Project Schedule

Table of Contents
Introduction to Project Scheduling: .............................................................................................................. 3 Purpose of Project Scheduling: ..................................................................................................................... 3 Scope/Applicability ..................................................................................................................................... 3 Project Schedule: .......................................................................................................................................... 3 Activity Definition ..................................................................................................................................... 4 Activity Sequencing ................................................................................................................................... 5 Resource and Duration Estimating ........................................................................................................... 5 Schedule Development ............................................................................................................................. 6 Schedule Control ....................................................................................................................................... 7 Responsibilities ........................................................................................................................................... 7 Director, FEMC........................................................................................................................................... 7 Manager, Planning and Controls ............................................................................................................ 7 Manager, FEMC......................................................................................................................................... 7 Construction Coordinator ......................................................................................................................... 8 Manager, Engineering ............................................................................................................................... 8 Project Engineer ........................................................................................................................................ 8 FEMC Assistant Manager, Materials ......................................................................................................... 9 Procedures .................................................................................................................................................... 9 Master Schedule ....................................................................................................................................... 9 Engineering and Procurement Schedule (EP) ........................................................................................... 9 Construction Schedule ............................................................................................................................ 10 Baseline Schedule ................................................................................................................................... 10 Current Schedule .................................................................................................................................... 10 Supplemental Schedules ......................................................................................................................... 11 Development of a Project Schedule ........................................................................................................... 12 Define Precise and Measurable Milestones ........................................................................................... 12 Estimate Task Duration ........................................................................................................................... 12 Define Priorities ...................................................................................................................................... 13 Define the Critical Path ........................................................................................................................... 13

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Document Assumption ........................................................................................................................... 13 Identify Risks ........................................................................................................................................... 14 Review the Results .................................................................................................................................. 14 Scheduling Tools ..................................................................................................................................... 14 Note: ................................................................................................................................................... 15 Scheduling Tools ......................................................................................................................................... 15 Schedule Network Analysis ............................................................................................................. 15 Critical Path Analysis ....................................................................................................................... 15 Schedule Compression .................................................................................................................... 15 Crashing........................................................................................................................................... 15 Fast-Tracking ................................................................................................................................... 15

Project Review ............................................................................................................................................ 15 'What if' scenario analysis ............................................................................................................... 15 Resource leveling ............................................................................................................................ 16 Critical chain method ...................................................................................................................... 16 Risk multipliers ................................................................................................................................ 16

The Five Secrets of Project Scheduling ....................................................................................................... 16 Secret #1. Create Deliverables-based Project Schedules ....................................................................... 16 Secret #2. Determine and Apply the Appropriate Level of Detail .......................................................... 16 Secret #3. Implement a Regular Status Update and Reporting Process................................................. 17 Secret #4. Review and Adjust the Schedule Regularly ............................................................................ 17 Secret #5. Create and Follow Project Scheduling Standards .................................................................. 17 References .................................................................................................................................................. 18

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Introduction to Project Scheduling:
The management of large projects requires analytical tools for scheduling activities and allocating resources. This note describes a set of tools that has proven to be consistently valuable to project managers. The tools are collectively known as the Project Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) and the Critical Path Method (CPM). PERT was developed by the U.S. Navy and its consultants for the Polaris Missile Project, while the Critical Path Method was created by DuPont and the Remington Rand Corporation for the management of large chemical plants. Applications of these tools are pervasive, from construction to software development.

Purpose of Project Scheduling:

To create, maintain, and publish an integrated system of schedules that coordinate engineering, procurement, shipping, and construction activities or tasks.

Every project requires a schedule and the Project Manager is responsible for overall development and management of the project schedules with collaboration and support from project team.

Scope/Applicability
This procedure applies to all projects assigned and undertaken by the Facilities Engineering, Maintenance and Construction Division (FEMC).

