BUS528 - PM Chapter 7 Ideas

Realistic Scheduling

Most of project managers are expected to concern with two things when the project under their control – budget and delivery dates, without asking them to be more specific and detailed, such as how long it will really take to make something happen or how much it will really cost. We can’t develop a realistic schedule if we don’t know what we should create.

Those planning techniques are the basics to the science of project management with which helps us practicing the art to be possible. There are some steps in “Realistic Scheduling” assist us to develop the detailed plan:

1. Start with a solid definition – to define the project deliverable in detail and the basics of how it will be made, and to get a signed agreement from the representative of both customer and sponsor.

2. Develop a risk management strategy – Identify all of the risk areas of the project, it includes any external dependencies we are relying on and any of the assumptions we made during the scheduling process.

3. Build a work breakdown structure – Rely on a well-defined WBS that make up a project for estimating, scope management, sub-contracting work, tracking progress and giving clear work assignments.

4. Get “Accurate” estimate – Target with good functional definition to make our estimates more accurate and to monitor the project progress.

5. Identify task relationships – Place all the work packages in the proper sequence.

6. Calculate an initial schedule – Including contingencies that allow something unexpected or something going wrong with the schedule.

5. Get the right resources – Make sure we have the right people to support our schedule, and make sure our team is providing the right services for the output of the project.

The project can be managed and developed in a realistic way, so that the team members won’t waste time on the project. Setting a realistic schedule can be done with the most short-sighted corporation with the tightest resources. To build a well plan project is a key factor for estimation the project’s progress and overall success. The closer the project plan is to reality, the more successful it’s likely to be.