Project Schedule Management is a knowledge area that covers only 2 phases of the entire life cycle of the project. During each phase, certain processes pertaining to this knowledge area take place. It includes processes required to manage the timely completion of the project. The project management team selects whether to use agile or or critical path scheduling method. In operational environments , kanban systems, scheduling is done when the resources become available. In agile approaches, the product features are developed using time boxed period of work needed to develop the requirements associated to user stories.

The project manager will tailor the processes described below depending on life cycle approach, resource availability, project dimensions [complexity, uncertainty, novelty, pace,or progress tracking (earned value,percentage complete, stop light indicators)), available technology support. The project manager may work with an expert scheduler for these processes.

Project Initiation

There are no processes taking place during this phase.

Project Planning

During this phase, there are 6 process taking place: Schedule management Planning, Activity Definition, Activity Sequencing, Activity Resource Estimating, Activity Duration Estimating. and Schedule Development.

Plan Schedule Management

it is the process of establishing procedures and documentation for planning, developing, managing, executing, and controlling the project schedule. Create the plan through data and  experts judgement of Project charter, Scope management plan, Development approach, Enterprise environmental factors and Organizational process assets.

Inputs

1. Project charter
2. Project management plan
   • Scope management plan
   • Development approach
3. Enterprise environmental factors
   •  organizational culture,skills and resource availability, software, databases.
4. Organizational process assets
   • information repository, existing procedures and criteria for tailoring the processes, templates, monitoring tools.

Tools and Techniques

1. Expert judgment
2. Data analysis [alternative schedule methodologies]
   • how much detail to include, how often to update,
3. Meetings
   •  include: the project manager, the project sponsor, selected project team members,selected stakeholders, scheduler, and others as needed

Outputs

1. Schedule management planI
   • It can be formal, informal, highly detailed, broadly framed and includes appropriate control thresholds.
   • It establishes: scheduling methodology and tools, iteration length [agile], duration range plus contingencies, resources’ unit of measure, organizational procedures, status updates, acceptable variance thresholds, rules for measuring performance (percent complete, earned value management techniques (baselines, fixed formula, percent complete), schedule performance (schedule variance, schedule performance index), reporting formats and frequencies.

Define Activities

It identifies and documents the actions to be performed to produce the deliverables. Create Activity list, Activity attributes, Milestone list, Change requests, Project management plan updates through Decomposition, Rolling wave planning, and Expert judgment of Project management plan, Enterprise environmental factors, and Organizational process assets.

Inputs

1. Project management plan
   • Schedule management plan
   • Scope baseline
2. Enterprise environmental factors
   • organizational culture and structure, commercial information, project management information system
3. Organizational process assets
   • lessons learned repository, standardized processes or activity list, formal and informal activity planning procedures

Tools and Techniques

1. Expert judgment
2. Decomposition of project scope and deliverables in manageable parts
3. Rolling wave planning
   1. it focuses on planning the work to be accomplished in the near term in detail, while the future work is planned at a higher level. Work packages can be decompose anytime the information becomes available.
4. Meetings
   1. They include team members and they may be face-to-face, virtual, formal, informal.

Outputs

1. Activity list
   • include: activity identifier and a description of the work
2. Activity attributes
   • unique  activity & WBS identifier (place,calendar, effort), activity label, description, predecessor, relationships, leads, legs, resource requirements, dates, constraints, assumptions
3. Milestone list – all mandatory or optional important events.
4. Change requests – work not initially scoped
5. Project management plan updates
   • Schedule baseline
   • Cost baseline

Sequence Activities

It identifies and documents relationships among the project activities.

Inputs

1. Project management plan
   • Schedule management plan (methods and accuracy)
   • Scope baseline (WBS, Deliverables, acceptance criteria)
2. Project documents
   • Activity attributes
   • Activity list
   • Assumption log
   • Milestone list
3. Enterprise environmental factors (industry standards, PMI system, scheduling tools, organization work authorization systems)
4. Organization process assets (program plans, project dependencies, activity planning procedures, templates, lessons learned repository)

Tools and Techniques

1. Precedence diagramming method
   • activities are as nodes graphically linked (finish in order to start, finish in order to finish, start in order to start, start in order to finish)
2. Dependency determination and integration (mandatory and discretionary, external and internal)
3. Leads and lags
   1. Lead is the amount of time a successor activity can be advanced
   2. lag is the amount of time a successor activity will be delayed to start.
4. Project management information system (software)

Outputs

1. Project schedule network diagrams
   1. A path convergence activity has more than one predecessor
   2. A path divergence has more than one successor.
2. Project documents updates
   • Activity attributes
   • Activity list
   • Assumption log
   • Milestone list

Estimate Activity Duration

It estimates the number of work periods needed to complete individual activities with the estimated resources. it is to be done with the experts in the project team. It is to be revised as the information becomes available. Duration is influenced by the work,  skills, quantities, calendars, type of resources, methods used.

