the assignment project

Assignment vs. Project: What's the Difference?

Key Differences

Comparison chart, collaboration, assignment and project definitions, can the word "project" mean to stick out, which typically requires more planning: assignment or project, is every project also an assignment, do projects always require a team, is every school task an assignment, can one project have multiple assignments, does an assignment always come from a higher authority, is an assignment always academic, can a project be something intangible, can an assignment span several weeks, can "project" mean to display or show, which is generally more complex, an assignment or a project, can a project involve physical construction, can "assignment" mean the transfer of rights, what is the primary distinction between an assignment and a project, are projects always goal-oriented, how are assignments and projects graded differently, is an art piece a project or an assignment, how do i know if i should call something a project or an assignment, can an assignment turn into a project.

Trending Comparisons

Popular Comparisons

New Comparisons

• English Difference Between
• Difference Between Project and Assignment

Difference between Project and Assignment | Assignment vs Project

It is paramount that we use good English grammar, regardless of whether it is for academics or business. Inaccurate grammar usage could lead to misinterpretation of concepts and in some cases, it can be considered a lack of professionalism.

What is the Difference between Project and Assignment?

Project and assignment are two words that are often used interchangeably. However, they have their differences.

Table of Content

• Table Summarising the Difference between Project and Assignment
• The Meanings of Assignment and Project
• Examples for Project and Assignment
• Assignment vs. Project – Conclusion

Mastering English grammar is not easy. One of the biggest reasons is that there are many rules in English grammar as well as countless exceptions in the way that words are used. Moreover, the English language has a vocabulary of over 170,000 words, and therefore, learning English grammar can quickly become daunting. Regardless, adding a few words to your vocabulary each day can make a big difference. In this article, we shall explore the difference between project and assignment, their meanings and usage.

Table Summarising the Difference between Project and Assignment:

The meanings of project and assignment.

As already summarised above, the meanings of ‘project’ and ‘assignment’ are quite different, and they vary according to their usage.

• ‘Project’ meaning – The word project can be used either as a verb or a noun. Its meaning varies accordingly.
• Give an estimate or a projection based on current data

A specific plan or design

• Assignment meaning – The word assignment can only be used as a noun, and it refers to allocation of work or individuals.

Examples for Assignment and Project:

We shall explore some examples:

• Global average temperatures are projected to reach 25 degrees celsius by the year 2030.
• I noticed scaly growths projecting from his skin after exposure to the chemical.
• The image was projected on the wall.

She was captivated by the findings of the project .

• Assignment – The deadline for the assignment is next week.

Project vs. Assignment – Conclusion

As a verb, the word assignment refers to something that you are given to do by someone else. Alternatively, it could also refer to the assignment of individuals to work. A project, on the other hand, can be used as a verb as well as a noun and its meaning varies accordingly. As a verb, the word refers to the process of giving an estimate or a projection. Alternatively, it can also mean ‘to protrude’. As a noun, the word ‘project’ refers to a specific plan or design. To explore more differences between ‘project’ and ‘assignment’, register at BYJU’S. You can also find other important concepts in grammar, as well as resources for your studies here.

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your Mobile number and Email id will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Request OTP on Voice Call

Post My Comment

• Share Share

Register with BYJU'S & Download Free PDFs

Register with byju's & watch live videos.

Teaching, Learning, & Professional Development Center

• Teaching Resources
• TLPDC Teaching Resources

How Do I Create Meaningful and Effective Assignments?

Prepared by allison boye, ph.d. teaching, learning, and professional development center.

Assessment is a necessary part of the teaching and learning process, helping us measure whether our students have really learned what we want them to learn. While exams and quizzes are certainly favorite and useful methods of assessment, out of class assignments (written or otherwise) can offer similar insights into our students' learning.  And just as creating a reliable test takes thoughtfulness and skill, so does creating meaningful and effective assignments. Undoubtedly, many instructors have been on the receiving end of disappointing student work, left wondering what went wrong… and often, those problems can be remedied in the future by some simple fine-tuning of the original assignment.  This paper will take a look at some important elements to consider when developing assignments, and offer some easy approaches to creating a valuable assessment experience for all involved.

First Things First…

Before assigning any major tasks to students, it is imperative that you first define a few things for yourself as the instructor:

• Your goals for the assignment . Why are you assigning this project, and what do you hope your students will gain from completing it? What knowledge, skills, and abilities do you aim to measure with this assignment?  Creating assignments is a major part of overall course design, and every project you assign should clearly align with your goals for the course in general.  For instance, if you want your students to demonstrate critical thinking, perhaps asking them to simply summarize an article is not the best match for that goal; a more appropriate option might be to ask for an analysis of a controversial issue in the discipline. Ultimately, the connection between the assignment and its purpose should be clear to both you and your students to ensure that it is fulfilling the desired goals and doesn't seem like “busy work.” For some ideas about what kinds of assignments match certain learning goals, take a look at this page from DePaul University's Teaching Commons.
• Have they experienced “socialization” in the culture of your discipline (Flaxman, 2005)? Are they familiar with any conventions you might want them to know? In other words, do they know the “language” of your discipline, generally accepted style guidelines, or research protocols?
• Do they know how to conduct research?  Do they know the proper style format, documentation style, acceptable resources, etc.? Do they know how to use the library (Fitzpatrick, 1989) or evaluate resources?
• What kinds of writing or work have they previously engaged in?  For instance, have they completed long, formal writing assignments or research projects before? Have they ever engaged in analysis, reflection, or argumentation? Have they completed group assignments before?  Do they know how to write a literature review or scientific report?

In his book Engaging Ideas (1996), John Bean provides a great list of questions to help instructors focus on their main teaching goals when creating an assignment (p.78):

1. What are the main units/modules in my course?

2. What are my main learning objectives for each module and for the course?

3. What thinking skills am I trying to develop within each unit and throughout the course?

4. What are the most difficult aspects of my course for students?

5. If I could change my students' study habits, what would I most like to change?

6. What difference do I want my course to make in my students' lives?

What your students need to know

Once you have determined your own goals for the assignment and the levels of your students, you can begin creating your assignment.  However, when introducing your assignment to your students, there are several things you will need to clearly outline for them in order to ensure the most successful assignments possible.

• First, you will need to articulate the purpose of the assignment . Even though you know why the assignment is important and what it is meant to accomplish, you cannot assume that your students will intuit that purpose. Your students will appreciate an understanding of how the assignment fits into the larger goals of the course and what they will learn from the process (Hass & Osborn, 2007). Being transparent with your students and explaining why you are asking them to complete a given assignment can ultimately help motivate them to complete the assignment more thoughtfully.
• If you are asking your students to complete a writing assignment, you should define for them the “rhetorical or cognitive mode/s” you want them to employ in their writing (Flaxman, 2005). In other words, use precise verbs that communicate whether you are asking them to analyze, argue, describe, inform, etc.  (Verbs like “explore” or “comment on” can be too vague and cause confusion.) Provide them with a specific task to complete, such as a problem to solve, a question to answer, or an argument to support.  For those who want assignments to lead to top-down, thesis-driven writing, John Bean (1996) suggests presenting a proposition that students must defend or refute, or a problem that demands a thesis answer.
• It is also a good idea to define the audience you want your students to address with their assignment, if possible – especially with writing assignments.  Otherwise, students will address only the instructor, often assuming little requires explanation or development (Hedengren, 2004; MIT, 1999). Further, asking students to address the instructor, who typically knows more about the topic than the student, places the student in an unnatural rhetorical position.  Instead, you might consider asking your students to prepare their assignments for alternative audiences such as other students who missed last week's classes, a group that opposes their position, or people reading a popular magazine or newspaper.  In fact, a study by Bean (1996) indicated the students often appreciate and enjoy assignments that vary elements such as audience or rhetorical context, so don't be afraid to get creative!
• Obviously, you will also need to articulate clearly the logistics or “business aspects” of the assignment . In other words, be explicit with your students about required elements such as the format, length, documentation style, writing style (formal or informal?), and deadlines.  One caveat, however: do not allow the logistics of the paper take precedence over the content in your assignment description; if you spend all of your time describing these things, students might suspect that is all you care about in their execution of the assignment.
• Finally, you should clarify your evaluation criteria for the assignment. What elements of content are most important? Will you grade holistically or weight features separately? How much weight will be given to individual elements, etc?  Another precaution to take when defining requirements for your students is to take care that your instructions and rubric also do not overshadow the content; prescribing too rigidly each element of an assignment can limit students' freedom to explore and discover. According to Beth Finch Hedengren, “A good assignment provides the purpose and guidelines… without dictating exactly what to say” (2004, p. 27).  If you decide to utilize a grading rubric, be sure to provide that to the students along with the assignment description, prior to their completion of the assignment.

A great way to get students engaged with an assignment and build buy-in is to encourage their collaboration on its design and/or on the grading criteria (Hudd, 2003). In his article “Conducting Writing Assignments,” Richard Leahy (2002) offers a few ideas for building in said collaboration:

• Ask the students to develop the grading scale themselves from scratch, starting with choosing the categories.

• Set the grading categories yourself, but ask the students to help write the descriptions.

• Draft the complete grading scale yourself, then give it to your students for review and suggestions.

A Few Do's and Don'ts…

Determining your goals for the assignment and its essential logistics is a good start to creating an effective assignment. However, there are a few more simple factors to consider in your final design. First, here are a few things you should do :

• Do provide detail in your assignment description . Research has shown that students frequently prefer some guiding constraints when completing assignments (Bean, 1996), and that more detail (within reason) can lead to more successful student responses.  One idea is to provide students with physical assignment handouts , in addition to or instead of a simple description in a syllabus.  This can meet the needs of concrete learners and give them something tangible to refer to.  Likewise, it is often beneficial to make explicit for students the process or steps necessary to complete an assignment, given that students – especially younger ones – might need guidance in planning and time management (MIT, 1999).
• Do use open-ended questions.  The most effective and challenging assignments focus on questions that lead students to thinking and explaining, rather than simple yes or no answers, whether explicitly part of the assignment description or in the  brainstorming heuristics (Gardner, 2005).
• Do direct students to appropriate available resources . Giving students pointers about other venues for assistance can help them get started on the right track independently. These kinds of suggestions might include information about campus resources such as the University Writing Center or discipline-specific librarians, suggesting specific journals or books, or even sections of their textbook, or providing them with lists of research ideas or links to acceptable websites.
• Do consider providing models – both successful and unsuccessful models (Miller, 2007). These models could be provided by past students, or models you have created yourself.  You could even ask students to evaluate the models themselves using the determined evaluation criteria, helping them to visualize the final product, think critically about how to complete the assignment, and ideally, recognize success in their own work.
• Do consider including a way for students to make the assignment their own. In their study, Hass and Osborn (2007) confirmed the importance of personal engagement for students when completing an assignment.  Indeed, students will be more engaged in an assignment if it is personally meaningful, practical, or purposeful beyond the classroom.  You might think of ways to encourage students to tap into their own experiences or curiosities, to solve or explore a real problem, or connect to the larger community.  Offering variety in assignment selection can also help students feel more individualized, creative, and in control.
• If your assignment is substantial or long, do consider sequencing it. Far too often, assignments are given as one-shot final products that receive grades at the end of the semester, eternally abandoned by the student.  By sequencing a large assignment, or essentially breaking it down into a systematic approach consisting of interconnected smaller elements (such as a project proposal, an annotated bibliography, or a rough draft, or a series of mini-assignments related to the longer assignment), you can encourage thoughtfulness, complexity, and thoroughness in your students, as well as emphasize process over final product.

Next are a few elements to avoid in your assignments:

• Do not ask too many questions in your assignment.  In an effort to challenge students, instructors often err in the other direction, asking more questions than students can reasonably address in a single assignment without losing focus. Offering an overly specific “checklist” prompt often leads to externally organized papers, in which inexperienced students “slavishly follow the checklist instead of integrating their ideas into more organically-discovered structure” (Flaxman, 2005).
• Do not expect or suggest that there is an “ideal” response to the assignment. A common error for instructors is to dictate content of an assignment too rigidly, or to imply that there is a single correct response or a specific conclusion to reach, either explicitly or implicitly (Flaxman, 2005). Undoubtedly, students do not appreciate feeling as if they must read an instructor's mind to complete an assignment successfully, or that their own ideas have nowhere to go, and can lose motivation as a result. Similarly, avoid assignments that simply ask for regurgitation (Miller, 2007). Again, the best assignments invite students to engage in critical thinking, not just reproduce lectures or readings.
• Do not provide vague or confusing commands . Do students know what you mean when they are asked to “examine” or “discuss” a topic? Return to what you determined about your students' experiences and levels to help you decide what directions will make the most sense to them and what will require more explanation or guidance, and avoid verbiage that might confound them.
• Do not impose impossible time restraints or require the use of insufficient resources for completion of the assignment.  For instance, if you are asking all of your students to use the same resource, ensure that there are enough copies available for all students to access – or at least put one copy on reserve in the library. Likewise, make sure that you are providing your students with ample time to locate resources and effectively complete the assignment (Fitzpatrick, 1989).

The assignments we give to students don't simply have to be research papers or reports. There are many options for effective yet creative ways to assess your students' learning! Here are just a few:

Journals, Posters, Portfolios, Letters, Brochures, Management plans, Editorials, Instruction Manuals, Imitations of a text, Case studies, Debates, News release, Dialogues, Videos, Collages, Plays, Power Point presentations

Ultimately, the success of student responses to an assignment often rests on the instructor's deliberate design of the assignment. By being purposeful and thoughtful from the beginning, you can ensure that your assignments will not only serve as effective assessment methods, but also engage and delight your students. If you would like further help in constructing or revising an assignment, the Teaching, Learning, and Professional Development Center is glad to offer individual consultations. In addition, look into some of the resources provided below.

Online Resources

“Creating Effective Assignments” http://www.unh.edu/teaching-excellence/resources/Assignments.htm This site, from the University of New Hampshire's Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning,  provides a brief overview of effective assignment design, with a focus on determining and communicating goals and expectations.

