Schedule Management

Schedule/Time Managment (PMP)

Schedule Management

• Process required to manage timely completion of the project.

• This process is about creating the schedule baseline, project schedule, and ensuring the project stays on schedule.

• 6 Processes:

  1. Plan Schedule Management (P)

  2. Define Activities (P)

  3. Sequence Activities (P)

  4. Estimate Activity Durations (P)

  5. Develo Schedule (P)

  6. Control Schedule (MC)

Schedule Management Plan

• Main output of the Plan Schedule Managements

• Documents the steps needed to conduct the other 5 processes.

  • how the project defines the activities

  • sequence the activities

  • estimates the resources

  • develop the schedule, and

  • controls the schedule

• In addition, it states how to measure the schedule, and how to fix if there are variances from the scheduled baseline.

Define Activities (Planning Process)

• Taking the work packages on the WBS and breaking them down (decomposition) into activities.

• Specific work that needs to get done by the project team to create project deliverable.

• More detailed than the work packages.

• Each package has many activities.

• Once decomposed, it can be stored into Activity List (main output).

1. There it can be used to estimate the duration and cost of the project.

Decomposition

• Breaking down work from the work packages in the WBS into specific activities.

• Activities represent the work effort needed to accomplish the work package.

Rolling Wave Planning

• Progressive Elaboration

• Work packages happening now, will be decomposed into activity list.

  • Work packages happening later, will be decomposed later.

Activity List

• List of all the scheduled activities on the project.

• Detailed list of all the activities/work needed to complete each work package

• Activity should include the identifier to identify each activity.

Activity Attributes

• More detailed information about each activity.

• It includes

  • resources needed to complete

  • location of the activity

  • cost

  • assumptions,

  • constraints

  • leads and lags

  • relationship to other activities

Milestone List

• List of all the project or phase milestones.

• Major accomplishment or event

• Has no duration

Sequence Activities

• Process where you take the list of activities and put them in order.

• Main out put of this process is

  • Project Network Schedule Diagram (shows the order in which you will do each individual activity)

• This process - shows relationships between each activity

  • Relationship or dependencies

Precedence Diagramming Method (PDM)

• A technique that is build a sequence using the activities.

• With this technique, can create the network diagram

  • PDM is a type of network diagram

• One method of doing PDM is to use a Activity-On-Node (AON) precedence diagram.

• Activities are related to each other using four different relationships.

  • Finish to start - most frequently used.

  • Finish to finish - activities finished simultaneously. Not necessarily start at the same time. B can finish, if A is Finished

  • Start to Start - A must start, so B can start

  • Start to finish - very rarely. B can not finish, until A has started

Dependencies Determination

• Mandatory Dependencies= Hard logic. Have to finish certain activity before you start the next

• Discretionary Dependencies = Soft Logic. Activities do not need to get done in certain order

• External Dependencies = outside of project team control. Permit.

• Internal Dependencies = dependent on activities within the control of the project team

Leads and Lags

Leads = Overlap

Lags = Delay

Project Schedule Network Diagram

• Diagram shows all the activities and the order in which they are performed

Estimate Activity Duration

• In this process you measure how long each activity will take to accomplish

• 4 Estimation TT

  • Analogues

  • Parametric

  • PERT/ 3 Point Estimation

  • Bottoms Up

Analogous Estimating

• Analogous Estimating = Top-Down Estimating

• Relies on Historical information to assign current duration

• Estimates based on limited information

• Less accurate than other estimation techniques

Parametric Estimation

• Uses mathematical algorithm to calculate cost

• Calculation based on historical data and variables.

• Can be accurate if the assumptions are correct

Three-Point Estimating/PERT- BeST

• PERT = Program Evaluation and Review Technique

• Uses 3 values to calculate duration or cost

  • Optimistic= Best case for the activity, less time

  • Most Likely (Realistic) = likely to be completed, between optimistic and pessimistic

  • Pessimistic= worst case, longest time to complete

• BeST

  • Beta Distribution = (O+RX4+P)/6. Normal PERT formula. Places weight on realistic estimates

  • Standard Distribution = (P-O)/6 = Range

  • Triangular Distribution = (O+R+P)/3= Average

Bottoms Up Estimating

• Very accurate

• Takes longer to complete

• Breaking down the work into lowest level and then aggregating all the way up for the estimation

Reserve Analysis (Data Analysis)

• Adding an extra time to an activity just in case if a risk arises.

• Two types of reserves:

  • Contingency Reserves (Known unknown)

    • Included in the cost baseline

    • Within the control of the PM

  • Management Reserves (Unknown unknown)

    • Included by the Org/mgmt

    • Not included in the project cost baseline

    • Project will need approval to access these funds

Duration Estimates

• Main output for Estimate Duration Activities

• Duration Estimates for individual activities

• Good to add range, like Plus Minus 3 days

Basis of Estimates

• Shows how the estimates were developed

• Captures - assumptions, constraints were considered while estimating

Develop Schedule

• Process to create Project Schedule and Schedule Baseline

Critical Path Method

• Longest path through a network diagram

• Any delays on the critical path activities will delay the project.

• Activities on critical path have no float/ slack.

  • Flot = refers to the amount of time a task can be delayed without impacting the project's overall completion date or the start of subsequent tasks

• If there are two Critical paths, it increases risk on the project

1. Early Start = Earliest start date, w/o delaying the project end date

2. Late Start = latest start date, w/o delaying the project end date

3. Early Finish = earliest finish date, w/o delaying the project end date

4. Late Finish = latest finish date, w/o delaying the project end date

• Slack= LF-EF or LS-ES

• Forward Pass = It needs to be done first before the backward pass. Forward pass will find the EF and EF. On the convergence pass, use the highest number

• Backward Pass = On the convergence pass, use the lowest number

Resource Optimization Technique

• Resource Levelling:

  • Resources are over allocated

  • Rather than doing the activities simultaneously, extend the activities duration (start activities sequentially)

  • Extend the project schedule. Can extend the critical path

• Resource Smoothing:

  • Time constraints. Have to finish the work in given period

  • Adjusting work, based on the available resources

  • Ensures no impact on the critical path activities.

  • Use free or total float. No slack time

Schedule Compression Techniques

Compressing schedule

1. Crashing: Add more resources to complete the activity. Increases cost

2. Fast-Tracking: Parallel activities (rather than simultaneously)

   Increases risk

Schedule Baseline

• Baseline with start and end dates of the project

• Requires approved change request to make changes

Project Schedule

• Includes start and end date of all the activities on the project

• Very detailed

• May include the milestone chart or the project schedule network diagram

  1. Bar Chart/Gantt Charts -time phased graphical display

  2. Milestone Chart

  3. Project Schedule Network Diagram- Shows sequence of activities with the duration

Control Schedule

• Controlling the project work to ensure the activities complete on the schedule baseline

Control Schedule- TT - Data Analysis

Earned Value Analysis

Iteration Burndown chart

Performance reviews

What if scenarios

Ways to size work/user stories

• T-shirt sizing

• Planning poker

Tools to help track the project progress*

1. Cumulative Flow Diagram (CFD) = amount of work getting done on the project

2. Team Velocity: How many points a team can get done in each iteration.

   1. Can use it as an estimate for next sprint work

3. Burn charts: tracks overall progress on the project

   1. Burn-up: Shows how much work completed

   2. Burn-down: Shows how much work is remaining

Lead and Cycle Time

• Lead Time =How long does it take to go through the entire process

• Cycle Time = How long does it take to go through the part of the process.

  • Cycle time = (work in progress) / Throughput

• Throughout = the amount of work that can get done in particular period of time