Beginner's guide to project scheduling

Introduction

Dipping your toes into project scheduling might come with a whirlwind of questions: from assembling a cohesive schedule to identifying the right tools tailored for your needs. While this guide is directed at beginners, its depth ensures that project managers and schedulers at all stages will find value. Eager to unravel the intricacies of effective project scheduling? Let's embark on this journey together.

Chapter 1: Getting started

It's essential to differentiate project scheduling from project planning. While scheduling is a segment of the planning process, it plays a pivotal role in ensuring timely project delivery (after all, how can you determine punctuality without a schedule?). Consider this as your foundational step: a meticulously crafted schedule will navigate you throughout the project lifecycle, ensuring you remain aligned with your goals. Below are the essential steps to craft an effective project schedule:

1. Define your project scope

Engage all stakeholders in this pivotal step. The project scope clearly captures the desired project outcomes and the requirements for its completion. Within it, you'll detail the resources involved, along with cost and time parameters. Based on the scope, you'll devise a work breakdown structure (WBS), outlining all tasks and breaking them down into distinct deliverables.

2. Determine task sequencing

Once you have your Project Scope and Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), you can derive the set of tasks that need to be completed. Remember, the WBS outlines what needs to be done - not how or when. After listing the tasks, determine their optimal sequence and estimate the necessary time and resources for each.

3. Group tasks into phases

Every project can be divided into distinct phases, with each phase focusing on specific objectives. Commonly, projects follow these five phases:

1. Project conception (the idea): This phase gauges the project's viability. It assesses the project's potential benefits to the organisation and its feasibility.

2. Definition and planning: In this stage, the project scope is delineated, encompassing the tasks to be executed. Budgets, schedules, and necessary resources are also determined here.

3. Project launch: The actual execution begins. Resources are allocated, tasks are carried out, meetings convened, and periodic status updates are provided.

4. Performance monitoring: Through Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), the project's progress is tracked against set expectations.

5. Project closure: The final phase signifies project completion. A post-project evaluation, often through a post-mortem meeting, is conducted to discuss what went right and what could be improved.

4. Identify task dependencies

After you have a clear view of all the deliverables and what's required to complete them, it's time to start mapping out the dependencies between the tasks, i.e. which tasks require another task to be started or finished before it can be performed. The dependency map will outline the relationships between tasks. There are 4 types of dependencies to consider:

Finish-to-Start (FS): A task must be completed before the next one can begin.

Start-to-Start (SS): A task must be initiated before the next one can start.

Finish-to-Finish (FF): A task must be completed before or simultaneously with another.

Start-to-Finish (SF): A task must begin before another one can be completed.

5. Determine your critical path

Using the gathered data, you can now define the critical path for your project activities. A task is deemed 'critical' when there's no buffer between its completion and the start of the next task. It gains utmost importance if any delay in it impacts the entire project's timeline. Essentially, the critical path represents a chain of tasks with zero slack, setting the project's overall duration.

6. Define project milestones

Think of milestones as significant markers within your project journey, helping gauge if you're on the right path. Unlike tasks, milestones don't have a duration; they signify key progress points towards the project's end goal.

There are typically two milestone categories:

• Internal milestones: Utilised by your project team to track progress and maintain their timelines.
• External milestones: Shared with stakeholders, marketing teams, or the press, typically tied to broader project phases.

7. Allocate your human resources

With a defined activity timeline in hand, it's time to assign roles. Pair tasks with individuals based on their expertise. Remember, it's rare for team members to dedicate 100% of their time to the project. Typically, you'd allocate 80% for project tasks, leaving 20% for other duties and administrative work.

8. Set start and end dates

Upon finalising your project schedule, you'll have a clear picture of the milestone timelines and overall project duration. Now, you can confidently set the start and due dates. While doing so:

• Factor in public holidays and team members' off days.
• Ensure thorough mapping of task dependencies.
• Define clear milestones.
• Set realistic task durations.
• Determine project duration before finalising the due date.
• Allocate team members for roughly 80% of their capacity.
• Add a buffer for unexpected changes.
• Stay adaptable to possible rescheduling, due to unforeseen circumstances.
• Lastly, be prepared for "surprises" and always have a contingency plan (Plan B) in place.

