A high-quality, reliable Schedule
The likelihood success of any project strongly depends on having an integrated and reliable master schedule that defines when and how long work will occur and how each activity is related to the others. The project schedule provides not only a road map for systematic project development and delivery but also the means by which to gauge progress, identify and manage potential risks (and opportunities), and promote accountability at all levels of the project. A schedule provides a time sequence for the duration of a project’s activities and helps everyone (both the project team and also within the organisation) understand both the dates for major milestones and the activities that drive the schedule. A schedule is also a vehicle for developing a time-phased budget baseline.
Moreover, the schedule is an essential basis for managing trade-offs between cost, schedule, risk and scope. Among other things, scheduling also allows project management to undertake scenario analysis and decide between possible sequences of activities, determine the flexibility of the schedule according to available resources, predict the consequences of managerial action or inaction in events, and allocate contingency allowances to mitigate risks and uncertainties associated with the schedule.
Following changes in a project, the schedule is used to forecast the effects of delayed, deleted, and added effort, as well as possible avenues for time and cost recovery. In this respect, schedules can be used to verify and validate proposed adjustments to the planned time to complete.
Hence, as a document that integrates the planned works, the resources necessary to accomplish those works, the associated budget, and the required contingency allowance, the Integrated Master Schedule (IMS) is the focal point of project management. Many studies tell us that the four characteristics of a high-quality, reliable schedule are that it is comprehensive, well-constructed, credible, and controlled. The IMS includes summary, intermediate, and all detailed schedules, including contingencies.
At the highest level, the Summary Schedule provides a strategic view of the activities and milestones necessary to start and complete a program. The Intermediate Schedule includes all information displayed in the summary schedule, as well as key project activities and interim milestones that show the important steps in achieving contractual milestones. At the lowest level, the Detailed Schedule lays out the logically sequenced day-to-day effort to reach project milestones, including required contingencies. Ideally, one schedule serves as the summary, intermediate, and detailed schedule by simply rolling up lower levels of effort into summary activities or higher-level work breakdown structure (WBS) elements.
An assessment of schedule best practices encompasses both qualitative and quantitative information. While qualitative questions are related to the general policies in place and procedures undertaken to create and maintain the schedule, the quantitative assessment involves a detailed analysis of the schedule data to determine the overall health of the schedule. Depending on requirements, appropriate qualitative and quantitative measures should be defined and evaluated.
Good Practice of Scheduling
There are a number of references and industry good practice documents which can be referred.
- The Contract!
- 2nd Edition of Contingency Guideline, Risk Engineering Society (RES), 2019
- GAO Schedule Assessment Guide
- 3rd Edition of Practice Standard for Scheduling, PMI, 2019
- DCMA 14-Point Schedule Assessment, US Defense Contract Management Agency
- Practice Standard for Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), PMI
- AACEi Recommended Practices
- 14R-90, Responsibility and Required Skills for a Project Planning and Scheduling Professional, 2006
- 23R-02, Identification of activities, 2007 –24R-03, Developing Activity Logic, 2004
- 27R-03, Schedule Classification System, 2010
- 32R-04, Determining Activity Durations, 2012
- 33R-15, Developing the Project Work Breakdown Structure, 2016
- 37R-06, Schedule Levels of Detail – As Applied in Engineering, Procurement, and Construction, 2010
- 38R-06, Documenting the Schedule Basis, 2009
- 39R-06, Project Planning – As Applied in Engineering and Construction for Capital Projects, 2011
- 48R-06, Schedule Constructability Review, 2009
- 49R-06, Identifying the Critical Path, 2010
- 50R-16, Trending and Forecasting of CPM Schedules, 2019
- 53R-06, Schedule Update Review – As Applied In Engineering, Procurement and Construction, 2008
- The Society of Construction Law, Delay and Disruption Protocol
- CIOB Guide to Good Practice in the Management of Time in Complex Projects, 2011
- US Army Corps of Engineers
Schedule Health Check Report
Below provides a sample schedule health check report and its Table of Content.
1 Executive Summary
2 Scope of review
3 Review Criteria – Schedule Integrity
- (1) Scope, staging, delivery strategy and constructability
- (2) Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) and Activity Codes
- (3) Activity Duration Estimate and Descriptions
- (4) Contractual Requirements
- (5) Project Team Review and buy-in
- (6) Contingency (Determination, Allocation both vertically and horizontally, and Control)
- (7) Baselines, Updating and Reporting
4 Review Criteria – Schedule Structure
- (8) Number of Activities
- (9) Activity Duration
- (10) Number of Milestones (project and interim) and Activity Types
- (11) Duration Types
- (12) % Complete Types
- (13) Missing Predecessors and Successors
- (14) Relationship Types
- (15) Number of Relationships
- (16) Activities with lots of relationships (High Risk)
- (17) Relationships and dependencies to other schedules
- (18) Lags and Leads
- (19) Constraints
- (20) Forecast Dates same as Data Date
- (21) Actual Dates ahead of Data Date
- (22) Forecast Dates behind Data Date
- (23) Out of Sequence Activities
- (24) % Complete Types
- (25) Baseline Comparison
- (26) Baseline Execution Index (BEI)
- (27) Negative Total Float
- (28) Excessive Positive Total Float
- (29) Critical Path is clearly defined, makes sense and is understood
- (30) Number of Critical and Near Critical Activities
- (31) Critical Path Analysis
- (32) Scheduling Options / Settings
- (33) Calendars
NOTE – Risk College International presentations, articles and online training courses as well as comprehensive support to individuals and organisations, will underpin the development and promotion of risk professionals across the world. Join us today not only to learn how to develop your SURVIVAL STRATEGY for life and business but also to raise the profile of risk management profession together.