Develop Project Schedule

Description

A project schedule designates work to be done and specifies deadlines for completing tasks and deliverables.  The project schedule depicts:

• Time (duration) estimates for all project tasks
• Start and finish dates for the tasks
• Names of staff resources assigned to complete the tasks
• Sequence of tasks

A major component of a project schedule is a work breakdown structure (WBS).  The project schedule is constructed to reflect the work breakdown structure.

Rationale/PurposeThe project manager uses the schedule to help plan, execute and control project tasks and to track and monitor the progress of the project.  

The project schedule defines timelines for key deliverables and sets expectations for project progress and completion.

Who is involved?
Project Manager
Project Team

ResultThis information is included in a separate section of your project plan often referred to as “Project Schedule.”

Recommended actions and strategiesThe table below lists the steps for developing a project schedule:

	What to do	How to do it
1	Determine the tasks to be placed in the schedule	Refer to the tasks identified in the work breakdown structure.
2	Determine the relationships among the tasks	Identify tasks that must be completed before other tasks can begin. Identify tasks that can be done while other tasks are being performed. A network diagram (a precedence diagramming method) can be used to diagram the dependencies.
3	Assign each task to specific staff	This establishes ownership for the task. Assigning the right person to the right task is one of the most important factors in a project’s ultimate success.
4	Estimate the amount of effort required for each task	Work with individual team members or others who have experience with this type of project. Base the estimate on an assumed level of skill. Document assumptions used in estimating.
5	Consider the other variables that go into building the schedule	Example variables to consider: Project Constraints Assumptions Lead and lag time (delay) of materials When, where or how the task must be performed Project risks The realities of vacations, meetings, discussions and staff interactions and any ongoing responsibilities team members may have. Staff Training time
6	Build a time reserve into the schedule for contingencies and unforeseen events	A contingency is a specific provision for unforeseeable elements that could cause schedule delay. How much time contingency to allow can depend on: The degree of acceptable risk for delays The completeness of the project definition How well the work will be managed A good rule of thumb for schedule contingency is 20%, but a project can include more or less based on the factors above.
7	Identify the project’s critical path	The critical path is a project management technique that analyzes what activities have the least amount of scheduling flexibility (i.e., are the most important) and then predicts project duration based on the activities that fall along the “critical path.” Activities that lie along the critical path cannot be delayed without delaying the finish time for the entire project. If the critical path exceeds a required deadline, review methods to shorten the critical path.
8	Check to see if staff is over-allocated	If staff is over allocated, figure out a way to level the staff so they are allocated the right amount of work. Possible actions: Modify the schedule to accommodate the constraint Provide additional resources for the task Reduce task or project scope Make any adjustments to the staffing plan Caution: There is an overhead cost for bringing new staff up to speed. Not all staff is truly interchangeable. The skill level of the new person may affect the time to complete and the quality of the work. Contract staff may need more oversight.
9	Repeat steps 3 and 5-8 until a baseline is established.	Developing the project schedule is an iterative process.
10	Place the schedule information in a Gantt chart	Place the tasks, milestones, relationships, staff assigned, durations and work estimates in a Gantt chart to show the detailed timing of the project. A Gantt chart graphically represents a project by showing each task as a horizontal bar whose length is the time needed to complete the task. Various project management tools can generate Gantt charts. Other formats can be used to display the schedule information based on the needs and preferences of your customer.

		Example: Project Schedule
	The project schedule is a detailed plan of major project phases, milestones, activities, tasks, and the planned start and end date for each task, and the resources allocated to each task.
		Project Management Improvement Project – Phase 1	Effort Estimate in Days	Planned Start Date	Planned End Date	Resource
	1	Initiate Project
	1,1	Develop Project Charter
	1.1.1	Define Scope	4,00	06.01.05	06.08.05	Name1, Core Team
	1.1.2	Define Requirements	3,00	06.09.05	06.15.05	Name1, Core Team
	1.1.3	Identify High-Level Roles	0,25	06.16.05	06.17.05	Name1
	1.1.4	Develop High-Level Budget	1,00	06.16.05	06.20.05	Name1
	1.1.5	Identify High-Level Control Strategies	0,50	06.21.05	06.21.05	Name1
	1.1.6	Finalize Charter and Gain Approvals	2,00	06.21.05	06.30.05	Name1
	1.1.6.1	Consolidate and Publish Project Charter	1,00	06.21.05	06.23.05	Name1
	1.1.6.2	Hold Review Meeting	0,50	06.24.05	06.24.05	Name1
	1.1.6.3	Revise Project charter	0,50	06.27.05	06.28.05	Name1
	1.1.6.4	Gain approvals	0,50	06.29.05	06.30.05	Name1
	2	Plan Project
	2,1	Develop Work Plan
	2.1.1	Develop Work Breakdown Structure	2,00	07.01.05	07.06.05	Name1
	2.1.2	Develop Project Staffing Plan	2,00	07.07.05	07.11.05	Name1
	2.1.3	Develop Project Schedule	3,00	07.12.05	07.14.05	Name1
	2.1.4	Develop Project Budget	3,00	07.15.05	07.20.05	Name1
	2,2	Develop Project Control Plan
	2.2.1	Develop Communication Plan	1,50	07.15.05	07.17.05	Name1
	2.2.2	Develop Quality Management Plan	1,50	07.17.05	07.21.05	Name1
	2,3	Finalize Project Plan and Gain Approvals	5,00	07.22.05	07.29.05	Name1
	3	Execute and Control Project
	3,1	Design Framework
	3.1.1	Define framework stages and activities	5,00	08.01.05	08.15.05	Name1, core team
	3.1.2	Design framework content formats	1,00	08.16.05	08.18.05	Name3, Name2
	3.1.3	Design web framework delivery tool	2,00	08.19.05	08.31.05	Name3
	3,2	Build the Framework
	3.2.1	Write the framework content	65,00	09.01.05	10.31.05	Name2
	3.2.2	Review framework content for quality	12,00	09.15.05	10.21.05	Name1, core team, review team
	3.2.3	Build web tool prototype	20,00	08.19.05	08.31.05	Name3, web developer
	3,3	Test the Framework
	3.3.1	Test usability of web tool	4,00	09.19.05	11.25.05	core team, review team
	3.3.2	Test usability of content	4,00	10.19.05	11.25.05	core team, review team
	3.3.3	Adjust framework based on user feedback	5,00	11.18.05	11.30.05	Name2, Name3
	3,4	Implement Framework
	3.4.1	Move framework to production environment	5,00	12.01.05	12.16.05	Name1
	3.4.2	Announce availability of framework	0,50	12.19.05	12.30.05	Name1
	4	Close the Project
	4,1	Conduct Post-Project Review	5,00	01.03.06	01.10.06	Name1, core team, review team
	4,2	Celebrate	0,50	01.13.05	01.13.05	Name1, core team, review team