Gardner, T.  (2005, June 12). Ten Tips for Designing Writing Assignments. Traci's Lists of Ten. http://www.tengrrl.com/tens/034.shtml This is a brief yet useful list of tips for assignment design, prepared by a writing teacher and curriculum developer for the National Council of Teachers of English .  The website will also link you to several other lists of “ten tips” related to literacy pedagogy.

“How to Create Effective Assignments for College Students.”  http:// tilt.colostate.edu/retreat/2011/zimmerman.pdf     This PDF is a simplified bulleted list, prepared by Dr. Toni Zimmerman from Colorado State University, offering some helpful ideas for coming up with creative assignments.

“Learner-Centered Assessment” http://cte.uwaterloo.ca/teaching_resources/tips/learner_centered_assessment.html From the Centre for Teaching Excellence at the University of Waterloo, this is a short list of suggestions for the process of designing an assessment with your students' interests in mind. “Matching Learning Goals to Assignment Types.” http://teachingcommons.depaul.edu/How_to/design_assignments/assignments_learning_goals.html This is a great page from DePaul University's Teaching Commons, providing a chart that helps instructors match assignments with learning goals.

Additional References Bean, J.C. (1996). Engaging ideas: The professor's guide to integrating writing, critical thinking, and active learning in the classroom . San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Fitzpatrick, R. (1989). Research and writing assignments that reduce fear lead to better papers and more confident students. Writing Across the Curriculum , 3.2, pp. 15 – 24.

Flaxman, R. (2005). Creating meaningful writing assignments. The Teaching Exchange .  Retrieved Jan. 9, 2008 from http://www.brown.edu/Administration/Sheridan_Center/pubs/teachingExchange/jan2005/01_flaxman.pdf

Hass, M. & Osborn, J. (2007, August 13). An emic view of student writing and the writing process. Across the Disciplines, 4. 

Hedengren, B.F. (2004). A TA's guide to teaching writing in all disciplines . Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's.

Hudd, S. S. (2003, April). Syllabus under construction: Involving students in the creation of class assignments.  Teaching Sociology , 31, pp. 195 – 202.

Leahy, R. (2002). Conducting writing assignments. College Teaching , 50.2, pp. 50 – 54.

Miller, H. (2007). Designing effective writing assignments.  Teaching with writing .  University of Minnesota Center for Writing. Retrieved Jan. 9, 2008, from http://writing.umn.edu/tww/assignments/designing.html

MIT Online Writing and Communication Center (1999). Creating Writing Assignments. Retrieved January 9, 2008 from http://web.mit.edu/writing/Faculty/createeffective.html .

Contact TTU

Difference Between Assignment and Project

It’s important to know the difference between these two terms. According to Answers.com , assignments are focused on specific, and predefined tasks whereas projects involve a variety of interrelated tasks which are performed to achieve a particular aim.

With the change happening over the world, and the advancement we see in our educational sector, learning has taken a whole new shape and what was once done within the confines of a place called the classroom has evolved to the point where the teachers are no longer the only source of learning.

Unlike the days of reading from a textbook in a classroom and doing classwork, education has now taken a more solid approach. Academics have now set sail to project-based work in schools worldwide. Students can now learn in a fun and exciting way.

Projects, despite their many varieties, can be research-based , at the same time, assignments are a series of essays, questions, and answers. As much as both can help a student learn, their execution sets them apart, giving one a higher significance over the other.

• 1.1 Assignments are textbook focused while Project encourages hands-on learning
• 2 Conclusion

Main Differences Between Assignment and Project

Assignments are textbook focused while Project encourages hands-on learning

One could relate a project to simply designing a model to explain a scientific phenomenon, or watching a movie to ascertain its relevance. The freedom it brings, and the lessons learned from its processes are thrilling. Imagine the feeling a student gets from building a science model of real-life outcomes. Assignment, on the other hand, is all cut and dry. Everything is textbook-focused, which in turn makes learning less fun.

• Evaluation carried out on Assignment can be easily accessed

Just as it’s easy to judge a student’s performance and ability from a given assignment, the opposite is the case for projects. When an assignment is given, the student’s capability is accessed by the report submitted.

The project, on the other hand, is dependent on the performance of others, your team, and a collective effort. As such, it is not a good judge of a student’s capabilities. Unlike a project, an assignment is also a significant pointer to a student’s weakness and a guide in correcting it.

A lot of students struggle to find the best writing services to assist with their projects or assignments. Lets Grade It provides accurate reviews of the best writing services you can find.

• Assignments are majorly within the curriculum, while Projects can be out of the box.

Consider a given assignment on World War I. Everything done on the questionnaire would be aimed at answering the questions asked. The teacher might even permit the students to consult several textbooks to help them properly frame their responses. Everything is being tailored in line with the curriculum, including the research done on the assignment.

A project on the same topic would mean the students thinking outside the box, like writing a report on the technologies used in fighting the war. The goal is to stretch the student’s minds outside the curriculum but within the context of history. This, in turn, makes research fun with a positive outlook as compared to that carried out when an assignment is given.

• Assignments are individualistic, while Projects are a group task

Assignments are usually given on an individual basis. It helps a student be self-reliant and confident in his ability to accomplish a task. This method helps to personally improve assignment writing skills of students while projects encourage students to interact and work together to come up with a solution. This gives rise to teamwork and the ability to delegate, which are vital for life.

For a college or a university, engaging students with both assignments and projects would help create balanced progress and exposure thereby ensuring an ideal learning experience.

Project Management Plan: Samples, Examples & Free Template

Learn how to create a project management plan that actually works and ensures you get your project over the line on time and on budget, with samples and examples

Table of Contents

What is a project management plan, what is a project management plan used for, what are the main elements of a project plan, how to write a project management plan, sample project management plan outline, using our project management plan template to build your project plan, project management plan: faq's.

A project management plan is a comprehensive document that outlines how a project will be executed, monitored, controlled and closed. For project managers and their teams, it's the ultimate toolkit for achieving their objectives while managing day-to-day pressures such as time, cost, scope, resourcing and risk. This guide outlines what a project management plan is used for, why it's important , and offers a step-by-step guide on how to make one that actually works.

Your project plan document is where you go deep on the ins, outs, overs, and unders of your project. It's where you break this vision down into the day-to-day execution of your project, covering everything you need to do to reach your project goals.

A detailed project plan will plot out everything from timelines to budget, resourcing to deliverables, and more, giving you a blueprint of what needs to be done (and when) that you can use to guide — and assess — your project.

The key components of a project management plan are:

Project Objectives

Scope Statement

Schedule Management

Cost Management

Resource Management

Communication Plan

Stakeholder Management

Procurement Management

Closure Criteria

Project Organization

Ready to get down to business? Here are 5 key things you need to do when writing a project plan.

1. Identify the baselines for your project

Before you begin writing a project plan, you need to make sure you have the basics down. Start by identifying the baselines for the project’s scope, schedule and cost, as the rest of your project planning will need to fit in around those constraints.

As mentioned above, these baselines should already be roughly outlined in your project charter — but here’s where you really start to map them out and create accurate estimates. And the more detailed, the better, because these are what you’ll be using for comparison to measure how your project performs.

2. Identify your project dependencies

Or in other words, ask yourself: what needs to happen before this other thing can happen? Identifying your project dependencies at the outset of your project means you can plan your timelines more efficiently, spot potential blockers, and ensure that you avoid unnecessary delays.

3. Identify project stakeholders

You’ll already have done the groundwork for this in your stakeholder analysis, but as you flesh out your project management plan and think through the phases of your project in more detail, you’ll likely start to find more project stakeholders at each phase.

Now is also a good time to go deeper on which stakeholders need to be informed and involved at which stages, for a more comprehensive stakeholder management plan you can use at each phase of your project.

4. Identify project milestones

What are the key markers of your project’s progress? It can be a concrete deliverable, the end of a phase in a stage-gate process — whatever milestones make sense to you, breaking your project down into manageable chunks, each with a defined goal, helps to keep the team motivated, allows you to celebrate each achievement, and signposts how the overall progress is coming along.  Learn more about using Milestones here .

5. Identify who’s responsible for what

Once you start to get a big-picture understanding of the work that’s needed and the resources you have to complete it, you can start deciding who should do what. Giving each item an owner is essential to getting things done. No more “oh, was I supposed to do that?” — once you identify who’s responsible for what, you can ensure accountability and transparency.

The 5 Stages of Team Development

All teams develop according to some natural patterns and using that knowledge, you can offer some guidance to build the kind of team that communicates well and finds better ways to collaborate and achieve the goals you’ve established. Here’s what you need to know.

Now let's go through a sample project plan. In the below example, we highlight the main sections of the plan and what needs to be included in each one to set your project up for success.

Section 1: Executive summary

The executive summary offers a concise overview of the entire project. It includes key highlights such as the project's purpose, objectives, scope, timeline, budget, and major stakeholders. It's often the first section stakeholders read to get a high-level understanding of the project.

Section 2: Project introduction

This section sets the stage by providing context and background information about the project. It explains why the project is being undertaken and introduces the main objectives and scope of the project.

Section 3: Project objectives

Here, the project's specific goals and objectives are outlined in detail. Objectives should be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) to provide clarity and guidance.

Section 4: Project scope

The scope section defines what is included and excluded from the project. It helps prevent scope creep by establishing clear boundaries and also mentions any assumptions and constraints that may affect the project.

Section 5: Schedule management

This section details the project's timeline, including milestones and deadlines. It breaks down the project into tasks and identifies task dependencies. Often, visual representations like Gantt charts are used for clarity.

Section 6: Cost management

Here, the project budget is presented, including cost estimates for various project components. It may also outline cost control measures to ensure the project stays within budget.

Section 7: Quality management

This section focuses on the quality standards and objectives for the project. It describes quality control and assurance processes, as well as any inspection and testing procedures that will be implemented.

Project management template

Save time on setup without sacrificing attention to detail. With our project management template, you can quickly create project management plans that help you complete your project on time and on budget.

Section 8: Resource management

In this section, the project team is introduced, and roles and responsibilities are defined. It addresses resource allocation, scheduling, and, if applicable, procurement needs.

Section 9: Risk management

The risk management section identifies potential risks and uncertainties that could impact the project. It discusses risk assessment, prioritization, and mitigation strategies to reduce the impact of these risks.

Section 10: Communication plan

The communication plan outlines how project information will be shared with stakeholders and team members. It specifies communication methods, frequency, and reporting channels to ensure effective communication throughout the project.

Section 11: Stakeholder management

This section lists project stakeholders and analyzes their interests, influence, and expectations. It also outlines strategies for engaging and managing these stakeholders to ensure their needs are addressed.

Section 12: Procurement management

If procurement of goods or services is involved, this section explains the procurement strategy, vendor selection criteria, and how contracts will be managed.

Section 13: Change management

Change management procedures are detailed here, including how changes to the project scope, schedule, or other aspects will be requested, evaluated, approved, and communicated.

Section 14: Closure criteria

Criteria for determining when the project is complete and ready for closure are specified in this section. It may also include plans for project handover and post-project evaluation.

Section 15: Project organization

This section describes the project team's structure, roles, and responsibilities, ensuring everyone understands their positions and reporting lines. It may also mention external stakeholders and their roles if applicable.

Once you’ve documented your project management plan, bring it to life with a project management tool that will help you to stay on track, keep your team accountable, and promote transparency.

Here are 3 ways you can use Teamwork.com to supercharge your project management plan.

Add your supporting documentation to Teamwork Spaces

Use the Teamwork.com and Teamwork Spaces integration to link a project in Teamwork.com with a space in Teamwork Spaces, so your important project documents are only ever a click away.

Some documents you might want to add in addition to your project charter and project management plan include:

Scoping documents

Risk assessments

Change management plans

SOPs for important project processes

List of stakeholders and their roles

Outline of approval processes

Communications management plan

Any other best practices documentation or supporting info as necessary

You can even embed task lists into your pages and mark tasks as complete right from Teamwork Spaces, so you can keep work flowing without even needing to switch tabs.

Start adding your Milestones

Break down your work into Milestones and task lists that are going to help you reach them. With Teamwork.com, you can assign an owner to each Milestone, map out your Milestone due dates and see them represented in the project calendar, and even get a full change history for milestones so you can track any edits.

Visualize your task dependencies with a Gantt chart

Gantt chart-style views are a useful way to get a visual representation of your tasks and their dependencies, allowing for better scheduling and resourcing. In Teamwork.com, you can drag and drop to quickly rearrange your project schedule , without throwing everything out of order or straying off-plan.

Remember: software should support the way you work, not dictate it. So regardless of methodology or team type, create a project plan that works for you and your team — and find a tool that helps you put it into action.

Use our project plan template

Now that you know how to create a project management plan that actually works, you’re ready to implement using our team management software . To help you get up and running quickly, we’ve created a ready to use project plan template . Our project template will help you quickly create project plans that ensure all of your projects are completed on time and on budget

What is a project management plan template?

A project management plan template is a pre-designed framework that provides a structured format for creating a project management plan. It serves as a starting point for project managers and teams to develop their specific project plans, saving time and ensuring that key project management components are properly addressed.

How can a template help you build a great project management plan?

A template can help you build a great project management plan by saving time, ensuring comprehensive coverage of project management aspects, and incorporating industry best practices and visual aids for clarity. They also support collaboration, version control, and customization to fit the unique needs of each project, making them a valuable tool for project managers in achieving successful project outcomes.

What is the main purpose of a project management plan?

The main purpose of a project management plan is to provide a comprehensive and structured roadmap for successfully executing, monitoring, controlling, and closing a project. It serves as a central document that outlines project objectives, scope, schedule, budget, quality standards, resource allocation, risk management strategies, and communication approaches.

What tools do I need to help manage a project plan?

To effectively manage a project plan, you'll need a set of tools and software that cover various aspects of project management. These include project management software, communication and collaboration platforms, file and document management solutions, time and task tracking apps, and budgeting and financial management tools.

What steps are involved in the project planning process?

The steps involved in the project planning process include defining specific project objectives and scope, identifying deliverables and key milestones, budgets, risk assessment and quality control measures. It should also include a communication plan and stakeholder engagement strategies.

You may also like...