Chapter 2: Exploring the top 3 project scheduling techniques

Having understood the essential components of a project schedule, it's time to delve into the methodologies available. The method you select often depends on your expertise and the intricacies of your project. Let's dive into the most common project scheduling techniques:

1. Task list: simple, yet limited

At its core, the task list stands as the most straightforward scheduling approach. It entails listing tasks for each team member, usually within a spreadsheet or word processor. Its simplicity and familiarity make it ideal for smaller ventures. Yet, when applied to larger projects with myriad tasks, dependencies, and resources, it falls short. Its limitations become evident in collaboration and commenting, especially if not web-based. The absence of versioning can lead to errors, productivity loss, and the chaos of juggling multiple document versions. Without integration into a broader system, manual updates become cumbersome, and tracking progress becomes a challenge. For a more visual representation, tasks can be portrayed using a Gantt chart, employing the stacked bar chart technique.

2. Gantt chart: a visual overview of project timelines

Renowned among project managers, the Gantt chart is a quintessential visualisation tool for tracking and reporting project progression. It provides an immediate understanding of the overall project duration.

Essentially, a Gantt chart is a bar chart where key tasks are plotted against time. These tasks are listed sequentially, from top-left (starting) to bottom-right (concluding). Every task bar signifies its commencement, end, and overall duration. This arrangement exposes task timelines, potential overlaps, dependencies (marked with arrows), and the broader project's start-to-finish timeframe.

However, if the Gantt chart operates outside an integrated project management system, it shares similar drawbacks with the task list: limited collaboration capabilities, lack of versioning, and challenges in real-time progress monitoring.

3. Kanban: a visual workflow of task progression

Kanban, derived from Japanese manufacturing processes, is a visual tool that aids in managing the progression of tasks through various stages. Its main premise is to employ a board (physical or digital) where tasks are represented as cards. These cards move across columns, typically denoting stages like "To Do," "In Progress," and "Done." This methodology emphasises limiting the number of tasks in any stage, termed as 'Work In Progress (WIP) limits,' to enhance efficiency and ensure smoother task flow.

Kanban boards are highly adaptive, allowing teams to customise stages based on project or workflow nuances. The visual representation provides immediate insight into the status of tasks, bottlenecks, and overall project flow. Integration with project management tools and software brings features like collaboration, commenting, and real-time updates. However, unlike Gantt charts, Kanban doesn't focus on task duration or hard deadlines, making it a fit for ongoing processes or projects that prioritise flexibility over strict timelines.

4. Calendar: a visual tool for task timelines

Utilising calendars for project scheduling can be intuitive, yet it's often overlooked. Many calendar tools allow for the creation of distinct calendars, labelled per project. By setting events within these calendars, tasks get visually plotted, providing a timeline view of the entire project. Additionally, sharing capabilities make it easy to keep team members in the loop. However, despite its visibility perks, it falls short in task assignment and dependency representation.

Chapter 3: Navigating project management software

Project management systems typically come equipped with scheduling tools like Gantt charts, project charters, and features for resource management. Should you choose to adopt PM software, discerning between its various categories is essential to align with your specific requirements.

Let's delve into the five primary categories of Project Management (PM) and Project Portfolio Management (PPM) software solutions:

Chapter 4: Courses & certifications

Research has shown that a significant portion of projects falter due to inadequate scheduling. Additionally, many organisations tend to undervalue the significance of a structured scheduling process.

Though tools like project management software offer substantial help in project scheduling, such statistics emphasise that there's more to consider. Delving deeper into a topic not only enriches your understanding but also enhances the value you bring to your work. For those engaged in project management, honing your scheduling capabilities will undoubtedly give you an edge over others.

Ways to get certified

There are several avenues to pursue certification in project scheduling.

One approach is to explore local or nearby universities offering project management certifications, which often encompass specialised courses on project scheduling. The convenience of online offerings means you can expand your search to universities beyond your immediate vicinity.

Additionally, the Project Management Institute (PMI) stands out as a top recommendation. It's renowned as one of the most esteemed institutions in the realm of project management.

Courses / certifications

• PMI Scheduling Professional (PMI-SP)
• APMG International - Project Planning & Control

Chapter 5: FAQ

Q: What is a project schedule in Project Management?

A: A project schedule outlines the tasks to be completed, their durations, start and end dates, assigned team members, and the overall timeline for the project's completion. It serves as a roadmap guiding the project's progression.

Q: How many milestones are necessary for my schedule?

A: The number of milestones isn't fixed. They should correspond to the project's significant progression stages. By marking these pivotal moments, milestones also inspire the team, serving as tangible short-term achievements during the project's journey.

Q: What is a Gantt chart in Project Management?

