Analytics Project Plan Template and Timeline
By Newtown Analytics · · 5 min read
For cfos & finance leaders
An analytics project plan keeps a reporting, forecasting or data project honest about scope, owners, dates and risks, and it can fit on a few pages. The projects that go wrong, such as a dashboard build that drags on for months or a forecasting pilot that nobody adopts, usually lacked a few basics: a stated business goal, a named owner, a defined first release and a way to tell whether it was working. This template covers those basics. It is shown below in plain text and tables that you can copy into a document or spreadsheet. It is part of business analytics for finance and operations, follows fractional analytics leader and how to run a BI implementation, and leads to how to select a BI vendor, should you outsource analytics? and analytics RFP template. A sound plan supports budgeting and forecasting.
1. Project charter
Fill in this one-page summary first. If you cannot complete it, the project is not ready to start.
| Field | Your entry |
|---|---|
| Project name | Short and descriptive |
| Business problem | The decision or process that is not working, in one or two sentences |
| Goal | What will be true when the project succeeds, with a measure and a target date |
| In scope | The reports, data sources, users and processes included |
| Out of scope | What is deliberately excluded |
| Sponsor | The executive who resolves disputes and releases funds |
| Business owner | The person who will use and approve the result |
| Project lead | The person who runs the plan day to day |
| Budget and effort | Internal hours, external fees, licenses |
| Key assumptions | For example, "data access granted in week one" |
| Success measures | How you will know it worked: time saved, forecast error, adoption |
Guidance: the goal should be written as an outcome, not an activity. "Reduce the month-end reporting pack from six days to three by the end of the second quarter" is an outcome. "Build a dashboard" is an activity. The out-of-scope list is just as important as the in-scope list, because it is where scope creep is stopped.
2. Phase plan and milestones
Break the work into phases with a clear deliverable at the end of each. A typical sequence is discover, design, build, test, launch and stabilize, as described in the guide to running a BI implementation.
| Phase | Start | End | Deliverable | Owner | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Discover | Decision list, data inventory | ||||
| Design | Definitions, data model, report designs | ||||
| Build | Working first release | ||||
| Test | Reconciliation signed off | ||||
| Launch | Training done, old reports retired | ||||
| Stabilize | Issues closed, adoption reviewed |
Guidance: put dates against every row, and add a buffer of 10 to 20 percent for the build and test phases, which are where surprises occur. Keep each phase to a few weeks, so that progress is visible and decisions can be revisited.
3. Roles and responsibilities (RACI)
For each major activity, mark who is Responsible (does the work), Accountable (one person who signs it off), Consulted (gives input) and Informed (is told).
| Activity | Sponsor | Business owner | Project lead | Technical lead | Users |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agree scope and goals | A | R | R | C | I |
| Define measures | C | A | R | C | C |
| Build data pipeline | I | I | A | R | I |
| Reconcile to source | I | A | R | R | C |
| User acceptance | I | A | R | C | R |
| Training and launch | I | A | R | C | I |
Guidance: each row should have exactly one A. If you cannot decide who is accountable for something, that is a risk worth resolving now.
4. Risk and issue log
Record what could go wrong, how likely and how serious it is, and what you will do about it.
| Risk | Likelihood (L/M/H) | Impact (L/M/H) | Response | Owner | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data quality worse than expected | Early data scan; extend plan if needed | ||||
| Key person unavailable | Name a backup; document as you go | ||||
| Definitions disputed | Sponsor decides by agreed date | ||||
| Users do not adopt | Involve users from design; retire old reports |
Guidance: review the log in every status meeting. Move items that have happened to an issue list with an owner and a due date.
5. Weekly status report
Keep the status report to one page and the same format every week.
- Overall status: green, amber or red, with one sentence on why.
- Done this week: the main items completed.
- Planned next week: the main items.
- Decisions needed: what you need from the sponsor or owner, and by when.
- Risks and issues: new or changed items.
- Budget and effort: hours or spend against plan.
How to use the template
Complete the charter in a short workshop with the sponsor and business owner, not alone. Share the plan with everyone involved and revise it when something changes, noting the change and why. Hold a short weekly meeting, and a longer review at the end of each phase to decide whether to continue, adjust or stop. At the end, hold a lessons-learned session and record what worked, what did not and what you would change next time. A plan is useful because it is updated, so keep it in a shared place, not in one person's inbox.
Want a working version?
If you would like help turning this structure into a plan for your own reporting, forecasting or inventory analytics project, with dates, owners and a realistic scope, contact us. We are a demand planning and inventory optimization consultancy, and we can scope the work with you and say plainly whether it is something we do.
Keep reading
This article is for general information. It is not accounting, tax, legal or investment advice, and examples use illustrative numbers rather than client data. Confirm decisions that carry financial or legal consequences with a qualified professional.