Get started with Teamwork.com

Start working together beautifully. See how Teamwork.com can help your team with our 30-day free trial.

Project management goal: Add people and assign them to tasks

Project management tips before you start . . .

If you’re new to project management If you’re new to project management, you might realize there’s more to worry about than just adding tasks, like how many people to put on them, how to account for people’s holidays and vacation time, and how and where to put in personal information like phone numbers, email addresses, and salary information.

Here are tips to get you started.

Learn what types of resources you can assign to tasks     After you gather the information you need about project tasks, identify the types of resources you’ll need.

People resources     These are resources we normally think of as working on tasks. Project managers sometimes call these work resources, as opposed to materials and equipment.

Enterprise resources     These resources are work resources managed and shared across an organization. Enterprise resources are used with Project Professional.

Material resources     These resources include computers or machinery used to complete work on tasks.

Generic resources     These resources specify staffing requirements for tasks and not specific individuals, such as carpenters, or developers.

Consider how the number of resources changes durations When you put multiple resources on a task, you’d expect the duration of a task to shorten. In many cases, however, adding people to a task can have the opposite effect. It can add extra costs, extra communication, and other inefficiencies. For example, the design for a new toll bridge probably isn’t going to go faster if you double the number of architects on the project. Project allows you to control what happens to task durations after you add to tasks.

Consider how a person's capabilities affect task durations A person’s experience can directly affect the duration of the task. You might expect a person with five years’ experience to complete a task in less time than someone with two.

If you’re a seasoned project manager As projects get bigger, there are more things to think about. You now worry about using resources in other departments, hiring vendors, tracking a hundred peoples’ work, generating reports for executives, and numerous other complexities you haven’t even thought about yet. Fortunately, Microsoft Project has the expert tools you’ll need.

Here are a tips to grow your expertise.

Review and refine the duration estimates     Use the information that you collect about your current project and similar projects to refine your duration estimates. The accuracy of your estimates for resource requirements (and ultimately project costs) depends largely on the accuracy of your task duration estimates.

Track resource progress     Make sure the people on your project send in regular task status updates. The views and reports in Microsoft Project help you not lose track of what everyone is doing.

Identify resource overallocation problems     Project can help you identify when people are working on too many tasks at the same time.

Keep an eye on your baselines     Baselines give you a snapshot of your project so that you compare current progress with what you planned at the beginning.

Distribute work by leveling     When people are working on too many tasks at the same time, Project can adjust assignments to a more realistic workload. Leveling resource assignments is one way to even out the load.

Step 1: Add people to your project

Top of Page

Step 2: Assign people and other resources to tasks

Step 3: manage people and other resources.

Return to The project management road map

Need more help?

Want more options.

Explore subscription benefits, browse training courses, learn how to secure your device, and more.

Microsoft 365 subscription benefits

Microsoft 365 training

Microsoft security

Accessibility center

Communities help you ask and answer questions, give feedback, and hear from experts with rich knowledge.

Ask the Microsoft Community

Microsoft Tech Community

Windows Insiders

Microsoft 365 Insiders

Was this information helpful?

Thank you for your feedback.

Understanding Assignments

What this handout is about.

The first step in any successful college writing venture is reading the assignment. While this sounds like a simple task, it can be a tough one. This handout will help you unravel your assignment and begin to craft an effective response. Much of the following advice will involve translating typical assignment terms and practices into meaningful clues to the type of writing your instructor expects. See our short video for more tips.

Basic beginnings

Regardless of the assignment, department, or instructor, adopting these two habits will serve you well :

• Read the assignment carefully as soon as you receive it. Do not put this task off—reading the assignment at the beginning will save you time, stress, and problems later. An assignment can look pretty straightforward at first, particularly if the instructor has provided lots of information. That does not mean it will not take time and effort to complete; you may even have to learn a new skill to complete the assignment.
• Ask the instructor about anything you do not understand. Do not hesitate to approach your instructor. Instructors would prefer to set you straight before you hand the paper in. That’s also when you will find their feedback most useful.

Assignment formats

Many assignments follow a basic format. Assignments often begin with an overview of the topic, include a central verb or verbs that describe the task, and offer some additional suggestions, questions, or prompts to get you started.

An Overview of Some Kind

The instructor might set the stage with some general discussion of the subject of the assignment, introduce the topic, or remind you of something pertinent that you have discussed in class. For example:

“Throughout history, gerbils have played a key role in politics,” or “In the last few weeks of class, we have focused on the evening wear of the housefly …”

The Task of the Assignment

Pay attention; this part tells you what to do when you write the paper. Look for the key verb or verbs in the sentence. Words like analyze, summarize, or compare direct you to think about your topic in a certain way. Also pay attention to words such as how, what, when, where, and why; these words guide your attention toward specific information. (See the section in this handout titled “Key Terms” for more information.)

“Analyze the effect that gerbils had on the Russian Revolution”, or “Suggest an interpretation of housefly undergarments that differs from Darwin’s.”

Additional Material to Think about

Here you will find some questions to use as springboards as you begin to think about the topic. Instructors usually include these questions as suggestions rather than requirements. Do not feel compelled to answer every question unless the instructor asks you to do so. Pay attention to the order of the questions. Sometimes they suggest the thinking process your instructor imagines you will need to follow to begin thinking about the topic.

“You may wish to consider the differing views held by Communist gerbils vs. Monarchist gerbils, or Can there be such a thing as ‘the housefly garment industry’ or is it just a home-based craft?”

These are the instructor’s comments about writing expectations:

“Be concise”, “Write effectively”, or “Argue furiously.”

Technical Details

These instructions usually indicate format rules or guidelines.

“Your paper must be typed in Palatino font on gray paper and must not exceed 600 pages. It is due on the anniversary of Mao Tse-tung’s death.”

The assignment’s parts may not appear in exactly this order, and each part may be very long or really short. Nonetheless, being aware of this standard pattern can help you understand what your instructor wants you to do.

Interpreting the assignment

Ask yourself a few basic questions as you read and jot down the answers on the assignment sheet:

Why did your instructor ask you to do this particular task?

Who is your audience.

• What kind of evidence do you need to support your ideas?

What kind of writing style is acceptable?

• What are the absolute rules of the paper?

Try to look at the question from the point of view of the instructor. Recognize that your instructor has a reason for giving you this assignment and for giving it to you at a particular point in the semester. In every assignment, the instructor has a challenge for you. This challenge could be anything from demonstrating an ability to think clearly to demonstrating an ability to use the library. See the assignment not as a vague suggestion of what to do but as an opportunity to show that you can handle the course material as directed. Paper assignments give you more than a topic to discuss—they ask you to do something with the topic. Keep reminding yourself of that. Be careful to avoid the other extreme as well: do not read more into the assignment than what is there.

Of course, your instructor has given you an assignment so that he or she will be able to assess your understanding of the course material and give you an appropriate grade. But there is more to it than that. Your instructor has tried to design a learning experience of some kind. Your instructor wants you to think about something in a particular way for a particular reason. If you read the course description at the beginning of your syllabus, review the assigned readings, and consider the assignment itself, you may begin to see the plan, purpose, or approach to the subject matter that your instructor has created for you. If you still aren’t sure of the assignment’s goals, try asking the instructor. For help with this, see our handout on getting feedback .

Given your instructor’s efforts, it helps to answer the question: What is my purpose in completing this assignment? Is it to gather research from a variety of outside sources and present a coherent picture? Is it to take material I have been learning in class and apply it to a new situation? Is it to prove a point one way or another? Key words from the assignment can help you figure this out. Look for key terms in the form of active verbs that tell you what to do.

Key Terms: Finding Those Active Verbs

Here are some common key words and definitions to help you think about assignment terms:

Information words Ask you to demonstrate what you know about the subject, such as who, what, when, where, how, and why.

• define —give the subject’s meaning (according to someone or something). Sometimes you have to give more than one view on the subject’s meaning
• describe —provide details about the subject by answering question words (such as who, what, when, where, how, and why); you might also give details related to the five senses (what you see, hear, feel, taste, and smell)
• explain —give reasons why or examples of how something happened
• illustrate —give descriptive examples of the subject and show how each is connected with the subject
• summarize —briefly list the important ideas you learned about the subject
• trace —outline how something has changed or developed from an earlier time to its current form
• research —gather material from outside sources about the subject, often with the implication or requirement that you will analyze what you have found

Relation words Ask you to demonstrate how things are connected.

• compare —show how two or more things are similar (and, sometimes, different)
• contrast —show how two or more things are dissimilar
• apply—use details that you’ve been given to demonstrate how an idea, theory, or concept works in a particular situation
• cause —show how one event or series of events made something else happen
• relate —show or describe the connections between things

Interpretation words Ask you to defend ideas of your own about the subject. Do not see these words as requesting opinion alone (unless the assignment specifically says so), but as requiring opinion that is supported by concrete evidence. Remember examples, principles, definitions, or concepts from class or research and use them in your interpretation.

• assess —summarize your opinion of the subject and measure it against something
• prove, justify —give reasons or examples to demonstrate how or why something is the truth
• evaluate, respond —state your opinion of the subject as good, bad, or some combination of the two, with examples and reasons
• support —give reasons or evidence for something you believe (be sure to state clearly what it is that you believe)
• synthesize —put two or more things together that have not been put together in class or in your readings before; do not just summarize one and then the other and say that they are similar or different—you must provide a reason for putting them together that runs all the way through the paper
• analyze —determine how individual parts create or relate to the whole, figure out how something works, what it might mean, or why it is important
• argue —take a side and defend it with evidence against the other side

More Clues to Your Purpose As you read the assignment, think about what the teacher does in class:

• What kinds of textbooks or coursepack did your instructor choose for the course—ones that provide background information, explain theories or perspectives, or argue a point of view?
• In lecture, does your instructor ask your opinion, try to prove her point of view, or use keywords that show up again in the assignment?
• What kinds of assignments are typical in this discipline? Social science classes often expect more research. Humanities classes thrive on interpretation and analysis.
• How do the assignments, readings, and lectures work together in the course? Instructors spend time designing courses, sometimes even arguing with their peers about the most effective course materials. Figuring out the overall design to the course will help you understand what each assignment is meant to achieve.

Now, what about your reader? Most undergraduates think of their audience as the instructor. True, your instructor is a good person to keep in mind as you write. But for the purposes of a good paper, think of your audience as someone like your roommate: smart enough to understand a clear, logical argument, but not someone who already knows exactly what is going on in your particular paper. Remember, even if the instructor knows everything there is to know about your paper topic, he or she still has to read your paper and assess your understanding. In other words, teach the material to your reader.

Aiming a paper at your audience happens in two ways: you make decisions about the tone and the level of information you want to convey.

• Tone means the “voice” of your paper. Should you be chatty, formal, or objective? Usually you will find some happy medium—you do not want to alienate your reader by sounding condescending or superior, but you do not want to, um, like, totally wig on the man, you know? Eschew ostentatious erudition: some students think the way to sound academic is to use big words. Be careful—you can sound ridiculous, especially if you use the wrong big words.
• The level of information you use depends on who you think your audience is. If you imagine your audience as your instructor and she already knows everything you have to say, you may find yourself leaving out key information that can cause your argument to be unconvincing and illogical. But you do not have to explain every single word or issue. If you are telling your roommate what happened on your favorite science fiction TV show last night, you do not say, “First a dark-haired white man of average height, wearing a suit and carrying a flashlight, walked into the room. Then a purple alien with fifteen arms and at least three eyes turned around. Then the man smiled slightly. In the background, you could hear a clock ticking. The room was fairly dark and had at least two windows that I saw.” You also do not say, “This guy found some aliens. The end.” Find some balance of useful details that support your main point.

You’ll find a much more detailed discussion of these concepts in our handout on audience .

The Grim Truth

With a few exceptions (including some lab and ethnography reports), you are probably being asked to make an argument. You must convince your audience. It is easy to forget this aim when you are researching and writing; as you become involved in your subject matter, you may become enmeshed in the details and focus on learning or simply telling the information you have found. You need to do more than just repeat what you have read. Your writing should have a point, and you should be able to say it in a sentence. Sometimes instructors call this sentence a “thesis” or a “claim.”

So, if your instructor tells you to write about some aspect of oral hygiene, you do not want to just list: “First, you brush your teeth with a soft brush and some peanut butter. Then, you floss with unwaxed, bologna-flavored string. Finally, gargle with bourbon.” Instead, you could say, “Of all the oral cleaning methods, sandblasting removes the most plaque. Therefore it should be recommended by the American Dental Association.” Or, “From an aesthetic perspective, moldy teeth can be quite charming. However, their joys are short-lived.”

Convincing the reader of your argument is the goal of academic writing. It doesn’t have to say “argument” anywhere in the assignment for you to need one. Look at the assignment and think about what kind of argument you could make about it instead of just seeing it as a checklist of information you have to present. For help with understanding the role of argument in academic writing, see our handout on argument .

What kind of evidence do you need?

There are many kinds of evidence, and what type of evidence will work for your assignment can depend on several factors–the discipline, the parameters of the assignment, and your instructor’s preference. Should you use statistics? Historical examples? Do you need to conduct your own experiment? Can you rely on personal experience? See our handout on evidence for suggestions on how to use evidence appropriately.

Make sure you are clear about this part of the assignment, because your use of evidence will be crucial in writing a successful paper. You are not just learning how to argue; you are learning how to argue with specific types of materials and ideas. Ask your instructor what counts as acceptable evidence. You can also ask a librarian for help. No matter what kind of evidence you use, be sure to cite it correctly—see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial .

You cannot always tell from the assignment just what sort of writing style your instructor expects. The instructor may be really laid back in class but still expect you to sound formal in writing. Or the instructor may be fairly formal in class and ask you to write a reflection paper where you need to use “I” and speak from your own experience.

Try to avoid false associations of a particular field with a style (“art historians like wacky creativity,” or “political scientists are boring and just give facts”) and look instead to the types of readings you have been given in class. No one expects you to write like Plato—just use the readings as a guide for what is standard or preferable to your instructor. When in doubt, ask your instructor about the level of formality she or he expects.

