- name
- project-planning
- description
- Deep project planning workflow—goals and non-goals, work breakdown, dependencies, critical path, risks and buffers, milestones, and communication rhythm. Use when kicking off initiatives, replanning after slips, or coordinating cross-team delivery.
Project Planning (Deep Workflow)
Plans are hypotheses—update them as facts arrive. Strong plans surface dependencies early and make trade-offs explicit (scope, date, quality).
When to Offer This Workflow
Trigger conditions:
- Multi-team effort with a hard date or external dependency
- Timeline slip and need to re-baseline honestly
- Scope creep without prioritization conversation
Initial offer:
Use six stages: (1) frame outcome, (2) decompose work, (3) map dependencies, (4) schedule & buffers, (5) risks & mitigations, (6) operating rhythm. Confirm planning style (milestone-based, agile release train, hybrid).
Stage 1: Frame Outcome
Goal: Problem statement, success criteria, non-goals, constraints (date, budget, compliance).
Exit condition: One-page charter stakeholders can align on.
Stage 2: Decompose Work
Goal: Epics or WBS → trackable chunks—not necessarily micro-tasks unless execution needs it.
Practices
- Prefer vertical slices (end-to-end thin features) over “all backend first” when possible
Stage 3: Map Dependencies
Goal: External teams, vendors, legal, security, infra—on critical path.
Practices
- Include lead time for reviews and procurement
Exit condition: Dependency table: item, owner, need-by date, status.
Stage 4: Schedule & Buffers
Goal: Identify critical path; buffer risky unknowns, not every line uniformly.
Practices
- Milestones with demo-ready acceptance criteria
Stage 5: Risks & Mitigations
Goal: Top risks with likelihood/impact, owner, mitigation, and trigger for plan B.
Stage 6: Operating Rhythm
Goal: Steady cadence: weekly tactical sync, steering at milestones, RAID log updates, decision log to avoid re-litigation.
Final Review Checklist
- [ ] Charter: goals, non-goals, constraints
- [ ] Work breakdown with vertical slices where feasible
- [ ] Dependencies with owners and dates
- [ ] Schedule reflects critical path and buffers
- [ ] Risks tracked with mitigations
- [ ] Communication cadence agreed
Tips for Effective Guidance
- Plans usually fail on hidden dependencies—make them visible.
- Fixed scope + fixed date + fixed quality: pick two explicitly.
- Agile still benefits from milestone intent for cross-company coordination.
Handling Deviations
- Research-heavy work: timebox spikes before committing delivery dates.
- Small teams: minimum viable RAID + weekly priority still helps.