Here are my favorite templates to use to help you Get. It. Done. I’m adding new resources here regularly, so please keep coming back or let me know what you want to see here. By accessing these templates, you agree to abide by the terms in the License Agreement.
Core Best Practices
The Benefit Register is used to define project value, set the baseline measurements for each benefit metric, measures and track benefits, report outcomes, determine gaps and monitor and report/mitigate/remediate gaps between goals and actual results.
The Business Case is the foundation for the project, describes it, explains the reasons for creating it, and defines the key benefits to be produced!
The Project Charter sets the stage for project planning, and clearly outlines the project’s purpose, scope, and key stakeholders.
The Project Level Assessment is used to aid in determining the relative size of a project effort, the relative size of the project (small, medium or large), and the extent to which project management practices are formally applied to the project.
The RACI Matrix is a powerful tool to assist in the identification of roles and assigning of cross-functional responsibilities to a project deliverable or activity.
Communications
The Change Communications Plan Template is a one page plan to define the communication strategy message content, delivery mechanism, sender, and time-frame (the “when”) throughout the phases of the change initiative.
The Change Management Plan Template can be used throughout the duration of the Change Management Simplified course and during any change effort to build your own change management plan for a project.
The One Page Executive Dashboard is the key that you must give executives the information – at the individual project level – they need to make educated and informed decisions – tells them what they need to know to make educated and informed decisions and then…STOP!! A PPT slide version is provided for presentations.
The One Page Executive Dashboard is the key that you must give executives the information – at the individual project level – they need to make educated and informed decisions – tells them what they need to know to make educated and informed decisions and then…STOP!! A PPT slide version is provided for presentations.
Stakeholder Engagement
The Change Stakeholder Engagement Plan Template is used to identify your critical stakeholders and define your approach or strategy to either win them around, move them to the preferred level of engagement, or manage their opposition.
The Sponsor Expectations Checklist Template is a one page review for the active and involved sponsor in terms of:
- Participation in key elements of the change initiative
- Supporting change with peers and other managers
- Communications
The Sponsor To Do Checklist Template is a one page review checklist for the project manager and active and involved sponsor in terms of:
- Change Team – Acquire resources for change team
- Managers – Build management support
- Employees and Other Stakeholders – Create awareness
Project Startup
The Kick-off Meeting Agenda (WORD) is used for the all-important first meeting with the project team, stakeholders and project client that heralds the transition of the project from Initiation to the Planning phase.
The New Project Intake Worksheet (WORD) will help you determine whether an idea fundamentally supports the organization’s mission and goals, whether this activity is a project or an operation, and whether it should be carried forward for further consideration and approval as either a project or operation.
The Operations-Project Checklist (WORD) is used to review the attributes of the proposed Idea against the criteria that define a Project versus an Operation. It is used to determine whether the Idea should be carried forward for implementation or execution as a Project, or consideration as a new Operation.
The Project Feasibility Study (WORD) is an analysis of how successfully a project can be completed, accounting for factors that affect it such as economic, technological, legal and scheduling factors. Project managers use feasibility studies to determine potential positive and negative outcomes of a project before investing a considerable amount of time and money into it.
Requirements
Business Requirements describe the characteristics of the product, service or result that the project is undertaken to create, and can be used to further clarify the contents of the charter and elaborate on the details of the scope items. It is helpful to further enumerate a list of all major deliverables in terms of business function and the outcomes of business functions, as well as any other detailed project information available.
In Functional Requirements – Requirements Mapping, functional requirements define specific steps to achieve the task defined in the use case – how the user will do the work to meet the business requirements. It is a detailed breakdown of the features list. Requirements mapping ties or “maps” a Business Requirement ID to Business Requirement Description to Functional Requirement ID to Functional Requirement Description to Use Case to Test Case.
