A Plan on a Page (POaP) is a concise, high-level visual summary of a project used to communicate timelines, milestones, and strategic objectives to stakeholders and executives. It condenses detailed data into an easy-to-digest, single-page format.
Core Components of a POaP
An effective POaP cuts out the noise of day-to-day task lists and focuses purely on headline information. It typically includes:
Project Overview: Title, project manager, and the overarching business objective.
Timeline & Milestones: A horizontal, time-phased bar chart mapping the project’s key phases.
Key Deliverables: 4 to 6 major outputs or goals required for success.
Risks & Dependencies: Critical blockers that require executive attention.
Why and When to Use It
Steering Committees: Ideal for Steering Committee meetings (Steerco) where executives need to see progress at a glance.
Stakeholder Alignment: Keeps teams focused on strategic vision rather than getting “lost in the weeds” of daily operations.
Client Updates: Acts as an excellent executive summary for clients without overwhelming them with micro-details
Welcome to my site!
After graduating in Computing in 1990, I accepted a position as a programmer at a Runcorn based software house specialising in electronic banking software, namely sp/ARCHITECT-BANK on Tandem Computers (now HPE NonStop). This was before the internet became more prevalent and so the notion of enabling desktop access to company accounts for inter-account transfers and book keeping was still quite a cutting edge idea (and smartphones only ever hinted at in Space 1999). The company was called The Software Partnership (which was taken over by Deluxe Data in 1994).
I spent 5 years in Runcorn developing code for SP/ARCHITECT for various banks like TSB, Bank of Scotland, Rabobank and Girofon (Denmark) to name but a few. I then moved onto a software house in Salford Quays for further bank facing projects. After a further 23 years in the IT industry and now a Senior IT Project Manager (both Agile and Waterfall delivery), I thought I would echo out my Career Profile in this corner of the internet for quick and easy access.
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