Define your research goals. In order to put together a research plan, you have to know what you want to accomplish. Your genealogical research plan will be largely determined by what your goals are. Auburn University notes three types of research goals that genealogists hope to accomplish: answering a question, testing a hypothesis and proving a statement.
List the resources you will use. When putting together a research plan, work backwards from what is already known to the sources that are not known. You will uncover these in your research as you go. Sources can include both written and photocopied materials, such as a photograph and handwritten notes and other writings. Provide a full and accurate citation for each source used. Sources can be primary sources (letter, journals, etc.) or secondary sources (books, articles, etc.).
Create a research log to supplement your research plan. A research log is simply a record of each source you have documented, when you accessed the resource and possibly where you want to include it in your family history. Having a research log will help you avoid backtracking and chasing leads that you've already pursued.
Create a schedule. Professional researchers know how to manage their time to get their research done in a timely manner. Aside from listing your sources and your goals, your research plan will be more effective if you have an established time frame within which you will be working. Determine which days of the week you will work on genealogical research and for how long each of those days. As with your source log, keep a log of when you actually work on your research. This will let you know if you are keeping up with your schedule. Include at least one day of analysis and writing in your weekly activities. Some researchers get so bogged down with finding and reading sources that they don't ever get around to writing. Regularly scheduled writing, no matter how little, is a necessary part of any research plan.