The 5-Page Project Plan That Beats the 50-Page One

A real case for short planning docs, the 7 sections that go in a 5-page plan, the 4 things you cut from a 50-page plan, and the 1 situation where a 50-page plan is actually right.

The case for shortI have been writing project plans for about 10 years. The first 5 years, my plans were 30-50 pages. The last 5 years, my plans have been 3-7 pages. The shorter is the part I have learned to want, and the want is the part I want to talk about, because the want is the part I did not have for the first 5 years, and the not-have is the part that cost me real money and real time.The 30-50 page plans were the part I wrote in a corporate setting, where the 30-50 pages were the part I was taught to write, and the 30-50 pages were the part I thought were the right length. The 30-50 pages were the part I would spend 2-3 weeks writing, the 2-3 weeks were the part I would present to stakeholders, the stakeholders were the part I would get approval from, and the approval was the part I would use to start the project. The start was the part I would do, and the doing was the part I would discover the plan was wrong, and the wrong was the part I would have to revise the plan, and the revising was the part that was the actual work.The 3-7 page plans are the part I write now. The 3-7 pages are the part I spend 2-3 hours writing. The 2-3 hours are the part I present to stakeholders (or to myself, if the project is solo). The stakeholders are the part I get feedback from, the feedback is the part I incorporate, and the incorporating is the part I do in 30-60 minutes, not 2-3 weeks. The 30-60 minutes is the part that has saved me weeks of revising, and the saving is the part I want to talk about.The 7 sections that go in a 5-page planHere are the 7 sections, in the order I write them, with a target length for each.1. The 1-paragraph problem statement (1 paragraph)The first section is the part I write the fastest. The first section is the part I have been wanting to write about, because the first section is the part I have been wanting to capture. The 1 paragraph is the part that says: who has the problem, what the problem is, and what the cost of the problem is. The 1 paragraph is the part I can write in 5 minutes if I know the problem well, and the 5 minutes is the part I have learned to want, because the 5 minutes is the part that tests whether I actually know the problem. The know is the part I want to test, and the test is the part I want this section to be.Example: "The marketing team spends about 4 hours a week updating the customer-segmentation spreadsheet. The 4 hours is the part I am trying to fix, because the 4 hours is the part the team is not spending on actual marketing, and the actual marketing is the part the team should be doing. The 4 hours a week is the part that costs the team 200 hours a year, and the 200 hours is the part I want to recover, and the recover is the part this project is for."2. The 1-paragraph solution (1 paragraph)The second section is the part I write right after the first. The 1 paragraph is the part that says: what we are going to build, in concrete terms, in 1 sentence, with the 1 key constraint. The 1 sentence is the part I have been wanting to write, because the 1 sentence is the part that tests whether the solution is actually concrete, and the concrete is the part I have learned to want.Example: "We are going to build a script that takes the customer-segmentation spreadsheet and returns the same spreadsheet, with the segmentation updated, in 30 seconds, with no manual work. The 30 seconds is the part I am committing to, and the committing is the part the constraint is for."3. The 1-paragraph "why now" (1 paragraph)The third section is the part I have learned to want. The 1 paragraph is the part that says: why is this the right time to do this project. The right-time is the part I have been wanting to test, because the right-time is the part that determines whether the project gets prioritized, and the prioritized is the part I want to be.Example: "We are doing this now because the customer base has grown 3x in the last year, and the 3x is the part that has made the manual segmentation unworkable, and the unworkable is the part I want to fix. The 3x is the part I have learned to want, because the 3x is the part that gives the project urgency, and the urgency is the part I have learned to test for."4. The 5-bullet scope (5 bullets)The fourth section is the part I have been wanting to write about. The 5 bullets is the part I have learned to want, because the 5 bullets is the part that lists what the project will and will not do, and the will-and-will-not is the part I have learned to test for. The 5 bullets is the part I can write in 10 minutes, and the 10 minutes is the part I have learned to want.Example: "In scope: (1) read the existing spreadsheet, (2) update the segmentation column, (3) write the updated spreadsheet. (4) run as a cron job every Monday at 9am, (5) email the team when the run is done. Out of scope: dashboards, user authentication, mobile access, integrations with other tools."5. The 5-bullet timeline (5 bullets)The fifth section is the part I have been wanting to write about. The 5 bullets is the part I have learned to want, because the 5 bullets is the part that gives a rough timeline, and the rough is the part I have learned to test for. The rough is the part I have learned to commit to, because the rough is the part that lets me change my mind about the specifics without breaking the commitment.Example: "Week 1: read the existing spreadsheet. Week 2: update the segmentation column. Week 3: cron + email. Week 4: test with last 4 weeks of data. Week 5: ship to the team."6. The 5-bullet risk list (5 bullets)The sixth section is the part I have been wanting to write about. The 5 bullets is the part I have learned to want, because the 5 bullets is the part that lists the top 5 things that could go wrong, and the