Planning a project is like juggling three balls – time, cost, and quality. Once you have figured out how to do this using a project timeline, budget, and monitoring framework (respectively), it’s time to turn your visions into reality using a formal implementation plan – one tailored to your unique project goals. After all, without a step-by-step action strategy for the execution phase of your project – your project plan is only hopes and dreams.
Lucky for you, at WordLayout, we have developed a series of Implementation Plan templates catering to the needs of different types of projects. From marketing strategies & business plans to resource and budget implementation plans – we’ve got you covered regardless of the nature, size and complexity of your project. Click here to check out our complete collection of implementation plan templates, or maybe even learn to make your own!
Now let’s explore our spreadsheet in a bit more detail:
Project Overview
Right at the top of our template, we describe the project as a whole, including its name and the project lead (usually, the Project Manager) who is responsible for overseeing each phase of the project.
You then define the scope of the project using a single, comprehensive, and clear statement that captures the project’s objectives, deliverables, timeline, and budget.
For example, for a project related to a mobile app, the project scope statement may sound something like this: ‘This project includes app development, testing, and launch by 30% by 31st December 2025 within a total budget of no more than 10,000 USD’.
Lastly, we add a separate space for you to identify key project deliverables. These are the tangible or intangible outcomes of all the tasks part of the project. For instance, for a software design project, deliverables can include things like a product prototype, a strategic report, and a usability report.
The Mainsheet
In the first column, you will sequence your project into distinct phases. A typical project life cycle consists of 5 phases including – initiation, planning, execution, monitoring, and closure.
We have clubbed these together in our template into three phases: Project Initiation & Planning (Phase 1), Project Execution (Phase II), and Project Monitoring & Closure (Phase III). However, you can add additional phases to accommodate your own project needs & context.
In the next column, you divide each phase into a set of actionable plans that direct your team’s workflow in a certain direction. For example, as part of Phase I, you will have to implement plans to identify stakeholders and obtain relevant approvals.
Priority assigner
Not all tasks are equally important. While some may be an urgent priority for a client with the fate of a whole project counting on it, others may be better off on the back burner, say, minor bug fixes or responding to irrelevant emails.
In this column, we use a color-coded system to assign a particular priority level to each plan by assessing its importance in light of project needs or client demands. Our drop-down menu lets you choose from three options: ‘High, ‘Medium’ and ‘Low’; however, we have added a configuration sheet in case you want to use different categories to suit your project context.
Start and end date
Having a set time frame for each plan helps you get work done fast. That’s exactly why these two columns are the heart of most project documents as they place every plan inside a time frame, ensuring your project delivers on time.
First, you identify a start date which is when you expect your project team to begin working on a particular plan. This may be decided based on the level of priority you assign to each or the logical task dependencies that connect each plan/phase of a project to the next.
In the case of end dates, just remember to not be overly ambitious as you want time frames that are bold enough to create a sense of urgency for your team while still being realistic.
Status checker
In this section, you simply want to get a sense of the progress of your tasks once your project enters its implementation phase.
In our template, we have used a color-coded system where you can check the status of your plan using one of seven options:
- Not Started
- In Progress
- Complete
- Need Review
- Approved
- Overdue
- On Hold
If you want to customize this list, we have also provided a configuration sheet with the template where you can add, replace, or remove categories to suit your own project needs and context.
Wrap Up
And there you have it! A simple and straightforward template you can easily customize to projects of any nature, size, and complexity. For a more detailed implementation plan, feel free to check out our Detailed Implementation Plan template, which also allows you to factor in other details such as allocated budget and task duration!
Feel free to check out our complete guide to Project Planning and Management here to learn about the different project documents you need to bring a project plan to life!
Our free, editable template can be easily downloaded for use as an EXCEL file!
