Plan and Manage a Complete Project

Bringing It All Together

In the previous lesson, we explored automating pm workflows. Now let’s build on that foundation. Over seven lessons, you’ve built AI-assisted workflows for every phase of project management: planning, scoping, task breakdown, risk management, communication, agile ceremonies, and workflow automation. Each skill is valuable alone. Combined, they transform how you manage projects.

This capstone walks you through managing a complete project end-to-end, demonstrating how each lesson connects into a cohesive workflow.

The Project: Launch a New Product Feature

Here’s your scenario:

Company: A B2B SaaS company with a project management tool Project: Add a “Client Portal” feature where customers can view project progress, approve deliverables, and communicate with the team Team: 1 PM (you), 2 developers, 1 designer, 1 QA engineer Timeline: 10 weeks Stakeholders: VP of Product, Head of Sales, Customer Success lead, 3 beta customers Methodology: 2-week sprints (Scrum-ish)

Follow along with each phase, using your AI assistant to complete the exercises.

Phase 1: Initiation (Lesson 2)

Start with the brief and generate your foundation documents.

Exercise 1: Project Charter

Generate a project charter for:

PROJECT: Client Portal Feature
PRODUCT: B2B project management SaaS tool
PROBLEM: Clients currently get project updates via email
  and weekly calls. They want real-time visibility into
  their project status. Sales team says this is the #1
  requested feature.
TEAM: 1 PM, 2 devs, 1 designer, 1 QA
TIMELINE: 10 weeks
STAKEHOLDERS: VP Product, Head of Sales, CS Lead, 3 beta clients

Generate full charter with:
- Objectives (SMART format)
- Scope (in and out)
- Success criteria (specific, measurable)
- Assumptions and constraints
- High-level milestones
- Initial risks
- Questions to resolve before planning

Exercise 2: Stakeholder Map

Using the same project context, prompt AI to create a stakeholder map covering: VP of Product (sponsor), Head of Sales, Customer Success Lead, Dev Lead, 3 Beta Clients, Marketing, and Support. Map each stakeholder’s power, interest, and engagement strategy.

Review both outputs. Add your organizational knowledge: Who’s the real decision-maker? Which stakeholder might resist?

Phase 2: Planning (Lessons 2-3)

Exercise 3: Work Breakdown Structure

Create a WBS for the Client Portal feature:

DELIVERABLES:
- Client-facing dashboard (view project status, milestones)
- Deliverable approval workflow (review, approve, request changes)
- In-portal messaging (threaded conversations)
- Notification system (email + in-app)
- Admin configuration (which clients see what)
- Documentation and training materials

TEAM: 2 devs, 1 designer, 1 QA
TIMELINE: 10 weeks (5 sprints of 2 weeks)

Generate hierarchical WBS with effort estimates,
dependencies, and role assignments.

Include often-forgotten tasks: design review, code review,
QA cycles, client beta testing, documentation, deployment,
and monitoring.

Exercise 4: Risk Register

Prompt AI to create a risk register covering security (client data), integration, beta client, and timeline risks. Ask for 15+ risks with triggers, mitigation plans, and owners. Remember: this is a client-facing feature with enterprise data – security risks deserve special attention.

Phase 3: Sprint Planning (Lesson 6)

Exercise 5: Sprint 1 Planning

Plan Sprint 1 for the Client Portal project.

AVAILABLE CAPACITY:
- 2 developers × 8 days × 6 productive hours = 96 dev hours
- 1 designer × 8 days × 6 productive hours = 48 design hours
- 1 QA × 8 days × 6 productive hours = 48 QA hours

SPRINT 1 FOCUS: Foundation and core dashboard

BACKLOG (prioritized):
1. Client dashboard - view project list and status
2. Project detail view - milestones, timeline, team
3. Authentication - client login/invitation system
4. Dashboard design - responsive, branded
5. Admin config - which clients see which projects
6. API endpoints for client data

Recommend:
- Sprint goal (one outcome-focused sentence)
- Stories to commit to (within capacity)
- User stories with acceptance criteria
- Risks specific to Sprint 1

Quick Check

Notice how each phase uses the output of the previous one. The charter defines scope, which feeds the WBS. The WBS identifies tasks, which populate the sprint backlog. The risk register flags issues, which inform the sprint planning. This chain of documents is the backbone of project management. AI generates each link faster while you ensure the chain is solid.

