What Is Project Design in Project Management?

Project design is an early phase of a project where the project’s key features, structure, criteria for success, and major deliverables are planned out.

The aim is to develop one or more designs that can be used to achieve the desired project goals. Stakeholders can then choose the best design for the execution of the project. The project design steps might generate various outputs, such as sketches, flowcharts, site trees, HTML screen designs, prototypes, photo impressions, and more.

Inside the project design process

What happens during the project design phase? It’s basically all about laying out a plan for the project. This is where all the pieces come together — goals, resources, and timelines. You think about the “what” and “how” of the project. What do we need? How are we going to get there? The goal is to ensure everything is organized before the real work begins. 

According to PMI, implementing project design methods and techniques “can identify as much as 30% to 50% of total project costs and effort” that typically go unnoticed due to coordination issues. Proper design planning brings these hidden costs to light.

With Wrike, you can master the project design phase every single time. Keep reading to learn more or dive in right away with a free trial.

The importance of objectives in project design

When designing a project, you need clarity. What are you trying to achieve, and how will you get there? Having a specific set of objectives is key to building a project that runs smoothly. 

Clearly define roles and ensure each team member knows what component they’re responsible for. Organize tasks into manageable steps so you don’t overwhelm yourself or the team. Be specific about what you want to achieve and why. This gives everyone a sense of direction.

6 steps of the project design process

Six key steps define the project design process.

1. Set the project goal

You must first engage with your team and stakeholders to establish your project's goals and desired outcomes. Start by organizing an ideation session where you record the overall project schedule and key deliverables. This helps you understand the project requirements and standards.

By interacting with the team and getting their opinions on the project's practicality and feasibility, you reduce time spent on planning, executing, and reviewing and increase the chances of success.

2. Establish outcomes and commitments

Establish the core project objectives, then divide each into manageable chunks and tasks. These should cover all the tasks and activities you will carry out during the project.

Alternatively, you can hold off on completing the activity breakdown until a later stage. Some project managers and teams prefer to leave it until the project scheduling part of project planning. 

3. Understand the risks and constraints

Look for anything that could get in the way of completing the project. Risks and restrictions on time, money, and resources should be addressed to determine variables that could impact success.

Follow up with the appropriate teams and stakeholders to mitigate these issues before the project starts. As the project progresses, document assumptions or hypotheses to assist your statement of work (SOW) in the future.

4. Use a visual aid

Make use of visual aids to depict the known variables and goals. Visualization helps team members and other key players easily understand the project’s deliverables, timelines, risks, objectives, and applications.

These can be Gantt charts, hierarchy charts, work charts, screen designs, prototypes, mind maps, diagrams, trees, flow charts, etc. The concept behind using visual aids is to simplify complex information and make it more digestible for everyone involved.

Consider your team’s needs when selecting a visual aid to communicate and collaborate. For example, a flowchart is more effective for smaller teams working on simple projects, while a breakdown structure suits big teams and complex projects.

5. Estimate your budget

Budget transparency is crucial from the outset. Create a budget with as much information as possible, even if you don’t have all the details yet. This reduces the possibility of cost overruns and inadequate budgets during project execution.

You may assess the project’s viability by estimating your budget during the project design process. A project isn’t feasible if the cost exceeds what your client or sponsors can afford.

6. Select the processes for monitoring and approval

Determine the criteria for the success of your project and create a list of standards to assess whether the results, deliverables, and finished outcomes are met. Determine who is in charge of approvals and procedures to follow for successful approvals.

Project design example

Gantt charts are a handy visualization technique in project design. They make it easy to depict and visually explain project plans, schedules, roadmaps, timelines, baselines, critical paths, etc. Once you’ve developed your Gantt chart, you can share it with team members to loop them on the project activities and execute projects collaboratively. 

The Gantt chart below is a simple project design example breaking down project tasks and activities to be performed by team members. It shows the person in charge of a task at a given moment.

In this project design example, you can see the project timeline, task dependencies, and who is responsible for each task. Gantt charts can serve as project design templates. They help structure and communicate project plans and timelines to foster consistency, efficiency, and collaboration. 

With Wrike’s Gantt chart tool, you can easily drag and drop tasks to update due dates and dependencies instantly for the whole team.

The role of project managers in project design

Project managers play a key role in designing a project. They do more than just organize initial tasks — they help steer the ship from start to finish.

In the design phase of a project, project managers:

• Plan the roadmap by breaking down the project into clear phases
• Identify risks and work to create solutions before issues arise
• Manage resources, from people to budgets, and ensure everything is available when needed
• Facilitate meetings and keep everyone aligned
• Resolve issues by keeping tabs on how things are moving, stepping in to fix any problems

What are common challenges in project design?

Designing a project is never without its difficulties. Here are the challenges that often arise during the project design phase:

Defining the project scope

If the scope is too broad, it can lead to confusion and endless revisions. A vague scope can also cause misunderstandings among team members, leading to misaligned expectations and goals.

Balancing the project budget

It can be difficult to make an initial financial plan as unexpected costs can emerge. Overruns can cause significant delays and strain resources, putting pressure on the entire team.

Maintaining usability

Ensuring the final product is user-friendly is often challenging, especially when technical demands take center stage. Balancing complex features with usability can lead to conflicts, where functionality overshadows the ease of use.

Managing tight deadlines

Time constraints are a consistent challenge in project design. When deadlines are tight, the pressure to deliver quickly can lead to rushed decisions or cut corners. Delays in this phase can disrupt the overall project timeline.

Team collaboration

Miscommunication or lack of collaboration in the project design phase can create bottlenecks later in the workflow. Teams working in silos or with conflicting priorities often struggle to stay aligned across tasks.

Top tips to build the best project design

Understanding the project’s objective is a crucial prerequisite for creating effective project designs. Other tips for developing project designs include: 

1. Focus on the goal: Map your goals to project deliverables to guarantee they are accomplished as the project is executed. Start with the end result and work your way backward. You can use project timeline software to integrate project goals with the tasks required to achieve them.
2. Hold a meeting with every stakeholder: Invite team members and stakeholders to be consulted during the project design process. This helps align everyone involved and ensure they’re aware and committed to the project’s goals.
3. Review and modify: Project designing is not a one-and-done process. Your design documentation may need to be adjusted and updated with time. It’s a common practice to make changes to project designs as you receive new information and the project advances.
4. Create a contingency plan: Things don’t always go as planned. Having a backup in place helps you stay flexible and adapt to unexpected challenges when they arise.
5. Prioritize collaboration: Create a space where everyone feels comfortable sharing thoughts or concerns that may need addressing. According to HubSpot, opening feedback loops can help identify product issues and create long-term solutions.

Use Wrike to structure your project design

To structure your project design templates properly, use a project management platform like Wrike. Wrike’s prebuilt templates and Gantt charts assist in creating effective project designs and help you simplify the process from start to finish. 

Ready to create your design? Begin today with a two-week free trial of Wrike.