A: A Gantt chart is a graphical representation that illustrates tasks alongside their respective timelines, providing a clear snapshot of project schedules and deadlines.

Q: Where can I find Gantt chart templates?

A: Numerous free templates are available online. Additionally, if you're utilising a PPM solution, it typically comes with an integrated Gantt chart feature.

Q: Can I modify my schedule?

A: Absolutely. Schedules should be dynamic and regularly updated to reflect changes.

Q: Is certification mandatory to become a PM?

A: Not necessarily. While certain project manager roles might prefer or require certification, many positions do not mandate it.

Q: Are milestones essential in a project?

A: Definitely. Milestones are crucial markers to assess and track the project's advancement.

Q: What does WBS represent?

A: WBS, or Work Breakdown Structure, refers to the hierarchical breakdown of a project into its individual deliverables and tasks, making it easier to manage and execute.

Q: Are a project schedule and a project management plan the same thing?

A: No, they aren't. While a project schedule focuses on specific timelines, due dates, and durations, the project management plan is broader, encompassing elements like objectives, scope, budget, and including the project schedule itself among other components.

Q: Can the critical path be altered?

A: Yes. The critical path is an estimation based on project durations. Any shifts in task start or end dates can lead to adjustments in the critical path.

Q: What is a "roadmap" in Project Management?

A: In Project Management, a roadmap refers to a visual representation that outlines the project's primary goals and deliverables, plotted over a specific timeline.

Q: What does "schedule variance" mean in Project Management?

A: Schedule variance is a metric used to determine whether a project is running ahead of or lagging behind its planned timeline.

Chapter 6: Resources

Top 10 Wikipedia links

• Schedule (Project Management): Description of a project schedule with an overview and a short summary of methods.
• Gantt Chart: Description of a Gantt chart and its history along with some examples.
• Work Breakdown Structure: Description of a work breakdown structure with an overview explaining the details of the WBS, its history and a detailed section on the design and creation.
• Program Evaluation and Review Technique: The PERT is explained through history, terminology and implementation. There are also advantages and disadvantages of the system and a paragraph on its relation to project scheduling.
• Dependency (Project Management): Task dependencies are explained with their standard types, as well as advanced types of task dependencies.
• Critical Path Method: The history of the Critical Path, the concept and the basics of creating it.
• Milestone (Project Management): Description of milestones in project management and how to use them in project scheduling.
• Project Planning: Short description of project planning with inputs and other links related to the planning.
• Project Management Institute: Overview of the Project Management Institute (PMI), with its history and list of certifications offered - including PMI Scheduling Professional (PMI-SP).
• Project Management Body of Knowledge: Description of PMBOK, explained with the history, the purpose and extension, as well as alternatives and critics.

Top 10 industry blogs

• Project-management.com: This website is for project managers, and provides a listing of solutions and plenty of articles on project management.
• Rebel's Guide to PM: Elizabeth is an author and project manager who writes the blog A Rebel's Guide To Project Management. She has also written 3 books about managing projects and is a frequent speaker at conferences on project topics.
• Capterra PM Blog: Capterra is a comprehensive blog offering insights, reviews, and detailed information on project management tools, backed by statistics. It provides articles, reports, and guides across 500+ software categories to streamline project management.
• PM Student: PMStudent by Margaret Meloni, with her expertise in IT Project Management and PMO Leadership, offers invaluable tips and solutions for project management challenges. It's a recommended resource for actionable insights and quick fixes during the project cycle.
• PM Basics: Dmitriy Nizhebetskiy's blog offers deep insights on project management, leadership, and Agile frameworks, with a special focus on innovative tips for beginners. If you're an aspiring project manager, this blog is a must-read.
• Project Accelerator News: This blog aims at giving the latest updates and trends in project management for leadership, PMO, PM professionals.
• Tyner Blain: Blog by Tyner Blain, a PM and strategy consultant in Dublin.
• Projectmanagement.com: Powered by PMI, ProjectManagement.com is the bridge that fills in the gaps - providing help to project managers in a number of ways. It is a community for project managers in all industries and provides insight from several well known project managers.
• Project Times: This website has a lot of resources regarding Project management; WP, articles, certifications and industry events.
• Kiron Bondale's blog: Kiron Bondale's musings on project portfolio and change management.

