◈ These tools work best after completing the 8-question wizard — your project name and context will be pre-filled.
Start the wizard →Interactive Planning Tools
Five hands-on tools to plan, scope, and estimate your project — grounded in PM² methodology. Or start the wizard to have your project context pre-filled automatically.
Tool 1 of 5
Decompose your project into deliverables. Click + to add children, × to remove nodes, and click any label to rename it.
A Work Breakdown Structure decomposes project deliverables into smaller, manageable components — using nouns, not verbs.
In PM², the WBS is required before you can build the Project Work Plan.
Level 0 — The project itself
Level 1 — Major deliverables
Level 2 — Sub-deliverables
Level 3 — Work packages
Tool 2 of 5
Map every person or group who affects or is affected by the project. Rate their interest and influence to determine the right engagement strategy.
| Name / Group | Role | Interest | Influence | Engagement Strategy |
|---|
List every person or group who affects or is affected by your project — internal and external.
Interest = how much they care about the outcome.
Influence = their power to impact the project.
Use the combination to set strategy:
Tool 3 of 5
Decompose your project into activities, tasks, and actions — the HOW, not just the WHAT.
WBS = WHAT will be produced (deliverables, nouns).
PBS = HOW it will be done (activities, tasks, actions — verbs).
The PBS maps directly onto the WBS: each deliverable spawns the activities needed to produce it.
Tool 4 of 5
Build a bottom-up cost estimate from individual activities up to the full Project Budget, including contingency and management reserves.
Activity Estimate — the cost of one specific piece of work [e.g. workshop facilitation, development sprint].
Work Package — sum of related activity estimates [a PM² control unit].
Control Account — groups work packages for EVM tracking [links scope, schedule, cost].
Project Estimate — total of all control accounts.
Contingency Reserve — buffer for known risks [part of the BAC baseline].
BAC (Budget at Completion) — the approved cost baseline used for EVM.
Management Reserve — buffer for unknown risks [held outside BAC, released by PM² steering].
Tool 5 of 5
Enter tasks with start dates and durations to generate a visual timeline. The chart updates automatically as you type.
| Task Name | Start Date | Days | Priority | Importance |
|---|
Each bar represents one task. Its position is set by the start date and its width by the duration.
Duration should be in working days. A 5-day task that starts Monday ends Friday.
The critical path is the longest chain of dependent tasks — it determines the minimum project duration.
In PM², the Gantt is part of the Project Work Plan and is updated throughout Executing.