Project Scheduling explained

A project schedule guides the execution phase. It keeps team members productive, resources balanced and expenses in order. It organises a projects tasks and activities, estimates their durations, identifies their dependencies, sets overall milestones and places all that information on a timeline. It also defines the resources needed to complete these tasks.

All the work necessary to complete the deliverables of the project is accounted for in the schedule; it also includes all associated costs as outlined in the project budget. Hence the project schedule is an essential tool to deliver a project on time and within budget.

Project schedules are created and can be tracked either manually, old school style via spreadsheet or with the use of project scheduling software, which has key features that allow project managers to monitor the progress of tasks, resources and costs in real time. They can also assign work, link dependent tasks, view dashboards, and allocate resources.

Project schedules are created during the planning phase and are crucial to the creation of a project plan, where deliverables and requirements are identified. The project schedule is designed to guide the project team throughout the execution phase of the project.

Using project management software integrates the schedule into other project management features, such as dashboards and reports to monitor progress, as well as kanban boards to manage workflows. Whichever path chosen to create a project schedule, these are the eight steps necessary to make one:

1. Define who has authority over the schedule
2. Identify project activities and tasks
3. Figure out what tasks are dependent on other tasks
4. Sequence activities and tasks chronologically
5. Estimate needed resources
6. Determine duration of activities and tasks
7. Build project schedule
8. Monitor and control throughout the project life cycle

Estimating the duration of project tasks as accurately as possible is key to creating a realistic schedule. To do this requires the use of various project scheduling techniques. Project managers can interview their team and other stakeholders to get their perspective on how long certain tasks can take, and can refer to historic data from similar past projects.

There are mathematical analytic tools, too. The critical path method (CPM) is an equation that shows the longest possible timeline for the project. The Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) also visualizes the flow of tasks for better estimates, but shows task dependencies as well.

Project managers will also use duration compression, which allows for changes without impacting the project scope. Simulation, resource-leveling heuristics, creating a task list, using a calendar and using a Gantt chart are all other tools that can help with estimation, collection and tracking of project tasks. A work breakdown structure (WBS) shows how many tasks and deliverables there are to get to the final deliverable.

Project scheduling occurs during the planning phase of the project. When beginning to put together a schedule for the project, consider the following aspects;

1. What needs to be done?
2. When will it be done?
3. Who will do it?
4. Where will it be done?

The project scope is created during the initial planning. It’s a document that contains the specific goals, deliverables, features, budget, etc of the project. All of the tasks needed to complete the project successfully are listed here (which requires understanding the stakeholder’s requirements.)

Be thorough when putting a task list together, by using a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) activitives can be organized and laid out in order of completion. Tasks are the small jobs that lead to the final deliverable, and it’s fairly crucial to map out the sequence of those tasks before diving into them. Oftentimes a task will be dependent on another to start or finish.

Once all the information is collected and the tasks placed in proper order, take the opportunity to divide tasks by importance. Then, break the tasks down with milestones that relate to the five project phases—initiation, planning, execution, monitoring and close. Organizing tasks with milestones makes it easier to track progress, and gives the team a sense of accomplishment that boosts morale and productivity.

Some tasks can be done simultaneously, but some tasks are dependent on others to start or finish before they can start or finish. These task dependencies must be mapped out in the schedule.

The critical path is a method for scheduling tasks in a project to find those which are critical to the success of the project. This allows for smart choices about tasks that can be ignored if time and costs become constrained.

Every task on the schedule should have the related resources and costs associated with completing it. Tasks aren’t done on their own, and without mapping the proper resources to each task there is a danger of going wildly over budget. With resources attached to tasks enables accuracy in planning.

Once all the pieces of the schedule are together, the last thing is to manually punch it into a static document like an Excel spreadsheet. Project management software can automate much of the process as well.

Project scheduling tools are used to help managers organize and execute their project’s tasks and resources within a given budget. Software offerings range from rudimentary to sophisticated, and provide users with a wide spectrum of features that facilitate the scheduling of their project.

Software devoted to scheduling a project can assist in the larger role of planning and estimation of the duration of each task. Outside of scheduling, software can also include tools that manage costs, budget, resource allocation, collaboration, communication and reporting.

Using online scheduling software means that managers can make data-driven decisions. When they see that there’s a bottleneck or some block preventing team members from moving forward on their tasks, they can quickly reallocate resources and keep the project on track.

Managers and teams can work better together with the right online scheduling software and manage resources and budgets to keep the project running smoothly. Those are the big benefits, but not the only ones when using online scheduling software.

Keeping a project on track and within budget requires a good schedule. That means creating a schedule that is both reliable and that meets the requirements of the project. To make sure the schedule is the best it can be, follow these best practices.

A work breakdown structure is a great tool to make sure that all data is captured for every step on the road to delivery. When developing the project schedule, it’s important to set reasonable durations for tasks. It should be measurable and have room for changes if needed.  Float is the amount of time a task can extend before it negatively impacts the final deliverable. There should be some amount of float in a schedule to provide wiggle room.

The critical path is the way to see which of the tasks are essential to reaching the final deliverable, and which can be sidelined if time and cost become issues by charting the project’s earliest possible completion. The critical path can change during the execution of the project, so it must be checked regularly.

Monitoring the project scope, and adjusting tasks and schedules to keep the project on track, is what managing a schedule is all about. Take note of how scope changes impact the project timeline, and if the change gets in the way of meeting the final deliverable.

Composing and maintaining a project schedule is an essential tool to any project manager’s armory, without one it is very easy for a project to run off course. Let us know your approach when scheduling a project, we would like to hear from you. All the very best on your project management journey.