[3] Project Schedule Management: The Processes

Project Schedule Management

A detailed plan showing how and when the project will deliver its products, services, and results. It also supports communication, stakeholder expectation management, and performance reporting.

To manage the timely completion of the project, here are the processes required.

1. Plan Schedule Management

2. Define Activities

3. Sequence Activities

4. Estimate Activity Durations

5. Develop Schedule 6. Control Schedule

Alterative scheduling with a backlog

A rolling-wave scheduling approach used in adaptive/agile life cycles, where requirements are prioritized and refined as work progresses and features are developed in time-boxed periods. It welcomes changes throughout the development life cycle and supports incremental delivery of value.

On-demand scheduling

A pull-based scheduling approach, commonly used in Kanban, where work is pulled from a backlog as resources become available. It limits work in progress to balance demand with the team’s delivery capacity.

Tailoring

The selection and adaptation of appropriate project management processes, inputs, tools, techniques, and outputs to suit the specific needs of a project.

• Life cycle approach

• Resource availability

• Project dimensions

• Technology support

Considerations for Agile/Adaptive Environments

Adaptive approaches use short cycles, rapid feedback, and continuous adaptation through iterative or on-demand scheduling. Large projects may combine predictive, adaptive, or hybrid approaches based on factors such as team size, complexity, regulations, and organizational needs.

Plan Schedule Management

The process of establishing policies, procedures, and documentation for planning, developing, managing, executing, and controlling the project schedule. It provides guidance on how the schedule will be managed throughout the project.

Plan Schedule Management

Describes how the scope will be defined and developed, which will provide information on how the schedule will be developed

Development Approach

Helps define the scheduling approach, estimating techniques, scheduling tools, and techniques for controlling the schedule.

Enterprise Environmental Factors (EEF)

these influence the Plan Schedule Management process in many ways, such as:

1. Organizational culture and structure;

2. Team resource availability and skills and physical resource availability;

3. Scheduling software;

4. Guidelines and criteria for tailoring the organization's set of standard processes and procedures to satisfy the specific needs of the project; and

5. Commercial databases, such as standardized estimating data.

Organizational Process Assets (OPA)

Plans, processes, policies, procedures, templates, and organizational knowledge that influence how a project is managed and performed. information, templates and tools that influence the Plan Schedule Management process:

1. Historical information and lessons learned repositories;

2. Existing formal and informal schedule development, management- and control-related policies, procedures, and guidelines;

3. Templates and forms; and

4. Monitoring and reporting tools.

Expert Judgment

The use of specialized knowledge, skills, experience, education, or training to provide informed judgment for a project activity. Experts may come from relevant disciplines, industries, or knowledge areas.

1. Organizational strategy;

2. Benefits management;

3. Technical knowledge of the industry and focus area of the project;

4. Duration and budget estimation; and

5. Risk identification.

Data Analysis

Evaluates different schedule methodologies and planning options to determine the most appropriate approach, including the level of schedule detail, rolling-wave duration, and review/update frequency.

Rolling Wave Planning

A form of progressive elaboration where near-term work is planned in detail while future work remains at a higher level and is refined as the project progresses. It periodically updates completion dates, costs, and schedule details as more information becomes available.

Meetings

Sessions held by the project team to develop the schedule management plan, involving the project manager, sponsor, team members, stakeholders, and others responsible for schedule planning or execution.

Schedule Management Plan

A component of the project management plan that defines the criteria and activities for developing, monitoring, and controlling the project schedule. It may be formal or informal and detailed or broad, depending on project needs.

Project Schedule Model Development

Specifies the scheduling methodology and scheduling tool to be used in developing the project schedule model.

Release and iteration length.

Defines the time-boxed periods for releases, waves, and iterations in an adaptive life cycle. Time-boxing helps control scope creep by prioritizing essential features within a fixed timeframe.

Level of accuracy

Defines the acceptable range for activity duration estimates and may include allowances for contingency.

Units of measure

Each unit of measurement (such as staff hours, staff days, or weeks for time measures, or meters, liters, tons, kilometers, or cubic yards for quantity measures) is defined for each of the resources.

Organizational procedures links

The work breakdown structure (WBS) provides the framework for the schedule management plan, allowing for consistency with the estimates and resulting schedules.