No matter what field you are writing for or what facts you are including, if you do not write so that your reader can understand your main idea, you have wasted your time. So make clarity your main goal. For specific help with style, see our handout on style .

Technical details about the assignment

The technical information you are given in an assignment always seems like the easy part. This section can actually give you lots of little hints about approaching the task. Find out if elements such as page length and citation format (see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial ) are negotiable. Some professors do not have strong preferences as long as you are consistent and fully answer the assignment. Some professors are very specific and will deduct big points for deviations.

Usually, the page length tells you something important: The instructor thinks the size of the paper is appropriate to the assignment’s parameters. In plain English, your instructor is telling you how many pages it should take for you to answer the question as fully as you are expected to. So if an assignment is two pages long, you cannot pad your paper with examples or reword your main idea several times. Hit your one point early, defend it with the clearest example, and finish quickly. If an assignment is ten pages long, you can be more complex in your main points and examples—and if you can only produce five pages for that assignment, you need to see someone for help—as soon as possible.

Tricks that don’t work

Your instructors are not fooled when you:

• spend more time on the cover page than the essay —graphics, cool binders, and cute titles are no replacement for a well-written paper.
• use huge fonts, wide margins, or extra spacing to pad the page length —these tricks are immediately obvious to the eye. Most instructors use the same word processor you do. They know what’s possible. Such tactics are especially damning when the instructor has a stack of 60 papers to grade and yours is the only one that low-flying airplane pilots could read.
• use a paper from another class that covered “sort of similar” material . Again, the instructor has a particular task for you to fulfill in the assignment that usually relates to course material and lectures. Your other paper may not cover this material, and turning in the same paper for more than one course may constitute an Honor Code violation . Ask the instructor—it can’t hurt.
• get all wacky and “creative” before you answer the question . Showing that you are able to think beyond the boundaries of a simple assignment can be good, but you must do what the assignment calls for first. Again, check with your instructor. A humorous tone can be refreshing for someone grading a stack of papers, but it will not get you a good grade if you have not fulfilled the task.

Critical reading of assignments leads to skills in other types of reading and writing. If you get good at figuring out what the real goals of assignments are, you are going to be better at understanding the goals of all of your classes and fields of study.

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Make a Gift

Assignment vs. Project — What's the Difference?

Difference Between Assignment and Project

Table of contents, key differences, comparison chart, compare with definitions, common curiosities, can assignments be used to assess understanding or proficiency in a subject, do projects typically involve extensive research, planning, and execution, is an assignment a specific task or piece of work allocated to someone, is the scope of an assignment typically more focused and specific than that of a project, is a project a larger and more complex undertaking than an assignment, do projects often encourage collaborative efforts and integration of various skills, can a project require more time, resources, and effort compared to an assignment, is an assignment usually of shorter duration compared to a project, can projects involve multiple stages and components, can an assignment have clear and defined objectives, share your discovery.

Author Spotlight

Popular Comparisons

Trending Comparisons

New Comparisons

Trending Terms

Organizing Your Social Sciences Research Assignments

• Annotated Bibliography
• Analyzing a Scholarly Journal Article
• Group Presentations
• Dealing with Nervousness
• Using Visual Aids
• Grading Someone Else's Paper
• Types of Structured Group Activities
• Group Project Survival Skills
• Leading a Class Discussion
• Multiple Book Review Essay
• Reviewing Collected Works
• Writing a Case Analysis Paper
• Writing a Case Study
• About Informed Consent
• Writing Field Notes
• Writing a Policy Memo
• Writing a Reflective Paper
• Writing a Research Proposal
• Generative AI and Writing
• Acknowledgments

A group project is a cooperative learning assignment that requires students to work with peer group members to plan, discuss, and complete a specific project, often over the course of an entire semester. The project can be a research paper, an in-class oral presentation, an out-of-class study project, or research contributed as part of a larger class project involving multiple student groups . The purpose is to prepare students to work collaboratively in order to develop the intellectual and social skills needed to examine research problems from a variety of perspectives, to communicate effectively with their peers, and to evaluate and resolve issues on their own with support from other group members.

Burke, Alison. “Group Work: How to Use Groups Effectively.” The Journal of Effective Teaching 11 (2011): 87-95; Colbeck, Carol L., Susan E. Campbell, and Stefani A. Bjorklund. “Grouping in the Dark: What College Students Learn from Group Projects.” The Journal of Higher Education 71 (January - February, 2000): 60-83; Using Group Projects Effectively. Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence and Educational Innovation, Carnegie Mellon University; Williams, Katherine. Group Work Benefits and Examples. Study.com.

Benefits of Group Work

As stressful as it can be, group work can actually be beneficial in the long run because it closely parallels the dynamics of serving on a committee, participating in a task force, or working on a collaborative project found in most professional workplace settings. Whatever form the group assignment takes in your course, the opportunity to work with others, rather than on your own, can provide distinct benefits. These include:

• Increased productivity and performance -- groups that work well together can achieve much more than individuals working on their own. A broader range of skills can be applied to practical activities and the process of sharing and discussing ideas can play a pivotal role in deepening your understanding of the research problem. This process also enhances opportunities for applying strategies of critical inquiry and creative or radical problem-solving to an issue.
• Skills development -- being part of a team will help you develop your interpersonal skills. This can include expressing your ideas clearly, listening carefully to others, participating effectively in group deliberations, and clearly articulating to group members t he results of your research . Group work can also help develop collaborative skills, such as, team-based leadership and effectively motivating others. These skills will be useful throughout your academic career and all are highly sought after by employers.
• Knowing more about yourself -- working with others will help identify your own strengths and weaknesses in a collaborative context. For example, you may be a better leader than listener, or, you might be good at coming up with the 'big idea' but not so good at developing a specific plan of action. Enhanced self-awareness about the challenges you may have in working with others will enhance overall learning experiences. Here again, this sense about yourself will be invaluable when you enter the workforce.

Colbeck, Carol L., Susan E. Campbell, and Stefani A. Bjorklund. “Grouping in the Dark: What College Students Learn from Group Projects.” The Journal of Higher Education 71 (January - February, 2000): 60-83; Collaborative Learning/Learning with Peers. Institute for Writing Rhetoric. Dartmouth College; Golde, Chris M. Tips for Successful Writing Groups. University of Wisconsin-Madison. Presented November, 1994; Updated November, 1996 at Association for the Study of Higher Education; Howard, Rebecca Moore. "Collaborative Pedagogy." In Composition Pedagogies: A Bibliographic Guide . Gary Tate, Amy Rupiper, and Kurt Schick, eds. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2000), 54-71; Thom, Michael. "Are Group Assignments Effective Pedagogy or a Waste of Time? A Review of the Literature and Implications for Practice." Teaching Public Administration 38 (2020): 257-269;

Stages of Group Work

I.  Getting Started

To ensure that your group gets off to a good start, it may be beneficial to:

• Take time for all members to introduce themselves, including name, background, and stating specific strengths in contributing to the overall goals of the assignment.
• Nominate or vote to have someone act as the group leader or facilitator or scheduler. If the burden might be too great, consider deciding to rotate this responsibility among all group members.
• Exchange current contact information, such as, email addresses, social media information, and cell phone numbers.
• Consider creating an online workspace account to facilitate discussions, editing documents, sharing files, exchanging ideas, and to manage a group calendar. There are many free online platforms available for this type of work such as Google docs.

II.  Discussing Goals and Tasks

After you and the other members of the group agree about how to approach the assignment, take time to make sure everyone understands what it is they will need to achieve. Consider the following:

• What are the goals of the assignment? Develop a shared understanding of the assignment's expected learning outcomes to ensure that everyone knows what their role is supposed to be within the group.
• Note when the assignment is due [or when each part is due] so that everyone is on the same schedule and any potential conflicts with assignment due dates in other classes can be addressed ahead of time by each members of the group.
• Discuss how you are going to specifically meet the requirements of the assignment. For example, if the assignment is to write a sample research grant, what topic are you going to research and what organizations would you solicit funding from?
• If your professor allows considerable flexibility in pursuing the goals of the assignment, it often helps to brainstorm a number of ideas and then assess the merits of each one separately. As a group, reflect upon the following questions: How much do you know about this topic already? Is the topic interesting to everyone? If it is not interesting to some, they may not be motivated to work as hard as they might on a topic they found interesting. Can you do a good job on this topic in the available time? With the available people? With the available resources? How easy or hard would it be to obtain good information on the topic? [ NOTE:   Consult with a librarian before assuming that information may be too difficult to find!].

III.  Planning and Preparation

This is the stage when your group should plan exactly what needs to be done, how it needs to be done, and determine who should do what. Pay attention to the following:

• Work together to break the project up into separate tasks and decide on the tasks or sub-tasks each member is responsible for. Make sure that work is equally distributed among each member of the group.
• Agree on the due-dates for completing each task, keeping in mind that members will need time to review any draft documents and the group must have time at the end to pull everything together.
• Develop mechanisms for keeping in touch, meeting periodically, and the preferred methods for sharing information. Discuss and identify any potential stumbling blocks that may arise that could hinder your work [e.g., mid-terms].

NOTE:   Try to achieve steps 1, 2, and 3 in a group meeting that is scheduled as soon as possible after you have received the assignment and your group has been formed. The sooner these preliminary tasks are agreed upon, the sooner each group member can focus on their particular responsibilities.

IV.  Implementation

While each member carries out their individual tasks, it is important to preserve your group's focus and sense of purpose. Effective communication is vital, particularly when your group activity extends over an extended period of time. Here are some tips to promote good communication:

• Keep in touch with each other frequently, reporting progress regularly. When the group meets for the first time, think about about setting up a regular day and time for people to report on their progress [either in-person or online].
• If someone is having trouble completing his or her area of responsibility, work with that person to figure out how to solve the problem. Be supportive and helpful, but don't offer to do other people's work.
• At the same time, make it clear that the group is depending on everyone to do their part; all group members should agree that it is detrimental to everyone in the group for one person to show up at the last minute without his or her work done.

V.  Finishing Up

Be sure to leave enough time to put all the pieces together before the group project is due and to make sure nothing has been forgotten [e.g., someone forgot to correct a chart or a page is missing]. Synthesizing each group member's work usually requires some negotiation and, collectively, overcoming any existing obstacles towards completion. Technically, this can be done online, but it is better to meet in person to ensure that everyone is actively involved in the process.

If your group has to give a presentation about the results of their research, go through the same process--decide who is going to do what and give everyone enough time to prepare and practice ahead of time [preferably together]. At this point before the assignment is due, it is vital to ensure that you pay particular attention to detail, tie up any loose ends, and review the research project together as a team rather than just looking over individual contributions.

VI.  Writing Up Your Project

Writing the group report can be challenging; it is critical that you leave enough time for this final stage. If your group decided to divide responsibility for drafting sections, you will need to nominate a member of the group [if not done so already] to bring everything together so that the narrative flows well and isn't disjointed. Make it their assignment rather than assigning that person to also write a section of the report. It is best to choose whomever in your group is the best writer because careful copy editing at this stage is essential to ensure that the final document is well organized and logically structured.

Focus on the following:

• Have all the writers in your group use the same writing style [e.g., verb tense, diction or word choice, tone, voice, etc.]?
• Are there smooth transitions between individual sections?
• Are the citations to sources, abbreviations, and non-textual elements [charts, graphs, tables, etc.] consistent?

Barkley, Elizabeth F., Claire Howell Major, and K. Patricia Cross. Collaborative Learning Techniques: A Handbook for College Faculty . 2nd edition. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2014; Boud, David, Ruth Cohen, and Jane Sampson, editors. Peer Learning in Higher Education: Learning from and with Each Other . Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing, 2001; Collaborative Learning/Learning with Peers. Institute for Writing Rhetoric. Dartmouth College; Espey, Molly. "Enhancing Critical Thinking using Team-Based Learning." Higher Education Research and Development 37 (2018): 15-29; Howard, Rebecca Moore. "Collaborative Pedagogy." In Composition Pedagogies: A Bibliographic Guide . Gary Tate, Amy Rupiper, and Kurt Schick, eds. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2000). 54-71; INDOT Group Work and Report Planning Handout. The Writing Lab and The OWL. Purdue University; Working in Groups. Academic Skills Centre. University of Canberra; Working in Groups. Writing@CSU. Colorado State University; Group Writing. The Writing Center. University of North Carolina; Golde, Chris M. Tips for Successful Writing Groups. University of Wisconsin-Madison. Presented November, 1994; Updated November, 1996 at Association for the Study of Higher Education.

Meeting Places

Where Your Group Meets Matters!

Choosing where to you meet can have as much of an impact on your group's overall success as how well you communicate and work together. When your group is first formed, be sure to set aside some time to discuss and come to an agreement about where to meet in the future. Obviously, convenience has a lot to do with your possible choices. However, discussions of where to meet should also focus on identifying a space that's comfortable, easily accessible to everyone, and does not have any distractions, such as, the smell of food from nearby, heavy foot traffic, or constant noise,

Places that meet all of these conditions are the collaborative workrooms in the East Asian Library of Doheny or the group study spaces in the Lower Computer Commons of Leavey Library or on the second floor of Leavey Library. These rooms can seat anywhere from 4 to 10 people and all have dry erase boards and power and network connectivity. Most rooms also have large monitors with laptop connections that your group can use to display a presentation, document, spreadsheet, or other information that is the focus of your collaborative work. Note that these rooms are very popular, especially towards the end of the semester, so schedule early and be courteous in promptly cancelling your reservation so others may use the room. Finally, if everyone agrees that meeting in person is not crucial, a meeting to discuss the group's activities can be conducted over Zoom or other video conferencing platform.

Bilandzic, Mark and Marcus Foth. "Libraries as Coworking Spaces: Understanding User Motivations and Perceived Barriers to Social Learning," Library Hi Tech 31 (2013): 254-273.

• << Previous: Grading Someone Else's Paper
• Next: Types of Structured Group Activities >>
• Last Updated: Mar 6, 2024 1:00 PM
• URL: https://libguides.usc.edu/writingguide/assignments

Have your project planned? Here’s 11 steps to help you manage it like a pro

Whether you’re embarking on your very first management gig or just brushing up on some tips, we’ve got tons of advice to help you shine in your managerial role.

