5 KEYS TO MANAGE YOUR PROJECT SCHEDULE
All projects, regardless of size, will have the triple constraint; scope, schedule, and budget. As the Project Manager, you will need to manage the triple constraints in unison to ensure a higher project success rate. The triple constraints are fully inter-related and you will need to be cognizant of adjustments made to all of them as it will directly impact the others.
The triple constraints will also directly impact the quality of the project. If one of the constraints are not managed appropriately the quality, as well as the other constraints, will be negatively impacted. To ensure high project quality, manage the constraints successfully and the quality will increase by association.
By creating a project schedule you can effectively manage one of the triple constraints so as to lessen the impact on the scope and budget. A great schedule will become a pivotal building block within the project and should be a principal focus when managing issues, risks, and impacts. These are the steps to follow to create a strong project schedule:
DETERMINE THE AVAILABILITY OF KEY RESOURCES
To determine the duration of a project, you must determine the key resources that are needed and their availability to work on your project. Map out which skills you will require and who in the organization is equipped to assist. This exercise will help determine any resource gaps that may exist during a particular project phase or if more resources should be hired by the organization.
Once the resources have been identified, find out their availability. Not all employees can work on your project for 100% of their time. For example, if you need a resource for 60 hours to complete SIT and your current resource can work 50% on your project, it will take three weeks for that resource to complete SIT.
DEFINE THE PROJECT DELIVERABLES
Project deliverables will drive the project schedule. Define the project deliverables and then build your schedule around them. Deliverables are concrete, quantifiable, and they support the scope. Tasks and duration can flow from the deliverables, and in combination with resources, will help to help determine the duration of the project.
PLAN KEY MILESTONES
Plan milestones for each phase of the project once the deliverables are set. The milestones will help you stay on schedule by allowing you to measure against them frequently in the project. You cannot get halfway through the project and then realize you will be over schedule if you have been meeting your milestones throughout the project lifecycle.
SCHEDULE CONTINGENCY
When creating the schedule, know that issues may arise; tasks and needs constantly adjust and you will need to be prepared. To handle these discrepancies, you should always schedule contingency. As the Project Manager, it will be your responsibility to document variances, make adjustments as needed, and communicate those adjustments to all relevant stakeholders. The contingency plan will keep the project from running over schedule when such modifications are necessary.
CREATE A CHANGE MANAGEMENT PROCESS
When the project risks going over schedule there must be a process in place to address the change. Typically, all stakeholders will be notified and a change control addendum will be signed with the client. There may also be a board or committee that will need to review the changes prior to approval. In some organizations, projects that run over schedule are forced to pay a penalty to the client and you will want to minimize this potential as much as possible.
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