Session 6.4 - Planning Manager Role
Chapter 13: Planning Manager | Duration: 1 hr
Learning Objectives
By the end of this session, you will be able to:
- State planning manager goals and measures
- Produce and maintain precise team plans
- Collect status weekly and report variance
- Collaborate with roles on estimates, risks, and replanning
Introduction
The planning manager owns the plan and its accuracy. This role orchestrates estimation, scheduling, and weekly status, ensuring the team can steer with data.
Goals & Measures
| Goal | Measures |
|---|---|
| Complete, precise, accurate plan | Estimate quality; task coverage; dependency clarity |
| Accurate weekly status reporting | Timely WEEK reports; variance tracking |
Responsibilities
- Collect estimates from the team; build TASK/SCHEDULE.
- Maintain plan as reality changes; coordinate replanning.
- Consolidate WEEK forms into team status; report to leader/instructor.
- Highlight risks/variances early.
Estimation & Planning
- Use historical data when available; start with standard goals/estimates otherwise.
- Ensure task granularity (~10 hours) and dependency mapping.
- Include unplanned work buffers; align with integration/system test plans.
Status & Variance
- Weekly cadence: gather WEEK forms, compute earned/planned value.
- Share variances with leader/dev/quality/support to trigger action.
- Keep data consistent with CM baselines and CCRs when scope changes.
Summary
- Planning manager maintains a living, accurate plan and status.
- Enables data-driven decisions via WEEK reports and variance tracking.
- Coordinates estimates, buffers, and dependencies with all roles.
- Early risk/variance surfacing keeps schedules realistic.