Stage 2: Developing the project

From the information that was approved in the Business Case or GPPF you now need to build on the detail of what the project will deliver, how it will be delivered, by whom, and how much it will cost.  You will need to identify any potential constraints that may affect the project and the risks that will need managing.

The Business Plan is also the opportunity to ensure everyone involved in the project has a common understanding of what the project will and will not deliver and to agree how the delivery will be controlled.

A CCC Project Business Plan Template is provided that will guide you through the process of putting the plan together.

If you are applying for external funding, the funding body may have a pre-determined format for the Business Plan, the document may also be called something else (e.g. Business Case or Project Initiation Document).  In this circumstance you should use the format provided by the funder; provided the information required is sufficient to satisfy the project board/ CCC decision maker there is no requirement to produce a second Project Business Plan using the CCC template.

The Business Planning Process is broken down into a number of smaller steps (below), these are aligned to the sections in the Project Business Plan Template.

Project Aim and Objectives (What are we setting out to achieve and why?)

You will have provided an outline of the project aims and deliverables in the business case or GPPF.  In the Business Plan you should confirm that these objectives are still valid and confirm the boundaries (scope) of the project.  This will ensure that any changes are recognised at this early stage and provide background information for the Project Business Plan document.

Project Outcomes, Benefits and Critical Success Factors (What difference/ impact is the project going to make and what must it achieve for it to be considered a success?)

Benefits are the desired outcomes of the project; they are identifiable and measurable improvements on the status quo that can be attributed to the deliverables or outputs that are produced during the project lifecycle.  You should also consider any dis-benefits that may arise from the project (i.e. impacts that are perceived to be negative).  The Project Business Plan needs to confirm the expected benefits (and dis-benefits) of the project and how they will be measured.  It might be helpful to think about what success of the project will look like.  See Guidance on Defining Project Benefits opposite.

Project Approach (How are you going to do the doing?)

You will need to confirm and add detail about how you intend to approach the project, how will it be delivered.  The options appraisal you carried out to complete the Business Case or GPPF is the basis for this.  For example, will you require contractors to deliver, are any key responsibilities to be split between departments or project partners, are any specialist services required etc.

Quality (What level of quality to you need/ expect to achieve?)

It is important to establish and document the quality expectations of the project from the outset to ensure the project solution or deliverables are fit for purpose.  You will need to define the criteria by which the project’s quality expectations can be assessed, for example; time, cost, functionality of deliverable products or outputs, customer requirements, reliability, service or system performance…  The criteria that you use must be realistic and measurable.  You will also need to determine how the Quality will be managed (e.g. whose responsibility is it to ensure quality expectations are met and who determines if they have been met).

Costs and Funding Requirements (How much will it cost and where is the money coming from?)

You should have provided high level cost estimates in the Business Case or GPPF; you need to provide a detailed cost breakdown at this stage in the project.  It is vital that project costing is properly undertaken to ensure the project is affordable.  This exercise may also help you to identify key cost related risks (e.g. areas of potential cost escalation). You will also need to secure the funding for the project (if this hasn’t already been completed).  If funding is being sought from sources outside the Authority you will need to consider the constraints that accompany the funding (e.g. grant conditions, compliance requirements) and the impact this will have on the project and other resources in the Authority (see Resources below).

Procurement:

You will have started to consider procurement requirements in Stage 1.  The Project Business Plan now requires you to work with the procurement unit to draw up a procurement plan and strategy for the project.  This is very important given the length of time some procurement processes can take and the resources that may be required both from the project team and the Procurement Unit.

Resources (Other than money, what resources will be required to deliver the project?)

It is important to understand and agree the administrative and specialist resource requirements that the project will place on the organisation.  You should engage with any department or individual who will be expected to contribute to the project, to discuss the project and agree an appropriate level of support or resource that will be required.  Remember these are experienced professionals who can provide valuable advice in the planning stages of a project.  Examples of departments whose resources are usually required in projects but are often overlooked include; procurement, legal services, design services, planning, technical services. 

Key Milestones (Significant points in the delivery of the project)

It may be useful to determine a series of key milestones that the project is expected to reach.  These key milestones can be used as review and control points in the project.

High Level Project Delivery Plan (An outline of the activities that will get the project delivered)

You will need to develop a High Level Delivery Plan that includes details of the work required to complete the project, estimated timescales (start and end dates), key milestones and any other relevant planning information.  You should also include information about any assumptions that have been made in the planning process.