You don’t have to be a full-time project manager to make of these resources.

All of these tips are applicable to any project – big or small.

In Project Central, we operate our projects under three key phases:

1. Plan a project

2. Manage a project

3. Manage across multiple projects.

If you’re here, you’ve probably already visited our ‘ Plan a Project ‘ article. If not, we recommended checking it out here before moving on.

Today we’re talking about phase number two – managing a project . We’re going to show you how even the most complex projects can follow our go-to project management process.

Easily manage projects with Project Central

Project Central helps teams to plan, manage, and collaborate on any project with Microsoft 365.

11 steps to help you manage projects like a pro.

Stage 1: collaborate as a project team.

Steps 1-4 are all about collaboration. Team collaboration is the lifeblood of any project. So, you’ll want to cultivate a strong and communicative team dynamic as son as possible. That means effective idea sharing, decision making, and efficient team management.

Remember, your project team is probably going to include people with different topics of expertise.

Your team members may not even have met each other before – especially if they have been brought in from different departments.

In order to encourage effective collaboration, you’ll want to focus on transparency, engagement, team morale and motivation.

And to do this, a project collaboration and management tool is going to help you out a ton.

If you’re hoping to manage a multifaceted project using Excel, then you might want to think again. Spreadsheets are great for simple, or individual, tasks, but if you want to manage a team successfully, you’ll be much better served with a designated management tool.

Project Central is a simple project tracking tool that can help you plan and structure your projects in the way that’s best for you.

You’ll be able to assign tasks to your teammates, organize due dates, keep track of deadlines, set team priorities, and much more. With all of your project management and collaboration needs under one roof, you’ll be well on your way to hitting those project goals.

So, we know that effective collaboration is essential for successful project management, but what can you actually do as a project manager to ensure healthy collaboration practices in your teams? Here are some ideas to get you started!

Step 1: set up task notifications

First thing’s first, ensure that your team members are notified when they are assigned new tasks or have tasks due soon.

This is a great way to keep your project rolling and motivate team members.

With Project Central you can manage all of your tasks simply and easily in your My Tasks tab.

My Tasks is a simple and visual dashboard displaying all tasks assigned to you across all of your projects. It’s super easy for your team members to access. Each team member will be able to assess their individual tasks and see what needs to get done and when. And that benefits everyone. When individual tasks stay on track, projects stay on track.

Step 2: Update tasks

Update each task with all the relevant details pertaining to it. For example, you could attach all relevant documents needed for the task ahead of time.

Other important details to add, include task instructions (how it needs to be done) and task deliverables (what is expected upon completion).

Next, you’ll want to allocate each task to a team member. In order to do this effectively you should first define everyone’s role.

Once you’ve done this you can try to assign each task to employees based on their respective roles and individual skill sets.

Finally, try to keep workloads realistic. Setting too many tasks in too short a period of time is going to be counterproductive to end results (not to mention team morale).

Setting realistic time frames and project milestones is a super important part of being a project manager. It’s important to keep things moving but always achievable.

Step 3: Monitor project activity

Step three is to keep tabs on your project activity. Project management isn’t a ‘launch and be done with it’ kind of role.

The most successful project managers will regularly monitor and assess how their project is going. Are you meeting your goals? Are you managing to maintain the schedule?

Are there any adjustments needed? Monitoring your project activity isn’t just about bathing in the glory of your success.

Sometimes initial timescales and ideas don’t go to plan. And that’s fine. The important thing is that you’re keeping tabs on day-to-day progress so that you can make those necessary adjustments in a timely manner – before any more serious damage is done.

Step 4: Work in tasks on other projects

Just because you’ve taken on the role of project manager, doesn’t mean all of your other responsibilities go out of the window.

And the same goes for your team members.

When you find yourself with multiple projects on-the-go, in tandem, organization is even more important than ever.

Make sure to consider all project responsibilities when drawing up your project management plan.

When setting goals and timings, remember to factor in any deadlines or important tasks required for your adjacent projects.

A great way to do this is to unify all of your projects under one project management environment. That way you’ll have seamless visibility across all of your projects.

Stage 2: Track and adjust the project

Stage one is complete. You’ve set yourself up for a project based on amazing team collaboration.

Now it’s time to track and adjust your project after lift-off. As we already touched on, tracking your progress is key to maintain a manageable workload and successful outcome in managing your project.

So, without further ado, Steps 5 – 9 are all about tracking!

Here are our Project Central top-tips for tracking and adjusting projects as you go!

Step 5: resolve flagged tasks

At the beginning of your project, it’s a good idea to ask your team members to flag any tasks that require extra attention along the way.

This is inevitable. Not every task is going to go to plan first time around.

The important thing is being able to locate and troubleshoot the issue early on. As you conduct your reviews, ensure that you take note of a flagged tasks and rectify any issues.

Step 6: Review project structure and tasks

Even the seemingly most perfect plans can go askew.

When your plan starts to be delivered in reality, its inevitable that some timings are going to need adjustment.

Every so often it’s a good idea to review the project structure (phases, tasks, project sections) to ensure that it’s still fit for purpose.

For example, imagine you’re managing a marketing project. According to your initial plan, your team was supposed to deliver a marketing video by day 15 of the project. However, due to a delay caused by a third-party error, your team was set back. What should you do?

In a case like this, visit your project planning tool and shift around your project tasks to ensure a new, more manageable, timeline without sacrificing on your completion date.

If you planned your project timeline using a Gantt chart , this will be super easy.

Simply drag-and-drop you projects to adjust as needed and view your entire project timeframe at a glance.

Step 7: Update task status

Here’s a quick reminder. Whatever management tool you’re using make sure to keep it updated.

More complex projects with a lot of tasks can become confusing if the status of individual tasks is unclear. It could result in missed (or duplicated) tasks as a result of mismanagement and miscommunication.

To make sure this doesn’t happen to you, make sure all tasks are marketed as in-progress or complete as necessary.

Step 8: Update project schedule

As we’ve already alluded to, sometimes timelines don’t go 100% according to plan.

In most cases, you’ll be able to reassign and reshuffle tasks to accommodate the necessary changes and keep your project on track.

But sometimes you’ll need to adjust your completion date.

Step 9: Update project dashboard

Whatever happens during your project, whether it’s going ahead of schedule, falling behind, or in need of major intervention, it’s important to keep your team members and stakeholders in-the-know.

It’s good practice to regularly update your management dashboard with progress updates.

This should outline the current status of the project and give an overall project health indicator.

Stage 3: Close out the project

You’ve almost made it to project completion. It’s time to close out your project.

This is the time when you’ll be making those final updates and rounding off all those edges. Don’t treat your project like a hit and run. It’s really important that you close-out your projects appropriately.

You need to finalize all activities, transfer all completed or cancelled project information to the relevant parties, and remove access to the project.

This is also a time to sit down with your team and reflect. Talk about what went well and what could be done better next time.

Steps 10 and 11 are all about closing out gracefully.

Step 10: Close your project

It’s time to close your project for good. Make any final updates to the project dashboard and update your project status to complete. Once you’ve done this you can officially close-out the project.

Step 11: Save your project as a template

Your project is over, but it’s important to keep a record of it for future reference. Successfully projects can be kept as a reference for future project management assignments. If a project plan has worked well, hold onto it. Save the project as a template for you and your team. This will become a valuable resource that you can refer to for proven project management best practices.

Manage in style

You’re ready to go!

It’s time to manage your projects in style.

You’ve planned you project and now you’re ready to manage it like a pro.

Follow these 11 steps and you’ll be the occasional project manager of the year in no time.

Looking for some more inspiration? Check out our free downloadable template to get you off on the right foot.

Get Started With Project Central

Sign-up for your free 14-day trial and see how Project Central can help your teams to plan, manage, and collaborate with Microsoft 365.

Project Central is a safe and secure environment as it uses your existing Microsoft username and password.

In some cases you need permissions from your IT team to start your free 14 day trial. Reach out to us for more information:

• Phone Number *
• Site Area Home Page Blog Pop-up Pricing
• Name This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

By clicking ‘Contact Support’, I agree to the Project Central Privacy Policy  and  Terms of Service .

Please use your Microsoft work email address to sign up to Project Central.

By clicking sign up, I agree to the Project Central  Privacy Policy  and  Terms of Service .

We use essential cookies to make Venngage work. By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.

Manage Cookies

Cookies and similar technologies collect certain information about how you’re using our website. Some of them are essential, and without them you wouldn’t be able to use Venngage. But others are optional, and you get to choose whether we use them or not.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

These cookies are always on, as they’re essential for making Venngage work, and making it safe. Without these cookies, services you’ve asked for can’t be provided.

Show cookie providers

• Google Login

Functionality Cookies

These cookies help us provide enhanced functionality and personalisation, and remember your settings. They may be set by us or by third party providers.

Performance Cookies

These cookies help us analyze how many people are using Venngage, where they come from and how they're using it. If you opt out of these cookies, we can’t get feedback to make Venngage better for you and all our users.

• Google Analytics

Targeting Cookies

These cookies are set by our advertising partners to track your activity and show you relevant Venngage ads on other sites as you browse the internet.

• Google Tag Manager
• Infographics
• Daily Infographics
• Graphic Design
• Graphs and Charts
• Data Visualization
• Human Resources
• Training and Development
• Beginner Guides

Blog Marketing

What is a Project Management Plan and How to Create One

By Midori Nediger , Dec 11, 2023

Have you ever been part of a project that didn’t go as planned?

It doesn’t feel good.

Wasted time, wasted resources. It’s pretty frustrating for everyone involved.

That’s why it’s so important to create a comprehensive project management plan   before your project gets off the ground.

In this guide, we’ll explore how to create and design a successful project management plan.

We’ll also showcase easy-to-customize project plan templates you can create today with our user-friendly drag-and-drop editor. Let’s get started!

  Click to jump ahead:

What is a project management plan?

5 things you need to know before creating a project management plan, what should a project management plan include, how do you write a project plan, project plan best practices, project management plan templates and examples, common mistakes to avoid when creating a project management plan.

A project management plan is a formal document that defines how a project is going to be carried out by outlining the scope, goals, budget, timeline and deliverables of a project. Its crucial role lies in ensuring the project stays on course.

You write a project plan  during the project planning stage of the  project life cycle , and it must be approved by stakeholders before a project can move on the execution stage.

If some of these terms are new to you, you can get up to speed with this post on project management terms . 

This means your project plan must be engaging, organized, and thorough enough to gain the support of your stakeholders.

Further Reading : New to project management? Read our blog post on the 4 stages of the project life cycle .

The importance of a project management plan

A well-developed project management plan sets the foundation for a successful project by providing a roadmap that guides the project team toward successful project completion. A good project management plan can ensure that:

• Project objectives and goals are clearly defined and understood
• Project scope is effectively managed
• Resources are allocated efficiently to maximize productivity and minimize waste
• Risks are identified, assessed and mitigated
• Project tasks and activities are well-organized and executed in a timely manner.
• Communication among team members , stakeholders and project sponsors is effective and transparent
• Changes to the project are properly evaluated, approved and implemented
• Lessons learned and best practices are documented for future reference and improvement
• Stakeholders are engaged and satisfied with the project outcomes
• The project is delivered within the specified timeline, budget and quality standards

Before diving into creating a project management plan, it is crucial to have a clear understanding of the project objectives and the expectations of stakeholders involved.

Without a firm grasp of these fundamental elements, your project may face significant challenges or fail to deliver the desired outcomes.

Here are key points to consider when creating a project management plan:

• Project Objectives: Clearly understand the project objectives and what you want to achieve. Identify the desired outcomes, deliverables and the purpose of the project.
• Scope of the Project: Determine the boundaries and extent of the project. Define what is included and excluded to ensure clarity and prevent scope creep .
• Stakeholders: Identify all stakeholders who will be impacted by or have an interest in the project. Understand their needs, expectations and level of involvement.
• Resources: Assess the resources required to execute the project successfully. This includes human resources, budget, equipment and materials. Determine their availability and allocation.
• Risks and Constraints: Identify potential risks, uncertainties and constraints that may affect the project. Understand the challenges, limitations and potential obstacles that need to be addressed.

Now that you have these key areas identified, let’s get started with creating your project plan.

Before you start assembling your own plan, you should be familiar with the main components of a typical project plan .

A project management plan should include the following sections:

• Executive summary: A short description of the contents of the report
• Project scope & deliverables: An outline of the boundaries of the project, and a description of how the project will be broken down into measurable deliverables
• Project schedule: A high-level view of project tasks and milestones ( Gantt charts are handy for this)
• Project resources: The budget, personnel, and other resources required to meet project goals
• Risk and issue management plan: A list of factors that could derail the project and a plan for how issues will be identified, addressed, and controlled
• Communication management plan: A plan for how team and stakeholder communication will be handled over the course of the project
• Cost and quality management plan: This section encompasses the project’s budget, cost estimation,and cost control mechanisms. It also includes quality assurance and control measures as well as any testing or verification activities to be performed.

Basically, a project plan should tell stakeholders what needs to get done, how it will get done, and when it will get done.

That said, one size doesn’t fit all. Every project management plan must be tailored to the specific industry and circumstances of the project. You can use a project management app for smoother project planning.

For example, this marketing plan looks client facing. It is tailored to sell the client on the agency:

Whereas this commercial development plan focuses on specific objectives and a detailed timeline:

With those basics out of the way, let’s get into how to write a project management plan that’s as engaging as it is professional.

Further Reading : If you’re looking to create a proposal, read our in-depth business proposal guide. Then try our job proposal templates or business proposal templates .

To write a successful project plan, follow these 5 steps below to create an effective project plan that serves as a valuable tool for project management:

1. Highlight the key elements of your project plan in an executive summary  

An executive summary is a brief description of the key contents of a project plan .

I t’s usually the first thing stakeholders will read, and it should act like a Cliff’s-notes version of the whole plan.

It might touch on a project’s value proposition, goals, deliverables, and important milestones, but it has to be concise (it is a summary, after all). First, make sure you develop a proof of concept .

