contributes to the whole.

Make use of the comment box to encourage everyone to ask questions and seek clarification about the project or their assigned tasks.

Chat supports both 1:1 chats and group chats. It’s perfect for quick discussions about issues, task deadlines, etc.

3. Track progress

Upbase offers an array of tools for project managers to track the workload of other employees.

To track a project’s progress:

From the Tasks module :

Here, you can view tasks in a List or Board format.

The List format provides an overview of tasks, deadlines, priorities, and employees working on them, while the Board visualizes the project’s progress.

Besides, you can group tasks by due date, priority, assignee, or section. View tasks filtered by one or multiple tags. Or create a custom filter.

From the Calendar module:

It shows all the scheduled tasks within a project by week or month. It also allows you to create a new task or reschedule overdue tasks.

To track the progress of all projects in a workspace :

Filters : In addition to filtering tasks within a project, you can create custom filters across multiple or all projects in a workspace.

Schedule : It functions similarly to the Calendar module. The two main differences are:

1) Schedule is to track the progress of tasks from all projects while Calendar is to track the progress of tasks within a project.

2) Schedule offers an additional view, named Daily Planner.

Other tools for progress tracking:

My Tasks : A private place where you can get an overview of all the tasks you create or tasks assigned to you.

4. Encourage collaboration and provide support

Use Upbase’s Docs, Files, and Links to provide employees with resources, information, and tools they need to complete tasks.

These modules are available in each list, making it easy to manage project data separately. Plus, they all provide collaboration features like watchers and comment boxes.

• Docs : You can create native documents, share a doc’s public link, embed Google Docs, and organize documents by folders.
• Files : It allows you to upload/download files, manage file versions, embed Google Drive folders, and show files by Grid or Board view.

• Links : You can save URLs as cards, and then add descriptions, watchers, and comments.

5. Providing feedback

On the Tasks module, you can create a section, named “Review”.

When a task is completed, the assignee will drag and drop it here. Then, you, as a project manager will leave feedback on it via the comment box.

So, why wait? Sign up for a free Upbase account now and experience it yourself.

IV. Common mistakes to avoid

For successful task assignment, remember to avoid these common mistakes:

1. Fear of Assigning Tasks

Some people, particularly new or inexperienced managers, may hesitate to allocate tasks to others due to concerns about:

• The quality of the work
• Fear of losing control
• Lack of trust in team members

This fear can hinder productivity and personal growth within a team or organization.

2. Lack of Clarity

This means that the instructions and details regarding a task are not transparent.

Team members may not have a clear understanding of what they are supposed to do, what the goals are, or what the expected outcomes should be.

This lack of clarity can lead to confusion and misunderstandings.

3. Poor Communication

Poor communication can contribute to misunderstandings and problems in task assignments, too.

However, it addresses different aspects of the overall process.

Poor communication means that there might be a lack of information sharing or ineffective communication methods. This could include:

• Not providing updates
• Failing to ask questions when something is unclear
• Not actively listening to others.

Even with clear instructions, if there’s poor communication, the information may not be conveyed effectively.

2. Overloading

Assigning too many tasks to a single person or team can overwhelm them and negatively impact the quality of their work. It’s crucial to distribute tasks evenly and consider each individual’s capacity.

3. Ignoring Skills and Strengths

Neglecting to match tasks with team members’ skills and strengths can result in subpar performance. Assign tasks based on individuals’ expertise and abilities to optimize results.

5. Micromanagement

Hovering over team members and scrutinizing every detail of their work can stifle creativity and motivation.

Trust your team to complete their tasks and provide support when needed.

6. Inflexibility

Being rigid in task assignments can prevent adaptation to changing circumstances or new information. It’s essential to remain open to adjustments and feedback.

8. Unrealistic Deadlines

Setting unattainable deadlines can put unnecessary pressure on your team and lead to a rushed and subpar outcome. Ensure that timelines are realistic and allow for unexpected delays.

10. Lack of Feedback

Forgetting to provide constructive feedback or failing to seek input from team members can hinder growth and improvement. Regularly discuss progress and provide guidance when necessary.

In summary:

Successful task assignment relies on clear communication, matching tasks to skills, flexibility, and a supportive, accountable, and feedback-driven environment.

Avoiding these common mistakes will help ensure that tasks are completed efficiently and effectively.

1. What’s the difference between assigning and delegating tasks?

Task delegation means you give someone the authority to make decisions and complete tasks independently without constant supervision.

Task allocation, on the other hand, means you assign specific duties to someone, often with clear instructions, while retaining overall control.

A delegated task gives the team member more freedom to make decisions and determine how to produce the desired results. An assigned task is more limited because it’s based on instructions and under supervision.

In short, delegating tasks typically involves a higher degree of trust and empowerment than allocating tasks.

2. What’s the difference between tasks and subtasks?

Tasks are generally larger, more significant activities that need to be completed, while subtasks are smaller, specific components or steps that contribute to the completion of a task.

Subtasks are often part of a broader task and help break it down into manageable pieces.

3. Who is the person assigned to a task?

The person assigned to a task is called an “assignee”. They’re responsible for completing that specific job or duty.

4. Who should you delegate a task to?

Delegate a task to the person best suited for it based on their skills, expertise, and availability.

Choose someone who can complete the task effectively and efficiently, taking into account their experience and workload.

5. What is the best way to assign tasks to team members?

The best way to assign tasks to others is by considering each member’s strengths, skills, and workload capacity, and aligning tasks with their expertise and availability.

6. Why is it important to assign tasks to your team members?

Assigning tasks to team members is crucial because it ensures clarity, accountability, and efficiency in achieving goals.

It helps prevent duplication of efforts, enables better time management, and allows team members to focus on their strengths, ultimately leading to successful project completion.

7. How do you politely assign a task?

To politely assign a task, you can follow these steps:

• Start with a friendly greeting.
• Clearly state the task and its importance.
• Ask if the person is available and willing to take on the task.
• Offer any necessary information or resources.
• Express appreciation for their help.

8. How do short-term goals differ from long-term goals?

Short-term goals are specific, achievable objectives that you aim to accomplish soon, typically within days, weeks, or months.

Long-term goals are broader, more substantial objectives that you work towards over an extended period, often spanning years.

Short-term goals are like stepping stones to reach long-term goals.

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Creating the Work Plan Your Project Needs

What is a Work Plan?

First, let’s delve into what a work plan is. These plans are essentially the specific goals of the project and how the individuals responsible for that project will be able to execute it. While these are effective for personal work as well, they’re primarily used for those who are engaging in a work assignment and they’re generally for projects that require a lot of input from different people and a lot of steps to render them complete. ‍ With the work plan, you can take a single ultimate goal and break it down into the small steps that need to be achieved for that overarching goal to be successful. This generally works best if you break things down into the smallest steps you can and then assign each of the steps to one person who will be responsible for making sure that step is executed and ready for the person who has the next step. So, let’s take a closer look at just what it takes to create the work plan.

Initiating Your First Work Plan

Step 1: determine the end goal/result.

The very first thing you need to know is exactly what it is that you hope to achieve with your plan. You need a specific and measurable outcome that you are seeking to achieve or you will never actually know if you’ve achieved the objective. Now, whether this is a huge, overarching goal or a somewhat smaller one is up to you. Work plans (while commonly saved for large projects) can most definitely still be used for smaller ones. The key is to have something that can be reached through multiple steps and that is SMART. These goals are the ones that will be achievable. A  SMART goal  is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-Bound. That means you need to know what is being done and why. You also need to be able to measure the results and know that the goal has been achieved. You also need to be able to achieve the goal. Is it realistic to get it done the way you’re attempting? It should be relevant, which means each of the steps within the goal needs to add up to the final result you’re looking for. And finally, it needs to be time-bound, which means there needs to be a specific time frame for when it’s done.

