Scheduling for Project Success

Your project has a desired outcome, normally constrained by time or finances. We understand that utilizing a schedule to break down a project into manageable pieces is a necessary step. SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) Goals can be applied to not only department or personal goals, but also to projects on every level.

The project typically starts with start and end dates for project phases, reviews and approvals, key deliverables, and key dates. This information provides brackets for the project, but not how to execute the project. This level is typically known as a Level 1 or a Milestone Schedule.

That Level 1 milestone schedule is broken down, providing more detail. This often includes a breakout of the various disciplines responsible for the activities in each phase such as Engineering, Design, Procurement, or Research Activities. Generally, this is Level 2, or the Master Schedule, which includes sufficient detail where logical links or task relationships may be shown.

Level 3 schedules contain all project scopes and are derived from key project execution stakeholder information (R&D, Marketing, Contractors, Advisors, etc.). This schedule is often referred to as a Project Schedule and oftentimes will go through a baseline approval process, as it will become the foundation for which the project will be measured. The baseline schedule will typically have requirements to meet the Level 1 and Level 2 contractual requirements. While we like to see a version of this, the level of detail prior to any project financing, a hybrid of a Level 2/3 is often what is available. A fully detailed Level 3 will only exist if the scope is fully understood and there is a high confidence in the steps necessary for project execution.

Schedules can be broken down further to provide a variety of details, depending on the amount of coordination needed. Day to day activities and Specialty Schedules (Mini Schedules) for specific work tasks fall into this category. These types of schedules are being utilized for highly specialized work tasks or where personnel need to closely coordinate work.

Utilizing SMART techniques at every schedule level will keep focus on the goal of the project and how to achieve that goal. This breakdown can easily be seen through the utilization of various scheduling programs such as Primavera and Microsoft Project.