Macro planning: why and how to use it!

Project framing is an essential phase of project management: it's where you define the plan you intend to execute to deliver the project. The macro planning, in turn, is the perfect tool to communicate what was worked out during the framing phase: at a glance, everyone involved gets a clear picture of the next steps and the deadlines attached to them. It's the ideal communication medium for your steering committee, ready to be embedded in your flash report!

What is macro planning?

In the project initiation phase, building schedules is one of the first things you learn in project management. It's an essential element for anyone who wants to deliver a quality project without blowing up costs or missing deadlines.

This task usually falls to the project manager: the schedule will be a primary working tool for them and their team. A schedule must therefore be detailed enough to contain the key information the project needs to run smoothly.

But while the project manager uses the schedule to communicate with their team, they'll also need to discuss it with other players: their manager, the project sponsor, external providers, or even the future users of the product being built!

And that's where macro planning comes in!
While a highly detailed, classic schedule is often too complex for someone who isn't working on the project full time, the macro planning is ideal as a communication medium with all these types of stakeholders!

These stakeholders need a condensed view of the project's main points — a "helicopter view" that sweeps across the major phases and key milestones.

So the definition of a macro planning is: a simplified schedule that should be pleasant and easy to read — ideally, it fits on a single page!

For all these reasons, the macro planning is considered one of the most useful communication tools in steering committees and leadership meetings. Every participant can grasp the project's main aspects at a glance, which makes discussions easier.

The macro planning is created at the start of the project and keeps communication flowing with everyone outside the project throughout its execution. Just like a classic schedule, it needs to be updated continuously!

Macro planning vs. micro planning: what are the differences?

To picture the macro planning, we used the image of a "helicopter view" — it lets you take a step back and get global visibility over the project's major phases in a matter of seconds.

If we had to picture the micro planning the same way, it would rather be a "microscope view" of the project schedule!

Unlike the macro planning, the micro planning focuses on a much smaller scope within the project (often a single task, or even one phase of a task), but it also goes into far greater depth.

Because the micro planning is extremely detailed, it takes a long time to put together: it's not unusual for a micro planning to be accurate to the minute!

While the micro planning is handy when you need to go through a process or task with a fine-tooth comb, it obviously suffers from a flaw that makes it useless in many situations: it's vulnerable to any unforeseen event and requires constant updating based on the project's actual progress.

The project's macro planning and micro planning are therefore two very different tools at your disposal: use them wisely depending on your needs!

Why use macro planning in project management?

Like the micro planning, the macro planning comes with its share of advantages and drawbacks. Here are the main ones.

The advantages of a macro planning

• Because it's concise, a macro planning is very quick to build
• All the project's major phases are summed up at a glance
• A document everyone can understand, including people outside the project
• The macro planning doesn't have to be constantly updated

The drawbacks of a macro planning

• Offers too little precision to be enough for the project's internal team
• The macro planning isn't detailed enough to distribute the list of individual tasks and the workload.

How to create a macro planning?

As mentioned, the macro planning is built as early as the project initiation phase. It will become part of your project charter

At this stage of the project, however, there's no specification document yet detailing the full list of tasks to be carried out.

The key steps to create a macro planning

To create your macro planning, you'll need to go through several key steps:

1. Estimate the main phases that will make up the project and their deadlines
2. Attach the main key milestones (the major deadlines) to each of these main phases
3. Map out the dependencies between the different phases, if any exist
4. Estimate the time needed to complete each of these phases

Ideally, you'll get every owner of the macro-tasks to be executed around the table. That way, your estimate of task durations won't be perfect, but it will have the merit of being realistic.

What's more, by bringing the right people together to build the macro planning, the exercise should be wrapped up quickly: with all the right experts around the table, your macro planning will be drafted in under an hour!

The key tools to create your macro planning

You probably already have a tool that lets you create and manage your macro planning day to day.

For example, a macro planning can take the form of:

• A perfectly simple Excel spreadsheet
• A well-crafted PowerPoint slide
• A collaborative project calendar tool
• Your usual project management or task management software, such as Trello or Asana

What matters most is that the tool lets you easily visualize the project's main phases, its key milestones and its dependencies. The more readable it is, the better it will be taken on board by the teams who need it.

Can you do without a Gantt chart for your macro planning?

