Preparing to Develop the Project Schedule

• Develop a WBS
• Create an Activity List
• Identify the Relationships between Activities
• Identify Resources
• Estimate Time

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 The WBS

Project

Maps to
Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Deliverable project scope
statement

Deliverable Deliverable Work package

2.1 2.2 4.1
Subdivides
project work Deliverable Deliverable Work package
into smaller 2.2.1 2.2.2 4.2
deliverables

Subproject Subproject Work package Work package

2.2.1.1 2.2.1.2 2.2.2.1 4.3

Work package Work package Work package

2.2.1.2.1 2.2.2.2 4.4

Work package
2.2.1.2.2

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 The WBS Dictionary

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 Decomposition

• A technique for creating the WBS by

subdividing project work to the work package
level.
• Level of decomposition varies for different
projects. Project
• Stopped when:
• The components of the work packages are
Deliverables
sufficient to complete the work.
• The project work can be assigned to an Decomposition
individual person or group, cost estimated,
Work packages
scheduled, and monitored.
Decomposition

Activities

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 Code of Accounts

• Any system for numbering the elements in a WBS.

• Allows project managers to track WBS components.
• Helpful in performance, reporting, and cost.

Example: School district’s uniform code of accounts.

• Record, track, and document.
• Revenues and expenditures.
• Consistent in every school.

32 / 101 / 417
Function / Category / Program
(Consultant fees) (Special education)
(Professional expenditures)

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 The Scope Baseline

• Describes the need, justification, requirements, and boundaries for the project.
• Components include:
• The detailed project scope statement.
• The WBS.
• The WBS dictionary.

Project Scope
Statement

WBS

WBS
Dictionary

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 Guidelines for Developing a WBS

• Gather the reference materials and other inputs.

• Determine how you are going to organize the work of the project.
• Identify the major deliverables or subprojects for the project.
• Analyze each element to determine whether it is sufficiently decomposed.
• Break down each WBS element into sub-deliverables until you reach the work
package level.
• Validate your WBS using a bottom-up approach starting at the work package level.
• Use the code of accounts to assign a unique numeric cost code for each element.

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 Activity

Developing a WBS

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 Duration

• The amount of time that a particular task or work package will take to complete.
• The metrics used to express duration are in units of time such as days, weeks,
months, or years.
• Fixed duration is used to describe a task or work package that requires a set amount
of time to complete.
• Elapsed time the actual calendar time required for an activity from start to finish.

The hardware will take 3 days to install.

Amount of Task or work

time package

The code will take 2 days to write.

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 Effort

• The measure of labor that must be applied to the completion of a particular task or
work package.
• The metrics used to express effort are expressed in number of resource times the
duration of the work. For example, “person-hours,” “person-days,” and “person-
months.”
• Effort-driven is used to describe a task where the effort (or work) remains fixed
regardless of the number of resources used to complete the work.

3 hours of
engineering
Duration Labor

5 days of writing code

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 Work Packages

Project:
Annual Report

Subproject 1: Subproject 2: Subproject 3:

Audit IRS filings Production

Deliverable 2.1:
Deliverable 1.1: Deliverable 3.1:
W-2 and W-3
Finance report Graphic design
wage filings
Work Package 3.1.1:
Cover design
Deliverable 2.2:
Deliverable 1.2: Deliverable 3.2:
Form 941
CPA review Copy edit
quarterly filing Work Package 3.1.2:
Interior layout

Deliverable 2.3:
Deliverable 1.3: Deliverable 3.3: Work Package 3.1.3:
Form 944
Auditor’s report Printing Board of Director’s
annual filing
photos

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 The 8/80 Rule

Work Package

More than 8
hours of effort Less than 80
hours of effort

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 Activities

• Elements of project work that require an action to produce a deliverable.

• Have expected duration.
• Consume budget and human resources.
• Named in verb-noun format.

Example: Activities in a company project.

• Revise user manual.
• Make a sales presentation.
• Reserve conference room

Verb
Verb (Action)
(Action) Noun
Noun (Deliverable)
(Deliverable)

Revise user manual

Expected duration determined by (whatever)

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 Activity Lists

• A definitive list of activities that must be completed to produce the desired project
deliverables.

Example: Creating an activity list for conducting a training program including:

• Determine training budget
• Schedule training date
• Set training requirements
• Identify trainers
• Confirm attendees
• Reserve conference room
• Set up audio-visual materials
• Acquire training software
• Train attendees
• Collect feedback

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 Activity Attributes

• Contain additional information about activities in an activity list.

• Similar to the WBS Dictionary, but for activities.
• Describe the activities by listing the different components associated with the
activities.
• Used to develop project schedule.