Project schedule model maintenance

The process used to update the status and record progress of the project in the schedule model during the execution of the project is defined

Control thresholds

Variance thresholds for monitoring schedule performance may be specified to indicate an agreed-upon amount of variation to be allowed before some action needs to be taken. Thresholds are typically expressed as percentage deviations from the parameters established in the baseline plan

Rules of performance measurement

Earned value management (EVM) rules or other physical measurement rules of performance measurement are set. For example, the schedule management plan may specify:

a. Rules for establishing percent complete, and/ or

b. EVMtechniques like baselines, fixed-formula, percent complete, etc.

c. Schedule performance measurements such as schedule variance (SV) and schedule performance index (SPI) used to assess the magnitude of variation to the original schedule baseline.

Reporting formats

The formats and frequency for the various schedule reports are defined

Define Activities

The process of identifying and documenting the specific actions needed to produce project deliverables. It decomposes work packages into schedule activities that serve as a basis for estimating, scheduling, executing, monitoring, and controlling project work.

Schedule Management Plan

Defines the schedule methodology, planning approach, and level of detail needed to manage project work.

Scope Baseline

The approved scope statement, WBS, and WBS dictionary used as the basis for comparison and controlled changes.

Project Scope Statement

Describes the project scope, major deliverables, assumptions, and constraints.

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

A hierarchical decomposition of the total project scope into manageable components.

WBS Dictionary

Provides detailed information about WBS components, including deliverables, activities, and scheduling information.

Enterprise Environmental Factors (EEF)

Internal or external conditions that influence, constrain, or direct the project and are generally outside the project team’s control.listed below are the usual factors that influence the Define Activities process:

1. Organizational cultures and structure;

2. Published commercial information from commercial databases; and

3. Project Management Information System (PMIS).

Organizational Process Assets (OPA)

Plans, processes, policies, procedures, templates, and organizational knowledge that influence how project work is managed and performed.Here are the common OPA that can influence the Define Activities process:

1. Lessons learned repository containing historical information regarding activity lists used by previous similar projects;

2. Standard processes;

3. Templates that contain a standard activity list or a portion of an activity list from a previous project; and

4. Existing formal and informal activity planning-related policies, procedures, and guidelines, such as the scheduling methodology, that are considered in developing the activity definitions.

Expert Judgment

Uses specialized knowledge and experience from individuals or groups familiar with similar projects and the work being performed

Rolling Wave Planning

Plans near-term work in detail while future work is planned at a higher level and refined as the project progresses.

Meetings

Formal or informal face-to-face or virtual discussions with team members or subject matter experts to define required activities.

Activity List

A list of schedule activities required for the project, including an identifier and description of the work to be completed.

Activity Attributes

Detailed information about each activity, such as IDs, relationships, resources, constraints, assumptions, dates, and requirements, used for schedule development and organization.

Milestone List

A list identifying all project milestones and indicating whether they are mandatory or optional.

Milestone

A significant point or event in a project; it has zero duration.

Decomposition

A technique for subdividing the project scope and deliverables into smaller, more manageable components.

Change Request

A formal proposal to modify a document, deliverable, or baseline.

Sequence Activities

The process of identifying and documenting relationships among project activities.

Predecessor Activity

An activity that logically comes before a dependent successor activity.

Successor Activity

An activity that logically follows another activity.

Logical Relationship

A dependency between two activities that determines their sequence.

Precedence Diagramming Method (PDM)

A technique used to construct a schedule model in which activities are represented by nodes and connected by logical relationships.

Finish-to-Start (FS)

A logical relationship in which a successor activity cannot start until its predecessor activity has finished.

Finish-to-Finish (FF)

A logical relationship in which a successor activity cannot finish until its predecessor activity has finished.

Start-to-Start (SS)

A logical relationship in which a successor activity cannot start until its predecessor activity has started.

Start-to-Finish (SF)

A logical relationship in which a successor activity cannot finish until its predecessor activity has started.

Dependency

A logical relationship between activities that determines their sequence.

Mandatory Dependency

A dependency required by contract or inherent in the nature of the work.

Discretionary Dependency

A dependency established based on preferred sequencing, best practices, or a particular approach.

External Dependency

A dependency involving activities between the project and activities outside the project.

Internal Dependency

A dependency between project activities that is generally within the control of the project team.

Lead

The amount of time by which a successor activity can be advanced with respect to a predecessor activity.

Lag

The amount of time by which a successor activity must be delayed with respect to a predecessor activity.

