One of the most effective tools for a project manager, is the project schedule. Used to its potential, the project schedule can yield a host of monitoring and controlling data – enabling the project manager to both control the flow of work and communicate “at-a-glance” reporting to project sponsors/stakeholders.
To maximize effectiveness of a project schedule, here are a few suggestions:
- First line – should be the name of the project because all other sub-tasks will roll-up to that one – giving an overall duration, start and end date, effort, etc. for the entire project.
- Next sub-tasks – should be something like: project initiation, project planning, project execution, project closure (name them in accordance with your organization’s PM methodology).
- All other parent/child tasks – fall into one of those four categories (some PMs include “Managing and Controlling” as a phase, but others view that as a phase encompassing all other phases).
- Include milestones – e.g. tasks with a “zero” duration. These are used solely for the purpose of tracking closure for major deliverables within your project schedule.
- Make a schedule “concrete” – including measurable, well-defined durations. Don’t let scheduling software “guess” the duration – define your durations for a solid timeline). Do not “hard code” task dates (where possible). Let the work drive the end date. This will save you a host of headaches if dates “slip” at any point along the schedule.
- Provide sufficient detail – in your schedule to manage/control the flow of project work.
Once you’ve defined your schedule, it can be utilized for a myriad of reports (e.g., as a “checklist” to report percent complete, keeping sponsors / stakeholders apprised of end dates and progress of deliverables, cost reporting, and more). It will also enable you to track your status, control your project work, and report at-a-glance, results to your project sponsors / stakeholders.
Share your thoughts/comments.
~Prof David Chrisman