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).

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Stage 1: Frame Outcome#

Goal: Problem statement, success criteria, non-goals, constraints (date, budget, compliance).

Exit condition: One-page charter stakeholders can align on.

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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

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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.

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Stage 4: Schedule & Buffers#

Goal: Identify critical path; buffer risky unknowns, not every line uniformly.

Practices#

• Milestones with demo-ready acceptance criteria

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Stage 5: Risks & Mitigations#

Goal: Top risks with likelihood/impact, owner, mitigation, and trigger for plan B.

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Stage 6: Operating Rhythm#

Goal: Steady cadence: weekly tactical sync, steering at milestones, RAID log updates, decision log to avoid re-litigation.

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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.