The Project Schedule-Powerful Tool for Managers
A Schedule Organizes, Builds Buy-in, and Assesses Project Status
Aug 8, 2009
A project schedule is a powerful tool that helps the project manager (PM) define the tasks required to reach the project goal, estimate their duration, shows the sequence in which tasks should be performed and when they should be completed. Using a project schedule helps a manager organize the tasks into a logical sequence, identify and resolve issues before they become problems, and communicate project status with team members and senior managers.
There are several commercially available project management tools that facilitate project scheduling such as the simple and intuitive FastTrac Scheduler from AEC and more complex and capable tools like Microsoft’s Project.
Here is an example schedule for a simple software development task:
(see example project schedule)
On this one sheet, the PM captures a list of all tasks to be performed. Each task has someone assigned to be responsible for the task and an estimated duration. The tasks are sequenced over time showing the flow of the project from initial requirements definition to delivery of the final project. However, the project schedule is a much more powerful tool for management that just listing tasks and dates.
How to use a schedule for project management
- Adding detail: the PM’s tasking from senior management for small projects may be something as simple as, “we need software to do X in 3 months.” It is the responsibility of the PM to figure out all of the subtasks necessary to reach that goal. Creating a project schedule helps the PM think through the subtasks in a logical order.
- Assigning responsibility: for each subtask, the PM wants someone on the team to be the go-to person for information on that subtask. The process of assigning responsibility is also an opportunity to get input from team members and buy-in to the schedule. For example, involving Susan in establishing the required duration of the “Use case scenario and demo” gives her a chance to reign in the PM’s expectation that the task requires one day when she knows from experience that it will take three days. Once her estimate of the three days to completion is accepted into the schedule, she will have made an implied commitment to complete the task within that time frame.
- Deconfliction: as individual subtasks are laid out on the schedule, the PM may see places where dependent tasks overlap e.g. module 1 testing is scheduled before module 1 development is complete. this conflict identifies the need to alter the start and end dates of one or both tasks.
- Communication: when the schedule is complete, the entire team can see how their tasks fit into reaching the project goal. Using the schedule, each team member can partition their calendar to assure availability during the task execution.
- Correction: over the life of the project, the PM should re-visit the schedule weekly to make sure that tasks are being completed on time. If a task slips its due date, the PM should talk with the responsible team member to understand why. When a task is delayed, the issues and potential resolution should be raised to senior management to facilitate resolution.
- Statusing: the project’s status can be easily communicated to senior management during reviews by placing a time line on the schedule and using color coding for tasks completed and tasks in process. With one glace, the PM and senior management know if everything is going well or if there needs to be an application of additional resources or problem analysis.
The project schedule may seem a simple representation that is created at the beginning of a project and never looked at again. However, properly used, the project schedule is a powerful tool for PMs to identify issues before they become problems, to remind the entire team of how they are doing, and to communicate with senior management using language they understand.
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