Project Management Framework
Planning - Scheduling and Task Plans
A project schedule is the agreed upon set of tasks and due dates used to guide and monitor the project to completion. The process of creating an accurate project schedule involves estimating the effort (person-months), including a
Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), and estimating the schedule (calendar-months).
The
WBS is one of the major components of the Schedule and Task Plan. It outlines:
- The major activities to be accomplished in the project.
- The detailed tasks associated with those activities.
- Dependencies and relationships between tasks and activities.
The
project schedule is a comprehensive calendar depicting:
- Time (duration) estimates for all tasks and activities
- Start and finish dates for the tasks and activities
- Names of resources assigned responsibility to complete the tasks and activities
- Current status of each task and activity
The project schedule is structured to reflect the
WBS and includes successor/predecessor relationships representing the dependencies between tasks and activities.
Why is this important?
This process results in a project schedule that can be tracked and monitored. The information identifies what resources are needed, when the resources are needed and for how long. It defines for sponsors and stakeholders the timeframes and dates for key project deliverables and for project completion. It sets expectations for project progress. Work is broken down into small, more manageable pieces and reduces the overall complexity of the project. Creating a project schedule will also provide a tool for performing critical path assessments and more effective analysis of problem areas. Without a project schedule, the project manager won't know all that must be completed, who needs to complete it, how to make effective adjustments to get things completed, nor when to expect the project to be complete.
Instructions
Project schedule and tasks estimates are initially developed during the project planning phase. They are further refined throughout the execution phase. Project estimates should be reviewed against actual time and resources used during the project review activity in the Closeout Phase. Contingency should be built into a project schedule and task plan. A good rule of thumb for schedule contingency is 20%, but a project may include more or less contingency based on identified risks and mitigations.
Brainstorm sessions with representative groups of experts are often the best way to generate the initial WBS. Start with project's chartered objectives as your major activity areas. Use identified deliverables as the basis for developing tasks that need to be accomplished to achieve the chartered objectives.
Generally a WBS contains work broken down to discrete tasks, called work packages. Each work package can be assigned to one person. A general rule of thumb is to have work packages with durations of 80 hours or less. A WBS can be represented in graphical tree form or in a task list. At most, include six or fewer levels of tasks or subtasks.
After tasks have been identified and a duration estimate and responsible resource defined required for each, dependencies should be entered where required. The schedule should be adjusted to accommodate a realistic calendar, including everything from holidays to flexible work schedules and other work load for each of the resources.
There are a number of software packages on the market that help with project schedule preparation and tracking.
A project schedule is not intended to be a static, one-time picture of the project plan. It must be regularly updated and maintained to reflect an accurate picture of current status. Plan not only for time to create the initial estimates and schedule, but also for time to revisit the estimates and schedule throughout the project lifecycle.
How to Scale
All projects of any size or type need careful schedule and task planning. For projects with significant critical path dependencies, resource availability issues or high visibility, detailed planning and constant maintenance of the schedule are paramount to success.
Related Links:
Work Breakdown Structure Examples
Scheduling Task List Example
Scheduling and Task Plans Template
Scheduling and Task Plan Management
Checklists