Every successful project, regardless of its size or scope, begins with proper project schedule management. A project schedule is a plan for how a project will be carried out from start to finish. It details the start and finish dates and the sequence of activities that must be followed to successfully complete the project. The schedule should provide an indication of where the project is and what still needs to be done.
However, for a schedule to be fit for purpose, project schedule management is key. It is the process that establishes documentation and policies to schedule, track, control, and manage the resources and time allocated to complete a project on time and successfully.
In this article, we will discuss the role of project poland telegram phone numbers schedule management in project implementation, the expected challenges, and the tools for effective schedule management.
What is the role of project schedule management?
Ideally, project schedule management can be defined as a critical process necessary to ensure that a project is completed within time and resource constraints. Simply put, it is the activity required to help project and resource managers stay on track with the project schedule throughout the project’s implementation. The following is the role of schedule management in project management.
1. Scheduling
Schedule management begins with the creation of a project schedule. The following activities are important for this function:
Scheduling - All the activities required to complete the project are identified. This allows project managers and the team to have a detailed understanding of what needs to be done to complete the project.
Sequencing - This means determining how activities follow one another in the project cycle. It also reveals dependencies and the type of relationships between activities.
Duration estimation - here you need to estimate the duration, start and end dates of each activity.
2. Schedule confirmation
The implementation of the schedule requires the approval of the project stakeholders. The role of schedule management at this stage is to negotiate with the stakeholders for their approval. The stakeholders must approve the schedule so that they can allocate the necessary resources and people to complete the tasks. Once approved, the project manager creates a master schedule and communicates it to the team.
3. Schedule monitoring
Another role of schedule management is to monitor how the schedule is being met (and this is why you should know how to choose time tracking software ). This role involves paying attention to the progress of the project to determine its status at any given time. The project manager determines how the schedule is changing due to other internal and external factors and how this is affecting the project schedule. This is also important in determining the reasons for which actions need to be taken to bring the project back on schedule and avoid delays or to incorporate changes into the schedule.
4. Project schedule update
Managing the schedule also requires regular updates to reflect changes that have occurred since the project began. Project managers must therefore establish a process for updating the schedule, such as analyzing the impact of changes on the budget, scope , and quality of the project, and identifying individuals who have the authority to make changes. The project manager also seeks stakeholder buy-in and communicates changes to the team.