Inputs

1. Project management plan
   • Schedule management plan
   • Scope baseline
2. Project documents
   • Activity attributes
   • Activity list
   • Assumption log
   • Lessons learned register
   • Milestone list
   • Project team assignments
   • Resource breakdown structure
   • Resource calendars
   • Resource requirements
   • Risk register
3. Enterprise environmental factors
   • estimating databases, productivity metrics, commercial information, location of team members.
4. Organizational process assets
   1. historic data, project calendars, estimating policies, scheduling methodology, lessons learned repository.

Tools and Techniques

1. Expert judgment (of scheduling, estimating, application)
2. Analogous estimating (historic data adjusted)
3. Parametric estimating (historic data statistically/quantitatively adjusted to a variable)
4. Three-point estimating (historic data average adjusted for risk and uncertainty such as most likely , optimistic, pessimistic scenarios)
5. Bottom-up estimating ( aggregating the estimates of the lower level of the WBS)
6. Data analysis
   • Alternatives analysis (of skills, techniques, tools, acquisition)
   • Reserve analysis (of contingency and management reserves)
7. Decision making (project team voting)
8. Meetings (project team)

Outputs

1. Duration estimates ( percentage, range of plus and minus, no lags)
2. Basis of estimates ( documentation of how the estimate was developed, all assumptions, all constraints, project risks, and indication of estimate range , confidence level)
3. Project documents updates
   • Activity attributes
   • Assumption log (assumptions about resource skill level and availability, methods and tools)
   • Lessons learned register (techniques)

Develop Schedule

It analyzes activity sequence, duration, resources, and schedule constraints to create the project schedule. key steps include defining project milestones, sequencing activities, and estimating duration.

Inputs

1. Project management plan
   • Schedule management plan
   • Scope baseline
2. Project documents
   • Activity attributes
   • Activity list
   • Assumption log
   • Basis of estimates
   • Duration estimates
   • Lessons learned register
   • Milestone list
   • Project schedule network diagrams
   • Project team assignments
   • Resource calendars
   • Resource requirements
   • Risk register
3. Agreements (vendors)
4. Enterprise environmental factors (industry standards and communication channels)
5. Organization process assets (methodologies and project calendars)

Tools and Techniques

1. Schedule network analysis (critical path and risk, resource optimization, modeling)
2. Critical path method
   1. It is the sequence of activities that represent the longest path through a project
   2. positive float, negative float analyses
3. Resource optimization techniques (constant leveling, float smoothing)
4. Data analysis
   • What-if scenario analysis (delays, extensions, strikes, external factors)
   • Simulation( Monte Carlo)
5. Leads and lags
6. Schedule compression (crashing (resource increase), fast tracking (parallel))
7. Project management information system (software)
8. Agile release planning (iteration planning and product vision, product roadmap, release planning)

Outputs

1. Schedule baseline
2. Project schedule (bar/Gantt charts, milestone charts, network diagrams, logic diagrams, time-scaled network diagram)
3. Schedule data (milestones, activities, attributes, along with assumptions and constraints, resource requirements,alternative schedules, applied schedule reserves, resource histograms, cash flow projections, order and delivery schedule)
4. Project calendars (working days and shifts)
5. Change requests (preventive actions to reduce the probability of negative schedule variances)
6. Project management plan updates
   • Schedule management plan
   • Cost baseline
7. Project documents updates
   • Activity attributes
   • Assumption log
   • Duration estimates
   • Lessons learned register
   • Resource requirements
   • Risk register

Project Execution

There are no processes taking place during this phase.

Project Controlling

In this phase, 1 process takes place: Schedule Control.

Control Schedule

It monitors the status of the project to update the schedule and manage changes to the schedule baseline. It is concerned with: current state, influencing factors, schedule reserves, managing changes. Status reviews and walkthroughs ensure the contractor reports are accurate and complete.

Inputs

1. Project management plan
   • Schedule management plan
   • Schedule baseline
   • Scope baseline
   • Performance measurement baseline (baseline vs actuals)
2. Project documents
   • Lessons learned register
   • Project calendars
   • Project schedule
   • Resource calendars
   • Schedule data
3. Work performance data (project status)
4. Organizational process assets
   • schedule control procedures and tools, monitoring methods

Tools and Techniques

1. Data analysis
   • Earned value analysis (variance and index)
   • Iteration burndown chart (work to be done, variance, trend line)
   • Performance reviews (actual dates, percent complete, remaining duration)
   • Trend analysis
   • Variance analysis (planned vs actual)
   • What-if scenario analysis
2. Critical path method
3. Project management information system
4. Resource optimization
5. Leads and lags
6. Schedule compression

Outputs

1. Work performance information (variance and index, earned value into reports)
2. Schedule forecasts
3. Change requests
4. Project management plan updates
   • Schedule management plan
   • Schedule baseline
   • Cost baseline
   • Performance measurement baseline
5. Project documents updates
   • Assumption log
   • Basis of estimates
   • Lessons learned register
   • Project schedule
   • Resource calendars
   • Risk register
   • Schedule data

Project Closure

There are no processes taken place during this phase.

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