The Five Secrets of Project SchedulingThe Five Secrets of Project SchedulingA PMO ApproachA PMO Approach

Michelle ColodzinPMP, PMI-SP, MCTS, MS Project Black Belt

MetaVista Consulting Group

IntroductionIntroduction• What is a good project schedule?

– A good project schedule is one that accurately models the work of the project, encapsulates the full scope and nothing extra and which maintains 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 project schedules

• 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 risks – giving the project manager time to avoid or mitigate potential problems

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

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

The Five Secrets of Project SchedulingThe Five Secrets of Project Scheduling

• 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

The Five Secrets of Project SchedulingThe Five Secrets of Project Scheduling

1. Create deliverables-based project schedules

2. Determine the appropriate level of detail

3. Implement a regular status update and reporting process

4. Review and adjust the schedule regularly

5. Create and follow project scheduling standards

Secret # 1Secret # 1Create Deliverables-based Project SchedulesCreate 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 system access and features

Secret # 2Secret # 2Determine the Appropriate Level of DetailDetermine the Appropriate Level of Detail

• The best project schedules are those which contain all of the required information and nothing more

– There must be sufficient detail to accurately track and manage the project’s activities and deliverables

– There must not be so much detail that the schedule becomes unmanageable

• Since each project is unique there is no single level of detail that is appropriate for all projects or project schedules

• The level of detail required for a particular project must be defined prior to the start of scheduling and followed consistently throughout the life of the project

Secret # 3Secret # 3Implement a Regular Schedule Status Update and Implement a Regular Schedule Status Update and

Reporting ProcessReporting 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

Secret # 4Secret # 4Review and Adjust the Schedule RegularlyReview and Adjust the Schedule Regularly

• A good project schedule must not be static - it must reflect actual changes occurring on the project

• All projects experience unexpected events – successful projects have a process for incorporating these events into the project schedule

• All projects should establish and follow a schedule change control 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

Secret # 5Secret # 5Create and Follow Scheduling StandardsCreate 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

What Are Scheduling Standards?What Are Scheduling Standards?

• Scheduling standards are specific guidelines for creating and maintaining project schedules within a single or multiple related organizations

• Scheduling standards are created or adopted by an organization (such as a PMO) which then champions, supports and monitors their use within the project schedules developed for projects under their sphere of influence or control.

• It is a good practice to base specific scheduling standards on an industry-accepted documents such as the PMICOS standard and/or industry-accepted best practices.

Why Follow Scheduling Standards?Why Follow Scheduling Standards?

• They contribute to the development of realistic and 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)

The Role of the PMO in Project The Role of the PMO in Project SchedulingScheduling

• The PMO can by a key enabler of good project scheduling – the more active and widespread the influence of the PMO the better the 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 provide scheduling resources to projects

The Benefits of an Active PMO in The Benefits of an Active PMO in Project SchedulingProject Scheduling

• The PMO can by a key enabler of good project scheduling practices – the more active and widespread the influence of the PMO the more likely project performance and success rates will improve throughout the organization

• Use of standard practices, tools and templates reduces the time required to create and maintain project schedules

• Standard processes help facilitate the ongoing capture and application of lessons learned across the organization

• Standard report formats and content enable faster and more accurate comparison of status and issues across multiple projects – this is vital for organizations doing portfolio management

Using the Five Secrets for the First TimeUsing 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

Using the Five Secrets in a Mature PMO Using the Five Secrets in a Mature PMO EnvironmentEnvironment

• Create a Centralized Scheduling Practice – Train project managers how to build and use a good project

schedule– Take on responsibility for scheduling all projects or providing

project schedulers to other parts of the organization

• Benefits of Centralizing Scheduling in the PMO– Centralizing schedulers and scheduling helps ensure that

standards and processes are followed consistently– It offers better visibility into what is working well and where

improvements are needed– Increased overall project success rates due to better schedules

that are followed and managed consistently throughout the organization

ConclusionConclusion

• 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

For further information contact For further information contact Michelle Colodzin via e-mail or phoneMichelle Colodzin via e-mail or phone

mcolodzin@metavista.commcolodzin@metavista.com530-798-1656530-798-1656