PWPM Wiki

Mobile App Development Project Plan

This is a practical guide to building a project plan for a mobile app development project — the integrated document that defines how the project is executed, monitored and controlled, adapted to the realities of building a native or cross-platform mobile app.

What a Project Plan is

A project plan is the integrated document that defines how the project is executed, monitored and controlled. For the full concept and how it works in general, see Project Plan. On a mobile app development project it plays the same role, tuned to this kind of work.

Why it matters for a Mobile App Development project

Mobile App Development projects live or die on building a native or cross-platform mobile app. A well-built project plan gives the team a shared, explicit reference for exactly that — reducing ambiguity, aligning stakeholders, and making problems visible early enough to act. Skipping it, or doing it generically, is how mobile app development projects drift into avoidable delay and cost.

What to include

  • Scope and deliverables
  • Schedule and milestones
  • Budget
  • Roles and responsibilities
  • Risk and communication approach

Mobile App Development-specific considerations

Tailor the project plan to the risks that most often derail mobile app development projects:

  • App-store approval delays
  • Device fragmentation
  • Evolving feature scope

Example

On a real mobile app development project, the project plan would be shaped by building a native or cross-platform mobile app. In particular, it should explicitly account for the project’s biggest risks — app-store approval delays, device fragmentation, evolving feature scope — rather than treating them as afterthoughts.