Project Scheduling Basics

1.Good Practices for Scheduling

General Guidelines

The Project Schedule reflects the total project scope of work, as defined in the WBS, and should be scheduled to a level of granularity and detailedneeded to plan, implement, and control the project.

Documents Required before starting the scheduling process:

- The Project Scope

- WBS

- Resource Definition

In the Schedule Structure, the hierarchy must include:

- Higher level of the WBS

- Control accounts

- Work Packages and planning packages

- Activities.

Specific Guidelines

Define the list of schedule users, and responsibilities each user will have (Provide progress, read-only, administrative functions, etc).

Define a default project calendar.

Define the project update cycle in which the current status is reported.

Identification of resources necessary to accomplish activities (human, machines, materials, location, etc)

Define Milestones.

Each activity should have a owner, description, duration.

Every activity and milestone should be connected to at least one predecessor and one succesor activity, with the exception of the start milestone.

A preceeding activity needs to finish or start prior to any activity starting.

Lags should only be used to represent delays that are physically necessary, represent no work, and have duration but no resource assigned.

WBS Levels Guidelines

Schedule levels are to be specified by the project team. Each level has a general purpose and content:

Level 0- Project Summary,

Level 1- Executive Summary,

Level 2- Management Summary (interfaces between key deliverables and project participants;

Level 3- Publication schedule: interfaces between key workgroups, disciplines, crafts involved. It is helpful to identify critical paths and activities that could affect the outcome of a phase or stage.

Level 4- Execution Planning: reflects the interfaces between key elements that drive the completion of activities.

Level 5- Detailed planning: To communicate task requirements for completing activities identified in a detailed schedule. Duration is usually 1 day to 1 week. This level is used to plan and schedule use of resources (labor, equipment, and materials).

Schedule Execution Guidelines

Collect actuals and remaining work or duration.

Update the schedule model according to the actuals.

Compare and address any deviation: Compare to the stored baseline.

Update the schedule model with approved changes.

Update the baseline schedule model, when it is impacted by major scope changes.

Communicate when a update cycle is completed.

Process Outputs

2.WBS

The Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is a organizational tool that shows all the scope on the project, broken down into manageable deliverables.

A WBS shows a complete hierarchy of the project, making it easier to see how one deliverable relates to another.

The WBS is broken down until work packages are reached and can be described as:

- Can be realistically and confidently estimated

- Can be completed quickly

- Can be completed without interruption (without the need of more information).

- May be outsourced or contracted out.

Without a WBS, the project will take longer, elements will slip throught the cracks and the project will be negatively impacted. Being involved in the creation of the WBS helps people better understand the project and makes it feel more achievable.

Steps to create a WBS:

- Created with the help of the team

- Each level od the WBS is a smaller piece of the previous level

- The entire project is included in each of the highest level of the WBS.

- Includes only deliverables that are required for the project.

- Deliverables not in the WBS are not part of the project.

Process Output

3.Critical Path Method

The critical path method involves determining the longest path through the network diagram (the critical path), the earliest and latest an activity can start, and the earliest and latest it can be completed.

A critical path may also be requested for a subproject, phase or discipline.

Benefits:

- Helps prove how long the project will take

- Helps you determine where to focus your project management efforts

- Helps determineif an issue needs immediate attention

- Provides a vehicle to compress the schedule during project planning and whenever there are changes

- Show which activities have float and can therefore be delayed without delaying the project.

Process Outputs

4.Baselines

The schedule baseline is the version of the schedule model used to manage the project and that the project team's performance is measured against.

The baseline can only be changed as a result of formally approved changes (Throught the Change Request Form). If the schedule baseline end date is earlier than the end date agreed with the customer, the difference is called project float.

The baseline is the first instance of the schedule model, this is the version that is approved for future reference.

Process Outputs