What Is a Project Outline? What You Need to Know to Get Started

As any experienced leader knows, projects don’t always go as planned—in fact, research shows that a significant portion of big projects miss the mark. Large, ambitious ventures are particularly susceptible to going off the rails, with devastating effects for businesses. 

But failure isn’t inevitable. When projects fail, it’s often because of easily avoidable reasons like poor communication and lack of planning. That’s where a project outline can help.

A project outline is a simple document that describes what the project is and what it entails. It helps the whole team stay focused on the project goals and clearly lays out their roles, responsibilities, and timelines. Let’s take a closer look at what a project outline is and how you can use it to increase your odds for success.

What is a project outline? Understanding the basics

A project outline is a simple plan that lays out the key details of your project—what you’re trying to accomplish, who’s involved, how long it’ll take, and what’s included (and what’s not). It is created at the start of a project so everyone on the project understands what needs to be done.

A project outline is longer than a project proposal but shorter than a detailed project plan. Its main purpose is to be a quick reference for stakeholders and team members. It’s usually stored on a system that’s accessible to everyone. For example, with project management tools in Slack, you can keep all documentation and related communications in one work operating system.

When to use a project outline

It’s good practice to create a project outline every time you start a new venture. Project outlines ensure everyone understands what’s expected from the beginning and can minimize confusion, which helps teams pull in the same direction. A project outline is essential for complex projects that involve multiple teams, take more than a few days to complete, or must adhere to a very tight budget.

Smaller-scale projects may not demand a project outline, but it can be helpful to have one, even if it’s informal. For example, a social media strategy that will only last two weeks could still benefit from an outline that details the scope and timeline.

Key components of a strong project outline

Project outlines are usually broken down into distinct sections. These include:

• Goals and objectives. The first section in most project outlines summarizes the project and its objectives. This is arguably the most important part of the outline because it reminds everyone what they’re working toward, which helps the team work together as a unit.
• Project scope. This should include a thorough list of all tasks the project team will be responsible for completing. It serves as both a reminder to the project team of what’s expected of them and a reminder to stakeholders of what’s not expected—if a certain task isn’t listed in this section, it can’t be asked of the project team. Otherwise, there’s a danger of stretching the team too thin (an issue known as scope creep).
• Timelines and milestones. This section describes how the project team will meet its deadline by outlining how long each phase of the project should take and when key milestones of the project should be hit.
• Deliverables. Most projects result in specific outputs, such as creative assets or manufactured products. These outputs are listed in the deliverables section.
• Assigned roles and responsibilities. This section ensures everyone on the project team knows what they’re responsible for. It lists every member of the project team, their role, and what tasks they’ll complete.
• Resources needed. Most projects require specific resources, such as materials, software, and personnel. This section lists those resources and where they will come from. If necessary, it provides a high-level summary of how the project’s budget will be used.
• Risk management plan. Your project will inevitably face roadblocks. Common ones include unexpected delays, budget overruns, human error, and technology failures. Thinking about these risks ahead of time and creating a plan to respond to them will lessen the impact they could have on your project.
• Communication and collaboration plan. This section helps the team avoid communication delays by identifying what tools and channels they’ll use to communicate. It often includes links to the project’s designated Slack channel and any other key communication platforms.

Tools and technologies to support project outlines

Technology can make creating your project outline easier. Tools like Slack canvas let you save multiple documents alongside team comments, making it easy to consolidate all the information that will go into your outline. From there, you can use a project management template to develop your outline and plan.

You can also use specialized project management software for things like mapping out dates, assigning tasks, and creating personalized workflows. Slack has numerous software integrations so you can collaborate with your team across apps and workspaces to keep everyone informed and connected.

How to write a project outline

It might seem daunting to address every little detail of the project before you’ve even started it, but by taking it one step at a time, you can create a project outline that’s thorough and clear. Follow these steps to write your project outline:

1. Identify project goals and stakeholders

First, you need to define the goals of the project and who will be involved with it.

Imagine a content team tasked with launching a podcast where industry experts will be interviewed. It’s not enough for the team to just say they’re launching a podcast—they need to be able to say why they’re launching it, what outcomes they expect, and who should be involved.

The team needs to sit down together to discuss their goals (to produce high-quality thought leadership, for example) and their expected outcomes (better brand recognition).

They also need to identify all stakeholders. A stakeholder is anyone who has an interest in the success of this project. The members of the project team are stakeholders, but so are the executives who will sign off on and fund the project. These leaders may not be involved in day-to-day production, but they need to be identified in the project outline so the project team knows to keep them in the loop.

2. Define scope and constraints

Now it’s time to determine the exact scope of the project. In the example of the podcast, the team needs to clarify what’s feasible in terms of episode length, production timeline, release schedule, and so on.

They also need to identify the constraints that will impact the project. Time or personnel constraints might limit the number of episodes that can be produced, while budgetary constraints could restrict promotional efforts.

These discussions also provide a good opportunity to identify risks. The team may wish to brainstorm things that could go wrong—such as guests canceling or audio technology hiccups—and create mitigation plans.

3. Break down tasks and timeline

Once there’s a clear understanding of the scope, the project manager can put together the project’s timeline.

In our example, the content team must determine how much time is needed to produce one podcast episode. To get a realistic number, they need to assign a time frame to all the tasks that go into an episode—recruiting guests, conducting research, recording, editing, mastering, and so on.

When all tasks are identified, the project manager can get input from individual team members to figure out how long each task will take. Then, they can use that information to build a complete timeline.

4. Assign responsibilities and set milestones

Knowing tasks and timelines makes it possible for the project manager to assign each task to a team member, clarifying everyone’s specific responsibilities.

It can also be helpful to give each team member individualized deadlines or milestones to keep production moving at a steady pace.

