Project Implementation Plan Template

A key factor that separates the most successful enterprises from the ones that are struggling to stay afloat is the quality of their strategic implementation plan. In other words, in business, an idea is only as valuable as its implementation. Therefore, the next time you’re skimming through what seems like the perfect business plan proposal, keep in mind that only the implementation plan can tell you how feasible the project in question really is. Our implementation plan template can be a great asset in the day-to-day job of any project manager. On this page you’ll find the answer to the most frequently asked questions about this project management tool, as well as a practical template that you can download, customize and use for free.

What is an implementation plan?

A project implementation plan is best defined in the context of strategic planning. To be more precise, strategic planning prescribes, in broad strokes, the guidelines for accomplishing goals or reaching decisions within the organization. The follow-through of these goals and decisions is defined in the strategic implementation plan. It’s a breakdown of generic tasks into actionable steps in an easy-to-understand timeline format, so that everyone involved has a clear picture of the expected deliverables.

What does an implementation plan include?

The most common implementation plan example includes solutions for project requirements like:

• The tasks, subtasks and potential dependencies between them;
• The available budget;
• The timeline for the execution of all project phases;
• The personnel involved and external collaborators;
• The required resources.

This makes the project implementation timeline the most popular solution for presenting the implementation plan to stakeholders. Ideally, and of course depending on the size and complexity of your project, you may want one that’s more comprehensive and features items like:

• Specific goals and requirements;
• Project scope and risk assessments;
• Documentation outlining the deliverables;
• Tasks, milestones and their dates;
• Work breakdown schedule;
• Personnel, contractors and stakeholders;
• Communication venues to be used.

What are the benefits of an implementation plan?

By this point, the purpose of the project implementation plan template within the overall business strategy should be quite evident. Let’s explore some of the added benefits organizations stand to reap by creating a rock solid implementation plan:

• It provides a roadmap of actionable steps from start to finish;
• Improved communication and collaboration within the organization;
• Enhanced long-term employee retention;
• Easier access to resources;
• Better transparency and more trust from stakeholders;
• A more proactive approach to potential difficulties;
• Higher likelihood of buy-in;
• Clear accountability and well-defined workflows.

Tips on creating a project implementation plan

Whether we’re talking about a software implementation plan template, technology implementation plan template, construction implementation plan template or anything else for that matter, project managers can use the project implementation template to help all team members quickly see what they are expected to deliver, when, and what steps and tasks they need to complete. This significantly minimizes delays caused by miscommunication. In addition, this timeline template can be used to show relationships between activities, track individual task progress as the project moves forward, or identify at-risk tasks.

Here are 3 tips to help you start making timelines for your project implementation plans:

1. Using task and milestone positions to keep the implementation timeline clear

   The position of a task or milestone on your timeline can be used as a coding element. For example, if certain tasks or milestones are at risk or require paying extra care, they can be positioned above the timeband. It will help keep the implementation timeline tidy.

2. Grouping tasks that are part of a workstream or assigned to a specific team

   We believe you should stick with a simple implementation plan template as much as possible. To do so, staying organized is key and the little trick above may not cut it. No worries, there are many ways to keep related tasks and milestones together. For example, grouping them into swimlanes and even sub-swimlanes, using colors and shapes as coding, etc.

3. Avoid writing uncertain dates ‘in ink’

   Granted, a large percentage of the items on your implementation timeline will require a strict completion date. The more dependencies there are between your tasks and milestones, the more important it is to be specific. On the other hand, others are difficult to predict accurately. In these cases, it’s better to show just the month or year, and save the detailed schedule of operations for the execution plan.

How to use this implementation timeline template

The project implementation plan sample was created with Office Timeline, a robust and easy to use timeline maker add-in for PowerPoint. While you can also edit the design and replace the default data with your own tasks and milestones directly in PowerPoint, it’s much faster and easier to do so with Office Timeline. If you need additional help on how to make timelines, explore our extensive tutorial section.

Check out the Pro+ Edition and gain unrestricted access to all feature or give the free version a try and discover just how easy it is to transform raw data into amazing project visuals.