5 Secrets of Project Scheduling - A PMO Approach

7/28/2019 5 Secrets of Project Scheduling - A PMO Approach

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The Five Secrets of Project Scheduling

A PMO Approach

Michelle Colodzin

PMP, PMI-SP, MCTS, MS Project Black Belt

MetaVista Consulting Group


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Introduction

What is a good project schedule?

A good project schedule is one that accurately models the work of theproject, encapsulates the full scope and nothing extra and whichmaintains a consistent and appropriate level of detail

How is a good schedule built and maintained? The Five Secrets of Project Scheduling provide a framework and

methodology for consistently producing and maintaining good projectschedules

How can a good schedule improve project performance? A good schedule can provide advanced warning of possible schedule

slippage, resource issues, cost overruns and general project risksgiving the project manager time to avoid or mitigate potential problems

What is the role of the PMO in developing and maintaining goodproject schedules? The PMO can develop, champion and support good scheduling

practices, provide templates, train schedulers and project managers andperform project and portfolio analysis on an organization-wide basis


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The Five Secrets of Project Scheduling are five factors(or secrets) that when used together will help project

managers and project schedulers consistently produce

and maintain good project schedules

These secrets are not new concepts - they provide a

context, framework and methodology, which when

followed consistently, result in better project schedules

that are easier to maintain and analyze

Taking full advantage of these secrets requires a

centralized group such as a PMO - overseeing and

enforcing their use throughout the organization


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1. Create deliverables-based project schedules

2. Determine the appropriate level of detail

3. Implement a regular status update and reportingprocess

4. Review and adjust the schedule regularly

5. Create and follow project scheduling standards


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Secret # 1

Create Deliverables-based Project Schedules

Deliverables vs. Activities Deliverables are products produced by a project all

projects have deliverables

Deliverables are tangible: documentation, physical computer

hardware, application accessible by users, etc.

Activities are performed by team members in order to

create a deliverable

Activities consist of one or more tasks: gather system

requirements, install hardware, install software, test systemaccess and features


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Secret # 2

Determine the Appropriate Level of Detail

The best project schedules are those which contain all ofthe required information and nothing more

There must be sufficient detail to accurately track and manage theprojects activities and deliverables

There must not be so much detail that the schedule becomesunmanageable

Since each project is unique there is no single level ofdetail that is appropriate for all projects or projectschedules

The level of detail required for a particular project must bedefined prior to the start of scheduling and followedconsistently throughout the life of the project

S #


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Secret # 3

Implement a Regular Schedule Status Update and

Reporting Process

A project schedule must be updated regularly to ensure

ongoing integrity and to enable monitoring of project

progress

The project scheduler is responsible for determining how

to gather task status information, how often the information

will be collected and the method for collecting and

validating the information

The first step in developing a regular update and reporting

process is to work with the project manager and key

stakeholders to determine the reporting requirements and

expectations


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Secret # 4

Review and Adjust the Schedule Regularly

A good project schedule must not be static - it must reflectactual changes occurring on the project

All projects experience unexpected events successfulprojects have a process for incorporating these events into

the project schedule

All projects should establish and follow a schedule changecontrol process

For smaller projects, this may be informal and occur on an as-needed basis

For larger projects, this must be formal and occur regularly


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Secret # 5

Create and Follow Scheduling Standards

The use of scheduling standards can significantly reduce

the time required and eliminate some of the complexity

involved in developing a realistic and maintainable project

schedule.

Scheduling standards help ensure consistency when

schedules are created by multiple schedulers and/or

project managers.

Scheduling standards provide the PMO with objective

measures to evaluate, monitor and provide feedback on

specific schedules and scheduling practices


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What Are Scheduling Standards?

Scheduling standards are specific guidelines forcreating and maintaining project schedules within asingle or multiple related organizations

Scheduling standards are created or adopted by anorganization (such as a PMO) which thenchampions, supports and monitors their use withinthe project schedules developed for projects undertheir sphere of influence or control.

It is a good practice to base specific schedulingstandards on an industry-accepted documents suchas the PMICOS standard and/or industry-acceptedbest practices.


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Why Follow Scheduling Standards?

They contribute to the development of realisticand manageable project schedules

They help ensure consistency in the structure

and level of detail across project schedules

They help ensure that the information reported is

more easily compared and leveraged

They help ensure consistency in schedule-

related processes (such as reporting and

change control)


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The Role of the PMO in Project

Scheduling The PMO can by a key enabler of good project scheduling the

more active and widespread the influence of the PMO the betterthe results from a centralized approach to scheduling

Key PMO Responsibilities related to scheduling:

Define, document and enforce scheduling standards Define, document and enforce schedule-related processes

Length of reporting cycle

Triggers and/or time interval for reviewing and updating schedules

Specific reports to be submitted to the PMO

Develop and distribute tools and templates whenever possible

Train project managers in scheduling practices and tools

If possible, centralize scheduling services within the PMO and providescheduling resources to projects


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The Benefits of an Active PMO in

Project Scheduling The PMO can by a key enabler of good project

scheduling practices the more active and widespreadthe influence of the PMO the more likely projectperformance and success rates will improve throughoutthe organization

Use of standard practices, tools and templates reducesthe time required to create and maintain projectschedules

Standard processes help facilitate the ongoing captureand application of lessons learned across theorganization

Standard report formats and content enable faster andmore accurate comparison of status and issues acrossmultiple projects this is vital for organizations doingportfolio management


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Using the Five Secrets for the First Time

When implementing these secrets for the first time: start small and focus on the strengths of the

organization

Develop a small set of scheduling standards,

simple processes, tools and templates

Capture lessons learned and build a repository

where schedulers and project managers can:

document and share their experiences and knowledge Store and retrieve schedules which worked well in

similar situations

build and share new processes, tools and templates


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Conclusion

These secrets are not new concepts however, many

organizations overlook or downplay their importance

Using the five secrets requires discipline and consistency

this can best be provided through a PMO

Developing, championing and managing scheduling

processes through a PMO:

accelerates organizational learning improves schedule quality

improves the likelihood of project success throughout an

organization


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For further information contact

Michelle Colodzin via e-mail or phone

[email protected]

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5 Secrets of Project Scheduling - A PMO Approach

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