Commonwealth of Massachusetts CommonWay Schedule Management Guidelines. Common Values - Common Goals Common Way. Schedule Management.

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1 Schedule Management Values - Goals Schedule Management Schedule Management v1.0 1 of 6 10/27/2010

2 Schedule Management Values - Goals Table of Contents 1 Schedule Management Guideline Determine the frequency for updates Determine Method for gathering updates from the team Update Schedule based on feedback Variance Analysis Review Plan for variances Work with team to resolve Schedule Preparation Process Identify tasks scheduled to begin in the near term... 6 Schedule Management v1.0 2 of 6 10/27/2010

3 Schedule Management Values - Goals 1 Schedule Management Guideline This focuses on the process for managing the project schedule. The following inputs are required to manage the schedule: 1. Project Schedule 2. Resource list Instruction: Using the schedule tracking template, modify the tasks 55 (Update Project Schedule) through 66 to match your projects duration and your chosen review interval (i.e. bi-weekly, monthly ) Instructions are provided for each task using the task notes field within the schedule tracking template. Schedule Management v1.0 3 of 6 10/27/2010

4 Schedule Management Values - Goals Schedule Management v1.0 4 of 6 10/27/2010

5 Schedule Management Values - Goals 1.1 Determine the frequency for updates The purpose of this activity is to determine a consistent interval to update your project schedule. Projects with 10 or fewer resources Weekly Projects with 11 to 20 resources Bi-weekly Projects with over 20 resources Monthly 1.2 Determine Method for gathering updates from the team The purpose of this activity is to determine how best to get status updates from the project team. This activity should NOT be the focus of team meetings as it tends to become highly inefficient. Level 1 informal discussions directly with task resources Level 2 o Option 1 informal discussion with project team leads o Option 2 Use the Send to feature in MS Project to send a specific list of tasks to project resources requesting status Level 3 - Use the Send to feature in MS Project to send a specific list of tasks to project resources requesting status. 1.3 Update Schedule based on feedback Enter status updates into MS Project or your selected schedule tool 2 Variance Analysis 2.1 Review Plan for variances The purpose of this activity is to identify areas of concern in your schedule. While it s common for projects to experience minor variations the key is to monitor impact on your projects milestones. It is these that the business is relying on in order to meet commitments. Schedule Management v1.0 5 of 6 10/27/2010

6 Schedule Management Values - Goals Significant Variance? This is a decision point for the Project Manager. This is an area that is more art than science. All projects run into schedule problems but only a small portion will become a concern Determine if any of your critical path tasks are in jeopardy o Example: Tasks showing 25% complete while having consumed more than 50% of their schedule A review of the critical path will not always show you all your projects milestones. You may need to review some of these separately 2.2 Work with team to resolve If you determine the schedule is at risk you ll need to work with the team members responsible for those tasks. If the schedule cannot be corrected it will be necessary to inform the sponsor and re-baseline the plan. Confirm with your resources that your interpretation is accurate. If a delay is confirmed work with team to correct o Can team change approach to allow on-schedule completion? o Can management increase availability of resources to prevent delay? 3 Schedule Preparation Process 3.1 Identify tasks scheduled to begin in the near term As resources are often engaged in many activities, it s often helpful to remind them of tasks soon to begin. Level 1 informal reminder a day or 2 in advance Level 2 incorporate a list of tasks scheduled to begin the following week into your regular team meeting agenda Level 3 Use the level 2 approach with additional considerations o Additional notice should be provided to resources not currently engaged in the project o Confirm work products needed to begin work are provided prior to start. Schedule Management v1.0 6 of 6 10/27/2010