Step 2: Break it Down

Next, you’ll need to break down the overarching goal into smaller steps that can easily be handled by a single person or a smaller team. Each of these steps should be specific and measurable so that every member of the team can tell when they have been achieved. If the steps are too large or too variable it can be difficult to determine if that step is complete and if the next team or individual can get started on their steps to move the project forward. It can also be difficult for the individual working on that step to understanding what they’re trying to achieve. ‍ ‍ Using a Gantt chart and your SMART goal setting makes it easy to accomplish this.

Step 3: Assign Roles

Take a look at each of the different steps that need to be done for your ultimate goal to come to fruition. Now, take a look at each of the smaller steps that you’ve determined need to be accomplished. Finally, take a look at the team you have at your disposal to assign these tasks to. What are their strengths? Where would they be able to help push the project forward? Which tasks would each member excel at the most? That’s how you want to take the initiative and assign the tasks out so that each person is working in an area where they will perform best.

Step 4: Set Deadlines

Each of your tasks should have a deadline attached to it so each member knows what they’re working toward and how long they have to do it. If they don’t have a set deadline it becomes very difficult to hold anyone to get their tasks completed. After all, they have as long as they want, right? That’s not the case so take the time to set the deadlines that everyone needs to stick to and make sure that each member of the team knows their deadline. They should know the deadline for their task, for the task immediately before theirs and for the overall project (at a minimum) so they can make sure that their tasks are performed on time and consistent with the overall timeline that you’re looking for.

Step 5: Follow-Up with Everyone

You want to make sure that you’re following up with every member of the team to make sure that everyone is following the rules and the deadlines that have been set for them. This doesn’t mean you need to walk into every office and see what’s happening. With the right work plan and Gantt Chart you’ll be able to check in on the employee progress that’s going on without ever having to walk into those offices. These charts allow you to set to-dos and see who is following the plan and the schedule. You’ll also be able to see where your team is struggling.

Step 6: Keep Everyone on Task

If you’re following up with everyone who is involved in this project you should immediately know if something is going wrong. You should also be able to immediately make changes to the process, the people involved or the steps involved if you find this to be the case. Even more important, you can see where people are getting off track or not pulling their weight. These aspects make it easier for you to get the project done on time and a budget because you’re on top of it all.

Step 7: Set Check-Ins

Chances are there are several people within the team that you’re working with that need to work with others. They may not need to work directly together all the time, but they probably have at least a few stages of the project that they need to communicate about. Set up check-in times for the members of the full team to get together and discuss what’s going on and to ask any questions they may have of you or the other team members. This allows the project to stay on task and allows each of your team to interact with one another positively, face to face. ‍ Now, when it comes to check-in you want to make sure that you’re doing it effectively. Even though this isn’t just about you checking in with your employees, but about everyone checking in with each other, there are some tips and that you can get some benefit out of. For one thing, you should respect that their time is valuable and that you don’t want to take up too much of it. You should also not be afraid to ask for help or clarification in understanding some aspects of the work plan and project. If you don’t understand that’s fine, but if you try to tell someone else what to do when you don’t know what you’re talking about it’s only going to cause more trouble in the long run.

Step 8: Review the Work

Once the project is complete or even after each stage of the project is complete you may want to take a closer look to see if everyone is following along with the work plan. It’s entirely possible that they are not getting the tasks done quite right or that the work plan needs to change because something else has changed. Maybe they didn’t complete the task to the level that you were expecting or required. Whatever it is you are the one that is in charge. You’re the one who needs to make sure that everything meets standards. ‍ If you come across a section of the project that doesn’t meet the standards that have been set that’s the time that you should be doing a little more digging and looking to see just why it didn’t work out the way it was supposed to. You may find yourself having to get parts of the project redone and the sooner you recognize that the better off you and the project as a whole are going to be. You won’t have as much downtime where nothing is happening when it should.

Step 9: Evaluate the End Result

When the project is fully completed and presented to you that doesn’t mean that everything is done. That means that the team believes they have completed all of the stages of the work plan, but there could be more to the process. Your job, as the final project manager, is to take a  look at the finished result . Whether your project is a paper, a physical object or something else entirely, you need to make sure that the result is what you wanted (or if what you wanted wasn’t possible it’s an effective result). If you are pleased with the result or you recognize that your result just wasn’t a possibility then you’re done. It’s time to finish off the project in whatever way you need. The project may need to be presented to a client or it may need to be executed in some other way. Or it may just need to be put away somewhere. On the other hand, if you haven’t achieved the result that you wanted or you haven’t gotten to a satisfactory reason as to why you can’t achieve the result that you want it’s time to back up a few steps. This is where you need to start your team back at it to get a better result next time

Step 10: Move On

Now it’s time for you to get started on the next project. If you have something lined up already it’s time to just jump right in and see what you can make of it. If you don’t have anything yet you may not need your team to do anything. Instead, you can just sit back, relax and wait for the team to be needed again. This is the stage where, no matter what else, you’re going to turn off the work plan you’ve created and be done with it once and for all. If you do have another project that needs to be completed you’re going to need a new work plan, after all. So, take a close look, make sure your work plan is complete, and then get on with the rest of your work schedule. When it comes down to it, you need a work plan that is going to work for you and that’s possible if you know what you’re doing. You need to make sure that you are completing each task efficiently and effectively. You need to make sure that you are planning every step in the best way possible, and you also need to make sure that you’re keeping everyone to the job that they are supposed to be doing. All of this can be done with the right work plan and definitely with the use of a Gantt chart software .

Want to discover more?

18 Best Work Planning Templates For Busy Professionals In 2024 [Includes Daily, Weekly, Monthly Templates]

It can be tough to stay on top of everything when you’re a busy professional. From handling emails and attending meetings to taking care of deadlines, there’s always something vying for your attention. That’s why it’s helpful to have some work planning templates in your arsenal.

Daily, weekly, and monthly planner templates can help you map out your time and ensure that you’re staying on task. If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed or bogged down by your workload, these templates can give you the breathing room you need to reevaluate your priorities and create a plan of action.

According to a study conducted by Gloria Mark of the University of California, “It takes employees approximately 23 minutes to refocus on a task after they get distracted.”

That’s why we’ve gathered professional work templates to help all you hard-working professionals plan your days, weeks, and months more effectively. From to-do lists to goal tracking charts, we’ve got you covered.

Now, let’s dive into the best work planning templates in 2024!

What Is a Work Planning Template? 

A work planning template is a document that outlines the steps and timeframes necessary to complete a task or a project.

It typically includes space for the task or project name, a brief description, and columns for tracking start and end dates, assigned personnel, and completion status. It can be used by individuals or teams and can be tailored to fit specific needs.

Work plan templates can be created in Excel, Google Sheets, or other spreadsheet applications. However, building out the first version of these templates can often be a time-consuming and tedious task. It is often easier to adapt an existing template from a project management tool like monday.com which curates a template library of over 200.

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Daily Work Planning Templates

A daily work planning template is a tool used to help map out and plan your day-to-day tasks. It helps you stay organized and on track during the course of a day. It can help ensure that all tasks are accounted for, and that important deadlines are not forgotten. Most templates include a section for daily goals, as well as a list of to-dos that need to be completed.

1) Daily Briefing by ClickUp

The Daily Briefing Task allows team members to leave a comment providing a quick update on their project progress, roadblocks, and priorities—giving leadership a one-stop shop to keep track of individual contributions and celebrate successes and achievements.

An effective tool for promoting team alignment and transparency, this collaboration template also helps teams quickly identify areas where additional support may be required.

Why we love this daily work template: The Daily Briefing Task streamlines project updates and facilitates team communication, all while making it easy for leadership to get an at-a-glance update across multiple projects. Threaded replies allow for quick collaboration, and comments can even be seen from a List view or Activity view.

Tip: Make sure to send out the completed template as a roundup for all intersted parties!

Where to get started: Daily Briefing by ClickUp

2) Event Planning Template by Wrike

Utilize the template to break down events into stages, coordinate schedules, meet deadlines, assign tasks, visually track progress on a timeline, and manage the event budget. With an interactive Gantt chart, dynamic calendars, and various work views, this Event Planning Template offers unparalleled features, surpassing even dedicated event planning software.