Top 5 industry experts to follow on LinkedIn

• Harold Kerzner: Senior Executive Director at International Institute for Learning, Inc. Dr. Kerzner is a globally recognized expert on project, program, and portfolio management, and strategic planning and the author of the best-selling books about project management.
• Richard H. Thayer: Consultant and lecturer in software engineering, project management, software engineering standards, software requirements engineering, and software quality assurance.
• Alejandro Aramburu: PMP, senior project manager at NEC Argentina S.A. in San Luis, Argentina.
• Bob Sutton: Professor of management science and engineering and a professor of organisational behaviour at Stanford University.
• Kiron Bondale: Kiron has managed multiple mid-to-large-sized change management projects, and has worked in both internal and professional services project management capacities.

Top 10 analyst firms

• Gartner: American research and advisory firm providing information technology related insight for IT and other business leaders.
• Forrester: American independent technology and market research company that provides advice on existing and potential impact of technology, to its clients and the public.
• Digital Clarity Group: Research-driven advisory firm focused on helping business leaders navigate the digital transformation.
• Everest Group: Global management consulting and research firm that advises clients on global services issues.
• ISG: Leading global technology research and advisory firm.
• NelsonHall: Analyst and advisory firm with an evidence-based approach to market and service provider assessments.
• CXP BARC (Business Application Research Center): Leading enterprise software industry analyst and consulting firm.
• IDC International Data Corporation: Premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for information technology markets.
• HfS Research: Leading analyst authority and global community for business operations and IT services.
• 451 Research: Over 100 analysts deployed worldwide, providing critical and timely insight into competitive dynamics of innovation in emerging technology segments.

Top 5 social groups on LinkedIn

• PMI Scheduling Community of Practice: The only worldwide organisation dedicated solely to advancing the techniques, practice and profession of Project Scheduling.
• Planners, Schedulers & Project Control Professionals: A professional planning, scheduling and project controls platform where experts share experiences and ideas.
• Production Planning and Scheduling: Production planning and scheduling as both an art and a science.
• Factory Production Scheduling and Planning: Inspiring communication between individuals working in this industry.
• Scheduling Excellence Initiative: Writes best practices and guidelines for scheduling.

Top 2 associations

• PMI: Founded in 1969, PMI delivers value for more than 2.9 million professionals working in nearly every country in the world through global advocacy, collaboration, education and research.
• APM: The award-winning Association for Project Management is committed to developing and promoting project and programme management through its FIVE Dimensions of Professionalism.

Top 6 schools & certifications

• Coursera - Budgeting & Scheduling Projects: Learn to plan and stick to time and cost constraints in order to ensure the success of your projects.
• SimpliLearn - PMP® Certification Training Course: The most popular Project Management course, based on PMBOK® Guide - Fifth Edition.
• Alison - Modern Project Management: Managing the project start-up, scheduling and budgeting.
• PMI Scheduling Professional (PMI-SP)®: Recognises your knowledge and skill to drive the improved management of project schedules.
• ChangeQuest - Introduction to Project Management: Introduces best practice project management concepts and techniques.
• Hemsley Fraser - Project Planning, The Skills in a Day: Workshop based around a 'live' case study project, highly interactive with a skilled and experienced trainer.

Top 5 project scheduling software

• Cerri Project: Boasts an advanced Gantt chart tool, a collaboration platform featuring a bulletin board, and capacity planning with intuitive soft booking capabilities. Furthermore, it offers robust features that accompany a project from its conception to its successful completion.
• Planview AdaptiveWork: Cloud-based project management platform emphasising collaborative work with planning tools designed to define project scope, estimate timelines, and determine necessary resources.
• Sciforma: Features a project scheduler with Gantt charts and task assignments, and also facilitates simulations for new task allocations.
• MS Project: Integrated into the Office suite, this tool offers a scheduling module that aids organisations in generating critical paths within applications.
• Planview ProjectPlace: Provides Gantt charts for a comprehensive overview of project plans.