Project Schedule:
The Project Management Institutes Project Management Body of Knowledge defines a project schedule as the planned dates for performing schedule activities and the planned dates for meeting schedule milestones. A schedule milestone is defined as a significant event in the project schedule, such as an event restraining future work or marking the completion of a major deliverable. A successful project schedule requires proper estimation of the effort, definition of staffing needs and resource requirements, and the identification of work durations. In order to build a project schedule the project work defined in the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) work packages must be further decomposed into smaller, more manageable components
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referred to as schedule activities. These schedule activities are then sequenced in order to build a project schedule. The ultimate goal of this effort is to build an effective project schedule that answers questions such as: What will be accomplished? When it will be accomplished? Who will accomplish it? How it will be accomplished?

A project schedule is developed by further decomposing WBS work packages and analyzing activity sequences, durations, resource requirements, and project constraints to create a formal list of project activities and an outline of which order they should be performed. The processes for accomplishing this include the following project scheduling practices: Activity definition focuses on identifying and documenting the planned work. Activity sequencing focuses on identifying and documenting relationships among scheduled activities. Resource and duration estimating focuses on determining what resources are required, in what quantities, and for how long, to complete the project work as planned. Schedule development focuses on determining schedule activity start and finish dates. Schedule control focuses on influencing factors that create project schedule change. In some instances, projects are so tightly structured that the steps of creating a project schedule can be performed by a single individual. However, in most cases, representatives from across the organization and most certainly the project team, will be involved in different aspects of the schedule development process.

Activity Definition
For scheduling purposes, WBS work packages are decomposed into even smaller components known as schedule activities. This process is referred to as activity definition. Schedule activities are work defined to a level that can be easily estimated, scheduled, executed, and monitored and controlled. Good project planning practice is to define these activities to a level no smaller than one full work day (~8hrs) and no larger than ten full work days (~2wks). Anything more than ten working days most likely can be better managed if further decomposed. Anything less than one working day is usually too detailed to be managed effectively. To facilitate this effort a project manager may seek out examples of similar projects, review project templates, reuse all or some part of schedules from past projects, solicit feedback from subject matter experts, the project team, etc. The ultimate goal is to develop a list of schedule activities and to identify any dependencies or conflicts that may exist between them. If

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prospective conflicts do exist, work on resolving them as early in the project life cycle as possible utilizing the projects defined schedule control process.

Activity Sequencing
Many times schedule activities have inherent interdependencies, resource limitations, date constraints, etc. that all need to be considered when outlining how project work aligns in the form of a defined project schedule. The project schedule links schedule activities together in a manner that creates a timeline of work throughout the projects life. Some activities need to be conducted early in the project and some activities are dependent upon other tasks scheduled to be completed later in the project. Activity sequencing should accommodate such dependencies. During the practice of activity sequencing the project manager aligns the sequence of schedule activities in a way to best avoid any factors that may limit how quickly project work can be completed. To facilitate this effort a project manager may use project scheduling tools such as Microsoft Project or advanced sequencing techniques using various diagramming methods and/or applying scheduling leads or lags to individual tasks. The ultimate goal is to structure the sequence of schedule activities in a way that completes the project as quickly as possible. Contained within all schedules is a critical path. The critical path generally, but not always, is the sequence of scheduled activities that determines the duration of the project. Generally, it is the longest path through the project. In other words, there is no slack between critical tasks, if one task slips, the entire schedule slips. Understanding and effectively managing the schedules critical path is vital to completing a project as planned.

Resource and Duration Estimating

The practice of estimating involves determining quantity of a resource that is required to complete a task or activity. Resources could include people, equipment, material, etc. Estimates are usually provided by the person or group on the project team who is most familiar with the nature of the work to be estimated. Details regarding the actual practice of developing estimates for schedule activities are detailed in the Estimating Practices Guide. Once work effort estimates have been developed, determining the time duration of how that effort will be distributed throughout the projects life is known as duration estimating. The Project Management Institutes Project Management Body of Knowledge defines duration as the total number of work periods required to complete a schedule activity or WBS component, usually expressed as work days or work weeks. Duration estimates are determined by identifying when the required project resource is needed and then adjusting the project schedule to accommodate for its actual availability. Most project management software for scheduling can handle this automatically.