Why we love this daily work template: The Event Planning Template helps you assign tasks to different team members, ranging from finance to marketing. By doing so, you’ll maximize efficiency, collaboration, and achieve outstanding results.

Tip: Use the Event Planning Template for everything from planning and logistics to creative, event, and follow-up.

Where to get started: Event Planning Template by Wrike

3) Daily Standup by Miro

The Daily Standup is the perfect way to get your day started on the right foot. This template will help you track your daily responsibilities and improve your time management so you can reach your goals.

Why we love this daily work template: Thanks to this user-friendly work planning template, you’ll be able to work more efficiently and effectively towards crossing items off of your list, manage deadlines better, prioritize important tasks, and achieve more in less time! You can download this template for FREE and share it with your team members to plan your next daily standup.

Tip:  You may add, categorize and arrange your responsibilities and tasks in order of importance.

Where to get started: Daily Standup by Miro

4) Single Project Template by monday.com

The Single Project Template by monday.com helps you organize your single projects in a simple yet highly effective manner. You can use this template to set timelines and milestones, manage tasks, and gain complete visibility throughout.

Why we love this monthly work template: User-friendly features, colors for denoting statuses, and more than eight views (Gantt charts, Timeline, Kanban, etc.) make this template a breeze to work with.

Tip: The Single Project Template by monday.com is essentially a no-frills and fuss-free template. But it’s flexible enough to scale up when you’re ready to do more with it.

Where to get started: Single Project Template by monday.com

5) Team PTO Template by Smartsheet

The Team PTO Template is a powerful tool that allows you to easily track and analyze absences within your team. With its pre-built charts and executive-level dashboards, you can quickly identify trends and anticipate any potential productivity impacts caused by upcoming shortages.

Why we love this daily work template: This work planning template efficiently manages PTO and absences by utilizing a single intake form and real-time reports. Keep your team and managers updated with this work planning solution.

Tip: You can gain a complete picture of what is going on internally and spot shortages for each project.

Where to get started: Team PTO Template by Smartsheet

6) Daily Task Tracker Template by Wrike

Maximize your productivity by organizing and prioritizing your daily tasks with the powerful tracker template. Experience the satisfaction of achieving your goals and ending each day with a strong sense of accomplishment.

Why we love this daily work template: The Daily Task Tracker Template lets you optimize your workday, empowering you to prioritize, meet deadlines, and celebrate completed tasks. Bid farewell to forgotten responsibilities and embrace a day filled with productivity and success.

Tip: Access the daily task tracker through a request form, organize tasks in structured folders, and track task progress through dashboards.

Where to get started: Daily Task Tracker Template by Wrike

7) Daily Recap Flow by Assembly

The Daily Recap Flow is a great way for employees and managers alike to summarize their work in an easy-to-understand format. You get the highlights of what’s going on with your projects, while also learning about any roadblocks or plans that may be slowing them down!

Why we love this daily work template: The Daily Recap Flow allows you to customize reports and include information like progress updates and any business plans for collaboration with other teams or managers in charge of specific projects throughout. This gives both parties an idea about how their allocated tasks are going and promotes transparency.

Tip: Reduce the number of in-person meetings by obtaining more useful information from your staff and their progress thanks to the Daily Recap Flow.

Where to get started: Daily Recap Flow by Assembly

Bonus: Productivity Planner

The Productivity Planner is designed to help you focus on your top priorities for the day. It includes a daily ‘To Do List’, as well as sections for reminders, deadlines, and follow-up items.

Why we love this daily work template: You can print out the planner templates for each day of the week, so you always have it with you when you need it. Plus, there are helpful tips throughout the planner that will teach you how to be more productive and organized in your work life.

Tip:  Download the digital file instantly, print it out and start planning.

Where to get started: Productivity Planner

Weekly Work Planning Templates

A weekly work planning template is a document that outlines the tasks or goals that need to be accomplished during a given week. It can be used by individuals, teams, or organizations to track progress and ensure that all necessary work is completed.

8) Star Wars Template by Miro

Part icebreaker, part retrospective, this Star Wars-themed template is a favorite of teams who want to work in a galaxy far, far away.

Why we love this daily work template: It is a fun and engaging template that can be used as many times as you want. Perfect for teams that have fans of Star Wars!

Tip: Share the template with the team ahead of your next meeting so they can create their lightsaber and answer the questions.

Where to get started: Star Wars Template by Miro

9) Weekly Planner Template by Miro

Weekly planning is a powerful tool for managing your personal and professional calendars. That’s where Miro’s nifty weekly work plan template comes in.

Whether you’re setting up a virtual coffee date, scheduling an important meeting, or tracking a project, use your weekly planner to stay on track.

Why we love this daily work template: Planning out your day, week, and month has never been more visual — or fun. Miro’s handy template can be shared across your team for broader input. You can also download it into a PDF format ready for printing.

Tip: You can customize your weekly planner with colors, graphics, and images.

Where to get started: Weekly Planner Template by Miro

10) Weekly Activity Planner by Fame

The Weekly Activity Planner is a dynamic dashboard that makes it easier to track all of your tasks. This HR template makes use of the drag-and-drop method. Simply choose your preferred sticky notes style from the supplied library, copy and paste into the Weekly Planner, resize as necessary, and input your activity or task.

Why we love this weekly work template: By using this planner, you will be able to accomplish more! You will have a plan that is tailored specifically to you and your goals. Plus, with this easy-to-use interface, you will be able to get started right away without any hassle.

Tip: Rows and stickers can be added with ease, making it ideal for people who are new to Excel templates.

Where to get started: Weekly Activity Planner by Fame

11) Weekly To-Do List by Miro

The Weekly To-Do List template can help you handle your time and responsibilities better. You may quickly move items around, establish due dates, and keep track of how long it takes to accomplish them. This will assist you in keeping track of your important activities and weekly to-dos.

Why we love this weekly work template: This workplan template makes it easy to stay organized and in command of your job. You’ll be informed of deadlines, so you won’t have to worry about missing a beat again. Additionally, tasks may be easily prioritized based on their significance or urgency. With the Weekly To-Do List Template, you can get more done in less time!

Tip: With just a few clicks, you can export the template to Excel, as well as import your Excel file and convert it into a Miro board in a matter of minutes.

Where to get started: Weekly To-Do List by Miro

Bonus: Weekly Agenda

The Weekly Agenda is a planner that breaks down your work week into an easy and simple flow. You can plan out everything that needs to get done, prioritize, segment the tasks, track progress, move the priorities around, and cross them out. Having a planner like this will help you stay on top of your work and prevent burnout.

Why we love this weekly work template: With the Weekly Agenda, you can finally have a clear understanding of what needs to get done each week. This will increase your productivity , and you’ll feel less overwhelmed.

Tip: Select and organize the project’s personnel. Tag them so they may communicate their priorities or provide feedback, updates, or necessary information.

Where to get started: Weekly Agenda

Monthly Work Planning Templates

A monthly work planning template outlines the specific tasks that need to be completed each month to achieve specific goals. Most templates include a section for monthly goals, as well as a section for weekly assignments that correspond to the monthly goals. A monthly work plan template includes space for you to list out your goals, objectives, and tasks for the month, as well as a calendar to help you keep track of deadlines, milestones, and any new project.

12) Monthly Planner Template by Wrike

This Monthly Planner Template helps you schedule all your monthly projects and get a bird’s eye view of all the team projects that your company is managing. You can also do task prioritization and identify delays or roadblocks instantaneously.

Why we love this monthly work template: The Monthly Planner Template makes it easy to get everyone in the team on the same page. The calendar is sharable so all stakeholders know exactly where the project is at any given time.

Tip: The uber-cool cross-tagging and color-coding features means you no longer have to contend with cumbersome task categorization features!

Where to get started: Monthly Planner Template by Wrike

13) Editable Monthly Planner by MLP

The Editable Monthly Planner features a template for each month, along with a general template you can use interchangeably. Prioritize your to-do list, focus on deadlines, get helpful reminders, organize communication, and make notes in the free space.