In this example, an executive summary can be broken into columns to contrast the existing problem with the project solution:

The two-column format with clear headers helps break up the information, making it extremely easy to read at a glance.

Here’s another example of a project management plan executive summary. This one visually highlights key takeaways with big fonts and helpful icons:

In this case, the highlighted facts and figures are particularly easy to scan (which is sure to make your stakeholders happy).

But your executive summary won’t always be so simple.

For larger projects, your executive summary will be longer and more detailed.

This project management plan template has a text-heavy executive summary, though the bold headers and different background colors keep it from looking overwhelming:

It’s also a good idea to divide it up into sections, with a dedicated header for each section:

Regardless of how you organize your executive summary, it should give your stakeholders a preview of what’s to come in the rest of the project management plan.

2. Plot your project schedule visually with a Gantt chart

A carefully planned project schedule is key to the success of any project. Without one, your project will likely crumble into a mess of missed deadlines, poor team management, and scope creep.

Luckily, project planning tools like Gantt charts and project timelines make creating your project schedule easy. You can visually plot each project task, add major milestones, then look for any dependencies or conflicts that you haven’t accounted for.

For example, this Gantt chart template outlines high-level project activities over the course of an entire quarter, with tasks color-coded by team:

A high-level roadmap like the one above is probably sufficient for your project management plan. Every team will be able to refer back to this timeline throughout the project to make sure they’re on track.

But before project kickoff, you’ll need to dig in and break down project responsibilities by individual team member, like in this Gantt chart example:

In the later execution and monitoring phases of the project, you’ll thank yourself for creating a detailed visual roadmap that you can track and adjust as things change.

You can also use a project management tool to keep your team organized.

Further Reading:   Our post featuring  Gantt chart examples  and more tips on how to use them for project management.

3. Clarify the structure of your project team with a team org chart

One of the hardest aspects of project planning is assembling a team and aligning them to the project vision.

And aligning your team is all about communication–communicating the project goals, communicating stakeholder requests, communicating the rationale behind big decisions…the list goes on.

This is where good project documentation is crucial! You need to create documents that your team and your stakeholders can access when they have questions or need guidance.

One easy thing to document visually is the structure of your team, with an organizational chart like this one:

In an organizational chart you should include some basic information like team hierarchy and team member contact information. That way your stakeholders have all of the information they need at their fingertips.

But in addition to that, you can indicate the high-level responsibilities of each team member and the channels of communication within the team (so your team knows exactly what they’re accountable for).

Here’s another simple organizational structure template that you can use as a starting point:

Create an organizational chart with our organizational chart maker .

4. Organize project risk factors in a risk breakdown structure

A big part of project planning is identifying the factors that are likely to derail your project, and coming up with plans and process to deal with those factors. This is generally referred to as risk management .

The first step in coming up with a risk management plan is to list all of the factors at play, which is where a risk breakdown structure comes in handy. A risk breakdown structure is a hierarchical representation of project risks, organized by category.

This risk breakdown structure template, for example, shows project risk broken down into technical risk, management risk, and external risk:

Once you’ve constructed your risk breakdown structure, you’ll be ready to do a deep dive into each risk (to assess and plan for any triggers and outcomes).

Streamline your workflow with business process management software .

5. Plan ahead: create project status reports to communicate progress to stakeholders

As I mentioned earlier, communication is fundamental in any project.

But even so, something that’s often overlooked by project managers is a communication management plan–a plan for how the project team is going to communicate with project stakeholders . Too often, project communication defaults to ad-hoc emails or last-minute meetings.

You can avoid this by planning ahead. Start with a project kickoff meeting and include a project status report template as part of your communication plan.

Here’s an example of a simple project status report that you might send to stakeholders on a weekly basis:

This type of report is invaluable for communicating updates on project progress. It shows what you’ve accomplished in a clear, consistent format, which can help flag issues before they arise, build trust with your stakeholders , and makes it easy to reflect on project performance once you’ve reached your goals.

You might also want to include a broader status report for bigger updates on a monthly or quarterly basis, like this one:

The above template allows you to inform stakeholders of more major updates like new budget requirements, revised completion dates, and project performance ratings.

You can even include visualization of up-to-date project milestones, like this example below:

Want more tips on creating visuals to enhance your communications? Read our visual communication guide for businesses . 

Before you dive in, remember: a clear and adaptable plan is crucial for project success. Here are some best practices to keep your project plan on track:

• Use headers, columns and highlights to make your executive summary easy to read
• Plot your project schedule with a Gantt chart (with tasks color-coded by department or team member)
• Use visuals like organizational charts and risk breakdown structures to communicate across your team and with stakeholders
• Pick a flexible template that you can update to align with stakeholder requests

A project management plan is probably the most important deliverable your stakeholders will receive from you (besides the project itself).

It holds all of the information that stakeholders will use to determine whether your project moves forward or gets kicked to the curb.

That’s why it’s a good idea to start with a project management plan template. Using a template can help you organize your information logically and ensure it’s engaging enough to hold your stakeholders’ attention.

Construction project management plan template

Time is money, especially with construction projects. Having a construction plan template brings order to the chaos.

Instead of staring at a messy pile of construction stuff, you’ve got a plan that breaks everything down into bite-sized pieces.

And let’s not forget the paperwork. Construction projects have rules and regulations to follow. Your project plan helps you stay on the right side of the law with all the necessary documentation and compliance measures.

Start with a meticulous project overview, like in the second page of this template:

Though you may think this project will be similar to others you’ve done in the past, it’s important to nail the details.

This will also help you understand the scope of work so you can estimate costs properly and arrive at a quote that’s neither too high or low. Ontario Construction News has great advice on this process.

Simple project management plan template

This simple project management plan template that clearly lays out all of the information your stakeholders will need:

Simple project management communication plan template

A key part of project management is making sure everyone’s in the loop. A project communication plan ensures everyone knows how, where, who and when the team will communicate during the course of the project. Also construction scheduling is a critical aspect of the project management plan as it helps to ensure that all necessary tasks are completed within the allocated time frame and budget.

The key is to figure out what kind of communications is valuable to stakeholders and what is simply overwhelming and won’t lead to better decisions.

This template clearly outlines all of these factors to help manage expectations and eliminate confusion about what will get communicated and when:

Commercial development project plan template

The below project management plan template is simple and minimal, but still uses a unique layout and simple visuals to create an easy-to-read, scannable project overview.

This template is perfect for building or construction management , or any technical projects:

When picking a project plan template, look for one that’s flexible enough to accommodate any changes your stakeholders might request before they’ll approve the project. You never know what might change in the early planning stages of the project! You can also use project management tools to help you with your planning !

Creating a solid project management plan is crucial for setting your project up for success. Here are some common mistakes to avoid:

• Lack of clear goals: Don’t just have a vague idea of what you want to achieve. Define clear, SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound) for your project. That way, everyone will be on the same page and it’ll be easier to measure progress effectively.
• Unrealistic timelines: Be optimistic, but also realistic. Don’t underestimate the time required for tasks. Factor in potential delays and buffer time when creating your project schedule.
• Scope creep: New requirements mid-project can affect deadlines and budgets. Plan the project clearly upfront, and take into consideration any changes that might come up.
• Poor communication: Communication is key throughout the project lifecycle. Regularly update stakeholders, team members and clients on progress, roadblocks and changes.
• Ignoring risks: Things don’t always go according to plan. Identify potential risks upfront and have a mitigation strategy in place for each one.
• Not involving stakeholders: Get key stakeholders involved early on. This helps manage everyone’s expectations and that you have the buy-in you need for success.
• Neglecting resource constraints: Don’t overload your team or underestimate the resources needed. Carefully consider the skills, time and budget available when planning your project.
• Micromanaging: Trust your team! Delegate tasks effectively and give them the autonomy they need to do their jobs.
• Failing to document: Keep good records. Document project decisions, plans and communication. This helps maintain transparency and ensures everyone has access to the latest information.
• Not adapting to change: Be prepared to adapt your plan as needed. Projects are rarely static, so be flexible and willing to adjust your approach based on new information or developments.

So, that’s the scoop on project management plans! I hope this piece will help you to avoid confusion, keep expectations in check and be ready to tackle any bumps for your upcoming projects.

If you ever need a revision, just follow the steps we talked about, use those best practices and you’ll have a plan that sets your project up for a win. Just remember, even the best plans need some tweaking sometimes. Be flexible and adjust as needed and you’re good to go!

Assignment 1: Project Proposal

Due: Tuesday, April 23rd, 2024 at 7PM

This quarter, you're going to reimplement an open-source research system in Rust, trying to achieve similar performance on one or more key metrics. You'll explore and come to understand what makes this easy or hard, and report on your experiences. The overall goal of this assignment is to help start to answer the question:

“What are the most important open research challenges for software systems written in Rust?”

There are three major milestones to your project:

Propose a team and project

Submit a midterm report in Week 6

Write up and submit your results

When you're done with this assignment, you should have

formed a team,

agreed on a system you will re-implement in Rust,

decided on 2-3 key performance metrics you will try to match.

1 Forming a Team

Your team should be 3-4 people, of which at least one, if possible, should have significant prior Rust experience. You can expect that this team member (or members) will spend a good deal of time helping the other team members as they become more familiar with the language. This is an important responsibility, and absolutely a valued intellectual goal of the class; one adage is that the best way to learn something is to teach it, as you need to not only understand it but also be able to explain that understanding.

Your team should explicitly select who will take on two different roles in the project. These people are responsible for this aspect of your project and should have the final say. Having a consistent approach to each is important. Plus by placing this responsibility in one person, they know to keep track of the issues in play and spend some of their time and thought on it. The two roles are:

Software architect : This is the person who will decide how to decompose your project into modules and what the interfaces to those modules are. In Rust terminology, this is means deciding on the structs, enums, and traits, especially the public ones. Of course these will evolve as the project progresses. But the software architect has the design in their head and knows how it comes together. Two people working on different modules that interact through a trait can suggest changes to the architect (e.g., to support a piece of functionality), but it's ultimately up to the architect to sign off on a change.

Project manager : This is the person who decides who works on what and when. They are the person who is ultimately responsible for the system working at the end of the quarter. If development is falling behind, the project manager is the person who decides when to ask one person to stop working on one module, or set a partial completion point, before they shift to work on another. Put anothjer way, the project manager decides how to allocate the programming time of the team.

These two roles should have a single owner because, for both of them, having a consistency in approach is often more important than optimizing the exact approach taken. There are many good software architectures to solve a problem: it's more important that you pick one and stick with it than exactly which (of the good ones) you pick. Similarly, there are many good ways to allocate people to complete a project: what's important is that you pick one strategy and stick with it.

Setting Expectations

As you form your team, you should meet in person and answer the following questions:

What are your goals for the class? Please have each member discuss individually.

What is your Rust background? What parts of it do you find harder or easier?

What are some computer systems research papers you've read that you liked?

How do you like to work? Do you prefer to work solo and occasionally sync up? Do you like pair programming?

Find a Time to Meet

Compare your schedules to find two time blocks of at least one hour each week when you all can meet. Commit to meeting at these times each week and working together. If something comes up and someone can't make it, be sure to schedule another time for that week. The purpose of these meetings is to keep everyone in regular, scheduled communication on progress, discuss each other's code, etc.

Be sure to set up a Slack channel (or any other communication medium you prefer) for lower-latency, low-bandwidth communication and coordination.

Set up a repository on GitLab

Go to Stanford's GitLab and set up a repository for your project. Add all of your team memebrs and the course staff as contributors. Write a README that describes your team and the project.

2 Choosing a System and Metrics

Pick an open-source research system that is open source and not written in Rust. This system should be something that you can run and reimplement without requiring specialized hardware: you'll need to be able to run both the open source and your version. We can probably get access to small amounts of cloud compute (e.g., if you want to run on high-core processors), but not 100-node clusters. Note that you do not need to recreate the evaluation setups in papers on the system. E.g., if you are re-implementing a transaction processing system that was evaluated on a server with 52 cores and 1TB of RAM, you can evaluate it on your laptop and gather meaningful results.

Your goal will be to reimplement the system in Rust, and compare the performance of your Rust implementation with the published one. You should pick 2-3 key performance results from a paper describing the research system (e.g., latency under increasing load, throughput under increasing parallelism, etc.). Your goal will be to meet or exceed the results on these metrics. Writing low-performance code is easy: the challenges often come into play when you are forced to take particular approaches in order to minimize overheads (e.g., don't just Copy everything).

The system in question should be large and compled enough to be a substantial challenge. You have source code to refer to, which will help a good deal. A rough rule of thumb is it should be at least 1,000 lines of code per team member.

3 Handing In

Your proposal should be a 1 page document that states:

Who is in your team, and their Rust experience

Who your software architect and project manager is

Your GitLab repository

What system you will re-implement

A link to the open source for the system you will re-implement

Which performance metrics you will try to match; reference the paper and include the table, stated result, or a high-quality images of the figures.

Send an email to [email protected], with the subject “Team <NAME>”, attaching your proposal as a PDF. Your team name should be the system you are re-implementing.

This browser is no longer supported.

Upgrade to Microsoft Edge to take advantage of the latest features, security updates, and technical support.

Assignments object (Project)

• 5 contributors

Contains a collection of Assignment objects for a task or resource.

Using the Assignment Object

Use Assignments ( index ), where index is the assignment index number, to return a single Assignment object. The following example displays the name of the first resource assigned to the specified task.

Using the Assignments Collection

Use the Assignments property to return an Assignments collection. The following example displays all the resources assigned to the specified task.

Use the Add method to add an Assignment object to the Assignments collection. The following example adds a resource identified by the number 212 as a new assignment for the specified task.

Project Object Model

Support and feedback

Have questions or feedback about Office VBA or this documentation? Please see Office VBA support and feedback for guidance about the ways you can receive support and provide feedback.

Was this page helpful?

Coming soon: Throughout 2024 we will be phasing out GitHub Issues as the feedback mechanism for content and replacing it with a new feedback system. For more information see: https://aka.ms/ContentUserFeedback .

Submit and view feedback for

Additional resources

Search code, repositories, users, issues, pull requests...