The Gantt chart is a bit of a "must-have" for every junior project manager trying to reassure stakeholders. Yet reading one is a real passion-killer! A bit like the days when we invited colleagues into tools like Excel or MS Project! The whole point of the macro planning is precisely that it speaks to everyone. You need clarity on milestones and deadlines — not on tasks.

Effective project management isn't just about using software — it's an act of management. It's a set of processes that a macro-level organization makes more visible.

The macro planning and the Gantt chart are two planning tools teams often use in project management. The macro planning is a global, strategic plan that identifies the major phases and the objectives to reach, while the Gantt chart is a more detailed, operational tool for scheduling the tasks to be done and their duration.

The macro planning is therefore better suited to a project's global planning phase, while Gantt charts are better suited to operational planning and task tracking. The recommendation is to use both tools together, for effective, end-to-end planning.

Agility as an alternative approach to planning

A quick reminder of the origins. In February 2001, in the United States, 17 software development specialists proposed a change of approach in project management. More empirical and less predictive, this alternative rests on the assumption that classic software development cycles no longer match the constraints and demands of organizations in constant evolution. The Agile Manifesto was born! 4 values and 12 key principles.

Using a macro planning in an agile context is an effective way to visualize the major phases and key milestones of a project while staying flexible enough to respond to changes in reality. It gives a global view of the project and helps identify dependencies and potential risks. That can help you better plan the resources needed, the deadlines and the costs.

Here's how to use a macro planning in an agile context:

1. Identify the project's major phases: In agile, a project's major phases are often defined by deliverables. In a software development project, for example, phases can include planning, analysis, design, development, testing and deployment. It's important to involve all stakeholders in identifying these major phases and to make sure everyone agrees on their order and content.
2. Define the key milestones: Once the major phases have been identified, it's important to define the key milestones that will help track the project's progress. Milestones should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound (SMART). They can include deliverables such as documents, software releases, passed tests, training sessions, deployments, and so on.
3. Create a (macro) Gantt chart: a Gantt chart is a visualization tool that maps the project's major phases and key milestones over time. It's important to update it regularly to reflect the project's actual progress. The Gantt chart can be shared with all stakeholders to ease communication and collaboration.
4. Stay flexible: in agile, it's important to stay flexible and adapt to changes in reality. The macro planning should be used as an overall roadmap, not as a rigid plan. It's important to update it regularly as the project evolves. Each milestone can be revised, added or removed depending on shifting priorities and the obstacles you run into.

Using a macro planning in an agile context is one of the effective ways to visualize a project's major phases and key milestones while staying flexible enough to respond to changes in reality. It helps you both plan the necessary resources, deadlines and costs more accurately, and communicate better. However, it's important to remain genuinely flexible and ready to adapt to the changing reality of that famous VUCA world (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous).

No estimate: a radical and honest approach to macro planning?

Have you heard of the no estimate movement? In France it was popularized by agile coach Frédéric Le Guedois, whose talks play to packed rooms!

It's a way of working based on mutual trust, prioritization and agility. In a way, it works like a time-and-materials model, with billing based on time spent. While the budget stays variable for more flexibility, the mission's duration and the teams dedicated to the project can be fixed in advance.

5 arguments in favor of "no estimate":

1. Time savings: project estimation can take a lot of time without guaranteeing accurate results. "No estimate" lets you focus on the important tasks instead of spending time trying to predict the future.
2. Avoids bias: estimates can be skewed by cognitive biases, such as the halo effect or confirmation bias, which distort the results. By skipping estimation, you avoid these biases and get fairer results.
3. Encourages adaptability: when estimates are treated as firm commitments, they can breed resistance to change and inflexibility. "No estimate" encourages a more adaptive approach, allowing greater flexibility to respond to shifting priorities and the unexpected.
4. Reduces stress: estimates can stress team members because they can be perceived as strict, hard-to-meet commitments. "No estimate" reduces that stress by letting the team focus on quality and delivery rather than on rigid deadlines.
5. Improves transparency: estimates can be perceived as subjective and misread by stakeholders. "No estimate" makes the process more transparent by putting the emphasis on collaboration.

Conclusions — key takeaways

The macro planning complements the micro planning, which offers a more detailed view of the tasks and resources needed to deliver the project. The macro planning proves to be a must-have, especially if you have to steer a fairly large project portfolio.

Among our other articles, check out the one dedicated to another key challenge: Project tracking to keep stakeholders aligned