Why we love this monthly work template: The Editable Monthly Planner allows you to arrange your to-do list, add reminders, notes, and more in follow-up sections.

Tip:  Take advantage of the fact that once you own the file, you can print out as many copies as you’d like to!

Where to get started: Editable Monthly Planner by MLP

14) Work Plan by Miro

Feeling overwhelmed by your to-do list? The Work Plan template is the solution for you. It’s an online tool that helps you create a plan and then break it down into actionable steps. You can then assign team members to each step and monitor project goals and work progress at every stage.

Why we love this monthly work template: You’ll be able to work on the most important tasks first and avoid getting bogged down by distractions. Plus, with this work plan template’s time tracking feature, you’ll know exactly how much time each task took so you can optimize your workflow in the future.

Tip: Start by selecting one of more than 200+ pre-made layouts or adding and rearranging as many as 30 different column types to build the ideal process.

Where to get started: Work Plan by Miro

15) Wins List Template by Assembly

If you ever get frustrated by your never-ending to-do list, then the Wins List Flow has you covered! It’s a task management template that encourages you to focus on your achievements rather than all of the things left undone. As a result, you can break free from procrastination and feel more productive in general.

Why we love this monthly work template: You deserve to celebrate every accomplishment, no matter how small it may seem. You can use Wins List Flow to record everything you do, as well as acknowledge each task completed. Plus, keeping all of this information in one location makes it simple to revisit and reflect on your achievements and wins over time.

Tip: Make this work planner template yours by customizing it to meet your own, team, department, or even corporate requirements.

Where to get started: Wins List Template by Assembly

Work Breakdown Structure Templates

The WBS consists of a hierarchical list of tasks, starting with the overall goal of the project and then breaking it down into smaller and more manageable tasks needed to achieve that goal. Each task is then assigned a level of detail, from high-level “chunks” to individual steps. This information can then be used to create a project schedule and budget and makes it easier to identify dependencies and allocate resources.

16) Work Breakdown Structure by Miro

The Work Breakdown Structure Template  is a great way to start planning your work, whether you’re managing multiple projects at once or just starting one.

Why we love this work breakdown structure template: This free WBS format makes it easy for anyone with little experience in project management because they can use this one simple tool that guides them through every step of their job!

Tip: This WBS plan has a sample work breakdown schedule so you may observe how it works in practice.

Where to get started: Work Breakdown Structure by Miro

17) Project Feed Template by Assembly

The Project Feed Template assists teams in communicating more effectively and avoiding overlap or missed communications. It’s a must-have tool for keeping everyone up to date on modifications and activities.

Why we love this work breakdown structure template: It’s an essential tool for establishing a clear project timeline and roadmap and helping you decide on an action plan . This will assist you in staying on top of your game and ensuring that nothing slips through the cracks.

Tip: Adjust the degree of visibility necessary for each activity.

Where to get started: Project Feed Template by Assembly

18) Responsibility Matrix Template by Someka

A great project management template is a comprehensive assessment of the members and the assignments. That’s where the Responsibility Matrix Template helps out because it provides a framework for complex projects, simplifying the tasks and making the execution more efficient.

Why we love this work breakdown structure template: This RAM template can be accessed directly through Excel and it contains both a WBS chart and the RACI chart in one file. Exact info about every team members’ assignments is offered with this work planning template.

Tip: Utilize all three sections, which include settings, the responsibility assignment matrix (RAM), and the work breakdown structure.

Where to get started: Responsibility Matrix Template by Someka

Why Should You Use a Work Planning Template?

A work planning template is a way to organize and track the tasks you need to do to achieve a goal. It can help you stay focused and avoid procrastination. A work planning template can ensure that all the important tasks are completed on time. Having a work plan will also help you stay focused and avoid distractions especially if you are working remotely .

People Also Ask These Questions About Work Planning Templates 

Q: how do i create a work plan template.

• A: One way to create a work plan template is to start with a weekly or monthly calendar. This will give you a basic overview of the project that you are planning. Then, add in any major deadlines or events that will be taking place during that period. Next, list out the tasks that need to be completed and include information about who is responsible for each task and when it is due. Finally, add any notes or comments that will help.

Q: Why should I use a work planning template? 

• A: A work planning template will help you stay organized and on track. It ensures you set a project plan to identify the tasks that need to be completed and when they need to be completed. This will help you avoid feeling overwhelmed and stressed out, especially when working on a large project. A work planning template will also help you set a project schedule or timeline and track your progress. This will allow you to maintain a positive reputation within your workplace and avoid any negative consequences. Lastly, using a work planning template can help you become more productive and efficient.

Q: What are the benefits of using a daily work planning template? 

• A: There are several benefits of using a daily work planning template. It helps you organize and structure your workday so that you can be more productive and efficient. It allows you to track your progress and see how much you have accomplished at the end of the day. It keeps you motivated and on track, by setting goals for each day and seeing your progress over time. It also helps reduce stress levels, as it provides a clear overview of what needs to be done each day and breaks down tasks into manageable chunks.

Q: How do I choose the best work planning template? 

• A: It depends on your specific needs and work style. However, there are a few things to keep in mind when choosing a work planning template. Make sure the template is comprehensive enough to cover all the aspects of your work that you need to plan for. A good template should include space for task lists, deadlines, notes, and any other relevant information. Consider how flexible the template is – can it be easily adapted to changing circumstances, or will you need to start from scratch each time something changes? Think about how easy the template is to use – is it straightforward and user-friendly, or does it convolute the work process?

Q: What can I use to help write a work plan template?

• A: There are many tools at your disposal that can make the process of writing a work plan template a lot simpler than if you were starting from scratch. One of the strategies that busy professionals use to get started is to begin with a ready-made template and then start to customize it based on their preferences. The first thing that is often added to a work plan template is a project timeline. Knowing how much time you have to complete your project can help you set reasonable goals that are attainable yet push you to work diligently. Not to mention, once you have solidified your project timeline, you can narrow down into specific tasks that need to be completed on a daily, weekly, or monthly schedule.

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How to Create a Work Plan for a Project [Guide + Visual Examples]

Audio version:

Striving to improve your project management skills, you should clearly know how to create a work plan for a project with ease.

Poor planning can be a nightmare for any team. When it comes to initiating a new project, one of the key goals is to be sure that everyone knows what they are doing and how they should do it. 

You may not have a chance to walk into each office and ensure that the people you have hired are completing their work effectively. However, every step should be accomplished in the right manner.

That’s where a well-prepared work plan comes into play. And if you have no idea how to create a plan for a project and where to start, you need a professional guide for assistance.

In this post, we share some essential tips on how to compose a project workplan better than your competitors. It’s time to amaze them!

What is a work plan for a project?

• Types of work plans .
• Key benefits of creating a work plan .
• 10 steps to create a work plan for a project .

A work plan is a document that helps teams to communicate more clearly about their project. A well-designed work plan contains the action steps needed to complete this project.

The purpose of this strategic doc is to create a visual reference for the project goals, objectives, tasks, and people responsible for each specific area. It means that every team member should be updated based on its progress and current status.

Usually, a work plan is much more detailed than a mere timeline though. It may contain the info about objectives, team responsibilities, and sometimes even the budget.

A typical work plan usually includes:

• A vision with all project goals and objectives.
• Tasks and subtasks with dependencies.
• Task assignments. 
• Milestones.
• Key deliverables.
• Timelines with start and end dates.
• Risks that should be assessed.

All these elements can be easily visualized on an online Gantt chart.

This type of project management charts serves as a professional helper in visualizing the steps and nuances of any plan. It will be useful in various professional spheres from software development to event planning. 

You can try out the diagram when planning activities or scheduling calendars, working on the WBS hierarchy, or customizing roadmap templates .

Gantt chart-based work plans will significantly simplify your efforts and work. In case you have to manage a complex project or multiple projects, you can find and apply one of the available work planner templates . It will save your time, as you will only need to customize and adapt it.