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Schedule Development
Developing a project schedule is the responsibility of the project manager. Project Management Institutes Project Management Body of Knowledge defines a project schedule as the planned dates for performing schedule activities and the planned dates for meeting schedule milestones. The practice of schedule development leverages knowledge gained from activity definition, sequencing, and estimating to create a formal sequence of project activities, the project schedule, that outlines when required work should start, when it is expected to be completed, and who will do the work. The project schedule serves as a master plan which the project team, management, customers, and other stakeholders look to for an up-to-date picture of how project work is progressing. The project schedule should clearly define: A direct relationship to the WBS Major events and dates Sequence of work Interrelationships between tasks Task constraints Resources required to complete each schedule activity

To effectively develop a reasonably accurate project schedule, input from functional managers, knowledge experts, consultants, and project team members from across the organization can be leveraged. One approach to schedule development is known as rolling wave planning. Rolling wave planning is a form of progressive elaboration planning where the work to be accomplished in the near term is planned in detail at a low level of the WBS, while the work far in the future is planned at a relatively high level of the WBS, but the detailed planning of the work to be performed for one or two periods in the near future is done as work is being completed during the current period. Once complete, the initial project schedule is baselined and is used to track project progress. A baselined project schedule is the original approved project plan used to track progress on a project. The baselined schedule is a snapshot of the schedule, at the time that the baseline was saved, and includes baselined information about tasks, resources, and assignments. The result of defining a detailed project schedule also produces updates to other project areas and/or documents such as resource requirements, project calendars, performance measurements and reports, change control, organizational processes, PMP, etc. These updates should be reflected in these areas by utilizing any defined update procedures.

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Each activity is now clearly defined and scheduled, and responsibility for completion assigned and communicated. As project work progresses the project schedule should be adjusted to reflect actual work completed and planned work remaining.

Schedule Control
Schedule control is primarily concerned with influencing and/or managing the factors that create schedule change. This is done by monitoring such things as project variances, external factors, project progress, etc. The activities that control changes to the project schedule are often outlined as part of the Project Management Plan (PMP). One important activity required for controlling project schedules is resource leveling. Resource leveling involves leveling out the workload of resources assigned in the schedule by bringing the workload of those resources within the range of their availability. A resource with too many assigned tasks scheduled at the same time, may require that work be re- assigned to another resource or tasks have to be rescheduled to a later in time and delay the completion of the project.

Responsibilities
Director, FEMC
Assures that this procedure is implemented for all engineering and construction projects. Reviews and approves all schedules prior to release Reviews and approves all resource and cost loading in schedules prior to use. Reviews all schedules and approves options to minimize the impact of schedule deviations on planned cost and performance.

Manager, Planning and Controls

Supervises the establishment of standard procedures for creating and maintaining schedules. Supervises the creation of schedules. Reviews all schedules for accuracy and consistency. Develops and supervises the implementation and execution of the cost and performance reporting systems. Reviews the reporting systems for accuracy and reasonableness.

Manager, FEMC
Reviews construction schedules for completeness and accuracy. Establishes manpower allocations and activity duration for all construction schedules.
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Approves projected deviations from Engineered Standards. Establishes the format and frequency of construction schedules. Approves selected options to reduce the impact of deviations from the schedule. Provides actual performance data to the Project Control Office through schedule updates.

Construction Coordinator
Assists the scheduler with the creation of construction schedules. Performs a detailed review of the schedule for construction logic and reasonableness. Reviews manpower allocations and activity duration for all construction activities. Supervises project execution to ensure adherence to the schedule to the extent possible. Reports deviations from or additions to the schedule to the Manager, FEMC, and the Project Scheduler. Utilizes construction schedules to determine deviations from planned cost or performance and evaluates options to minimize impacts. Provides actual performance data to the Project Controls Office.