The Scope Statement describes the characteristics of the product, service or result that the project is undertaken to create. It is expected that these characteristics will be progressively elaborated as the project details become available. This document can be used to further clarify the contents of the charter and elaborate on the details of the scope items. Enumerate a list of all major scope deliverables here, as well as any other detailed project information available at the time of scope development.
The Test Case is the step-by-step testing process for each functional requirement and use case; test cases are used to validate each of the functional requirements.
The Use Case is the the step-by-step process that defines the users interactions with the system, from the user perspective.
Plan & Deliver
The 1 on 1 Meeting Agenda (WORD) is used for small informal meetings to note decisions, options, discussion points, assign Action Items and track them to closure.
The Agenda- Action Item Meeting (WORD) is used to assign Action Items and track them to closure.
The Budget Planning Worksheet (EXCEL) is used to develop an estimate, as needed, primarily for external or vendor expenses.
The Staffing Plan (EXCEL) is used to facilitate the acquisition of the best team and resources for the project, considering both the resources needed and the resources available, and if all ideal resources are not available internally, how these will gaps be filled.
The Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) Schedule Planning Worksheet (EXCEL) is used to identify all of the components of major work necessary to achieve the project outcomes expected by phases or work components, activities and work packages.
Closure & Value Realization
The Benefit Realization Report is based on the project benefits tracked in the Benefits Register. Project benefits are measured, and tracked over time to determine whether the value expected to be obtained during the days, weeks and months after the project was realized. Here are two versions – a long and short version.
The Project Closure Checklist provides for group review and assessment of the project closure process to ensure following of all closure steps.
The Project Management Evaluation is a lessons learned to evaluate the project management process and the elements of the change process that occurred during the project.
The Transition Plan ensures that deliverables will be brought to full operational status, integrated into ongoing operations and maintained in a sustainable manner.
Organizational Change Management
The Change Assessment Worksheet is used to determine the size of change, and therefore, the level of support & resources required for the change.
The Change Communications Plan Template is a one page plan to define the communication strategy message content, delivery mechanism, sender, and time-frame (the “when”) throughout the phases of the change initiative.
This one page worksheet will aid in the definition of the organizational change. Use the Change Definition Worksheet to define the who, what, where, when, why and how of the change initiative.
The Change Management Plan Template can be used throughout the duration of the Change Management Simplified course and during any change effort to build your own change management plan for a project.
The Change Resistance Checklist use this planning tool to develop change resistance management strategies, training, and as a framework to develop an action plan for the organization, team and stakeholders.
The Change Stakeholder Engagement Plan Template is used to identify your critical stakeholders and define your approach or strategy to either win them around, move them to the preferred level of engagement, or manage their opposition.
The Coaching Plan Template is intended to involve managers and supervisors in change management and enable them to support the change and their employees.
Use the Culture Assessment Worksheet to assess your organization, your employees, your leadership and managements readiness and capacity to accept change. Information gathered in the Assessment phase will be used in developing the Change Management Plan.
This worksheet will assist in defining the organization’s culture and history, and in completing the Organizational Assessment that will be a guide for developing change management strategies and actions. It can be completed as a group exercise or individually.
The Project Closure Checklist provides for group review and assessment of the project closure process to ensure following of all closure steps.
The Project Management Evaluation is a lessons learned to evaluate the project management process and the elements of the change process that occurred during the project.
The RACI Matrix is a powerful tool to assist in the identification of roles and assigning of cross-functional responsibilities to a project deliverable or activity.
Use the one-page Self Assessment Worksheet to assess your ability, readiness and capacity to accept and support change. Information gathered in the Assessment phase will be used in developing the Change Management Plan.
The Sponsor Expectations Checklist Template is a one page review for the active and involved sponsor in terms of:
- Participation in key elements of the change initiative
- Supporting change with peers and other managers
- Communications
The Sponsor To Do Checklist Template is a one page review checklist for the project manager and active and involved sponsor in terms of:
- Change Team – Acquire resources for change team
- Managers – Build management support
- Employees and Other Stakeholders – Create awareness