Types of work plans for projects

There are several plans you can use depending on who will be using it. The most common types of this document are:

• Employee work plan. Individuals can apply this plan to develop and execute the certain action steps to complete their project. The doc may include the goals, budget, materials and expenses, an estimated timeline, etc.
• Manager work plan. This kind of a planning document also has a large project scope and may include the benefits the project would have to the business, detailed budget, useful statistics, and so on.
• Business owner work plan. The business owner work plan for project implementation can be focused on annual goals or a new product proposal. It may contain market research and long-term projections.

Now let’s add some thoughts about why a plan of work for a project is important.

Key benefits of creating a work plan

Before we figure out how to make a project workplan, it’s better to first understand where it suits in your project management strategy.

Why do you even need it? 

Below are the main reasons why a project workplan can benefit any team.

Keeps team members organized

Your project will look healthy only if everyone in the team has a clear vision of what you’re all gunning for and what they should do to get closer to your goals.

A work plan serves great for this. It visualizes the project goals in clear terms, but most importantly, demonstrates the work each person has been assigned. 

It’s harder to mess up when people understand what exactly they should be doing and how it adds up in the bigger picture.

Aligns stakeholders

In many cases, you’ll have a product owner, executives, project managers, and many other stakeholders who are affected by the work you’re doing on the project. You will need buy-in from them to guide your efforts to deliver the best outcomes. 

A work plan will serve as a base where you can visualize your ideas and change what needs to be changed.

Enriches a general strategy

A well-prepared work plan will help you visualize your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. By outlining these factors, you will get a clear picture of what you can expect in the course of executing the project.

The plan will guide you through the entire process of executing a project and delivering your business strategy.

Now that you have a general idea of the importance of this document, it’s time to move on to the secrets of developing a work plan for a project.

How to create a work plan for a project: 11 consistent steps

Preparing any document related to project management for the first time is a task that requires outside help and the use of professional PM software.

In the case of creating a work plan, a tool based on a Gantt chart is what you exactly need. Therefore, your choice can be directly associated with GanttPRO.

This online Gantt chart maker will help you generate and manage a robust project workplan from creating tasks to tracking the progress of each timeline activity.

Based on the GanttPRO interface and its advanced features, we propose you to follow the consistent steps for how to make a work plan for a project in a proper way.

1. List your project goals and objectives

It is a cloakroom that a theater begins with and it is the list of goals that usually initiates a work plan.

The first step you should do while thinking about how to make a work plan for a project is to write down all essential goals and objectives related to your project. It’d be great if they’re specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and trackable (that’s right, this is the case for recalling the good old SMART goals concept).

2. Define stakeholders

A project can involve so many stakeholders that sometimes it is difficult to be aware of everyone. They may have more or less impact on a project respectively but you should have a clear understanding about all of them. 

The list of your project stakeholders may include sponsors, risk analysts, procurement specialists, end users, etc.  

3. Determine a project scope

At this stage, you have to point and discuss the work plan basics such as product description, justification, acceptance criteria, deliverables, exclusions, constraints, assumptions, etc.

61% of organizations that were interviewed during the study (2020) mostly or always create a scoping doc as a part of planning. They admit that it’s rather important to get the complete understanding and agreement among all stakeholders during this stage.

4. Create the hierarchy of tasks and visualize it

If your project goals and objectives are set correctly, it will be easier to fill your plan with tasks.

Complex projects will require many activities. Therefore, having a good planning tool you’ll be able to break your tasks down, grouping them into subtasks.

With the help of task settings, you’ll easily organize your activities.

Here’s how it looks in GanttPRO.

This will allow your project participants to visualize the hierarchy of tasks and make life easier when interacting as a team.

By the way, we’ve already discussed this topic when describing how to create a work breakdown structure , so you can recall this material to leave it in memory.

Project management software based on a Gantt chart

Create an online work plan for a project in minutes.

5. Assign roles

By this stage, you should have an initial understanding of how to write a work plan for a project. Now it’s time to include the right people in it.

Once you have listed the objectives and tasks, involve people from your team to drive those initiatives. 

Assign the tasks out so that every team member is working in the area where they can perform best.

Using the Gantt chart maker you’ll do it in minutes.

7. Set deadlines

If you want your team members to know what they’re working toward and how long they have to do it, then each task should have a certain deadline.

In case your colleagues don’t have set deadlines it becomes harder to hold anyone to get their tasks completed. So find the time to write down the deadlines that everyone needs to stick to.

8. Organize your work plan tasks with dependencies and milestones

While composing your work plan, you may realize that many of your tasks should be logically linked with each other.

Task dependencies will simplify timeline management and make it clear for the entire team. In GanttPRO, you can add dependencies using the handy drag and drop feature. If you need to change the dates of dependent tasks, the auto-scheduling option will rearrange the plan automatically.

Highlighting the most important activities is what you can also need to make your planning document manageable and transparent for each team member. 

Define milestones in your schedule to estimate the time it will take to complete your project. It will help you to clarify how your project development is moving forward.

9. Control changes

Another essential aim of the work plan functionality is to keep all stakeholders informed about the possible changes. 

With the help of GanttPRO, you can synchronize your data in real time and get instant notifications. It will allow the stakeholders to be always aware of any changes within certain tasks and the entire project.

10. Make the work plan sharable

Your work plan is almost ready. However, you may need to share it with everyone involved in the project.

The GanttPRO’s advanced export feature will help you to share the doc and demonstrate any particular state of your timeline keeping the stakeholders engaged.

Export your work plan with ease by choosing different formats, such as PDF, PNG, XML, or Excel.

11. Don’t forget about risks

Risk management is an essential part of project management, so you should remember it while thinking about how to write a work plan for a project.

Try to predict what can go wrong on every step, assess risks, and always have the ideas of how to handle them in case they occur. 

What risks can occur? You may face unclear requirements, changes in requirements, budget cuts, poor communication, or shift of dates. 

Luckily, GanttPRO allows for creating an initial version of your project, so you can compare it to the current state. Adding a baseline will help you identify whether the project is developing as it has been planned.

This concludes our list of tips on how to generate an effective work plan. If we missed something, please let us know.

Create a new project work plan in GanttPRO or save time by using a ready-made template

A work plan is a powerful document that project people should be able to create and manage at any time. It clearly articulates the required steps to achieve stated goals by setting objectives and deliverables that can be transformed into specific actions. 

This document should serve as a guide, enabling the realization of an outcome through effective team collaboration.

A handy Gantt chart will assist you in planning, so you can apply GanttPRO functionality to turn your ideas into a well-visualized plan. By using friendly Gantt chart templates , you’ll save precious time and effort.

Follow all the steps described above and take advantage of GanttPRO features to write a project workplan that will be competitive and effective.

Paolo Kukhnavets

Paolo writes about the exciting world of project management, innovative tools, planning strategies, time management, productivity, and more. He has a professional journalism education, over ten years of writing experience, and a vast bag of enthusiasm to comprehend and learn new things every day. In his other life, he is addicted to traveling, gym, and sci-fi movies. He cycles and runs a lot.

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How to Write an Assignment Plan for It to Work

Table of Contents

What is an Assignment Plan?

Why having a plan helps, university assignment plan template: how to step-by-step guide, the research assignment plan template.

In simple terms, an assignment plan is what helps college and university students come up with a clear outline and preparation before they start writing. Even though it may not be obligatory for reflective writing for your English class, it is necessary to have a clear assignment plan for coursework, research papers, lab reports, and assignments that relate to explanatory, argumentative, or Rogerian assignment structure tasks. The trick is to find some helpful information or do your assignment online by asking for additional help when you are stuck. Regarding preparation, some students will turn to mind maps, basic outlines, others consider taking notes when finding a good example that could be used as a reference.

The assignment writing planning for your paper should represent more than just a draft you can come up with. It also includes additional reading and taking a closer look at search results that you encounter when browsing the web. Remember that the most important is to choose your topic and narrow things down accordingly. It should be done even before you start with a draft. Unfortunately, this part is often ignored as it is considered time-consuming. Yet, it has the opposite effect. Having an assignment plan actually helps to save time.