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 Milestones

5
A milestone is a control point event in a
project with zero duration that triggers a
reporting requirement or requires 4
sponsor or customer approval before
proceeding with the project
3

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 Milestone Lists

Activity Required Duration Resources

(in Days)
Site preparation completion Yes 0 Site preparation crew

Foundation completion Yes 0 Mason

Basement completion Yes 0 Mason

Crawl space completion Yes 0 Mason

Flooring completion No 0 Framing crew

Roof framing completion No 0 Framing crew

Porch completion No 0 Framing crew

Windows and doors
No 0 Framing crew
completion
Plumbing completion Yes 0 Plumbing crew
Electrical and insulation
Yes 0 Electricians
completion
Dry walling completion Yes 0 Dry wall installers

Furnishing completion Yes 0 Carpenters

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 Entry/Exit Criteria

Milestone 1 Milestone 2

Subproject 1 Subproject 3 Subproject 4

Subproject 2

Entry criteria Exit criteria

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 Activity

Creating an Activity List

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 Activity Dependencies

• A logical relationship that exists between two project activities.

• Relationship indicates whether the start of an activity is contingent on an event or
input from outside the activity.
• Activity dependencies shape the sequence among project activities.

Example: Designing room layouts.

• Architect needs to assess the functionality of his room design.
• Assessment cannot start until the builders finish framing the walls, windows, and roof.
• After structure is in place, then architect can reassess design plans to determine if
modifications are necessary.

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 Activity Dependency Types

Mandatory

• Inherent to the work itself.

Discretionary

• Defined by the project and the team.

External

• Contingent on inputs from outside the project.

Internal

• Contingent on inputs from within the organization.

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 Precedence Relationships

• The logical relationship between two activities that describes the sequence in which
the activities should be carried out.
• Each activity has start and finish dates.
• Precedence relationships are always assigned to activities based on the
dependencies of each activity:
• Predecessor activity drives the relationship, and most often, occurs first.
• Successor activity is driven by the relationship.

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 Precedence Relationship Types

• Finish to Start (FS)

• Predecessor activity must finish before successor activity can start.
• Example: Building foundation must finish before framing can start.
• Finish to Finish (FF)
• Predecessor activity must finish before successor activity can finish.
• Example: Construction must finish before inspection can finish.
• Start to Start (SS)
• Predecessor activity must start before successor activity can start.
• Example: Building design must start before electrical layout can start.
• Start to Finish (SF)
• Predecessor activity must start before successor activity can finish.
• Example: Electrical inspections must start before the drywall can finish.

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 Lag

A No Lag B
10 Days 4 days

14 Days

A Lag = 4 days B
10 Days 4 days

18 Days

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 Lead

A B
No Lead
8 Days 6 days

14 Days

A
8 Days

Lead = 4 days

B
6 days

10 Days

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 Project Schedule Network Diagram

• Graphical representation of the sequence of project activities and the dependencies

among them.
• Read from left to right or top to bottom.
• Typically accompanied by summary information.
• May include the entire project or specific parts of it.
• Characteristics:
• Detailed or high-level
• Generated manually or with software
• Constructed using a variety of methods

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 The PDM

• Always read from left to right.

• Show duration only in the nodes.
• Create manually or with software.
• Report a group of related activities as an aggregate activity.
• Can use all precedence relationship types.

A B

Start C E
D Finish
F G H I J

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 Summary Activities

• Group of related activities shown as a single aggregate activity.

• Hammock activity.
• Might contain internal sequence of activities.

A B

Start C E
D Finish
F G H I J

Hammock

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 Conditional Diagramming with GERT Diagrams

Design logo
GERT Network Diagram with Conditional Branch

Dig trench
Sponsor N
approval? o
Loop
Yes s N Install sump
Trench dry? o Pump trench
Demo for focus system
groups
Yes

Focus group N Lay pipe

OK? o
Conditional branch
Yes
Produce final
artwork
GERT Network Diagram with Loops

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 Activity

Identifying the Relationships between Activities

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 Completed Network Diagram

1.1.1 1.1.2 1.1.3 1.1.4

1.2.4 1.2.3 1.2.2 1.2.1

TRN001.1
TRN001.2
TRN001.3
1.3.1 1.3.2 1.3.3 1.3.4 TRN001.4
TRN001.5

1.4.1 1.4.2 1.4.3 1.4.4

1.5.4 1.5.3 1.5.2 1.5.1

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 Project Resources

• Any useful material materials or people needed for project completion.

• Resources can include labor, materials, facilities, equipment, consultants, services,
supplies, and utilities.
• Three major resource categories: work, materials, and cost.

Resource Type Description

Shared resources Used for multiple projects and must be managed as such.

Dedicated resources Committed for project’s use.

Retained during downtime because of their specialized skills but are
Benched resources
not performing “billable” tasks.
Low-quality resources Do not possess specialized skills or qualities.

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 Resource Availability Constraints

When the best resource is… Potential solutions

• Hire someone with needed skills.

Unavailable within the organization • Use a temporary employee from an agency.
(shortage) • Subcontract the work to another company.
• Team with another company to share a portion of the scope.

• Delay some of the work until the resource can handled within
their schedule.
Assigned to an activity • Assign some of the work to another resource.
(overallocation) • Change the scope.
• Permit overallocation and compensate the resource with
overtime pay.

