EMGT 361 Project Management Neal Lewis

EMGT 361

Project Management

Neal Lewis

Scheduling

Scheduling• A schedule is the conversion of a

project action plan into an operating timetable

• It serves as the basis for monitoring and controlling project activity

• Taken together with the plan and budget, it is probably the major tool for the management of projects

Scheduling

“As of tomorrow, employees will only be able to access the building using individual security cards. Pictures will be taken next Wednesday, and employees will receive their cards in two weeks.”– Page 309, Meredith and Mantel

Scheduling

• In a project environment, the scheduling function is more important than it would be in an ongoing operation

• Projects lack the continuity of day-to-day operations and often present much more complex problems of coordination

Scheduling• The basic approach of all scheduling

techniques is to form a network of activity and event relationships

• This network should graphically portray the sequential relations between the tasks in a project

• Tasks that must precede or follow other tasks are then clearly identified, in time as well as function

Scheduling

Figure 8-1, page 309

Scheduling

Figure 8-5

Drawing Networks

Scheduling• Such networks are a powerful tool for

planning and controlling a project and have the following benefits:– It is a consistent framework for planning,

scheduling, monitoring, and controlling the project

– It illustrates the interdependence of all tasks, work packages, and work elements

– It denotes the times when specific individuals must be available for work on a given task

Scheduling

Figure 8-2, page 309

Scheduling• Network benefits (cont.):

– It aids in ensuring that the proper communications take place between departments and functions

– It determines an expected project completion date

– It identifies so-called critical activities that, if delayed, will delay the project completion time

– It identifies activities with slack that can be delayed for specific periods without penalty

Scheduling• Network benefits (cont.):

– It determines the dates on which tasks may be started - or must be started if the project is to stay on schedule

– It illustrates which tasks must be coordinated to avoid resource timing conflicts

– It illustrates which tasks may run, or must be run, in parallel to achieve the predetermined project completion date

– It relieves some interpersonal conflict by clearly showing task dependencies

Network Techniques: PERT and CPM

• With the exception of Gantt charts, the most common approach to scheduling is the use of network techniques such as PERT and CPM

• The Program Evaluation and Review Technique was developed by the U.S. Navy in 1958

• The Critical Path Method was developed by DuPont, Inc during the same time period

Network Techniques: PERT and CPM

• PERT has been primarily used for research and development projects

• CPM was designed for construction projects and has been generally embraced by the construction industry

• The two methods are quite similar and are often combined for educational presentation

Terminology• Activity - A specific task or set of tasks

that are required by the project, use up resources, and take time to complete

• Event - The result of completing one or more activities. An identifiable end state occurring at a particular time. Events use no resources.

• Network - The combination of all activities and events define the project and the activity precedence relationships

Terminology

• Path - The series of connected activities (or intermediate events) between any two events in a network

• Critical - Activities, events, or paths which, if delayed, will delay the completion of the project. A project’s critical path is understood to mean that sequence of critical activities that connect the project’s start event to its finish event

Terminology

• An activity can be in any of these conditions:– It may have a successor(s) but no

predecessor(s) - starts a network– It may have a predecessor(s) but no

successor(s) - ends a network– It may have both predecessor(s) and

successor(s) - in the middle of a network

• The interconnections depend on the technological relationships described in the action plan

Drawing Networks• Activity-on-Arrow (AOA) networks use arrows

to represent activities while nodes stand for events

• Activity-on-Node (AON) networks use nodes to represent activities with arrows to show precedence relationships

• The choice between AOA and AON representation is largely a matter of personal preference

Scheduling

Figure 8-20

Gantt Charts

• The Gantt chart shows planned and actual progress for a number of tasks displayed against a horizontal time scale

• It is an effective and easy-to-read method of indicating the actual current status for each set of tasks compared to the planned progress for each item of the set

• It can be helpful in expediting, sequencing, and reallocating resources among tasks

• Gantt charts usually do not show technical dependencies

Scheduling

Scheduling

Figure 8-26

Typical Software Output

• Gantt Chart

Gantt Charts• There are several advantages to the use of

Gantt charts:– Even though they may contain a great deal of

information, they are easily understood– While they may require frequent updating, they

are easy to maintain – Gantt charts provide a clear picture of the

current state of a project– They are easy to construct

Break Time Break Time

University of Missouri-RollaUniversity of Missouri-Rolla

Copyright 2001 Curators of University of MissouriCopyright 2001 Curators of University of Missouri

Computerized PMIS

• New microcomputer-based project management information systems (PMISs) are considerably more sophisticated than earlier systems

• Uses the microcomputer’s graphics, color, and other features more extensively

• Many systems can handle almost any size project, being limited only by the memory available in the computer

Computerized PMIS

• The PMIS trend of the 1990s has been to integrate the project management software with spreadsheets, databases, word processors, communication, graphics, and the other capabilities of Windows-based software packages

• The current trend is to facilitate the global sharing of project information, including complete status reporting, through local networks as well as the Internet

Current Software

• The explosive growth of project management software during the early 1990s saw the creation of more than 500 packages

• Systems can be easily misused or inappropriately applied - as can any tools

• The most common error is managing the PMIS rather than the project itself

Current Software

• In addition to managing the PMIS instead of the project, other problems include:– Computer paralysis– PMIS verification– Information overload– Project isolation– Computer dependence– PMIS misdirection

Choosing Software• Characteristics of generally desirable

attributes in project management software:» Friendliness» Schedules» Calendars» Budgets» Reports» Graphics» Charts» Migration

Typical Software Output

• Software evaluation action plan

Typical Software Output• Early and late start and finish dates and slack

Typical Software Output

• AON Network

Typical Software Output

• Gantt Chart Tracking progress

Summary

• Scheduling is particularly important to projects because of the complex coordination problems

• The network approach to scheduling offers a number of specific advantages of special value for projects

• Critical project tasks typically constitute fewer than 10 percent of all the project tasks

Summary• Although research indicates technological

performance is not significantly affected by the use of PERT/CPM, there did seem to be a significantly lower probability of cost and schedule overruns

• Network techniques can adopt either an activity-on-node or activity-on-arc framework without significantly altering the analysis

Summary• Networks are usually constructed from

left to right, indicating activity precedence and event times as the network is constructed

• Gantt charts are closely related to network diagrams, but are more easily understood and provide a clearer picture of the current state of the project

Summary

• There exist a great number of computerized PMIS’s that are available for project managers, with software evaluations occurring regularly in various magazines

• Project managers’ preferred PMIS features are friendliness, schedules, calendars, budgets, reports, graphics, networks, charts, migration, and consolidation

Scheduling

Questions?