Manager, Engineering
Coordinates the gathering of project information prior to schedule preparation, including the Engineering Project Definitions (EPD), design drawings, and resources. Reviews Engineering and Procurement (EP) schedules for accuracy and reasonableness. Assigns resource allocations and activity duration for engineering and design schedules. Establishes the format and frequency of engineering and design schedules. Coordinates and reports deviations from the schedule to the Project Controls Office. Reports actual cost and performance data to the Project Control Office.

Project Engineer
Provides engineering requirements to the Engineering Manager and Scheduler. Assists the Construction Coordinator/Supervisor and the Scheduler by identifying relevant engineering standards and evaluating the need for planned deviations from those standards. Reviews the construction schedule for integration of logic. Provides accurate schedule updates to the Master and Engineering, Construction, and Procurement schedules for engineering and design activities. Utilizes the published schedules to detect deviations from planned performance of engineering design that affect procurement and construction activities, and to recommend
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options to reduce impacts. Assists the scheduler to interpret the plans and specifications. Schedule r Creates cost and resource schedules with input from the Estimator, Engineering Manager, and Construction Management. Maintains compatible baseline and as-built schedules to provide comparative data between planned and actual costs and between schedules and productivity performance. Provides projected resource requirements from the scheduling system to the Manager, FEMC, and the Engineering Manager. Provides schedules as required by the Manager, FEMC, and the Engineering Manager, to ensure early warning of deviations from planned performance.

FEMC Assistant Manager, Materials

Assists the scheduler by identifying needed procurement and logistics activities and estimating the activity duration. Provides continuous tracking of procurement and logistics activities for schedules and immediately notifies the scheduler of deviations from planned cost or performance.

Procedures
This procedure will be used to produce 3 types of schedules: Master Schedule, Engineering, Procurement (EP) Schedules and Construction Schedules.

Master Schedule
The Master Schedules are used for total project planning of SPSE and SPSM and to summarize detailed engineering, procurement, and construction. The Master Schedule is resource and cost loaded based upon the package summary of the detailed Final estimate. It outlines the start, execution, and completion of a project. Milestone activities are shown as well as engineering, design, procurement, logistics, and construction activities. The Master Schedule summarizes the EP and Construction Schedules to facilitate management review. Updates and reporting to the client occurs as required by the client.

Engineering and Procurement Schedule (EP)

An EP Schedule is prepared immediately upon authorized inclusion of a project in the Annual Program Plan. This schedule defines the activities necessary for timely commencement of the detail engineering and design functions. This schedule details in weeks the production of engineering reports, design drawings, material procurements, and
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construction efforts. The EP is updated and statused weekly.

Construction Schedule
The Construction Schedule is developed from the detailed estimate. The estimate work packages are incorporated into construction activities based upon logical criteria not necessarily comparable with Engineered Standards. It is resource and cost loaded using mandays, and can be summarized using hammock and milestone activities. The Construction Schedule is updated and statused weekly and functions as a basis for the Program Plan development.

Baseline Schedule
The Baseline Schedule is the key control and contractual schedule for the entire project, start to finish, that includes all major control milestones, and major activities included in the project. The Baseline Schedule is the basis for project schedule performance. The Project Manager is responsible for developing the Baseline Schedule and subsequently executing the project in accordance with the agreed to milestones reflected in the Baseline Schedule. The Baseline Schedule is maintained under configuration management and may not be revised without proper authorization.

Current Schedule
The Current Schedule enables the determination of critical paths and an evaluation of the effects of the current schedule performance status on activities and milestones scheduled to be accomplished in the future. The Current Schedule includes detailed input from all Control Account Managers (CAMs) providing the ability to relate activities and milestones between different levels of schedules. The Current Schedule must be consistent with key deliverables, control and contractual milestones as reflected in the Baseline Schedule and the Project Execution Plan (PEP), when applicable. The Current Schedule reflects the actual status of the project at a current point in time and shows the work performed and the milestone accomplishments. The Current Schedule matches the Baseline Schedule at a re-baseline and may start to migrate as the schedule is statused. The Current Schedule is updated at least monthly, or more frequently as determined by the Project Manager, and is used by the CAMs as a key control and analysis tool to manage the work and identify areas needing corrective action.