Provide feedback.

We read every piece of feedback, and take your input very seriously.

Saved searches

Use saved searches to filter your results more quickly.

To see all available qualifiers, see our documentation .

• Notifications

YouTube Data Harvesting and Warehousing

madheswaranm5507/assignment-project-1

Folders and files, repository files navigation, youtube-data-harvesting-and-warehousing, introduction.

YouTube API scrapper that allows users to retrieve and analyze data from YouTube channels. It utilizes the YouTube Data API to fetch information such as channel details, video details, comments details, and more. The scrapper provides various functionalities to extract and process YouTube data for further analysis and insights.

Technologies Used

Python: The project is implemented using the Python programming language.

YouTube Data API: Utilizes the official YouTube Data API to interact with YouTube's platform and retrieve data.

Streamlit: The user interface and visualization are created using the Streamlit framework, providing a seamless and interactive experience.

MongoDB: The collected data can be stored in a MongoDB database for efficient data management and querying.

MySQL: A powerful open-source relational database management system used to store and manage the retrieved data.

Pandas: A powerful Python library widely used for data manipulation and analysis, Pandas is used in the YouTube Data Scraper to handle and process data obtained from YouTube, providing functionalities such as data filtering, dataframe create, transformation, and aggregation.

• Python 100.0%

Monitoring and Evaluation Analyst

Purpose and Scope of Assignment

In 2023, UN Global Pulse made significant strides in establishing and executing a comprehensive Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) framework and plan for the organization’s project portfolio. The primary focus of the MEL team, based in Finland, has been in implementing a thorough monitoring process for all projects within the organization's portfolio. This process is grounded in a common Theory of Change and a common portfolio approach, that helps teams to be in sync with organizational understanding of impact. In this context, the MEL team has the following three main overarching objectives:

Ensure systematic monitoring across all projects by aligning them with the Theory of Change, establishing clear data collection mechanisms for both quantitative and qualitative indicators, and developing detailed results frameworks at project, and organizational level.

Establish and implement a comprehensive evaluation plan that addresses organizational evaluation needs beyond project-specific requirements, taking into account the existing capacity and resources of the network.

Develop and implement a learning process that encourages project teams to utilize collected data for purposeful analyses, ensuring that insights are continuously reflected upon and used in existing decision-making processes.

As UN Global Pulse grows and its portfolio progressively incorporates all elements of MEL, more resources are required to support the wider MEL needs of the network. The Monitoring and Evaluation Analyst will work under the direct supervision of UN Global Pulse’s Monitoring and Evaluation Senior Analyst and in close collaboration with other colleagues across the network. The Monitoring and Evaluation Analyst will be responsible for the following activities: 

Assist in refining or further developing the organizational MEL plan, guides and tools.  

Support in the review and update of MEL plans, guides and tools including but not limited to: MEL process guides, monitoring indicators, monitoring calendars, and quality assurance processes related to monitoring, and reporting. 

Support in the development of an impact portfolio dashboard to visualize key organizational indicators for senior management. 

Support teams in implementing the MEL plan across all projects of the network. 

Provide support to project teams for them to develop effective monitoring tools and plans and to implement them regularly.  

Help coordinate with project teams across the network to ensure that quantitative data collection and analysis is coordinated and standardized.

Assist project teams in monitoring the projects’ progress quarterly and assist in providing inputs to leadership briefs/reports as needed.

Support teams in conducting qualitative data collection with partners and other project stakeholders, and analyze information. 

Coordinate with the Creative Communications team to ensure quantitative and qualitative data is used effectively in external communications. 

Support project teams in conducting learning activities and in ensuring that insights from reflections and discussions are useful and used for internal decision-making. 

Support in managing internal and external reporting

Support in the completion of results-based monitoring and reporting of projects, aiming to inform, in particular, regular donor reports, and the external annual report.

Assist in the drafting of summaries for project-level results framework monitoring using inputs from project teams across the network. 

Identify and input relevant monitoring findings, conclusions and recommendations into project and general reporting.

Under the supervision of the Monitoring and Evaluation Senior Analyst, review progress reports submitted by project teams and provide feedback to ensure results-based reporting and adequate data analysis.

Support in maintaining the organizational impact portfolio database and dashboard up to date.   

Provide technical support to develop and implement UN Global Pulse’s Evaluation Plan. 

Under the supervision of the Monitoring and Evaluation Senior Analyst, assist in the development of an evaluation plan for the organization that abides by the UN evaluation guidelines.  

Help coordinate and implement the agreed evaluations based on the Evaluation Plan.  

Contribute to knowledge and capacity building

Identify good practices, and lessons learnt through project implementation, monitoring, and evaluation activities, and assist in their dissemination. 

Contribute to the development of capacity development tools, including training materials and packages, and support in the implementation of internal training activities. 

Support the Monitoring and Evaluation Senior Analyst to promote awareness and understanding of project teams’ shared responsibility for Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) via capacity development support and learning activities.

Monitoring and Progress Controls

The Monitoring and Evaluation Analyst will meet weekly with the Monitoring and Evaluation Senior Analyst to outline ongoing deliverables and ensure that projects and engagements have realistic deadlines and workflows. 

In coordination with the Monitoring and Evaluation Senior Analyst, the Monitoring and Evaluation Analyst will report on progress to ensure the timely deliverables of the agreed outputs. The Monitoring and Evaluation Analyst is expected to exercise flexibility in the assignment regarding the potential of dynamically changing delivery requirements. The position may require international travel.

* FEMALE CANDIDATES ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO APPLY Education:   

A first-level university degree (Bachelor's Degree or equivalent) preferably in economics, international development studies, social sciences, or a related field is required.

An advanced university degree (Master's Degree or equivalent) may substitute for some of the required years of experience.

Required Experience:

A minimum of two (2) years of experience in one or more of the following: monitoring and evaluation of development projects/ programmes, conducting quantitative and qualitative research of development or humanitarian projects or of projects in the social sector. 

Experience in leading and conducting quantitative and qualitative research in the areas of innovation, or related topics.

Experience in quantitative and qualitative data analysis, and visualization.

Knowledge  and/or experience in integrating systems change perspective in monitoring and evaluation.

Knowledge and/or experience in integrating elements of human rights, gender equality, inclusion and diversity, and climate change in monitoring and evaluation systems. 

Experience in designing and developing monitoring dashboards using a variety of softwares, including Excel, Google Data Studio (Locker), PowerBI, or others. 

Experience working with United Nations agencies, governments and / or international organizations.

Knowledge and/or experience in topics related to innovation, data, strategic foresight, and behavioral science.

Experience in developing content and stories on complex issues such as artificial intelligence, innovation, climate change and humanitarian issues.

Fluency in English (write, read, speak) is required.

Knowledge of another official United Nations language is an asset.

• Contract type: Individual Contractor Agreement
• Contract level: ICS 8 (IICA 1)
• Contract duration: Ongoing ICA – ‘Open-ended, subject to organizational requirements, availability of funds and satisfactory performance.’

Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.

Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.

Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments.

UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures,  languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. 

Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities.

UNOPS seeks to reasonably accommodate candidates with special needs, upon request.

We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process.  If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

Work life harmonization - UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands. We have a progressive policy on work-life harmonization and offer several flexible working options. This policy applies to UNOPS personnel on all contract types.

This position will be based in Helsinki, Finland which is a family duty station.

Terms and Conditions 

For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post. 

For retainer contracts, you must complete a few Mandatory Courses (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. For more information on a retainer contract here .

All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda.

It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.

APPLICATION TIPS

Together, we build the future.

• Implementing Applications

Assignment of Reference Data Sets to Reference Objects

You can assign the reference data sets to reference objects using the Manage Reference Data Set Assignments page. For multiple assignments, you can classify different types of reference data sets into groups and assign them to the reference entity objects.

The assignment takes into consideration the determinant type, determinant, and reference group, if any.

Determinant Types

The partitioned reference data is shared using a business context setting called the determinant type. A determinant type is the point of reference used in the data assignment process. The following table lists the determinant types used in the reference data assignment.

Determinant

The determinant (also called determinant value) is a value that corresponds to the selected determinant type. The determinant is one of the criteria for selecting the appropriate reference data set.

Reference Groups

A transactional entity may have multiple reference entities (generally considered to be setup data). However, all reference entities are treated alike because of similarity in implementing business policies and legal rules. Such reference entities in your application are grouped into logical units called reference groups. For example, all tables and views that define Sales Order Type details might be a part of the same reference group. Reference groups are predefined in the reference groups table.

• Study Guides
• Homework Questions

Final individual project selection assignment for oscar

• Cover Letters
• Jobs I've Applied To
• Saved Searches
• Subscriptions

Marine Corps

Coast guard.

• Space Force
• Military Podcasts
• Benefits Home
• Military Pay and Money
• Veteran Health Care
• VA eBenefits
• Veteran Job Search
• Military Skills Translator
• Upload Your Resume
• Veteran Employment Project
• Vet Friendly Employers
• Career Advice
• Military Life Home
• Military Trivia Game
• Veterans Day
• Spouse & Family
• Military History
• Discounts Home
• Featured Discounts
• Veterans Day Restaurant Discounts
• Electronics
• Join the Military Home
• Contact a Recruiter
• Military Fitness

New Cold-Assignment Incentive Pay Coming for Airmen and Guardians at 7 Bases

In a move aimed at incentivizing airmen and Guardians stationed in the remotest and coldest parts of the country, the Department of the Air Force has finally approved cold weather pay for troops at seven bases.

As of April 1, airmen and Guardians stationed at U.S. bases where temperatures sometimes drop 20 degrees below zero will earn the new lump-sum payment if they agree to serve at least a yearlong tour.

Locations that qualify for the incentive include North Dakota's Cavalier Space Force Station and Minot and Grand Forks Air Force Bases ; Alaska's Clear Space Force Station, Eielson Air Force Base and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson ; and Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana.

Read Next : Army Eyes Dramatic Cuts to Key Education Benefits for Soldiers

The announcement comes more than a year after passage of the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act, which included a provision for the services to provide an Arctic incentive pay.

A defense official told Military.com in January that the military's existing programs already compensate service members serving in those areas well enough, but the Department of the Air Force went ahead with its own program.

"Airmen and Guardians living in extremely cold conditions faced unique out-of-pocket costs," Alex Wagner, assistant secretary of the Air Force for manpower and reserve affairs, said in a statement to Military.com. "In addition to the assignment and retention benefits of the pay, it also comes down to making sure we do our best to take care of our service members and their families stationed at these critical installations."

Similar to the Army 's existing Remote and Austere Conditions Assignment Incentive Pay, the Air Force's new Cold Weather Incentive pay program "intends to ease the financial burden of purchasing certain cold weather essentials" like jackets and other Arctic-protective clothes, season-appropriate tires, engine block heaters and emergency roadside kits, the service told Military.com.

The pay ranges from $500 to $5,000 depending on location and how many dependents an airman or Guardian has. Though the program is effective as of April 1, the first pay date is July 1. If a service member moves to one of the seven locations between April 1 and June 30, they will receive the benefit retroactively, the Air Force said.

"We want to ensure airmen, Guardians and their families have the resources needed to safely live and work in an extreme cold-weather environment," Wagner said in the statement.

Notably, two of the nation's nuclear intercontinental ballistic missile bases are on the list: Malmstrom in Montana and Minot in North Dakota.

The announcement of the payment comes as the service's Cold War-era facilities at ICBM bases are being sanitized and investigated for toxins that could lead to cancer. Military.com has reported that both of those bases found levels of polychlorinated biphenyls -- a known carcinogen -- above the Environmental Protection Agency's threshold of 10 micrograms per 100 square centimeters.

Editor's note: This story was corrected to say Cavalier Space Force Station, Minot Air Force Base and Grand Forks Air Force Base are located in North Dakota.

Related : New Arctic Pay for Troops Was Passed by Congress a Year Ago. But the Pentagon Waved It Off.

Thomas Novelly

You May Also Like

A top U.S. official said the U.S. had informed Israel it does not plan on striking Iran itself.

U.S. forces downed some of the Iran-launched drones flying toward Israel.

With the war in Ukraine entering its third year and a vital U.S. aid package for Kyiv stuck in Congress, Russian troops are...

President Joe Biden ignored a question about what would trigger a direct U.S. military response.

Military News

• Investigations and Features
• Military Opinion

Select Service

• National Guard

Most Popular Military News

A Military.com investigation into military day care centers revealed that service branch rules generally prioritize...

Lt. Col. Jimmy Stanley, commander of the 90th Operational Medical Readiness Squadron, was relieved of command April 5, the...

Since the Space Force was formed in 2019 as part of the Department of the Air Force, a major point of contention has been...

The Army is again dramatically expanding its pre-basic training courses that were created to get young Americans into...

The Department of the Navy said it has taken a "proactive approach" to procure American or allied-supplied batteries for its...

Latest Benefits Info

• Retirees, VA Disability Recipients to Get Biggest Pay Raise Since 2012
• Military Tuition Assistance (TA) Overview
• GI Bill Monthly Housing Allowance
• Military Child Care Fees
• VA Studying Effects Of Grape Juice On Gulf War Illness

More Military Headlines

The disappearance of 14-year-old Binyamin Achimair sparked attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinian villages on Friday and...

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and national security adviser Jake Sullivan hosted their...

