A Project Outline is a detailed statement that communicates the goals of a particular business project and the timeline offered by the person in charge of the plan.
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The purpose of this document is to allow the project manager to map out the objectives of the project, figure out the approximate timeline, and understand what resources are going to be necessary to translate the project into reality.
This is an essential component of the project management whether you are making a simple Project Outline for a small business or determining where to invest capital on behalf of a large corporation. It will help you to plan the project better for your own benefit as well as introduce it to others if you need to convince your superiors to finance your ideas or compete against your colleagues showing the strengths of the concept you have come up with.
Download a Project Outline template through the link below.
Follow these guidelines to write an Outline of a Project:
Start with the basic details for the project - write down its title, your own name and names of other people that contribute to the plan, and the date you are preparing the outline in question. In case the Project Proposal Outline lacks individuals that will elevate your work to the next level and you want to persuade your boss to allocate personnel to handle the upcoming job, you should name people you have in mind already or list the responsibilities of team members that will ensure the project succeeds.
Create a summary of the project - this section of the plan is usually brief, not longer than two or three sentences in order to demonstrate the main aspirations of the project manager. This part of the statement can also include the targets you are pursuing - you want to introduce a new product, improve the quality of services your business renders, or open a branch in a different city.
Explain how you will achieve the goals you have indicated in your outline . We recommend you to be specific in this part of the plan - use bullet points to show the steps you are going to take, clarify how long will the project last, and how much will your initiative cost. Many company owners are reluctant to dedicate time to ideas with vague schedules and budget planning which is why it is crucial you define these components of your outline properly.
Do not be hesitant to update the outline while the project is in development - real-life circumstances do not always coincide with the initial proposal especially if the project lasts for months and years and requires large funds and a lot of manpower. Meet with your coworkers to discuss the project referring to the outline, determine how much you were able to accomplish, and alter the outline if you have discovered additional expenses are needed or you are setting new goals for your team.
Still looking for a particular template? Take a look at the related templates below: