Execution - Managing a Plan

What Is Managing a Plan in OnePlan?

Managing a Plan in OnePlan refers to the ongoing execution work a Plan Manager performs to move an approved plan forward, track progress, and keep stakeholders informed. It brings together schedule, resources, financials, health, and insights in one place so execution decisions are made with full context. After reading this article, you will understand what managing a plan involves, the core areas you work in, and how those areas fit together during execution.

What you will understand
How plan execution is structured in OnePlan and how Plan Managers use different planning and tracking areas together throughout the life of a plan.

Who This Article Is For: Managing a Plan

This article is intended for:

• Plan Managers responsible for executing and tracking a plan
• Users who are new to managing plans in OnePlan
• Experienced users who want a conceptual view of how execution areas connect

How Managing a Plan Works in OnePlan

Context: Ongoing Execution, Not a One-Time Task

Managing a plan in OnePlan is not a single workflow with a start and end. It is a continuous set of activities that happen throughout execution, such as updating schedules, adjusting resources, reviewing financials, and reporting health.

Context: One Central Plan, Multiple Execution Views

All execution work is anchored to a single Plan. From that plan, you move between different areas—such as details, work, resources, and financials—depending on what needs attention at a given time.

Context: Configurable to Match How You Execute

Plans can be configured to surface different information as they progress. For example, plan stages can control which data is visible and can trigger approvals when a plan moves from one stage to another.

Key Components of Managing a Plan

• Plan Details
  A centralized form that captures plan metadata, business context, prioritization inputs, schedule summaries, financial summaries, effort summaries, and overall health.
• Plan Stages
  Configurable stages that represent where a plan is in its lifecycle and can control form visibility and approval workflows.
• Work Plan
  A detailed breakdown of work used to build and maintain the plan’s schedule and dependencies.
• Resource Plan
  A time-phased view of the effort required to deliver the plan, which can roll up effort values into the plan summary.
• Financial Plan
  A time-phased view of costs or budgets that rolls up into financial summary fields on the plan.
• Plan Health and Trends
  Status indicators that show how the plan is performing, either maintained manually by managers or calculated automatically based on defined rules.
• Enterprise Architecture Links
  Relationships that connect a plan to other plans or entities such as key results, applications, products, or value streams.

How Managing a Plan Fits Into OnePlan

• Work Planning
  Managing a plan uses the Work Plan to drive schedule dates and visualize dependencies.
• Resource Management
  Effort tracked in Resource Plans supports capacity awareness and execution decisions.
• Financial Management
  Financial Plans provide visibility into planned and summarized financial information during execution.
• Insights and Reporting
  Plan data feeds health indicators, trends, and insights that support ongoing decision-making.

Common Scenarios: When to Manage a Plan

• A Plan Manager reviews plan health before a status meeting to understand risks and trends.
• A schedule change requires updates to the work plan so plan dates remain accurate.
• Resource needs shift, and the resource plan is updated to reflect new effort demands.
• Financial forecasts are adjusted as execution progresses and more information becomes available.
• A plan moves to a new stage and requires updated information or approvals.

Frequently Asked Questions: Managing a Plan

Is managing a plan a single workflow in OnePlan?
No. Managing a plan in OnePlan is an ongoing execution activity that involves moving between multiple planning and tracking areas as needed.

Who is responsible for managing a plan?
Managing a plan is typically the responsibility of the Plan Manager, who oversees execution, updates data, and monitors health.

Do plan dates have to be entered manually?
Plan dates can be entered manually, or they can be driven by the schedule defined in the work plan.

How is plan health determined?
Plan health can be set manually by managers or calculated automatically based on defined rules, such as issue status or priority.

Related Resources or Next Steps

Execution - Resource Plan
Execution - My Work
Execution - My Timesheet