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Supplemental Schedules
Supplemental Schedules are prepared at the discretion of the Project Manager or CAM to facilitate and control a certain aspect or time frame of the project. These can be computerized or manually generated documents. Examples can include: weekly or monthly rolling or look ahead schedules, various subcontractor schedules, start up schedules, etc. Supplemental Schedules are not under configuration control, but they must support the Baseline Schedule milestones.

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Development of a Project Schedule
Define Precise and Measurable Milestones
The completion of key actions is important in all projects. These completions are denoted by milestones. These events have no duration. For example, deliverables often are represented as milestones, while the effort to produce the deliverable is referred to as a task. While milestones are unique to each project, some example project milestones are shown below:
Requirements Approval Phase Review Approval Prototype Approval Design Reviews Complete Code Reviews Complete Unit Test Complete Integration Test Complete Acceptance Test Complete System Acceptance by User Customer Shipment Documentation Delivery

Milestones can occur at the end of each work package in the WBS and serve as a measurable item upon which to base success of a task. Major project milestones should be summarized and included in the summary project plan. For contracted work, milestones are often used as a point in the project where interim payments might be made. If this approach is used, mutual agreement is necessary on the content of each milestone and the cost associated with that milestone.

Estimate Task Duration

Estimating task duration is one of the most challenging aspects of project planning. It is also a key to later cost estimation. This is a refined process that occurs throughout the planning process, as it is directly affected by results of the staffing and costing activities. Accurate task duration estimates are defined in order to stabilize customer relations and maintain team morale. With defined task durations, the team knows what to expect and what is expected of them. A task duration is rarely overestimated, but is frequently underestimated. Inaccurate estimates can result in an increase in the "frenzy level" of a project. The frenzy escalates as sponsors scramble for more money, and/or the technical staff scramble to complete a project in an unrealistic timeframe. Often, the end result is cutting corners, excessive overtime, and a dissatisfied customer. The estimation process is complex because activity duration is affected by numerous variables that must be dealt with concurrently in the planning phase. Some of these variables include staff availability, the skill level of the person assigned to the task, unexpected events, efficiency of
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work time, and mistakes and misunderstandings during the development of the project. When estimating the duration of a task, reality is a major factor. The knowledgeable scheduler takes into account absenteeism, meetings, discussions, and interaction among the staff. No one is 100% productive every hour of the workday. If a scheduled task assumes 100% productivity, the schedule rapidly falls apart. A successful schedule builds these types of factors into the duration estimate. There are several techniques that support task duration estimation. The most common technique is based on the historical experience of a similar scope of work performed by the estimator. Collected and archived historical project data are used successfully by many organizations to achieve quality performance on project deliveries. Historical records greatly support both the duration and the cost estimations that are so important in this phase. Data based on staff skills are far more valuable than generalized industry estimates. If historical data does not exist, seek the advice of experts and others who have completed similar tasks. When historical data or experts are not available, use a technique of getting estimates from multiple sources, comparing results and estimating the duration based on the multiple inputs. The nature of this method is predicated on finding good sources for providing the estimates. Define Priorities Clearly defining the task priorities helps to resolve any scheduling and/or resource conflicts. Understanding the priorities and relationships of the tasks assists in resolving difficult scheduling conflicts.

Define the Critical Path

The critical path is the longest path through a project. It determines the earliest possible completion of the work. The critical path is carefully managed because if critical path tasks slip, the entire project is delayed. In order to manage the project, the project manager determines the critical path and remains aware of its importance throughout the implementation of the plan. The successful scheduler considers availability of both labor and non-labor resources. Equipment availability on a long lead item often drives the critical path of a schedule. If installation equipment is required, for example, and the equipment cannot be delivered for six months, the installation phase is held up for that period of time.

Document Assumption
Documentation of the assumptions made in developing the project schedule are critical to the later success of the project. Without clear documentation of these assumptions, later changes to the schedule are very difficult and risky. If, for example, a schedule was shortened because it was assumed that a highly skilled person would be performing the work, that assumption should be documented. Then, if a less skilled
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person is actually assigned to perform the task, the project manager can recognize the risk and make necessary changes and decisions. Without documentation of the assumption, the schedule could be later placed in serious risk without the project manager realizing it.