5. Establish communication guidelines and tools

At this stage, the project manager likely understands what types of communications will be needed to support the project and, by extension, what communication channels will be most useful. As a part of the project outline, they’ll want to create a guide for how to communicate in different scenarios, from day-to-day updates to emergency escalations.

6. Review and get team input

After all the decision-making and plan creation, it’s time for the project manager to share their ideas with stakeholders and team members and invite feedback. Colleagues can provide the additional context needed to refine and perfect the project outline.

Tools to help you create a project outline (with Slack tips)

We’re long past the days of putting a project outline on paper and calling it a day. In modern business, even a standard digital document is outdated.

Instead, it’s helpful to make the project outline available on document-sharing platforms, where it can be collectively edited, and to upload it to project management software that can help you track tasks, roles, and timelines.

You can also use Slack, either alone or in conjunction with project management software, to help build your project outline and store it in a central location.

To start, it’s helpful to create a dedicated Slack channel for the project. Here, team members can provide suggestions, share information, and upload documents that might inform the content of your outline. You can use AI summaries to isolate the most important information shared across channels and conversations.

Then, store your project outline on a canvas alongside other key project-related documents. During the draft phase, team members can review the project outline and provide feedback in comments without leaving Slack.

Project progress can be tracked in Slack, too. Either use one of Slack’s project management integrations or use Slack AI to create automated workflows.

Types of project outlines

Generally speaking, project outlines don’t vary much. They all have some version of the components described above. However, different types of projects may introduce subtle differences in how you write your project outline.

Simple vs. complex projects

A simple project calls for a straightforward project outline. A basic outline may be the only documentation a simple project needs. On the other hand, complex projects usually require supplemental documentation, including a detailed project plan. 

That doesn’t mean the project outline is less important. But it does mean you will need to carefully pick what information goes into the outline versus other documents. You should also provide links throughout the outline so people can find more information.

Agile vs. waterfall

The framework used to design your project can also affect how you approach a project outline. Two of the most common project frameworks are the agile method and the waterfall method, which are opposite approaches in many ways.

• Agile project management involves creating cyclical workflows that continuously incorporate feedback to improve deliverables. The podcast example mentioned above would likely be a good fit for the agile method because of its repeated production cycles.
• The waterfall method follows a linear, step-by-step process. Each phase of the project begins only when the previous one ends. A construction project is an example of a project that would need to follow the waterfall method or something similar to it. If you’re using the waterfall method, the timeline will be highly specific and the scope fairly narrow.

 

Key benefits of using a project outline

The benefits of a project outline include:

• Improved team alignment. With a document detailing exactly what the project entails and what everyone is responsible for, it’s easier to keep the entire project team working together smoothly.
• Clearer scope and goals: When the scope of the project is in writing, teams can better stick to it instead of being pulled into extraneous tasks. Similarly, writing down the project’s goals helps everyone prioritize tasks appropriately.
• Better communication. It’s inevitable that people will remember or interpret conversations differently. When information is in writing, though, it’s easier to go back to the record and stay on track.
• Accountability. Documenting everyone’s role and responsibilities means you know who to hold accountable at each stage.
• Time management. When timelines and milestones are written down for everyone to see, each team member can better manage their time and stay on deadline.
• Visibility across teams. Cross-functional communication is a challenge in any organization, but with everyone referencing the same project outline, disparate teams can better understand what people in other roles are doing and why.
• Easier stakeholder buy-in. Stakeholders often don’t have time to listen to lengthy explanations about how a project is structured. But when they have a project outline to reference, they have an easier time understanding your approach and knowing why they should support it.

 

Best practices for writing and maintaining your project outline

As you draft, refine, and maintain your project outline through a project lifecycle, here are some best practices to follow:

• Keep it clear and concise. The simpler and more straightforward a project outline is, the easier it will be for everyone to follow.

• Make it collaborative. Your team members all have their own areas of expertise that can contribute to a strong project outline. Get their input every step of the way.

• Review and update regularly. In any project, circumstances will change and surprises will throw things off track. Make a point to periodically review your project outline and update it when necessary.

• Use version control. As you update the project outline, maintain records of all previous versions so everyone can see when something changed and why. You can use tools like Slack and document management software to maintain a virtual paper trail of every edit.

Start every project with a strong outline

It’s rare to complete a project without experiencing problems along the way. Outlines, while helpful, aren’t the key to issue-free projects. However, a project outline can increase your chances of staying on track and, ultimately, achieving success.

Slack can help. Use it to centralize your project outline, share files, create unique workflows, and even create a project management template that makes drafting a project outline easier. Learn more about project management in Slack.

Project outline FAQs

How detailed should a project outline be?

A project outline should be moderately detailed. It should include all the key information related to a project, but leave out highly specific details. For example, a project outline should state what the budget of a project is, but not list every line item in the budget.

What’s the difference between a project outline and a project plan?

A project outline provides a high-level look at the most important information related to a project. A project plan, on the other hand, is a much more detailed document that describes every single step that will be taken over the course of the project.

Can project outlines evolve over time?

Yes, project outlines can and should evolve over time. Projects often change as new information is learned, and project outlines should be updated regularly to reflect this.

What tools can I use to create a project outline?

Digital document management and file-sharing applications are useful for drafting and sharing project outlines. To align workflows with what’s in the outline, project management software is also very useful. In addition, Slack is a powerful tool for sharing and editing project outlines as a team, consolidating discussions about the project, and tracking workflows.

Do agile teams use project outlines?

Yes, agile teams use and benefit from project outlines. Minor changes can be made to account for the nuances of the agile methodology. For example, the timeline section may be written in terms of general time frames instead of specific dates, and agile-specific steps like sprints and feedback gathering would be listed under the project scope.