This article answers the question of how to create a project plan and examines the process of developing a project plan or a project schedule.
Project Schedule creation is a set of process steps.
Some hear the work ‘schedule’ and think ‘easy Gantt chart.’ Don’t get caught in that trap.
To properly execute a project and deliver on-time, the schedule needs to be developed methodically and managed carefully.
The accepted process is:
-Plan Schedule Management
-Define Project Activities
-Determine Dependencies
-Sequence Activities
-Estimate Resources
-Estimate Durations
-Develop Project Schedule
-Monitor and Control Project Schedule
Here is a breakdown of each process scheduling step of the process of developing a project plan:
Plan Schedule Management
Baselines – the schedule baseline, is the approved iteration of the schedule at any given time. The project time plan can, and likely will, change over the course of executing the project. We learn new things, add tasks as we gain understanding of the scope or as scope changes deemed required. The active version is the baseline.
Iteration control (changes) - anything that changes the schedule will require an approval process along with a way of differentiating an old version versus the present version.
Stakeholders – who is gets a copy of the schedule, and how are they updated with changes.
Format – the software to be used: Primavera, Microsoft, Excel, etc.
Lookaheads – Will lookaheads be used? If so, how many weeks? The length of the project may dictate how far out the team will be planning.
Define Project Activities
Scope – The approved scope, which is recorded as the scope baseline.
Team members input – Historical, Subject Matter Experts interviews.
Generate WBS – the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is the breakdown of the scope to individual components. This breakdown decomposition refines the scope to specific activities and deliverables.