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If you have ever thought about how to write an assignment for university , the chances are high that you have already worked with a plan or even had to submit one. Here are solid reasons why it helps:

• You focus on the list of helpful sources. It basically works as the annotated bibliography that you include as you write.
• An assignment plan helps to narrow down the topics that are too general. When you have a plan, it is always possible to make a proposal with a clear argumentation.
• It makes it easier to come up with a good thesis statement as you brainstorm various ideas.
• You become more focused as you research your subject and start with a draft. It helps you to understand your objectives and come up with topic sentences that can be used as you form your assignment’s structure.
• Having a draft makes it possible to present your topic to your college professor and revise things when you already have all the important thoughts written down.
• You can choose those ideas that fit best and edit things later to fit the word count.

Step 1: Preparing Your Assignment. This is where you brainstorm your preferred subject and think about what can be chosen. It means setting your purpose, looking into similar research papers, and talking to your academic advisor if you are not sure about what must be chosen.

Step 2: Researching Your Subject. Once you have chosen something that works for you, consider moving to the stage of finding good sources and collecting statistical data. It is also where you should take notes that will be helpful as you cite something or come up with strong arguments.

Step 3: Working With a Draft/Outline. Do not be afraid of this assignment planner part even though it may sound frightening. Start with a basic outline where you present an introduction, your thesis statement, research arguments (objectives), and the list of topic sentences with your literature list. Depending on your subject, it may be either for your eyes only or serve as the professionally done draft (proposal).

Step 4: Editing & Revising. This is where you should eliminate all the weak parts by editing your assignment the way you would like. It is actually what helps to work in a relaxed environment and bring things to perfection.

Step 5: Proofreading. Unlike editing, you should not change your sentences at this stage . Look for formatting, grammar, style, syntax, and spelling errors. It also helps a lot if you read it aloud.

Once again, the purpose of a good assignment plan is to help you come up with strong arguments and structure your assignment correctly as you estimate what parts must go to each relevant section.

As a rule, your assignment plan will always differ, depending on your subject and assignment type, yet the most common assignment plan example will include the following seven paragraphs:

• Project’s Name: start date, end date, completed.
• Research Objectives: up to 150-300 words. It should speak about the importance of your assignment and things you would like to achieve. Write an assignment brief as it should always be to the point.
• Ideas and Sketches. Write down the basic ideas that you have for a paper (it can be as much as you would like).
• Resources Used. The list of your sources with citation information and page numbers where applicable.
• Thesis Statement. The most important part of your work – your main argument or a moral take.
• Topic Sentences. These should represent your key arguments and appear at the start of each body paragraph in the final paper. The golden rule is to have one idea per body paragraph.
• Conclusion. This part is another important section of your assignment plan as it should talk about what you wanted to achieve and what has helped (or hasn’t) to do it.

Having a plan in advance will always help you as you already know how to start an assignment by referencing your own writing!

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Get ready for assigned seats: Southwest Airlines ushers in big changes

It's the end of an era at Southwest Airlines.

After more than 50 years , the airline is getting rid of its open seating policy.

In a press release Thursday, the Dallas-based airline acknowledged "preferences have evolved with more customers taking longer flights where a seat assignment is preferred." The airline hopes moving to assigned seats and revamping its boarding process will broaden Southwest's appeal to both new and existing customers, four out of five who prefer assigned seats, according to the airline, which did not give an exact date for the switch. More details are expected in late September.

Assigned seating is just one is one several major operational changes in store. Southwest also plans to introduce premium seating options on all flights and introduce red-eye flights.

"While specific cabin layout details are still in design, Southwest expects roughly one-third of seats across the fleet to offer extended legroom, in line with that offered by industry peers on narrowbody aircraft," the airline said.

Southwest already unveiled a cabin refresh earlier this year and is in the middle of upgrading its fleet with changes announced in 2022, including in-seat USB charging and stronger Wi-Fi .

Booking for the airline's new red-eye flights opened Thursday. The first overnight flights will land next Valentine's Day, in five initial nonstop markets:

• Las Vegas to Baltimore
• Las Vegas to Orlando
• Los Angeles to Baltimore
• Los Angeles to Nashville
• Phoenix to Baltimore

The airline plans to eventually roll out red-eye flights to other markets and offer 24-hour operational capabilities.

The sweeping changes aim to add value for both customers and investors.

"Our goal is to restore industry-leading margins and historical levels of shareholder returns through our comprehensive plan to deliver transformational commercial initiatives, improved operational efficiency, and capital allocation discipline," Southwest's President, CEO and Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors Bob Jordan said in a separate press release, announcing second quarter earnings . Operating revenues were up 4.5% year-over-year and hit an all-time quarterly high of $7.4 billion.

The airline's earnings have been under pressure in recent quarters, partly because of delays in plane deliveries from Boeing, which have impacted revenue and worsened cost pressures. Southwest is also facing pricing pressure as industry-wide overcapacity has dampened domestic airfares.

Contributing: Reuters

• 2024 Elections

Kamala Harris Was Never Biden’s ‘Border Czar.’ Here’s What She Really Did

O n her first foreign trip as Vice President in June 2021, Kamala Harris was tasked with delivering a blunt message in Guatemala City. "I want to be clear to folks in this region who are thinking about making that dangerous trek to the United States-Mexico border: Do not come," she said at a press conference, pausing for effect. "Do not come."

Three years later, that sound bite may come to haunt Harris' nascent presidential campaign. Despite her warning, border crossings reached historic highs during the Biden Administration. Republican critics cast the episode as a symbol of Harris’s ineffective tenure as President Biden's "border czar," a misleading label they applied after she was charged with helming diplomatic efforts to address the root causes of migration from Central America to the U.S. 

“Kamala had one job,” Nikki Haley told the crowd at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee last week. “One job. And that was to fix the border. Now imagine her in charge of the entire country.”

Read More: How Trump Plans To Run Against Harris .

In fact, Harris was never put in charge of the border or immigration policy. Nor was she involved in overseeing law-enforcement efforts or guiding the federal response to the crisis . Her mandate was much narrower: to focus on examining and improving the underlying conditions in the Northern Triangle of Central America—El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras—which has been racked by decades of poverty, war, chronic violence, and political instability. The strategy relied on allocating billions for economic programs and stimulating private-sector investment in the region in hopes that these programs would ultimately lead fewer migrants to make the dangerous journey north.

It was the first high-profile assignment in Harris' tenure as Vice President, and it was an especially thankless one. At best, addressing the “push factors” that spur migration would lead to incremental improvements and take a generation to yield results. At worst, it would make Harris the face of the border crisis, one of the Biden administration's biggest political vulnerabilities. "To the extent that this was a useful assignment, she did reasonably well in getting the private sector to invest in Central America," says Muzaffar Chishti, a senior fellow at the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute. "But it was an assignment that could not produce results anytime soon."

The so-called "root causes strategy" focused on improving economic and security conditions by creating jobs, combating corruption, improving human and labor rights, and reducing violence. Harris allocated funds for humanitarian relief from natural disasters, and directed more than 10 million COVID-19 vaccines to the Northern Triangle countries. She held bilateral meetings with the region's leaders, as well as meetings with NGOs, business executives and human rights advocates. She worked with the U.S. Justice Department to launch an Anti-Corruption task force focused on prosecuting corruption cases with ties to the region, as well as Anti-Migrant Smuggling task forces in Mexico and Guatemala.

Read More: A Guide to Kamala Harris's Views .

Most importantly, Harris spearheaded a public-private partnership that, as of March 2024, had secured commitments from major U.S. and multi-national companies to invest more than $5 billion in the region. The Vice President "put her name on the line with very serious senior CEOs and kind of created a brand appeal for Central America that didn't exist," says Ricardo Zúniga, who until recently served as the U.S. special envoy to Central America. 

Harris also spent time in Washington communicating with regional leaders. One tangible result, according to two former U.S. officials, was that it gave the U.S. the standing and relationships to help prevent Guatemalan prosecutors from overturning the results of last year’s presidential election, which was won by anti-corruption outsider Bernardo Arévalo. While delayed, the ultimately peaceful transition of power avoided the political instability that Biden Administration officials feared could cause a spike in migration. The U.S. applied public pressure through sanctions and visa restrictions on officials they accused of undermining the democratic process, as well as behind the scenes. Harris's team was directly involved, especially her national security adviser Philip Gordon, who traveled to the region to push for a peaceful democratic transfer of power, according to the two former U.S. officials.