Chapter 7: Glossary

• Agile Project Management: Adapts principles from Agile software development for project management, championing iterative development, team collaboration, stakeholder engagement, objective metrics, and effective oversight.
• Allocation: The strategic assignment of available resources to optimise outcomes.
• Change Impact: Measures how project alterations influence cost, schedule, and resource allocations.
• Change Management: An area of management devoted to organisational shifts, aiming to implement efficient methods and procedures for timely changes.
• Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM): A project planning and management approach that prioritises the resources essential for executing project tasks.
• Critical Path: Represents the lengthiest chain of activities in a project, all of which must be timely completed to ensure the project's on-time conclusion.
• Critical Path Activity: Any task situated directly on a project's critical path.
• Critical Path Analysis: The technique used to identify and evaluate the most extended sequence of tasks in a project, along with available floats.
• Critical Path Method: An approach for gauging the shortest project duration while ascertaining the flexibility of network paths within the schedule framework.
• Dependency: The relationship between two tasks or between a task and a pivotal point.
• Duration: The total calendar span needed from the onset to the conclusion of a task.
• Deliverable: A distinct and confirmable outcome, product, or capability resulting from a process, phase, or project.
• Earned Schedule: An advancement in the principles and practices of earned value management (EVM).
• Earned Value: Represents the budgeted cost for completed tasks, quantified either in financial terms or labour hours, serving as a progress indicator.
• Estimate to Complete: The projected costs, labour hours, or quantities required to conclude the defined scope.
• Float: Denotes the leeway in rescheduling a task, with variations including total float and free float.
• Gantt Chart: A graphical schedule representation with activities on the vertical axis, dates on the horizontal axis, and activity durations represented as horizontal bars aligned to their respective start and finish dates.
• Governance: Encompasses policies, regulations, functions, processes, and responsibilities that guide and control the formation, administration, and oversight of projects, programs, or portfolios.
• Kickoff Meeting: The inaugural gathering involving the project team and the project's client.
• Late Finish: The latest permissible date an activity can conclude without delaying the project's targeted finish date.
• Late Start: The furthest allowable commencement date for an activity without impinging on the project's desired completion date.
• Linear Scheduling Method (LSM): A visual scheduling technique emphasising consistent resource use in repetitive tasks.
• Line of Balance: A scheduling strategy for repetitive product deliveries, highlighting how resource teams transition from one product to another.
• Milestone: A notable event or marker within a project, program, or portfolio.
• PERT: A statistical tool used in project management (Program or Project Evaluation and Review Technique) designed to analyse and represent the tasks necessary to complete a specified project.
• Planning: The dual practice of formulating a structured plan, encompassing both the organisational creation/maintenance of that plan and the cognitive process of considering the necessary steps to achieve a desired outcome.
• Process: A continuous series of activities characterised by specific inputs, outputs, and the transformational energy that turns inputs into outputs.
• Project Plan: An official, ratified document that serves as a roadmap for both the execution and oversight of a project.
• Project: A short-term effort aimed at crafting a distinct product, service, or result.
• Project Management: The comprehensive suite of tasks, methodologies, and tools employed throughout a project's lifecycle.
• Project Management Office (PMO): A centralised unit within an organisation that sets and upholds project management standards and practices.
• Project Team: The core group responsible for leading and servicing a project.
• Project Schedule: A detailed breakdown of a project's milestones, tasks, and deliverables, typically with designated start and end dates.
• Resources: Essential elements like personnel, software, tools, finances, materials, and workspace needed to carry out a project.
• Resource Availability: The fluctuating levels of a resource's accessibility over a period.
• Resource Scheduling: Techniques employed to determine the requisite resources for a task and their timing.
• Risk Management: A specialised field focused on mitigating diverse risks across various domains.
• Schedule Baseline: The ratified schedule model, alterable only through formalised procedures, and serves as a reference point for evaluating actual outcomes.
• Schedule Compression: Techniques aimed at shortening the project timeline without compromising its scope.
• Schedule Management Plan: Part of the overarching project or program management plan, detailing the strategy for developing, monitoring, and controlling the timeline.
• Schedule Model: A depiction of the project's planned activities, including their durations and interdependencies.
• Schedule Model Analysis: An examination of the schedule model's output to refine and enhance the timeline.
• Schedule Performance Index: A gauge of timeline efficacy, derived as the quotient of earned value to planned value.
• Schedule Variance: An assessment of schedule performance, determined as the disparity between the earned value and the planned value.
• Scope: The totality of work necessary to produce a specific output with delineated attributes and features.
• Slip Chart: A visual tool that juxtaposes anticipated completion dates of tasks or milestones against their planned end dates.
• Stakeholder: Entities or individuals with a vested interest in the project's outcome.
• Task: A specific activity to be finalised within a set timeframe, contributing towards organisational objectives.
• Time Scheduling: Techniques formulated to construct and present timelines detailing work chronology.
• Timeline: A chronological representation of events, occasionally categorised as a project artefact.
• WBS (Work Breakdown Structure): A tiered breakdown of the complete work scope, designed to help the project team achieve objectives and generate the mandated outputs.