Project framing is an essential phase in project management to effectively define the plan that is planned to be implemented in order to successfully implement it. Macro planning, on the other hand, is the perfect tool for communicating what was thought out during the framing phase: at a glance, all the parties concerned can have an idea of the next steps to be carried out as well as the deadlines assigned to them. It is the ideal communication medium for your steering committee, which will be integrated into your flash report !
In a project initialization phase, Building schedules is one of the first things you learn in project management. It is an essential element for anyone who wants to guarantee the completion of a project of a certain quality, without exploding costs and respecting deadlines.
This task is generally the responsibility of the project manager : planning will be an essential work tool for him and his team. A schedule must therefore be sufficiently detailed to contain the main information for the smooth running of the project.
But if the project manager uses planning to communicate with his team, he will also need to talk about it with other actors: his supervisor, the project sponsor, external service providers, or even the future users of the product created!
And that's where macro planning comes in!
If the classic very detailed schedule is often too complex for a person who does not work on the project on a permanent basis, macro planning is ideal for him as a communication medium with all these types of actors!
They will need a synthetic vision of the main points of the project, a “helicopter view” that scans the main stages and milestones.
Macro planning is therefore a simplified schedule that should be pleasant and easy to read: ideally it fits on one page!
For all these reasons, macro planning is considered to be one of the most useful communication tools during steering committees or management committees. Each of the participants can then become aware of the main aspects of the project at a glance, which facilitates discussions.
This macro schedule will be created at the start of the project and will ensure communication with all parties external to the project throughout its execution. Just like a classic schedule, it will also have to be updated continuously!
To symbolize macro planning, we used the image of a “helicopter view” that allows you to gain height and have a global visibility on the main stages of the project in a few seconds.
If micro planning were to be symbolized in the same way, then micro planning would rather be a “microscope view” of project planning!
Unlike macro planning, micro planning is centered around a much smaller perimeter within the project (often a task, or even one of the phases of a task), but also goes into more depth.
As micro planning is extremely detailed, it takes a long time to set up: it is not uncommon for a micro schedule to be up to the minute!
While micro planning is practical when you have to comb through a process or a task to be done, it obviously suffers from a defect that makes it useless in many situations: it is vulnerable to any unexpected event and requires constant updating, depending on the progress of the real project.
Macro planning and micro planning are therefore two very different tools at your disposal: use them intelligently according to your needs!
Like micro planning, macro planning has its share of advantages and disadvantages. Here is a list of the main ones.
As specified, the macro planning is done from the initialization phase of the project. It will integrate with your scoping note
However, at this stage of the project, there are still no specifications that detail all the tasks to be carried out.
Thus, to create your macro schedule, you will have to go through several key steps:
The ideal is to be able to bring together around the table each of the persons responsible for the macro-tasks that will have to be executed. In this way, you will have an estimate of the duration of the tasks that will not be perfect, but which will have the merit of being realistic.
In addition, by bringing together the right people to create the macro schedule, the exercise should be quickly completed: if all the competent people are around the table, your macro schedule will be written in less than an hour!
You probably already have a tool that allows you to create and manage your macro schedule on a daily basis. This may include:
The most important thing is that this tool allows you to easily visualize the main phases of the project, its key milestones, as well as its dependencies. The more readable it is, the more well it will be integrated by the teams that need it.
The Gantt chart is a bit of a “must-have” for all project managers starting out in project management looking to reassure stakeholders. However, reading it is a real love-killer! A bit like when you invited collaborators on software like Excel or MS Project! The advantage of macro planning is precisely that it talks to everyone. We need to see clearly in the milestones and deadlines, not in the tasks.
Indeed, effective project management is not limited to the use of software - it is an act of management. It is a set of processes that a macro organization will make more visible.
The macro schedule and the Gantt chart are two planning tools that are often used by a team in the field of project management. Macro planning is a global and strategic plan that makes it possible to identify the main steps and objectives to be achieved, while the Gantt chart is a more detailed and operational tool that allows you to plan the tasks to be carried out and their duration.
Macro planning is therefore a project management tool that is more suitable during the overall planning phase of a project, while the Gantt chart is more suitable for operational planning and task monitoring. It is therefore recommended to use the two tools in complementarity, for effective and comprehensive planning.
A reminder of the origin... In February 2001, in the United States, 17 software development specialists proposed a change of approach in project management. More empirical, less predictive, this alternative hypothesizes that traditional software development cycles no longer correspond to the constraints and requirements oforganizations in constant evolution. The Agile Manifesto was born! 4 values and 12 key principles.
Using a Macro planning in agility is an effective way to visualize the major phases and important milestones of a pProject while remaining flexible to respond to changes of reality. It makes it possible to give a global vision of the project, to identify dependencies and potential risks. This can help better plan for required resources, timelines, and costs.
Here is how to use a macro planning in agility:
Using macro planning in agility is one of the effective ways to visualize the main phases and important milestones of a project while remaining flexible to respond to changes in reality. It allows both to better plan the necessary resources, deadlines and costs and also to better communicate. However, it is important to remain truly flexible and to be ready to adapt to changes in the reality of this famous VICA world (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous).
Do you know the current of No Estimate ? It was popularized in France by the agile coach Frédéric Le Guedois whose conferences were sold out!
It is an operation based on mutual trust, prioritization, and agility. It is based in a way on the mode of management with billing according to the time spent. If the budget is variable for more flexibility, the mission time and the teams dedicated to the project can be fixed in advance.
Macro planning is complementary to micro planning, which offers a more detailed view of the tasks and resources required to complete the project.
Among our other articles, discover the one devoted to another key issue: Project monitoring to keep stakeholders aligned