Identify Risks
Risks are inherently involved with scheduling limited resources. Good scheduling makes allowances for risks in one or more of the following ways: Where significant schedule risks are identified, add an additional WBS task for risk management/risk reduction, where financial reserves can be set aside to deal with potentially delayed schedules. Add additional time to those tasks where risks are inherent. There is no rule of thumb for this multiplier; it depends on the degree of risk and overall importance of the schedule to the project. Add a percentage time multiplier to the schedule for particular individuals, particularly if new technology is being used or if the person providing the estimate is extremely optimistic. Technical staff often underestimate the time required to do any particular task.

Review the Results

The development of a schedule requires input from more than one person. No one possesses all the knowledge or understanding of all the factors that affect schedules in every aspect of a project. Schedule review also prompts buy-in to the schedule. Buy-in on the schedule by the people who will actually perform the work is critical to success. Participation in scheduling gives staff a stake in the outcome of the project. On the other hand, imposed schedules offer the opportunity for sabotage. Once an initial cut at the schedule is ready, a team should perform a review. The work descriptions and the schedule should be reviewed by the people named to do the work (and who did not participate in the initial estimates). Interview the people and determine if the work descriptions are complete and accurate. Determine if there is a common understanding of what has to be done. Get their independent estimates as to how long it will take to do the job. Where there are significant differences between the current schedule and new estimates, determine the reasons and either redefine the work packages or review and iterate the schedule estimates.

Scheduling Tools
There are numerous tools that support the development of project schedules. Many of these tools prepare either a GANTT or PERT chart. They require experience in setting up the projects and in defining task relationships and dependencies.
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Each state organization should select tools that best meet their needs. A list of tools that support schedule development for a wide variety of platforms and with a highly varying degree of functionality is included in this documentation.
Note:

The project schedule is included as an item in the Project Management template. Since output from many scheduling programs does not effectively integrate into word processing documents, it is assumed that the schedule will be created separately from the word processing template. The template should include a reference to the most current, baselined electronic version of the schedule.

Scheduling Tools
Here are some tools and techniques for combining these inputs to develop the schedule: Schedule Network Analysis This is a graphic representation of the project's activities, the time it takes to complete them, and the sequence in which they must be done. Project management software is typically used to create these analyses Gantt charts and PERT Charts are common formats. Critical Path Analysis This is the process of looking at all of the activities that must be completed, and calculating the 'best line' or critical path to take so that you'll complete the project in the minimum amount of time. The method calculates the earliest and latest possible start and finish times for project activities, and it estimates the dependencies among them to create a schedule of critical activities and dates. Learn more about Critical Path Analysis. Schedule Compression This tool helps shorten the total duration of a project by decreasing the time allotted for certain activities. It's done so that you can meet time constraints, and still keep the original scope of the project. You can use two methods here: Crashing This is where you assign more resources to an activity, thus decreasing the time it takes to complete it. This is based on the assumption that the time you save will offset the added resource costs. Fast-Tracking This involves rearranging activities to allow more parallel work. This means that things you would normally do one after another are now done at the same time. However, do bear in mind that this approach increases the risk that you'll miss things, or fail to address changes.

Project Review
Once you have outlined the basic schedule, you need to review it to make sure that the timing for each activity is aligned with the necessary resources. Here are tools commonly used to do this: 'What if' scenario analysis This method compares and measures the effects of different scenarios on a project. You use simulations to determine the effects of various adverse, or harmful, assumptions such as resources not being available on time, or

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delays in other areas of the project. You can then measure and plan for the risks posed in these scenarios. Resource leveling Here, you rearrange the sequence of activities to address the possibility of unavailable resources, and to make sure that excessive demand is not put on resources at any point in time. If resources are available only in limited quantities, then you change the timing of activities so that the most critical activities have enough resources. Critical chain method This also addresses resource availability. You plan activities using their latest possible start and finish dates. This adds extra time between activities, which you can then use to manage work disruptions. Risk multipliers Risk is inevitable, so you need to prepare for its impact. Adding extra time to high-risk activities is one strategy. Another is to add a time multiplier to certain tasks or certain resources to offset overly optimistic time estimation. After the initial schedule has been reviewed, and adjustments made, it's a good idea to have other members of the team review it as well. Include people who will be doing the work their insights and assumptions are likely to be particularly accurate and relevant.

