This paper addresses the importance of the actions to be taken before the project planning phases begin. The approach taken stems from the production planning paradigm, with emphasis on the product, rather than on the process. It is argued that a complete part list or product breakdown structure (PBS) is the absolute prerequisite for the design of a successful work breakdown structure (WBS) for a project. This process requires the definition of the design and configuration disciplines during the engineering phase. These critical issues of concurrent engineering and product development are also emphasized in the paper. The WBS is, in turn, needed to establish a suitable organizational breakdown structure (OBS or organigram) for the project. Finally, the assembly sequence and the related assembly breakdown structure (ABS) of the end product is required before commencing the project planning phase, which provides the schedules, resource allocation, progress control, and the like for the project management. Detailed definition of the product enables the definition of the work packages within the WBS, which combined with the installation information provide the means to structure the layout for the project organization. The result of the entire process, that begins with the product definition phase and ends with the completion of the planning phase, is called the project management plan. The procedure described in the paper will be used to design the project management plan for the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), a 10-year ‘ordeal’ commencing at the beginning of the 1995, at CERN.