Project plan template for social enterprises

When you embark on a new project it is important to have a plan that can be used by all those involved as the single source of truth during the different stages.

A project plan is a useful way of keeping everyone on track, identifying potential blockers before they happen and making sure the project runs as smoothly as possible. It includes a lot of detail so that the project manager can be up to date with where every aspect is up to at any point in time.

How to create a project management plan for social enterprises

If you're looking for ways to manage your next project, look no further than this project plan template, which is fully editable and free to download.

Use ICDA’s project plan template to map out the key areas of your project, including timelines and responsibility, so you can be sure of where things are at through the life of the project. We recommend using a spreadsheet so you can include formulas that will update the timelines if anything is changed so you can easily see what the difference will be at the end.

These headlines in your plan will help you keep track of your projects.

1. Themes - these are the key areas of the project. You might want to break these up by timing (development, implementation, evaluation) or by the different areas like preparation, design, marketing, budget). Within each theme, each row is a different micro-task.
2. RACI – this acronym stands for Responsibility, Accountability, Consult and Inform. This is a good way of ensuring the right people are involved in the right aspects of the project. Having a lead that is responsible for particular parts while ensuring there is overarching accountability is essential for good project management. Including information on who else needs to be part of the discussion, without necessarily impacting on any decisions, will help make sure no details or deadlines are missed.
3. Timeline – clear deadlines (as well as including a countdown of days left) helps everyone to prioritise tasks and provides understanding of how tasks are reliant on each other. This helps identify blockers sooner than later.
4. Status – having an up to date status of each tasks helps keep people on track and again, makes it easier to identify any problems so you can quickly rectify. Those responsible for the task should signal whether it’s “in progress”, “facing a roadblock”, “needs follow up”, “complete” so that the plan provides an easy to understand reference and source of truth for everyone involved.
5. Notes – any additional information, questions, comments or issues should be included here so it is broadly shared with those who need it.