PM 904 Project Business Plan
(Small to Medium Sized Projects)
Template & Guide
This guide is intended to be read in conjunction with the following template for the
development of a Project Business Plan for a small project.
As such, the Guide should be removed from the front of your final document.
Another template for the development of a Project Business Plan for a larger, more
complex project (PM 004 Project Business Plan) has also been developed.
The project management templates are being continuously improved. Feedback on
suggested improvements to this Template would be appreciated, and may be made to
Project Services by emailing PMInfo@dpac.tas.gov.au.
DISCLAIMER
This material has been prepared for use by Tasmanian Government agencies and
Instrumentalities. It follows that this material should not be relied upon by any other
person. Furthermore, to the extent that ‘this material is relied upon’, the Crown in
Right of the State of Tasmania gives no warranty as to the accuracy or correctness of
the material or for any advice given or for omissions from the material. Users rely on
the material at their own risk.
Version 1.0 (December 2002)
Department of Premier and Cabinet, Tasmania
What is a Project Business Plan?
A Project Business Plan is the management document for the project. It is owned,
maintained and utilised by the Steering Committee to ensure the delivery of project
outputs and the realisation of project outcomes. In the case of small to medium sized
projects it is also the management document for the Project Manager as opposed to a
separate Project Execution Plan.
The Fact Sheet on Project Sizing defines what may be considered a small and medium
sized project.
Why would you develop a Project Business Plan?
A Project Business Plan is developed to provide:

An overview of all the project components, how you intend to produce the
outputs and briefly describes the roles and responsibilities of each of the
parties;

the project’s Sponsor/Steering Committee with a documented framework to
ensure the delivery of defined project outcomes and to effectively monitor the
project from start to finish; and

a formalised agreement between the Project Sponsor/Steering Committee and
the Project Manager of what needs to be done and when.
The document may expand upon the original Project Proposal or the approved option
in the Project Business Case if these exist, enabling further definition of the scope of
the project.
When would you develop a Project Business Plan?
Approval to develop a Project Business Plan for a small project may come from
senior management or be obtained from the acceptance or approval of a preceding
stage such as a Project Proposal1, or Project Business Case.
What you need before you start:

Agreement to proceed with the development of the Project Business Plan from
the Project Sponsor.

Knowledge and understanding of the development of a Project Business Plan,
as outlined in the Tasmanian Government Project Management Guidelines.
Optional
1

Endorsed document establishing the scope of the Project Business Plan, which
could be a Project Proposal or a Project Business Case.

Knowledge and understanding of project planning, scope definition,
stakeholder identification, risk identification and the development of work
breakdown structures.
For a definition of these underlined terms, refer to the Project Management Glossary
Department of Premier and Cabinet, Tasmania
ii

Awareness of the environmental factors that may affect the project such as
political, industrial, legislative, technical, financial, social, cultural and
security/privacy.

Corporate/Business Plan for the Department/Business Unit.

Departmental Project Management Guidelines.
What you will have when you are finished:
A complete Project Business Plan for a small to medium sized project that is ready
for acceptance by the Project Sponsor or Project Steering Committee.
How to use this template?
The template contains sections which are either optional or can be developed at a
number of levels of detail depending upon individual need.
The resulting document should be brief. Sections that are not required may:

be deleted;

indicate that the section is not applicable; or

refer to another document.
All documents developed based on this template should include an appropriate
acknowledgement.
A number of different text styles have been used within the template, as follows:

Text in italics is intended to provide a guide as to the kind of information that
can be included in a section and to what types of projects it might be
applicable.

Text in normal font is intended as examples.

Text enclosed in <angle brackets> is intended to be replaced by whatever it is
describing.
.
Department of Premier and Cabinet, Tasmania
iii
Copy: Uncontrolled
<Project Title>
Project Business Plan
Organisational Unit
DEPARTMENT OF ...
Version 0.A (dd mmm yyyy)
Acknowledgements
The contribution of the following individuals in preparing this document is gratefully
acknowledged:
<contributors/reviewers/developers>
The following paragraph should be included in the documents where these templates have been
used as a basis for development.
This document has been derived from a template prepared by the Department of Premier and
Cabinet, Tasmania. The structure is based on a number of methodologies as described in the
Tasmanian Government Project Management Guidelines.
<Project Title>: Project Business Plan – Version 0.A
Page 2 of 13
DOCUMENT ACCEPTANCE and RELEASE NOTICE
This is <release/version> <n.n> of the <Project Title> Project Business Plan.
The Project Business Plan is a managed document. For identification of amendments each page
contains a release number and a page number. Changes will only be issued as a complete
replacement document. Recipients should remove superseded versions from circulation. This
document is authorised for release once all signatures have been obtained.
PREPARED:
(for acceptance)
DATE:___/___/___
(<name>, <Project Title> Project Manager)
ACCEPTED:
(for release)
1.
DATE:___/___/___
(Project Sponsor,<name, title>)
BUILD STATUS:
The most recent amendment first.
Version
Date
Author
Reason
Sections
<n.n>
<dd mmm yyyy>
<Name>
<e.g. Initial Release>
<All>
2.
AMENDMENTS IN THIS RELEASE:
Section Title
Section
Number
Amendment Summary
<e.g. This is the first release of this document.>
3.
DISTRIBUTION:
Copy No
Version
Issue Date
Issued To
1
<n.n>
<dd mmm yyyy>
<Name, Title, Organisation>
2
Electronic
<Project Title>: Project Business Plan – Version 0.A
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Table of Contents
1.
Overview ...................................................................................................................... 5
1.1. Project Title ....................................................................................................... 5
1.2. Project Background ........................................................................................... 5
2.
Objectives and Scope .................................................................................................. 5
2.1. Objective(s) ....................................................................................................... 5
2.2. Outcome(s)/Benefits.......................................................................................... 5
2.3. Output(s)............................................................................................................ 5
2.4. Assumptions and Constraints ............................................................................ 5
3.
Project Management Plan .......................................................................................... 6
3.1. Governance........................................................................................................ 6
3.2. Project Sponsor/Steering Committee ................................................................ 6
3.3. Project Manager ................................................................................................ 6
3.4. Project Team ..................................................................................................... 7
3.5. Quality Consultants ........................................................................................... 7
3.6. Reference Groups .............................................................................................. 7
3.7. Working Parties/Groups .................................................................................... 7
3.8. Reporting Requirements .................................................................................... 7
4.
Stakeholder Management & Communication .......................................................... 7
4.1. Related Projects ................................................................................................. 8
5.
Resourcing Requirements........................................................................................... 8
5.1. Budget and Expenditure .................................................................................... 8
5.2. Other Resources ................................................................................................ 8
6.
Risk Management Plan ............................................................................................... 8
7.
Quality Management................................................................................................... 8
8.
Project Closure & Outcome Realisation ................................................................... 9
9.
Project Activities and Milestones ............................................................................... 9
10.
Appendices ................................................................................................................... 9
Appendix 1 - Risk Analysis ................................................................................................... 10
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Overview
1.
Overview
1.1.
Project Title
(XYZ) – Abbreviation and Long Title.
1.2.
Project Background
Briefly describe the reasons for establishing the project and how it was initiated,
include any relevant background information. This should be less than half a page
long.
2.
Objectives and Scope
2.1.
Objective(s)
What is the goal of the project, what is it expected to deliver? A high level description
of the objective(s) of the project (a one-liner).
2.2.
Outcome(s)/Benefits
List the target outcomes/benefits, the measures which will be used to measure success
and the dates for achievement.
2.3.
Output(s)
Outputs (deliverables) describe what new products, services, businesses, or
management practices will need to be implemented to meet each identified outcome.
List all of the deliverable adding details as required.
2.4.
Assumptions and Constraints
It is important that assumptions made during the planning process are identified and
recorded in the Project Business Plan along with any constraints. This may include
deadlines, financial and budgetary, legislation, resource availability, environmental,
technology, security etc.
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Project Management Plan
3.
Project Management Plan
3.1.
Governance
Project Sponsor/
Steering Committee/
Business Owner
Quality
Consultants
Project Manager &
Team
Refenence Groups
Working Parties
Consultants
Direct relationships that may be managerial or contractual
(or both)
KEY:
Indirect relationships that may exist in some circumstances.
They may also be managerial or contractual (or both).
Figure 1: Governance Structure for the <XYZ> Project
Determine what parties you require from the figure above, list them in the paragraphs
below and detail their responsibilities. Dotted boxes indicate Optional Groups.
3.2.
Project Sponsor/Steering Committee
Small to medium sized projects may have a Steering Committee or may just have a
Project Sponsor/Line Manager. The Project Sponsor may be the Business Owner of
the project. The Project Sponsor is a member of the Steering Committee, usually the
Chair, and has delegated authority of the Steering Committee to assist with issues
that arise outside the formal business of the Steering Committee.
Project Sponsor (Chairperson):
Members:
3.3.
Project Manager
The Project Manager delivers the defined project outputs. They manage the day-today aspects of the project, resolving planning and implementation issues, budgeting,
and monitoring and reporting progress.
Nominee:
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Stakeholder Management & Communication
3.4.
Project Team
The Project Manager leads the project team. It is desirable that the project team
includes representatives from the business unit(s) affected by the project. The
selection of people with the requisite skills for a project is critical to its overall
success.
Contractors may be employed, external to the business area, to provide a specified
service in relation to the development of project outputs.
The proposed project team is:
Nominee(s): [Name], [Title], [Section/Company] – [full time or part time]
3.5.
Quality Consultants
Significant projects may engage a Quality Consultant to advise and undertake formal
quality reviews of the project processes and/or outputs. These Consultants work
independently of the project team and may be employed from outside the
organisation. The Quality Consultants usually report directly to the Project
Sponsor/Steering Committee.
For more information, refer to Appendix 1 in the Tasmanian Government Project
Management Guidelines.
3.6.
Reference Groups
Reference Groups provide forums to achieve consensus among groups of
stakeholders. They may already exist, have an indefinite life span and may continue
for the life of the project.
3.7.
Working Parties/Groups
These consist of small specialist groups dedicated to producing well-defined output(s)
within a specific time frame and in accordance with the project plan requirements. A
working party has no life beyond the delivery of that output.
3.8.
Reporting Requirements
Project reports for the Project Sponsor/Steering Committee are required to
concentrate on the management issues of the project. The reporting frequency, the
format and to whom the report goes should be described.
A template for Project Manager’s Status Report is available.
4.
Stakeholder Management & Communication
List the key stakeholders who will impact the project or be impacted by the project
and describe how they will be engaged. A summary of the overall key communication
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Resourcing Requirements
and management issues for the project, concentrating on what will contribute to the
project’s success or where a lack of communication can lead to failure may assist.
For further information on stakeholder management, refer to the Tasmanian
Government Project Management Guidelines, Communication Planning Fact Sheet
or the Large Project Business Plan etc.
4.1.
Related Projects
Identify any related projects and what the relationship is. The relationship refers to
whether:

