TSE038 Project Schedule Management

The Practical Approach Schedule and Time

Course Description

We’ve all heard it before, “Time is money!” A successful project often means producing quality deliverables within budgetary constraints, and delivered ON TIME! As Project Managers, we have limited authority with ultimate responsibility. Project teams need a systematic approach for estimating, building, and implementing the project schedule. Easier said than done? Actually, no.

The course is designed to follow the Schedule Management Knowledge Area of the PMBOK (Project Management Body of Knowledge) in a very practical way. It helps prepare participants for developing realistic project schedules, while providing the added benefit of following the PMI^® way.

Those involved with PMI and the Project Management Professional – PMP program are awarded 8 PDUs or “Contact hours”. Upon client request, the workshop can be taught as a PMP Preparation session.

Upon completion of this workshop, each participant will be able to:

Understand the importance of PMI’s Schedule Management Planning in the real-world Project Environment.
Effectively transition from a “Theoretical” Plan to the Project Schedule.
Understand the Project Manager’s role in developing a realistic schedule.
Communicate the Project Status to Management and Sponsors for successful project completion.
Understand and use the various estimating tools and techniques.
Understand how to effectively use the scheduling engine in Microsoft Project^®.
Understand and use the various Schedule Compression tools and techniques.
Understand the benefits of "Forward planning - Backward scheduling".
Understand the Importance of “Lessons Learned” Documentation and Project Management Plan updates.

Instructional methods for this one-day module are lecture, discussion, exercises, and simulations. Effective uses of some Microsoft Project features are also included. Reference to and inclusion of the PMI^® PMBOK 6th Edition are certainly included and applied to real-world situations. Session is also open to participant discussions and feedback of on-going project situations.

Course Outline

Introduction and Course Objectives
1. PMI^® as a Resource
2. The “Real World” Application of the PMBOK
Define Activities (aka Tasks)
1. Inputs
  1. Scope Baseline
  2. Enterprise Environmental Factors
  3. Organizational Process Assets
2. Scheduling Tools and Techniques
  1. Expert Judgment
  2. Decomposition
  3. Rolling Wave Planning
  4. Templates
3. Outputs
  1. Activity List
  2. Activity Attributes
  3. Milestone list
Sequence Activities
1. Precedence Diagramming Method (PDM)
2. Dependency Determination
3. Lead and Lag Time Modifiers
4. Schedule Network Templates
5. Project Schedule Network Diagrams
6. Project Document Updates
Estimate Activity Resources
1. Resource Calendars
2. Alternatives Analysis
3. Published Estimated Data
4. Bottom-up Estimating
5. Using Project Management Software
6. Resource Breakdown Structure
7. Activity Resource Requirements
Estimate Activity Durations
1. Activity
  1. List
  2. Attributes
  3. Resource Requirements
2. Estimating Tools and Techniques
  1. Analogous Estimating
  2. Parametric Estimating
  3. Three-point Estimates
3. Expert Judgment
4. Reserve Analysis
Develop Schedule
1. Schedule Network Analysis
2. Critical Path Method (CPM)
3. Critical Chain Method
4. Resource Leveling
5. What-if Scenario Analysis
6. Applying leads and Lags
7. Scheduling Compression
8. Scheduling Tool
Control Schedule
1. Work Performance Information
2. Schedule Control Tools and Techniques:
  1. Performance Reviews
  2. Variance Analysis
  3. Using Project Management Software
  4. Adjusting Leads and Lags
  5. Additional Schedule Compression
  6. Change Requests
  7. Update the Project Management Plan and Documents
Conclusion and Critique
1. Review Major Topics/Issues
2. Upon Request, Additional
  1. PMP Examination Preparation
  2. Specific PMBOK Issues
  3. Sample Questions and Answers
3. Participants Critique Class