Project Management Checklists | smart sheet (2023)

AVerification listis a tool that project managers use to stay organized. Checklists can help project managers keep track of project tasks, requirements, goals, and deadlines. You can always update checklists for subsequent tasks or initiatives as needed.

Project managers create checklists with information from their team and project sponsors. A good checklist should be as short as possible, yet exhaustive. It should also be easily customizable to suit the needs of any project. A checklist should contain the most important steps in a project or process, as well as the important sub-steps needed to successfully complete the project.

AProject checklistis a list of steps required to successfully complete a project. These steps focus on the planning and configuration phase. Using a checklist helps teams adequately prepare for future project work.

Project sponsors often create an overall project checklist to use throughout an organization's efforts. Project managers then adapt the checklist for individual projects. A project checklist should include the general items needed to complete a project and the specific items needed to complete the project at hand.

Project checklists offer many advantages. Project managers can use them to improve task management, risk management, and more. From tracking project approvals to creating solid project plans, we've compiled a list of the top benefits of project checklists.

Here are some of the benefits of using checklists in project management:

• Task Management:Checklists make it easier for project managers and their teams to manage tasks by providing a simple organizational structure. Checklists make it easy to create, assign, and mark off completed tasks.
• Project planning:Planning a project is easier when you use a project checklist. A checklist helps ensure that all required design elements are in place and considered before moving on to the next steps.
• Risk management:Using project checklists is a simple way to manage risk. A checklist can provide security by ensuring that teams complete process steps in the correct order. Using checklists also helps to avoid the risk of lost or incomplete work.
• Resource management:Creating a work breakdown structure (WBS) and checklist helps project managers visualize the resources needed at each step of the process.
• Project approval:A project checklist can help inform the project charter and plan. Both statutes and plans are valuable tools that provide funders with the vision and transparency they need to approve projects with confidence.

The first step in creating a project checklist is to understand the project. Identify your goals and the problems you will solve. You can also use or adapt checklists from past projects for future projects.

We've outlined a number of tasks and factors to consider when creating a checklist:

• Search the project:Identify your project's needs and the problems it will solve. Determine how you will solve these problems, what your goals are, and how you will measure your success. This will help you know what to include in your project checklist.
• Meet the interested parties:Find out who is on the team and who is accountable for project results. Identify your current project strengths and trade-offs. Find out who the project sponsor is and what their needs and priorities are. This will help you to roadmap your project and assign tasks.
• Start planning the project:First, plan the project details with a project order, and then finalize them in a project plan. Create a work breakdown structure (WBS) to plan process flows, assign tasks, and manage resources. Develop a timeline, budget, and communication plan. All of these items will likely become steps on your checklist.
• Use information from previous projects:Past projects can become a model for future projects. Take a look at their most successful projects and try to replicate their success. Identify the planning tools used and integrate them into your current planning. Write down everything you would do differently next time and add those processes to your next checklist.
• Identify potential risks:Many risks are related to missing or incomplete project steps. Identifying your project's potential risks can help you identify areas where you need to pay more attention to detail. Clearly outline these checklist items and be sure to keep them in mind.
• Consider visibility:Decide in advance how often and with whom you need to share project updates. Consider using online dashboards to consolidate this information and make your checklists and updates available to anyone who needs them.

A project management checklist contains all the steps needed to successfully complete the project. This includes conducting research, building a team, identifying objectives, and planning and executing your project.

A project management checklist is also known as aProject management plan, project execution checklist, project execution checklist, project process checklist,or simplya project checklist. The exact items on your checklist may vary depending on your industry, the nature of the project, or your company's background and expectations.

We've outlined 12 basic steps for any project management checklist, which you can customize to meet your project needs:

1. Do a project search:Research should always be the first step on your project checklist. Reference similar completed projects for an estimated timeline and budget. Enter this information into aproject orderSubmit it to your sponsor for approval. Consider obstacles you might encounter and additional resources you might need. Use experiences from previous projects to support your strategies.
2. Assemble your team:Define your stakeholders and assign specific roles to your team members. Set expectations around deadlines and reports, and start defining who will be responsible for what.
3. Define your scope and goals:State your project goals, what it will take to achieve them, and the specific problems they will solve. Determine how you will measure project success and what is in and out of scope for your project.
4. Check your budget:Confirm the budget available for your project. Then start categorizing and adding up your expenses. Include all costs necessary to complete the project, including labor, materials, equipment, and any additional resources needed. Consider using aproject budget templateto keep your budget up-to-date and organized throughout your project's lifecycle.
5. Estimate your schedule:Draw up a timeline for the project. Start with the major milestones and fill in the smaller details as your plan comes to fruition. By creating a preliminary schedule early in the planning process, you make it easier to adjust as planning progresses. The sketch also provides a great starting point for creating your final schedule.
6. Create a work breakdown structure:After covering the basics, create aWorkDemolishStructure(WBS) to define the flow of your project. Identify thecritical fireplaceand createto-do listsfor each stage of the project and each phase.
7. Complete a formal project plan:They areProject PlanIt should include a project overview, the final budget, the project schedule with deadlines and deliverables, a list of potential risks, a risk mitigation strategy and a communication plan. read ourHow to write a project planHere are tips and templates to help you create your own complete plan.
8. Define your measures of success:Determine how you will measure the success of your project. It really depends on the type of project you are doing. For example, a sales or production project's measure of success might include the total number of items sold or produced, but other projects might focus on hosting a successful event, developing a better version of an application, or improving an existing process. . Keep reading this guideproject success fairlearn more.
9. Put your risk management plan into action:Adjust your company's strategiesrisk management planfor concretetypes of risksthat you can find in your project. If you don't already have a risk management plan, create one with one of theseRisk Management Plan Templates.
10. Create and share project information:Create a central repository or dashboard to store project information and keep it up-to-date throughout the project lifecycle. Host a project kickoff meeting to review project information and let stakeholders know where to find updates. Wearproject management softwareto create shareable dashboards and visuals for budgeting and planning information.Gantt diagramand pie charts make complicated project information easier to digest.
11. Execute your plan and monitor progress:Once you've finished planning and starting your project, it's time for your team to get things done. As a project manager, your job is to keep the project on track by assigning and monitoring tasks, sending regular updates to stakeholders, and organizing meetings based on your communication plan. It is also important to keep project status information up-to-date and accessible at all times and to take steps to mitigate and prevent risks.
12. Confirm completion and close the project:When your project is complete, the final step is to commit or close it. Transmit all necessary contracts with suppliers or customers to those in charge or complete them in full. Gather information about thelessons learnedduring the project and maintain aLessons Learned Treffento share your findings with the team and stakeholders. Prepare a .....Completion of the projectReport and finalize all project deliverables and deliverables with the sponsor. Save this information for future reference before moving on to the next project.

Project management checklist template

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Download the Project Management Checklist Template with Sample Data for
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Use this downloadable project management checklist template to track project planning and execution. Document the time spent on each task in the template and mark them as not started, in progress, or completed. We've completed a sample template with the 12 steps outlined above to get you started, but this template is fully customizable. Customize it for use on any type of project in any industry.

You can find more checklists in this list.Free Project Checklist Templates.

Project planning checklist

Program Management Checklist

Project Completion Checklist