But the narrow mandate given to Harris ignored shifting migration patterns, experts say. The slow process of addressing the "push factors," or reasons that migrants leave their countries, says Chisthi, can't compete with the "pull factors"—the economic and safety incentives that draw people to the U.S. When Biden assumed office, officials thought Central America would continue to be the epicenter of migration pressure. "We were wrong," says Zuniga. After the initial surge, migration from the Northern Triangle largely stabilized. By December 2023, 54% of encounters at the southern border involved citizens of countries other than Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data.

Much of Harris’s work failed to break through back home. Instead, she became the target of Republican broadsides about the border crisis and was repeatedly criticized for not visiting the U.S.-Mexico border. "She's dealing with a narrative problem," says Zuniga. With immigration topping the list of Americans’ concerns, according to recent Gallup polls , an ongoing humanitarian crisis at the border, and political deadlock on immigration reform and funding, Harris emerged as the most visible scapegoat.

Read More: Who Could Be Kamala Harris' Running Mate?

As they shift their focus from Biden to Harris, it’s clear that Republicans plan to attack Harris’s role on immigration issues. "The border crisis is a Kamala Harris crisis,” former President Trump's running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, declared at a July 22 rally. A recent National Republican Senatorial Committee memo outlining talking points calls her "the architect of [Biden's] biggest failure." In a post on Truth Social on July 23, Trump said her "incompetence gave us the WORST and MOST DANGEROUS Border anywhere in the World." Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, said if Harris is elected, he will "need to triple the border wall, razor wire barriers and National Guard on the border.” 

Harris has a broader record on immigration, including backing a bipartisan border-security deal aimed at reducing border crossings earlier this year. As a Senator, she was an outspoken advocate of legal protections for DACA recipients, made headlines for aggressively questioning Trump immigration officials, and derided the then-President's border wall as a "medieval vanity project.” But it’s clear the “border czar” label has become a political liability. 

Some Harris allies have expressed frustration with Biden for putting her in this position. In doing so, he was repeating a familiar pattern—it was a portfolio Biden himself was given as Vice President. In 2014, when a surge in children and families from Central America overwhelmed the U.S. immigration system, then-President Barack Obama tasked him with leading the international response to the crisis. "The solution to this problem is to address the root causes of this immigration in the first place," Biden said on a trip to Guatemala City that summer. "Especially poverty, insecurity and the lack of the rule of law.”

Seven years later, little had changed when Harris gave the same speech, in the same place. Politically, "the problem is that no one cares about the root causes," says Chisthi. "It's too abstract. And frankly, very little can be done about them in the short run, while the public is focused on what is happening with the border today."

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Ready for Kamala? First pro-Harris 2024 effort begins recruiting volunteers

President Joe Biden insists he’s staying in the race, and Vice President Kamala Harris is standing by his side. But that hasn’t stopped the first hints of a pro-Harris shadow campaign from taking shape — with or without her blessing — as Democrats debate the future of their presidential ticket.

A handful of alumni of Hillary Clinton’s and Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaigns have come together to form United for Harris , so far the first public-facing effort to promote a potential 2024 presidential campaign for Harris, news of which was shared first with NBC News.

Organizers compare the effort to Ready for Hillary , the group that formed months before the former secretary of state officially entered the 2016 contest, which recruited volunteers who pledged their support as they waited for the formal campaign to begin.

“We just want to put it out there that there are folks who are wanting to rally around the vice president, should Joe Biden step aside,” said Matt Ortega , a Democratic digital strategist who served as digital director for communications on Clinton’s campaign. “The idea is to give some people out there who want Harris to be at the top of the ticket a focal point.”

Ortega said the goals of the group are relatively modest: Give Harris supporters “an actionable thing to do” as they wait for the succession crisis to unfold. And to promote Harris’ potential candidacy with what they hope will be a strong show of support for the vice president.

Ortega said the group does not plan to retain the data it collects or live on in any form beyond this unique moment.

The effort is not authorized by Harris or her team, which has assiduously avoided doing anything that could interpreted as disloyal to Biden.

Harris’ spokesperson declined to comment.

It comes as Democrats are beginning to split into the three camps: Those who want to stick with Biden, those who want to replace him with Harris, and a third group that wants an open nominating process where multiple candidates could compete at next month’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

The pro-Harris camp argues that she represents enough change to re-energize Democratic voters and reset the presidential race, while retaining enough continuity from Biden to avoid the potential divisiveness of presidential primary do-over.

“Having worked on the 2016 primary and seeing the 2020 primary, I think reducing that process to a few days creates room for chaos,” Ortega said. “And effectively, Harris was already voted on by the primary voters, so she has democratic legitimacy.”

Harris supporters say Democrats could still get some of the excitement of an open convention through the jockeying for the vice presidential slot, which would need to be filled if Biden steps aside and Harris replaces him atop the ticket.

With polls showing Biden currently trailing former President Donald Trump, Harris supporters say it’s better to take a chance on her rather than stick with a candidate they view as doomed.

“It’s a risk, it’s unprecedented,” United for Harris argues on its website . “But we’re down with just seconds to go in the third quarter, and we know Kamala Harris will make us proud.”

Harris struggled during the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, which she entered with momentum and money before fizzling out disappointingly early.

She had particular issues with progressives that year, and now, some of Biden’s most vocal defenders are coming from the left, including figures like Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez , D-N.Y.

But other progressives have re-evaluated Harris, and the nascent pseudocampaign on her behalf got a big boost Saturday from Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., a progressive who ran against both Biden and Harris in the 2020 Democratic primary.

“What gives me a lot of hope right now is that if President Biden decides to step back, we have Vice President Kamala Harris, who is ready to step up to unite the party, to take on Donald Trump and to win,” she said in an interview on MSNBC’s “The Weekend.”

“I’ve known Kamala for nearly 15 years now, back when I was setting up the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and Kamala was attorney general of California,” Warren added. “We worked side by side to try to fight back against giant banks that were cheating people. Kamala has led the charge in order to fight back against the Republicans that want a nationwide abortion ban.”

Democratic Party rules make it virtually impossible to replace Biden unless he steps aside. And the party is still on track to formally nominate him in a virtual roll call vote during the first week of August. His campaign says he will be back on the stump starting next week after he recovers from Covid.

Alex Seitz-Wald is a senior political reporter for NBC News.

Watch CBS News

The facts about Kamala Harris' role on immigration in the Biden administration

By Camilo Montoya-Galvez

Updated on: July 23, 2024 / 11:48 AM EDT / CBS News

Following President Biden's decision to abandon his reelection campaign and endorse Vice President Kamala Harris to be the Democratic nominee for president, Harris' role on immigration has come under scrutiny.

Soon after Mr. Biden's announcement, Republicans sought to blame Harris for the Biden administration's woes at the U.S.-Mexico border, where American officials have reported record levels of illegal crossings in the past three years. In a phone conversation with CBS News on Saturday, former President Donald Trump said Harris presided over the "worst border ever" as "border czar," a title her Republican detractors often give her.

Harris is all but certain to face even more criticism over the Biden administration's record on immigration, one of American voters' top concerns ahead of the election. And Harris does have an immigration-related role in the Biden White House, but her responsibilities on the issue are often mischaracterized. 

What exactly is Harris' immigration role?

In March 2021, when the Biden administration faced the early stages of an influx in illegal crossings at the U.S. southern border, Mr. Biden tasked Harris with leading the administration's diplomatic campaign to address the "root causes" of migration from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, including poverty, corruption and violence.

The region, known as Central America's Northern Triangle, has been one of the main sources of migration to the U.S.-Mexico border over the past decade. 

Harris was not asked to be the administration's "border czar" or to oversee immigration policy and enforcement at the U.S.-Mexico border. That has mainly been the responsibility of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and his department, which oversees the country's main three immigration agencies, including Customs and Border Protection.

In reality, the only role close to that of a "border czar" under the Biden administration was held for only a few months by Roberta Jacobson, a longtime diplomat who served as coordinator for the Southwest border until April 2021.

In her immigration role, Harris' main line of work has focused on convincing companies to invest in Central America and promoting democracy and development there through diplomacy. In March of this year, the White House announced Harris had secured a commitment from the private sector to invest over $5 billion to promote economic opportunities and reduce violence in the region.

Efforts to reduce migration by improving conditions in migrants' home countries have always been viewed as a long-term strategy by U.S. officials. In its "root causes"  framework , the Biden administration conceded the "systemic change" it envisions for Central America "will take time to achieve."

Questions about her work on immigration

There are some legitimate questions about Harris' work on immigration.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, most non-Mexican migration to the U.S. southern border originated from the Northern Triangle. In 2021, it made sense for the administration to focus on the root cases of migration in those countries. But migration flows have changed dramatically in recent years. Record numbers of migrants have been coming from places outside of Central America, including from countries like Cuba, Colombia, China, Ecuador and Venezuela.

In fiscal year 2023, for example, Border Patrol apprehensions of migrants from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador made up 22% of all crossings during that time period, down from 41% in fiscal year 2021, government statistics show. On the flip side, however, the administration could point to the fact that illegal crossings along the U.S. southern border by migrants from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador have decreased significantly every year since 2021.

While most of her critics have been Republicans, Harris' work on immigration has also garnered some criticism from the left. During a visit to Guatemala in June 2021, Harris told those intending to migrate, "Do not come," a statement that drew ire from some progressives and advocates for migrants.

As the second-highest ranking member of the Biden administration, Harris will also likely face questions over the all-time levels of unlawful border crossings reported in 2021, 2022 and 2023. Those crossings, however, have plunged this year, reaching a three-year low in June , after Mr. Biden issued an executive order banning most migrants from asylum.

Camilo Montoya-Galvez is the immigration reporter at CBS News. Based in Washington, he covers immigration policy and politics.

More from CBS News

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A look at Kamala Harris' work on foreign policy as vice president

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Joe Biden wants to pass the baton to Kamala Harris. Here’s how that might work

She’s already broken barriers, and now Kamala Harris could become the first Black woman and the first person of South Asian descent to head a major party’s presidential ticket if Democrats nominate her after President Joe Biden ended his reelection bid.

FILE - President Joe Biden speaks from the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, July 14, 2024. With Biden ending his reelection bid and endorsing Harris, Democrats now must navigate a shift that is unprecedented this late in an election year. Democrats are set to hold their convention in Chicago in August. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

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FILE - President Joe Biden, left, and first lady Jill Biden hold hands as they arrive at Fort Lesley J. McNair, Monday, July 1, 2024, in Washington. President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 race for the White House on Sunday, July 21, ending his bid for reelection following a disastrous debate with Donald Trump that raised doubts about his fitness for office just four months before the election. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

FILE - President Joe Biden listens as Vice President Kamala Harris speaks in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, May 13, 2024. With Biden ending his reelection bid and endorsing Harris, Democrats now must navigate a shift that is unprecedented this late in an election year. Democrats are set to hold their convention in Chicago in August. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

FIE - Vice President Kamala Harris, left, and President Joe Biden attend a trilateral meeting in the East Room of the White House in Washington, April 11, 2024. With Biden ending his reelection bid and endorsing Harris, Democrats now must navigate a shift that is unprecedented this late in an election year. Democrats are set to hold their convention in Chicago in August. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)

FILE - President Joe Biden arrives at Los Angeles International Airport, Feb. 20, 2024, in Los Angeles. President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 race for the White House on Sunday, July 21, ending his bid for reelection following a disastrous debate with Donald Trump that raised doubts about his fitness for office just four months before the election. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

FILE - President Joe Biden speaks in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House, Feb. 8, 2024, in Washington. President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 race for the White House on Sunday, July 21, ending his bid for reelection following a disastrous debate with Donald Trump that raised doubts about his fitness for office just four months before the election. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

Follow AP’s live coverage of the 2024 presidential race.

ATLANTA (AP) — With President Joe Biden ending his reelection bid and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris , Democrats now must navigate a shift that is unprecedented this late in an election year.

Democrats are set to hold their convention in Chicago on Aug. 19-22. What was supposed to be a coronation for Biden now becomes an open contest in which nearly 4,700 delegates will be responsible for picking a new standard-bearer to challenge Republican Donald Trump in the fall.

The path ahead is neither easy nor obvious, even with Biden endorsing Harris. There are unanswered questions about logistics, money and political fallout.

Can Biden redirect his delegates?

Biden won every state primary and caucus earlier this year and only lost the territory of American Samoa. At least 3,896 delegates had been pledged to support him.

Current party rules do not permit Biden to pass them to another candidate. Politically, though, his endorsement is likely to be influential.

What could happen at the convention?

With Biden stepping aside, Democrats technically start with an open convention. But realistically, his endorsement pushes Democrats into murky territory.

The immediate burden is on Harris to solidify support across almost 4,000 delegates from the states, territories and District of Columbia, plus more than 700 so-called superdelegates that include party leaders, certain elected officials and former presidents and vice presidents.

Will anyone challenge Harris?

Even before Biden announced his decision, Democrats floated California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer as potential contenders in addition to Harris. Yet some Democrats argued publicly, and many privately, that it would be a no-brainer to elevate the first woman, first Black woman and first person of south Asian descent to hold national office.

Given how important Black voters -– and Black women especially -– were to Biden’s nomination and his choice of Harris as running mate, it would be risky, to say the least, for Democrats to pass her over for a white nominee. Democrats already faced historical headwinds before Biden’s withdrawal. Newsom and Whitmer, both of whom are white, and any other Democrat would also have to weigh the short-term and long-term benefits of challenging Harris now versus preserving goodwill for a future presidential primary.

Yet, fair or not, Harris also has not been viewed as an especially beloved or empowered vice president . The best scenario for her and Democrats is to quickly shore up support and project a united front. Democrats could even go forward with their plans for an early virtual vote – a move they’d planned to make sure Biden was selected ahead of Ohio’s general election ballot deadline.

What to know :

• Biden drops out : The president ended his reelection bid and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris after a disastrous debate inflamed age concerns. Read Biden’s letter announcing his withdrawal .
• What happens next : How Biden passing the baton to Harris might work.
• Praise, calls for resignation : Democrats hailed Biden’s decision as selfless while Republicans urged him to resign.
• Inside Biden’s legacy : Historians and political advisers say history will be kinder to Biden than voters have been.
• Broken barriers : Harris could become the first Black woman, person of south Asian descent to head major party’s presidential ticket .
• Stay informed. Keep your pulse on the news with breaking news email alerts. Sign up here.

What happens to Biden’s campaign money?

Biden’s campaign recently reported $91 million cash on hand. Allied Democratic campaign committees brought the total at his disposal to more than $240 million. Campaign finance experts agree generally that Harris could control all those funds since the campaign was set up in her name as well as Biden’s. If Democrats do nominate someone other than Harris, party accounts could still benefit the nominee, but the Biden-Harris account would have more restrictions. For example, legal experts say it could become an independent expenditure political action committee but not simply transfer its balance to a different nominee.

How will a vice presidential nomination work?

The vice presidential nomination is always a separate convention vote. In routine years, the convention ratifies the choice of the nominee. If Harris closes ranks quickly, she could name her choice and have the delegates ratify it. In an extended fight, though, the vice presidency could become part of horse-trading — again, a return to conventions of an earlier era.

Can Republicans keep Harris off state ballots?

Any curveball during a U.S. presidential campaign is certain to produce a flurry of state and federal lawsuits in this hyper-partisan era, and some conservatives have threatened just that.

State laws, though, typically do not prescribe how parties choose their nominees for president. And some GOP figures – Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey – have worked already this year to ensure their party did not deny Democrats’ routine ballot access.