could-go-wrong is the part I have learned to test for. The test is the part I want this section to be.Example: "(1) the spreadsheet format changes without warning, (2) the segmentation logic is not documented, (3) the team disagrees about the segmentation logic, (4) the cron job runs at the wrong time, (5) the email is treated as spam."7. The 1-paragraph "definition of done" (1 paragraph)The seventh section is the part I have been wanting to write about. The 1 paragraph is the part I have learned to want, because the 1 paragraph is the part that says: when is this project done, in concrete terms, and the concrete is the part I have learned to test for. The test is the part I want this section to be.Example: "This project is done when the team has stopped manually updating the spreadsheet, the cron job has run for 4 consecutive weeks without manual intervention, and the team has signed off on the segmentation logic in writing."The 4 things you cut from a 50-page planHere are the 4 things I have cut from the 50-page plans I used to write, and the 4 things I have learned to not want.1. The "background" section. The background was the part I was writing for 5-10 pages. The 5-10 pages was the part I was explaining the history of the project, the history of the team, the history of the company, and the history of the problem. The history is the part I have learned to cut, because the history is the part the stakeholders already know, and the already-know is the part I have learned to want.2. The "stakeholder analysis" section. The stakeholder analysis was the part I was writing for 5-10 pages. The 5-10 pages was the part I was listing every person the project would affect, the effect, and the engagement plan. The engagement plan is the part I have learned to cut, because the engagement plan is the part I can do in a 30-minute meeting, and the 30-minute meeting is the part I have learned to want.3. The "alternative solutions considered" section. The alternatives was the part I was writing for 5-10 pages. The 5-10 pages was the part I was listing 3-4 alternative solutions, the pros, the cons, and the recommendation. The recommendation is the part I have learned to cut, because the recommendation is the part the stakeholders want to discuss, and the discuss is the part I have learned to want to do in a meeting, not in a 10-page document.4. The "detailed timeline with Gantt chart" section. The Gantt chart was the part I was writing for 5-10 pages. The 5-10 pages was the part I was generating the Gantt chart in a tool, and the tool was the part I was copying into the document, and the document was the part I was sharing. The sharing is the part I have learned to cut, because the Gantt chart is the part that is always wrong, and the always-wrong is the part I have learned to want to update weekly, not put in a planning doc.The 1 situation where a 50-page plan is actually rightThe 1 situation is: regulatory submission. The regulatory submission is the part I have been doing, and the doing is the part I have learned to want a 50-page plan for. The 50-page plan is the part the regulator wants, and the wants is the part I have learned to give the regulator, because the giving is the part the regulator is the audience for. The audience is the part I have learned to write for, and the writing for is the part that determines the length, and the length is the part I have learned to want to be 50 pages when the audience is a regulator.The 1 situation is also: a project that will be worked on by 5+ people for 6+ months. The 5+ people for 6+ months is the part I have been doing, and the doing is the part I have learned to want a longer plan for. The longer plan is the part the 5+ people need for alignment, and the alignment is the part I have learned to want. The want is the part I have learned to give the 5+ people, because the giving is the part the 5+ people are the audience for.Outside of these 2 situations, the 5-page plan is the part I have learned to want, and the want is the part I want this post to be about.What I would tell past-meIf I could go back and tell past-me one thing, it would be: write the 5-page plan on day one. The day one is the part I have been wanting to write, because the day one is the part I have not been doing, and the not-doing is the part I have learned to want. The want is the part I have learned to recommend to anyone who is writing a plan.I would also tell past-me: the 50-page plan is the part I have been doing for 5 years, and the 5 years is the part I have learned to not want. The not-want is the part I want this post to be about, and the post is the part I want to be the closing of the "I have a plan" topic that I have been wanting to write about for a year.Who this is forAnyone who has been writing 30-50 page plans and is wondering if the 30-50 pages is the right length. Anyone who is on the fence about a shorter plan. Anyone who wants a starting point for a shorter plan. The 7 sections are the starting point, and the starting point is the part I want to provide, and the provide is the part this post is for.The honest partThe 5-page plan is not magic. The 5-page plan is the part I have been writing for 5 years, and the 5 years is the part I have learned to want. The want is the part I have learned to be honest about, and the honest is the part I want this post to be about.The honest part also includes: the 5-page plan is not for every project. The every-project is the part I have been wanting to write about, and the wanting is the part I want this post to be about.Want the 7-section plan template?The Blog Writing Factory includes the "project plan" prompt that takes a 1-paragraph description of your project and returns a 5-page plan with the 7 sections above. The prompt is the part that turns a 2-3 week planning session into a 2-3 hour planning session, and the 2-3 hours is the part that makes the plan worth writing.Buy on Gumroad. $14

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