Estimate Activity Durations

The process of estimating the number of work periods needed to complete individual activities with estimated resources.

Duration Estimate

A quantitative assessment of the likely number of work periods required to complete an activity.

Analogous Estimating

A technique for estimating duration or cost using historical data from a similar activity or project as the basis for estimation.

Parametric Estimating

An estimating technique that uses a statistical relationship between historical data and other variables to calculate an estimate.

Three-Point Estimating

A technique that uses optimistic, most likely, and pessimistic estimates to define an expected duration and uncertainty range.

Most Likely Estimate (tM)

The duration based on the most realistic assessment of resources, productivity, availability, dependencies, and possible interruptions.

Optimistic Estimate (tO)

The duration based on the best-case scenario.

Pessimistic Estimate (tP)

The duration based on the worst-case scenario.

Bottom-Up Estimating

A method of estimating project duration or cost by aggregating estimates of lower-level WBS components.

Reserve Analysis

A technique used to determine the amount of contingency and management reserve needed for the project.

Contingency Reserve

The estimated duration within the schedule baseline allocated for identified risks that are accepted.

Management Reserve

A specified amount of the project budget withheld for management control purposes and reserved for unforeseen work within the project scope.

Decision Making

A technique that includes voting to reach decisions during duration estimation.

Fist of Five

A voting technique in which team members indicate their level of support for a decision from no support to full support.

Develop Schedule

The process of analyzing activity sequences, durations, resource requirements, and schedule constraints to create a schedule model.

Schedule Network Analysis

A technique used to generate the project schedule by analyzing the schedule model, including critical path and resource considerations.

Critical Path Method (CPM)

A method used to estimate the minimum project duration and determine the amount of schedule flexibility on the logical network paths.

Critical Path

The sequence of activities representing the longest path through a project, which determines the shortest possible project duration.

Forward Pass

A technique used to calculate early start and early finish dates.

Backward Pass

A technique used to calculate late start and late finish dates.

Early Start (ES)

The earliest possible point in time when an activity can begin, based on the schedule network.

Early Finish (EF)

The earliest possible point in time when an activity can finish, based on the schedule network.

Late Start (LS)

The latest point in time when an activity can start without delaying the project completion date or violating a schedule constraint.

Late Finish (LF)

The latest point in time when an activity can finish without delaying the project completion date or violating a schedule constraint.

Total Float

The amount of time that an activity can be delayed from its early start without delaying the project finish date or violating a schedule constraint.

Free Float

The amount of time that an activity can be delayed without delaying the early start of any successor activity.

Schedule Flexibility

The amount of time an activity or path can be shifted without violating schedule constraints, commonly represented by float.

Negative Float

A condition in which the calculated total float is negative, indicating that a schedule constraint or imposed date cannot be met.

Resource Optimization

A technique used to adjust the start and finish dates of activities to balance planned resource use with resource availability.

Resource Leveling

A technique in which start and finish dates are adjusted to balance demand for resources with available supply.

Resource Smoothing

A technique that adjusts activities within their available float so resource requirements remain within predefined limits without changing the critical path.

Simulation

A technique that models the combined effects of individual project risks and other sources of uncertainty on project objectives.

Monte Carlo Simulation

A simulation technique that uses probability distributions and repeated calculations to determine possible schedule outcomes under uncertainty.

Schedule Compression

Techniques used to shorten the schedule duration without reducing project scope.

Crashing

A schedule compression technique in which resources are added to shorten the schedule duration for the least incremental cost.

Fast Tracking

A schedule compression technique in which activities normally performed sequentially are performed in parallel for at least part of their duration.

Project Management Information System (PMIS)

An information system consisting of tools and techniques used to collect, integrate, and distribute project management information.

Agile Release Planning

A high-level planning approach used to establish a release schedule based on the product roadmap, vision, business goals, dependencies, and impediments.

Schedule Baseline

The approved version of the schedule model that can be changed only through formal change control and is used as the basis for comparison with actual results.

Schedule Data

The collection of information used to describe and control the schedule, including milestones, activities, activity attributes, assumptions, and constraints.

Project Calendar

A calendar that identifies working days and shifts available for scheduled activities and distinguishes them from unavailable periods.

Control Schedule

The process of monitoring the status of the project to update the project schedule and manage changes to the schedule baseline.

Work Performance Data

Raw observations and measurements collected during project execution, such as actual start dates, actual durations, and physical progress.