What is Project Design in Project Management?

Project design is the process of crafting a high-level roadmap for a project. It’s an early planning stage that takes place before the official project plan or charter is created. Here, the focus is on the big picture rather than specific details. Imagine it as laying the foundation for a house – you wouldn’t start building walls without a solid foundation, right?

Benefits of Project Design:

Foundation for Success: Project design establishes the “why” behind the project. By defining clear goals and objectives during this phase, project managers ensure every step throughout the project aligns with the overall vision.

Streamlining Projects: For smaller projects, the design phase can even replace the proposal and plan, simplifying the entire project lifecycle. Think of it as a one-stop shop for initial project definition.

Alignment and Communication: Project design is an opportunity to harmonize ideas, processes, and deliverables. Visual tools like charts, timelines, and even vision boards help stakeholders understand the project’s direction. Furthermore, involving stakeholders in the design phase fosters clear communication and helps secure their buy-in from the outset.

Connecting it to the Project Management Lifecycle:

Project design falls within the Initiating phase of the five project management phases outlined in The PMBOK’s Five Project Phases (Initiating, Planning, Execution, Monitoring & Controlling, Closing). It serves as a broad blueprint before more detailed project planning takes place. Think of it as a high-level overview using tools like Gantt charts and flowcharts. This initial design establishes a baseline for the team and stakeholders to move forward with.

Key Elements of Project Design: Balancing the Triple Constraint

Imagine a project as a special mission with a clear target. It has a start and finish, and a to-do list to get. Project design defines the project’s foundation by establishing key elements that directly and indirectly influence the three core constraints of project management: Scope, Time, and Cost.

Scope: This defines the project’s boundaries, outlining the specific deliverables and what’s excluded. A well-defined scope directly impacts all three constraints. It influences:

Time: A broader scope typically requires more time to complete all the deliverables.

Cost: A wider scope often translates to more resources needed, driving up the project’s cost.

Resources: The type and amount of resources (people, equipment, materials) are determined by the project’s scope.

Objectives: These are the project’s goals and desired outcomes. Clearly defined objectives ensure all project activities contribute to the bigger picture. Think of them as the “why” behind the project. While objectives themselves don’t directly affect the triple constraints, they guide decision-making throughout the project lifecycle. For instance, a project manager might need to adjust the scope (and potentially time and cost) if a new objective arises that wasn’t part of the initial plan.

Deliverables: These are the tangible outputs of the project, such as products, features, or reports. Identifying deliverables upfront helps ensure the project focuses on creating the right things and aligns with the defined scope. By outlining deliverables early on, you can estimate the time and resources required to produce them:

• Time:The complexity of deliverables directly impacts the time needed to complete them.
• Cost:The resources required to produce the deliverables (people, materials, etc.) affect the project’s overall cost.

Stakeholders: These are individuals or groups who are impacted by the project. Project design should identify key stakeholders and their interests. Effective communication and stakeholder management are crucial for project success. While not a direct constraint, stakeholder needs and expectations can influence the scope, impacting the project’s time and cost. For example, if a key stakeholder requests additional features (expanding the scope), the project manager might need to adjust the timeline and budget to accommodate these changes.

Milestones: These are key checkpoints or significant events that mark progress towards the project’s goals. They help track progress, identify potential roadblocks early, and ensure the project stays on schedule (time constraint). Milestones are directly tied to the time constraint, keeping the project moving forward and ensuring timely completion.

Read the Bibliography

Adobe:
https://business.adobe.com/blog/how-to/project-plan
Notion
https://www.notion.so/blog/project-design
Wrike
https://www.wrike.com/project-management-guide/faq/what-is-project-design-in-project-management/
Asana
https://asana.com/resources/project-design
Usermotion
https://www.usemotion.com/blog/project-design