• Competition for resource time will create an imbalance—either

Assigned to multiple projects
shortages or overallocations.

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 Resource Calendar

• A calendar that lists the time

during which the resources can
participate in the project tasks.
• Helps prevent resource
scheduling conflicts.

A resource calendar in MS Project

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 Alternatives Analysis

• The process of examining the different methods of accomplishing activities and

determining a preferred method.
• Can involve:
• Selecting among different skills, tools, and equipment.
• Determining whether the project work can be accomplished by the project team or must
be procured from outside the organization.

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 Published Estimating Data

• Information found in commercial publications about production rates, resource cost,

and labor requirements.

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 Project Management Software

• A software application that generates and organizes resource information, such as

cost estimates, work breakdown structures, and project schedules.
• Helps optimize resource utilizations.
• Examples include:
• Microsoft Project 2016
• Oracle Primavera
• LiquidPlanner
• Smartsheet
• Atlassian JIRA

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 Activity Resource Requirements

• Descriptions of resources and the quantities of resources necessary to complete

project activities.
• Progressively elaborated when developing the human resource plan.

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 The Resource Breakdown Structure

• A hierarchy of identified resources, organized by category and type.

• Helps organize and report project schedule information along with the resource
utilization data.

Project Resources

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 Guidelines for Identifying Resources

• Determine the resources necessary to complete each activity in the work packages.
• Determine the quantity of resources necessary to complete each activity.
• Refer to the resource calendars to identify the availability of each resource.
• Generate possible alternatives for unavailable resources.
• Analyze the scope statement to ensure that you identified all the resources.
• Consider organizational policies that could affect resource acquisition and usage.
• Identify and use expert judgment resources.
• Analyze the resources currently available.
• Use project management software to plan, organize and manage project schedules
and resources.

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 Activity

Identifying Project Resources

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 Reserve Analysis

• The process of identifying and adding extra time that will serve as contingency or
management reserves to the duration estimates.
• Contingency reserves serve as buffers in recognition of scheduled risks or setbacks.
• Management reserves are buffers added to the project for unforeseen changes to
project scope and cost.

Example: A cellphone manufacturing company contracting a vendor to integrate a new

telecommunication technology with its system. The project manager:
• Schedules to complete the project within one month.
• Anticipates delay due to unavoidable circumstances and specifies one more month as
contingency reserve.
• Senior managers added two weeks as management reserves to accommodate the
risks due to unknown-unknowns.

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 The Analogous Estimating Technique

• An estimation technique in which managers use experience, historical information,

and expert judgment.
• Determines the total project cost or time estimate.
• Apportions the total across the major categories of work.
• Used when:
• Only limited amount of detailed information is available.
• Similar project is available for comparison.
• Estimators have appropriate experience.

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 The Parametric Estimating Technique

• A technique that is used to predict duration or cost by using historical data in a

mathematical model.
• The most common parametric model uses simple multiplication.

Example: Parametric estimating for a web-design project.

• Similar sites with 5 pages required 15 hours of development time.
• Using parametric estimating, a site with 10 pages will require 30 hours of
development time.

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 The Three-Point Estimating Technique

• A method of activity duration estimating in which three types of estimates are

incorporated into a singular duration estimate scenario: optimistic, most likely, and
pessimistic.
• Optimistic: best-case estimate of the time required to complete the specified work.
• Most likely: time required to complete the work under normal conditions.
• Pessimistic: worst-case estimate of the time required to complete the work.
• Duration = [Optimistic + (4 * Most Likely) + Pessimistic] / 6

Example: Using three-point estimating for a marketing campaign project. The project manager
had these historical estimates:
• Optimistic time was one month.
• Most likely time was three months.
• Pessimistic time was 11 months.
He then estimated the project duration to be four months: [1+(4*3)+11]/6

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 The Bottom-Up Estimating Technique

• Estimates the duration or cost for each work package.

• Estimates are then rolled up or aggregated.
• Used when:
• More detail is available about the work packages.
• More accurate estimates are needed.
• There is time to invest in making the estimates.

Example: A caterer using the bottom-up estimating technique based on a detailed

WBS for a large corporate event.

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 Guidelines for Estimating Time

• Gather all the prerequisites.

• Involve the work package owners or others who are familiar with the work of the
activity.
• Consult historical information.
• Determine which technique you want to use to estimate the activity duration.
• Determine how you want to quantify the work that needs to be done: in terms of the
estimated hours of labor that will be needed, the number of units to be produced,
and the number of customers to be served.
• Consider resource requirements and capabilities.
• Determine the appropriate estimation method to use.
• Modify the constraints and assumptions from the other planning processes.
• Verify the accuracy of your estimates.
• Consider the need for reserve time.
• Include a range of variance for each estimate.
• Update all project documents that require changes.

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 Activity

Estimating Time

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 Reflective Questions

1. How do you think creating an activity list for projects will help ensure that
your project activities are tied to the project scope?

2. Reflect on the advantages of creating a project schedule network diagram.

How do you think this will help you organize your project more effectively?

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