3 Step Process to Building a Project Work Plan Template in Wrike

Ever left an important project meeting with a notepad or Wrike task full of notes, but no idea what the actions items are ... or even where to begin? You're not alone. Here's a hint: your first step should be to create a project work plan. 

But what is a project work plan, you ask? A project work plan allows you to outline the requirements of a project, project planning steps, goals, and team members involved in the project. This provides visibility to everyone involved, keeps project deliverables organized in one place, and helps you stay on track to reach your objectives.

Having a template for your project work plan can save time and prevent duplicated efforts. These templates make great project management tools for any big project, whether it's planning an online marketing email campaign, upcoming event, or a website launch. 

Let's start with the basics. Every project plan needs goals. Within each goal, you're going to outline the necessary Key Action Steps in project planning, the requirements, and who's involved in each action step. Once you've thought about these, you can start building your template. 

These plans can be built in Excel or Word, but we'll share with you how we do it here Wrike:

Begin your 2-week free trial to start building your template!

Step 1: Start a Project 

This will act as your project work plan template. Create a fresh Project and title it "Project Work Plan TemplateYou can replace this with the actual Project title once you have one. If you have a place where you keep other templates, this project templateto that folder. 

Step 2: Add Goals

The goals are the most important part of your project management work plan. Before you add the goals, make sure you run them by the project stakeholders so they are clear and concise—and everyone agrees on them. To create your goals, add tasks to your Project representing each goal. 

Step 3: Create Key Action Steps

For each goal, you're going to add your Key Action Steps (KAS). There should at least be one for each goal. Each KAS will detail what is involved to reach this specific goal. 

The KAS will consist of five components:

1. Expected Outcome - Add this as a subtask to the KAS. The Expected Outcome will outline what is expected from each KAS.
2. Review/Evaluation - Add this as a second subtask under the KAS. The Review/Evaluation will provide a space to measure and review the outcome of each KAS
3. Assignees - Assign a team member, or multiple team members, to the KAS.
4. Completion Date - Add a due date. 
5. Additional Notes - Lastly, use the description section for any additional comments or notes you think are important to complete the KAS.

You're Done!

Once you've completed your template, sit down and go through it with your colleagues so they can stay on top of planning when the next project arises. Remember, managing a project before it manages you is the key to successful project management!

Here are additional resources for building a project work plan template:

• Free Excel Timeline Templates - If you're looking for ideas and multiple versions of a project work plan example, check out this guide on building Gantt Chart-style timelines in Excel. 
• Free PDF Work Plan Template - PDF work plan templates for teams and projects of all sizes. 
• A Work Plan Vs. Project Plan  - Looking to compare the two? This resource provides an in-depth description of each so you can discover what works best for you.
• 6 Steps to a Foolproof Project Plan - Wondering how you prepare before you build your project work plan? These handy tips will help you start on the right foot and plan with confidence. 

Do you have any additional tips to building a project work plan template in Wrike?

We learn from your experiences! Share your tips in the comments. 

Want to learn how to create other easy templates in Wrike? Check out our post on How to Create Project Templates in Wrike.

Source: mwsu.edu