The Five Secrets of Project Scheduling

Secret #1. Create Deliverables-based Project Schedules
Project schedules can be divided into two types, activities-based and deliverables-based. Activities-based means the schedule is developed from the mindset, What activities and tasks need to be completed during the course of this project? While it's important to carefully consider this question, it shouldn't be the driving force behind the structure and organization of a schedule. Instead, a good project schedule should be organized and built around the deliverables the project is to produce. The tasks and activities are then identified and built out within the framework of the project deliverables, thus ensuring youre covering all of the scope of the project and nothing more.

Secret #2. Determine and Apply the Appropriate Level of Detail

A good schedule contains all of the information required to manage the project -- and only that information. Defining the level of detail appropriate for a specific project and ensuring a consistent level of detail throughout makes that schedule easier to understand, report on and maintain. For example, for many projects it makes sense to create tasks (work packages) no smaller than one reporting cycle and no larger than two reporting cycles. This ensures three things: 1) that the status of each task is easily measurable; 2) that tasks aren't so large that it's difficult to tell if theyre running behind until theyre nearly done; and 3) there's not so much detail that the schedule becomes unmanageable.

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Secret #3. Implement a Regular Status Update and Reporting Process
In order to produce status reports that are valuable to stakeholders, it's important to identify up front exactly what information each group of stakeholders will need. This enables the scheduler to determine in advance what status data to capture, how frequently it needs to be updated and how it should be reported.

Secret #4. Review and Adjust the Schedule Regularly

A good schedule isn't static. It must reflect the changing project environment. To ensure a schedule keeps up with these changes, it must be reviewed as a whole periodically and adjusted as needed. Defining a regular review process ensures that changes in the project are reflected in the schedule in a timely manner. This helps minimize surprises by enabling the project manager to identify potential problems in advance, thus reducing overall project risk and improving the chance for success.

Secret #5. Create and Follow Project Scheduling Standards

Scheduling standards -- such as creating deliverables-based schedules, standardizing on a specific range of work packages (task hours and/or durations), status update and reporting processes -- help schedulers consistently build better project schedules. Project management offices can leverage these secrets by developing templates and providing training and support to its schedulers, thereby improving the quality of its project schedules across the entire organization.

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References
http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_71.htm http://www.google.com.pk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=the%20project%20scheduling%20process&sourc e=web&cd=2&cad=rja&ved=0CCYQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lbl.gov%2FOps%2Fassets%2 Fdocs%2FPMO%2FPMO%2520Procedures%2FPMO1.6%2520Project%2520Schedule.pdf&ei=mT5DUKP7G47Mswajv4H4AQ&usg=AFQjCNH9Z1_Srrg 0k6p9JOc4veMhdptjbA http://www.google.com.pk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=the%20project%20scheduling%20process&sourc e=web&cd=5&cad=rja&ved=0CDYQFjAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nsf.gov%2Fabout%2Fcontra cting%2Frfqs%2Fsupport_ant%2Fdocs%2Ffacility_manuals%2Fpalmer_mcm_and_southpole%2F projectcontrols224.pdf&ei=mT5DUKP7G47Mswajv4H4AQ&usg=AFQjCNH85rPmqKflJosfvleTJqIwzjmT8Q http://www.techno-soft.com/index.php?/project-schedule-preparation-process http://www.mpug.com/News/Pages/080110b.aspx#.UEM_qdYgesM

Project Scheduling: A Research Handbook By Erik Leuven Demeulemeester, Willy S. Herroelen

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