Phase 4: Execution (Lessons 5, 6, 7)

Exercise 6: Week 3 Status Report

Generate a Week 3 status report for the Client Portal project.

DATA:
Sprint 1 status: Completed (all stories done)
Sprint 2 status: In progress (day 3 of 10)

ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
- Client dashboard MVP deployed to staging
- Authentication system working (SSO integration)
- 3 beta clients invited, 2 have logged in
- Design system extended for client-facing components

BLOCKERS:
- Third beta client hasn't responded to invitation
- Performance issue with project list (slow when >50 projects)
- Designer needs final brand assets from marketing (requested 5 days ago)

RISKS MATERIALIZED:
- None yet, but the performance issue could delay Sprint 2

UPCOMING:
- Sprint 2 focus: deliverable approval workflow
- Beta client feedback session scheduled for Week 4

Generate:
1. Executive summary (5 bullets, RAG status)
2. Full status report (one page)
3. Client communication (for beta clients)

Exercise 7: Mid-Project Risk Review

At Week 5, feed AI the original risk register plus current status: Sprint 2 done, performance issue fixed (cost 1 sprint day), Beta Client #3 disengaged, designer PTO next week, and VP Product requesting file sharing (not in scope). Ask for updated probabilities, new risks, closed risks, and recommended actions.

Phase 5: Handling Change (Lesson 7)

Exercise 8: Scope Change Request

Ask AI to process a scope change request: VP of Product wants file sharing added (“competitor just announced it”). You’re at Week 5 of 10, Sprint 3 starting, core features on track. Request an impact analysis across scope, timeline, budget, and risk, with three options: (1) add with timeline extension, (2) minimal version with scope trade-off, (3) Phase 2 after launch. Ask for a recommendation.

Phase 6: Retrospective (Lesson 6)

Exercise 9: Sprint 4 Retrospective

Feed AI Sprint 4 data: 28 of 34 story points delivered, declining velocity (30→32→36→28), 5 critical bugs, 15% unplanned security work. Include team feedback about vague acceptance criteria and late bug discovery. Ask for a retro format, data-driven discussion prompts, action items, and trend analysis across all sprints.

Phase 7: Closing (Lesson 7)

Exercise 10: Project Close-Out

Generate project close-out documentation for the Client Portal.

PROJECT SUMMARY:
- Original timeline: 10 weeks
- Actual timeline: 11 weeks (1-week extension approved for file sharing MVP)
- Original scope: Dashboard, approvals, messaging, notifications, admin config
- Delivered scope: All original + file sharing MVP
- Team: Met all commitments
- Budget: 8% over (due to scope addition)
- Beta client satisfaction: 2 of 3 clients rated "very satisfied"

SPRINT VELOCITY DATA:
Sprint 1: 30, Sprint 2: 32, Sprint 3: 36, Sprint 4: 28, Sprint 5: 34

Generate: (1) final project report with executive summary and metrics,
(2) lessons learned, (3) handoff document for the support team,
(4) success metrics to track over 90 days post-launch.

Your Complete PM Toolkit

Across this course, you’ve assembled:

Implementation Roadmap

Week 1: Start using charter and WBS generators on your current project. Week 2: Add status report automation and the risk register. Week 3: Integrate sprint ceremony prompts. Month 2: Build out your prompt library customized to your organization. Ongoing: Refine prompts based on results and share with your PM peers.

Final Thoughts

The best project managers aren’t the ones who produce the most documents. They’re the ones who see problems before they happen and communicate in ways that build trust and alignment.

AI doesn’t make you a better leader. But it frees up the time and mental space to actually lead. Every tool in your PM toolkit exists to give you back time for the work that only you can do.

Go manage something great.