a related project is dependent on or interdependent with this project; or

whether this project is dependent on another project.
The nature of a dependency can include a shared relationship with data, functionality,
staff, technology and/or funding.
5.
Resourcing Requirements
5.1.
Budget and Expenditure
Summarise the project’s budget and expected expenditure.
5.2.
Other Resources
List other resourcing requirements, for example human resources, accommodation, IT
equipment, information requirements.
6.
Risk Management Plan
A risk analysis is to be undertaken upon commencement and regularly reviewed
throughout the project life cycle. The results of the initial analysis should be included
as an appendix.
Include here a summary of the major risks, mitigation strategies, costs and an
assessment as to the overall risk associated with the project. Also discuss how risks
will be managed in relation to risk identification, reviews and reporting.
For further information on assessing the project’s exposure to risk, refer to the
Tasmanian Government Project Management Guidelines and the Risk Management
Resource Kit.
7.
Quality Management
Quality Management should contain project specific information describing the:

methodologies and standards;

monitoring procedures;
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Project Closure & Outcome Realisation
8.

the review processes to be used to capture lessons learnt throughout the
project;

change/issues/problem management;

review and acceptance procedures; and

documentation and record keeping.
Project Closure & Outcome Realisation
Describe how the targeted outcomes (from paragraph 2.2) are going to be measured,
by whom, when and reported to whom.
How are the outputs going to be handed over to the Business Owner? What are the
training requirements and what ongoing provisions (for resources) have been
made/are required? At what point will the project be closed?
Will a review be held to capture the lessons learnt from the project. If so describe the
process.
9.
Project Activities and Milestones
List the major activities and milestones for the project. Milestones are indicated by a
blank scheduled start date. Activities in the predecessor column must be completed
prior to this activity commencing.
Id
Description
Who
Scheduled
Start
Scheduled
Finish
Predecessor
1
10.
Appendices
The documents and forms may be attached to the Project Business Plan as
appendices to enhance or meet specific project requirements. For example:

Risk Analysis
Provides ‘snapshot’ details of the current risk assessment and risk
management strategies.

Project Plan
A ‘snapshot’ Gantt Chart, or similar, of major project milestones and
processes.
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Appendices
Appendix 1 - Risk Analysis
<separate pages for appendix headers are optional>
Copy in the Risk Management Template here and complete as per the Risk
Management Fact sheet, both available from www.projectmanagement.tas.gov.au.
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