• How the Army Made a Deal with UFL Football and The Rock Despite Doubts over the Sponsorship's Worth
• Maine Shooter's Commanding Army Officer Acknowledges His Inaction over Missed Counseling Sessions
• Army Orders More Helicopter Pilot Training After Spate of 12 Crashes Kills, Injures Soldiers
• Booms and Sirens in Israel After Iran Launches Ballistic Missiles and Drones in Unprecedented Attack
• States Don't Need 'Space Force Militia': Air Force Secretary Defends Move to Bypass Governors
• F.E. Warren Air Force Base Medical Squadron Commander Fired 3 Months into Job
• Troubled USS Boxer Returns Home 10 Days into Deployment Due to Maintenance Issue
• China-Made Batteries Eliminated from Navy, Marine Corps Infrastructure After Camp Lejeune Incident

Military Benefits Updates

• The Mental Burden of Using Military Benefits
• Other Than Honorable Discharge: Everything You Need to Know
• Sexual Assault Charges Dropped Against Camp Pendleton Marine Found with Teen in Barracks Last Year
• Retired Marine Commandant Signs Brief Against Trump's Immunity Claim
• 55 Coast Guard Academy Cadets Disciplined in Cheating Scandal
• ‘HELP’ Message on Remote Island Saves Sailors Stranded for a Week, Coast Guard Says
• Coast Guard 'Indo-Pacific Support Cutter' Returns to Honolulu

Entertainment

• How the OJ Simpson Verdict Overshadowed a Watershed Moment for Atomic Veterans
• PBS' 'After Action' Takes a Personal Look at the Lives of Veterans Forever Changed by Military Service
• 'Civil War': How Military Veterans Brought Real-Life Combat to the Big Screen

Select your country/region to personalize your site experience

• Argentina (English)
• Argentina (Español)
• Australia (English)
• Austria (English)
• Österreich (Deutsch)
• Bahamas (English)
• Belgium (English)
• Brazil (English)
• Brazil (Portuguese)
• Canada (English)
• Chile (English)
• Chile (Español)
• Colombia (English)
• Colombia (Español)
• Czech Republic (English)
• Denmark (English)
• Ecuador (English)
• Ecuador (Spanish)
• Finland (English)
• France (English)
• France (Français)
• Germany (English)
• Greece (English)
• Guatemala (English)
• Guatemala (Español)
• Deutschland (Deutsch)
• Hong Kong (English)
• Hungary (English)
• India (English)
• Indonesia (English)
• Ireland (English)
• Israel (English)
• Italy (English)
• Japan (English)
• Korea (English)
• Luxemburg (English)
• Mainland China (English)
• 中国内地 (简体中文)
• Malaysia (English)
• Mexico (English)
• Mexico (Español)
• Netherlands (English)
• New Zealand (English)
• Norway (English)
• Peru (English)
• Peru (Español)
• Philippines (English)
• Poland (English)
• Portugal (English)
• Puerto Rico (English)
• Serbia (English)
• Singapore (English)
• Slovenia (English)
• South Africa (English)
• Spain (English)
• Sweden (English)
• Switzerland (English)
• Schweiz (Deutsch)
• Taiwan (English)
• Thailand (English)
• Turkey (English)
• United Arab Emirates (English)
• United Kingdom (English)
• United States (English)
• Venezuela (English)
• Venezuela (Español)
• Vietnam (English)

Search Jobs

What would you like to do?

• Administration
• Animation and Visual Effects
• Architecture and Design
• Asset Management
• Building, Construction and Facilities
• Business Strategy and Development
• Call Center
• Communications
• Data Science and Analytics
• Engineering
• Finance and Accounting
• Food and Beverage
• Gaming and Interactive
• Graphic Design
• Health Services
• Horticulture and Landscaping
• Hotel and Resorts
• Human Resources
• Legal and Business Affairs
• Maritime and Cruise Operations
• Marketing and Digital Media
• Merchandising
• Project Management
• Quality Assurance
• Research and Development
• Retail Operations
• Sciences and Animal Programs
• Social Responsibility
• Sports and Recreation
• Stage Productions
• Supply Chain Management
• Theme Park Operations

Brand Select ABC News Adventures by Disney Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa Consumer Products Games & Publishing Disney Advertising Disney Branded Television Disney Cruise Line Disney Direct to Consumer Disney Entertainment Disney Entertainment & ESPN Technology Disney Entertainment Television Disney Experiences Disney Music Group Disney Platform Distribution Disney Star Disney Store Disney Theatrical Group Disney Vacation Club Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort Disney+ Hotstar Disneyland Paris Disneyland Resort ESPN Freeform FX Networks Hong Kong Disneyland Resort Industrial Light & Magic Lucasfilm Marvel Entertainment Marvel Studios National Geographic Partners Federal Credit Union Pixar Animation Studios The Walt Disney Company (APAC) The Walt Disney Company (Corporate) The Walt Disney Company (EMEA) The Walt Disney Company (India) The Walt Disney Company (LATAM) The Walt Disney Studios Walt Disney Animation Studios Walt Disney Imagineering Walt Disney World Resort

Job Level Select Business Support / Administrative Executive Internships / Programs Management Operations / Production Professional Talent

Where would you like to work?

Country/Region Select Argentina Australia Bahamas Brazil Bulgaria Canada France Germany Hong Kong India Indonesia Italy Japan Mexico Netherlands Philippines Poland Portugal Shipboard Singapore South Korea Spain Sweden Switzerland Taiwan Thailand Turkey United Kingdom United States

State/Province Select Bangkok Bavaria British Columbia Buenos Aires F.D. California Canton of Zurich Connecticut DC Eastern England Florida Haryana Hawaii Île-de-France Region Illinois Islands District Istanbul Jakarta Special Capital Region Karnataka Lisbon District Lombardy Lower Saxony Madrid Maharashtra Mazovia Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Metro Manila Mexico City Missouri Nevada New South Wales New York North Carolina North Holland Ontario Pennsylvania São Paulo Seoul Sofia-grad South Carolina Stockholm County Taipei Taiwan Telangana Tennessee Texas Tokyo Washington West Bengal

City Select Amsterdam Anaheim Austin Bangkok Bay Lake Bengaluru Branson Bristol Buenos Aires Burbank Celebration Charlotte Chessy Chicago Coral Gables Coupvray Destin Emeryville Fort Worth Glendale Greater Manchester Gurgaon Hilton Head Island Hyderabad Istanbul Iver Heath Jakarta Kapolei Kings Mountain Kissimmee Kolkata Lake Buena Vista Lancaster Lantau Island Las Vegas Lisbon Livermore London Los Angeles Madrid Makati City Manhattan Beach Marne-la-Vallée Mexico City Milan Minato-ku Montévrain Morrisville Mumbai Munich New Taipei City New York Orlando Papenburg Paris Quarry Bay Raleigh San Francisco Santa Monica São Paulo Seattle Seoul Serris Sevierville Singapore Sofia Stockholm Sydney Taipei Tampa The Woodlands Tlalpan Toronto Tulalip Vancouver Warsaw Washington Wismar Zurich

Be Part of the Story

Associate Costume Designer; Disney Live Entertainment (Temporary Assignment/Project Hire)

Job summary:, about the role & team.

Through innovative storytelling and collaboration, Disney Live Entertainment crafts, produces, and delivers remarkable and engaging entertainment experiences! From the intimate to the spectacular, our work can be seen at Disney theme parks, resort hotels, cruise ships, and other locations the world over. This diverse team – representing a wide variety of fields and talents from technical directors, writers and lighting designers to choreographers, cosmetologists, and music producers – brings magical worlds to life through technical expertise, performance excellence, incomparable ingenuity, unparalleled spectacle… and a dash of pixie dust!

Disney Live Entertainment Costuming is seeking candidates for an Associate Costume Designer role. This role creates costume designs based on creative provided by Art and Show Directors for entertainment offerings and operational locations. We pay close attention to diverse points of view as well as understanding the functional aspects of the end-user of the product. The team crafts costume designs for theme parks, resorts & Disney Cruise Line. Design skills to include full color renderings and costume research in any media that will enhance the projects.

This role will report to the Manager of Costume Design & Implementation

The role is temporary with no guarantee of permanent placement

What You Will Do

Accountable for fabric and trim selections for all garments and have the capacity to on advise custom crafted textiles.

Provide pattern instruction thru the completion of a project with pattern change and costume prototype oversight, including supervision of costume fittings.

Attend assigned entertainment rehearsals and operational design implementations.

Work with Walt Disney Imagineering and Disney Live Entertainment on costume design and development.

Provide and maintain effective communication with internal and all artistic production and operating partners.

Stay current with Disney brand entertainment offerings world-wide.

Required Qualifications & Skills

1+ years sketch artist experience in live show production, Theatre, Film or Fashion Design

Experience prioritizing multiple projects simultaneously

Experience with textile development

Experience in costume construction

Experience providing customer service to internal and external customers, including meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction

Experience delivering and receiving direct written and oral feedback in a thoughtful way

Experience communicating (written & verbal) with all levels of partners

Experience researching various periods and staying abreast of trends

Valid drivers' license

Ability to work with various synthetic fibers and furs

Flexible hours including weekends, nights, and holidays are required

Preferred Qualifications

Experience using Photoshop, Illustrator or other equivalent software

Experience using a tablet to produce renderings

Experience in the field of Costuming or Fashion

Experience providing design direction to various partners

Experience presenting costume designs to non-design audiences at various levels

High school degree or equivalent is required

Advanced degree in Costume Design or Technology, Fashion Design, Fashion Merchandising or related field is preferred

About Walt Disney Imagineering:

Founded in 1952 as WED Enterprises to design and build the world’s first theme park — Disneyland — Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI) is where imagination and creativity combine with cutting-edge technology to create unforgettable experiences. WDI is the creative force that imagines, designs and builds all Disney theme parks, resorts, attractions and cruise ships worldwide. Imagineering’s unique strength comes from its diverse global team of creative and technical professionals, who build on Disney’s legacy of storytelling to pioneer new forms of entertainment. The Imagineers who practice this unique blend of art and science work in more than 100 disciplines to shepherd an idea all the way from “blue sky” concept phase to opening day.

About The Walt Disney Company:

The Walt Disney Company, together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, is a leading diversified international family entertainment and media enterprise with the following business segments: Disney Entertainment, ESPN, Disney Parks, and Experiences and Products. From humble beginnings as a cartoon studio in the 1920s to its preeminent name in the entertainment industry today, Disney proudly continues its legacy of creating world-class stories and experiences for every member of the family. Disney’s stories, characters and experiences reach consumers and guests from every corner of the globe. With operations in more than 40 countries, our employees and cast members work together to create entertainment experiences that are both universally and locally cherished.

This position is with Disney Entertainment Productions , which is part of a business we call Walt Disney Imagineering .

Disney Entertainment Productions is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, protected veteran status or any other basis prohibited by federal, state or local law. Disney fosters a business culture where ideas and decisions from all people help us grow, innovate, create the best stories and be relevant in a rapidly changing world.

Watch Our Jobs

Sign up to receive new job alerts and company information based on your preferences.

Job Category Select a Job Category Administration Animation and Visual Effects Architecture and Design Asset Management Banking Building, Construction and Facilities Business Strategy and Development Call Center Communications Creative Culinary Data Science and Analytics Engineering Finance and Accounting Food and Beverage Gaming and Interactive Graphic Design Health Services Horticulture and Landscaping Hotel and Resorts Human Resources Legal and Business Affairs Licensing Maritime and Cruise Operations Marketing and Digital Media Merchandising Operations Production Project Management Publishing Quality Assurance Research and Development Retail Operations Sales Sciences and Animal Programs Security Social Responsibility Sports and Recreation Stage Productions Supply Chain Management Talent Technology Theme Park Operations

Location Select Location Amsterdam, Netherlands Anaheim, California, United States Austin, Texas, United States Bangkok, Thailand Bay Lake, Florida, United States Bengaluru, India Branson, Missouri, United States Bristol, Connecticut, United States Buenos Aires, Argentina Burbank, California, United States Celebration, Florida, United States Charlotte, North Carolina, United States Chessy, France Chicago, Illinois, United States Coral Gables, Florida, United States Coupvray, France Destin, Florida, United States Emeryville, California, United States Fort Worth, Texas, United States Glendale, California, United States Greater Manchester, United Kingdom Gurgaon, India Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, United States Hyderabad, India Istanbul, Turkey Iver Heath, United Kingdom Jakarta, Indonesia Kapolei, Hawaii, United States Kings Mountain, North Carolina, United States Kissimmee, Florida, United States Kolkata, India Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States Lancaster, Pennsylvania, United States Lantau Island, Hong Kong Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Lisbon, Portugal Livermore, California, United States London, United Kingdom Los Angeles, California, United States Madrid, Spain Makati City, Philippines Manhattan Beach, California, United States Marne-la-Vallée, France Mexico City, Mexico Milan, Italy Minato-ku, Japan Montévrain, France Morrisville, North Carolina, United States Mumbai, India Munich, Germany New Taipei City, Taiwan New York, New York, United States Orlando, Florida, United States Papenburg, Germany Paris, France Quarry Bay, Hong Kong Raleigh, North Carolina, United States San Francisco, California, United States Santa Monica, California, United States São Paulo, Brazil Seattle, Washington, United States Seoul, South Korea Serris, France Sevierville, Tennessee, United States Singapore, Singapore Sofia, Bulgaria Stockholm, Sweden Sydney, Australia Taipei, Taiwan Tampa, Florida, United States The Woodlands, Texas, United States Tlalpan, Mexico Toronto, Canada Tulalip, Washington, United States Vancouver, Canada Warsaw, Poland Washington, DC, United States Wismar, Germany Zurich, Switzerland

Job Level Select Professional Operations / Production Management Business Support / Administrative Internships / Programs Executive Talent

Email Address

Country/Region of Residence Select Afghanistan Aland Islands Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia, Plurinational State Of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Bouvet Island Brazil British Indian Ocean Territory Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia Comoros Congo Congo, the Democratic Republic of The Cook Islands Costa Rica Cote D'ivoire Croatia Cuba Curacao Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Great Britain Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Heard Island and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran, Islamic Republic Of Iraq Ireland Isle of Man Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jersey Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Korea, Democratic People's Republic Of Korea, Republic Of Kosovo Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Lao People's Democratic Republic Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Macedonia, the Former Yugoslav Republic Of Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia, Federated States Of Moldova, Republic Of Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands Antilles Netherlands New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Reunion Romania Russian Federation Rwanda Saint Barthelemy Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan Da Cunha Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Martin (French Part) Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Sint Eustatius Sint Maarten (Dutch Part) Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Svalbard and Jan Mayen Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syrian Arab Republic Tahiti Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic Of Thailand Timor-leste Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States United States Minor Outlying Islands Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic Of Viet Nam Vietnam Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands, U.S. Wallis and Futuna Western Sahara Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe

Confirm Email