A project plan is a visual aid designed to help you see every part of an upcoming project in one place. Because most simple project plan examples act as guidelines, they don’t go too far into the nitty-gritty of the tasks ahead. Instead, project plans include all of the essentials—such as costs, communication methods, and stakeholders—alongside an overview of the entire undertaking.

To see an example of a simple project plan in action, download the template from FigJam and start arranging your ambitions on an infinite, digital paper.

Depending on your industry and the scope of your project, one template of a project plan may suit you better than another. However, as a general rule, a simple project plan should incorporate the following seven parts in some way:

- Overall project goal

- Timeline

- Budget

- Communication channels

- Potential risks and constraints

- Individual task planning

- Quality control

To start the project planning process, begin with a simple project plan example. Then, once you have your canvas ready, it’s time to think about the big picture: What’s the overarching goal of your project? Are there any other sub-goals to achieve?

From there, you can work your way backward and fill in the blanks. How long will your entire project take? Who needs to be involved? What kind of resources—financial or otherwise—will you need?

With your project outlined for the world to see, it’s time to start taking steps to reach your objective. Share your plan with your colleagues and collaborate on every task and timeline.