Identify Interdependencies (Do any other activities have a direct impact on the project?)

You will need to identify and consider any interdependencies between your project and any others.  This might include one project depending on the outcome of another, or your project influencing the activity of another.  It is important to identify and address these interdependencies at this stage in the process as it may affect the planned project delivery.

Stakeholders and Communication (How will the right people be involved in and informed about the project?)

Consider who the stakeholders are in the project, who has an interest, what that interest is, how could/ should stakeholders influence or affect the project and how should the interest be managed.

When you know who the stakeholders are you need to consider who needs to be advised about the project and decide what information they need and when they need to receive it.

Risk Identification and Management (What could go wrong and how will you manage it?)

It is important to understand what can go wrong in a project that will affect the potential to deliver the outcomes and benefits on time, meeting quality requirements and within budget.  The active management of risk is also important; as a project progresses circumstances change and internal and external influences can bring new risks and remove existing ones.  Risk management will ensure you are aware of the potential effects of circumstances and plan contingency measures if appropriate.

The Authority has introduced a risk management tool for project managers, if you haven’t used the system before you will need to contact colleagues in Risk to register to use the system. For access to the Risk Management Tool, contact:

Helen L Pugh, Head of Audit, Risk and Procurement - Ext 6223

Governance and Management (How will the project be controlled and by whom?)

You should already have appointed the Senior Responsible Officer, Project Manager and Project Board (if appropriate).  You now need to agree how the project delivery will be structured, monitored and managed (if this hasn’t already been determined).  You will need to agree:

• Decision making parameters for the project manager,
• Key control points for the Project Board to meet and approve progress to the next phase,
• What information will be required by the Project Board for them to carry out their role effectively and in what format
• Reporting mechanisms
• The role of stakeholders in the management of the project (for example; funding bodies, interdependent projects, other departments...)

There is no standard governance structure in the Authority because all projects are different, you need to balance the requirement to appropriately control, manage and guide the project with the need to deliver the project outcomes.  The management and governance should be proportionate to the requirements and complexity of the project.  External funding organisations may insist on a particular governance structure.

Exit Strategy (What happens at the end of the project?)

It may be relevant at this stage to think about what will happen at the end of the project, for example how to transition the project outputs to operational business or transfer them to the end user.

Your Business Plan will need to be approved by the Project Board and relevant decision maker (As identified in the Monitoring and Control Decision Matrix) before you can proceed to Stage 3: Delivering the Project.

If this hasn’t already been done, the necessary funding and resources must be secured for the project before proceeding to Stage 3: Project Delivery

You will need electronic and paper project files to record and monitor project activity and to meet audit and/ or funding body requirements.

You should also set up a Risk and Issue log to record any significant issues and new risks that arise as the project progresses.

It is useful to learn from others experiences, to do that effectively everyone needs to record and share any lessons they have learned from their experience, it is therefore good practice to set up a Lessons Learned log for you to record these lessons as the project progresses.

Project budgets will need to be set up on the Authorities’ Financial Management System to ensure expenditure and income is appropriately accounted for and monitored. You will need to contact your departmental accountancy team member to action this.

If additional staff need to be appointed to the project team, they need to be appointed before proceeding to Stage 3: Delivering the Project. The appointments process can take considerable time, it may be possible to commence the process before the Business Plan is approved if there is sufficient confidence in the project and the timescale for delivery requires staff to be in place immediately.

External Funding: Projects that are to receive external funding to fund posts may not be in a position to appoint the delivery team until funding is confirmed and the project starts. In these circumstances the appointments process will become part of Stage 3: Delivering the Project and the delivery and financial plans for the project should reflect this. Note that the appointments process can take considerable time, and project delivery may be delayed until posts are filled.

Once you have approval to deliver the project you will need to put more detail into the High Level Project Plan.  The Project Delivery Plan is a time based plan of the key activities required to deliver the project’s objectives.  It shows the order of activities and dependencies and is the key document for managing a project.   All projects require planning as it provides the means to control the project and provides those involved with information about:

• what is required,
• how, by whom and with what resources the project will be carried out,
• when everything will happen and at what cost.

  There are many tools that can be used to develop and document a project plan Microsoft Project is commonly used in the Authority.