ISo 1502:2020 Clause 7.6 Schedule management

Project Management 15 Minutes

7.6.1 Overview

The purpose of schedule management is to enable work to be undertaken in a timely manner and to reduce slippage to an acceptable level. The schedule should be an integrated part of the project’s plan and developed under the direction of the project manager.
Schedule management should involve sequencing activities, estimating activity durations and developing and controlling the schedule, as committed to by the team undertaking or impacted by the work. Activities should be logically sequenced to support the development of a realistic, achievable and controllable schedule. Activities within the project should be described with dependencies in order to determine the critical path or to identify alternative approaches.
The project manager should monitor progress against the approved schedule baseline to enable the project’s scope to be delivered on time, within established schedule constraints and objectives. Controlling the schedule should include monitoring the status of phases, work packages and activities related to the project. Controlling also should involve managing the changes to the schedule, monitoring milestones and introducing other controls, as deemed appropriate. Techniques such as earned value management can be used to monitor progress and predict future performance.

Schedule management in project management refers to the process of developing, maintaining, and controlling the project schedule to ensure that tasks and activities are completed on time and within the allocated timeframe. It involves the following key aspects:

  1. Developing the Project Schedule: This involves creating a comprehensive schedule that outlines the sequence of project activities, their durations, dependencies, and resource requirements. The schedule is typically represented in the form of a Gantt chart, timeline, or project schedule software.
  2. Defining Activity Sequences: Identifying the logical sequence in which project activities should be performed to achieve project objectives. This includes determining the order of activities and identifying any dependencies or constraints that may impact the sequence.
  3. Estimating Activity Durations: Estimating the amount of time required to complete each project activity. This may involve gathering input from subject matter experts, historical data, or using estimation techniques such as analogous estimation, parametric estimation, or three-point estimation.
  4. Resource Planning: Identifying the resources needed to complete each project activity, including personnel, equipment, materials, and facilities. Resource planning ensures that the necessary resources are available when needed to avoid delays and bottlenecks.
  5. Creating the Project Schedule: Developing the project schedule by assigning start and finish dates to each activity based on their durations, dependencies, and resource availability. The schedule should be realistic, achievable, and aligned with project objectives and constraints.
  6. Monitoring and Controlling the Schedule: Continuously monitoring the progress of project activities against the planned schedule. This involves tracking actual progress, identifying deviations or delays, and taking corrective actions to bring the project back on track.
  7. Managing Schedule Changes: Managing changes to the project schedule throughout the project lifecycle. This includes assessing the impact of changes on project objectives, timelines, and resources, and updating the schedule accordingly.
  8. Communicating Schedule Information: Communicating the project schedule to stakeholders, team members, and other relevant parties. This ensures that everyone is aware of project timelines, milestones, and dependencies, and facilitates coordination and collaboration among project stakeholders.

Effective schedule management is essential for ensuring that projects are completed on time, within budget, and to the required quality standards. It helps to minimize project risks, optimize resource utilization, and maximize project success.

The purpose of schedule management is to enable work to be undertaken in a timely manner and to reduce slippage to an acceptable level.

The primary purpose of schedule management in project management is to ensure that work is completed in a timely manner and to minimize or mitigate any slippage that may occur. Here’s a breakdown of how schedule management achieves this purpose:

  1. Timely Execution of Work: Schedule management helps ensure that project tasks and activities are completed according to the planned timeline. By establishing a clear schedule with defined start and finish dates for each activity, project managers can keep the project on track and prevent delays.
  2. Resource Optimization: Effective schedule management allows project managers to allocate resources efficiently and effectively. By coordinating resource availability with project timelines, schedule management helps ensure that the necessary resources are available when needed to complete project tasks on time.
  3. Risk Mitigation: Schedule management helps identify potential schedule risks and allows project managers to take proactive measures to mitigate them. By monitoring the project schedule closely, project managers can identify potential delays or bottlenecks and implement corrective actions to minimize their impact on project timelines.
  4. Stakeholder Management: Clear and transparent schedule management facilitates communication and coordination with project stakeholders. By providing stakeholders with a clear understanding of project timelines and milestones, schedule management helps manage expectations and build trust among stakeholders.
  5. Budget Control: Effective schedule management contributes to better budget control by minimizing the likelihood of cost overruns due to delays. By adhering to the project schedule, project managers can ensure that resources are used efficiently and that project costs remain within budgetary constraints.
  6. Quality Assurance: Timely execution of work as per the schedule also contributes to maintaining the quality of deliverables. Rushed work due to schedule slippage can compromise quality, so schedule management helps ensure that sufficient time is allocated for each task to be completed to the required standard.

Overall, the purpose of schedule management is to enable work to be undertaken in a timely manner while minimizing slippage to an acceptable level. This not only ensures the successful completion of the project but also enhances stakeholder satisfaction, reduces risks, and maximizes project outcomes.

The schedule should be an integrated part of the project’s plan and developed under the direction of the project manager.

The schedule should be an integrated part of the project plan, and it’s the responsibility of the project manager to oversee its development. Here’s why:

  1. Integration with Project Plan: The project schedule outlines the sequence of activities, their durations, dependencies, and resource requirements, all of which are integral components of the overall project plan. By integrating the schedule with the project plan, the project manager ensures alignment between project objectives, timelines, and resources.
  2. Alignment with Project Objectives: The project schedule should reflect the project’s objectives, milestones, and deliverables. It should be developed in accordance with the project scope, requirements, and constraints, ensuring that all activities contribute to the achievement of project goals.
  3. Coordination of Activities: Developing the schedule under the direction of the project manager allows for better coordination of project activities. The project manager can identify dependencies between tasks, resolve scheduling conflicts, and ensure that activities are sequenced logically to optimize project efficiency.
  4. Resource Allocation: The project manager is responsible for allocating resources effectively to support the project schedule. This includes assigning personnel, equipment, materials, and other resources to specific tasks and activities based on their availability and requirements.
  5. Risk Management: The project manager considers potential schedule risks and develops strategies to mitigate them during the schedule development process. By identifying potential delays, bottlenecks, and dependencies, the project manager can proactively address risks to minimize their impact on the project timeline.
  6. Communication and Collaboration: The project manager oversees the development of the schedule in collaboration with key stakeholders, including team members, clients, and other relevant parties. This ensures that the schedule reflects the input and requirements of all stakeholders and promotes buy-in and commitment to the project timeline.
  7. Monitoring and Control: Once the schedule is developed, the project manager is responsible for monitoring and controlling its execution throughout the project lifecycle. This involves tracking progress, identifying deviations from the plan, and taking corrective actions as necessary to keep the project on track.

By integrating the schedule into the project plan under the direction of the project manager, project teams can ensure alignment with project objectives, efficient coordination of activities, effective resource allocation, proactive risk management, and successful project outcomes.

Schedule management should involve sequencing activities, estimating activity durations and developing and controlling the schedule, as committed to by the team undertaking or impacted by the work.

Schedule management encompasses various tasks, including sequencing activities, estimating activity durations, and developing and controlling the schedule, with commitment from the team undertaking or impacted by the work. Here’s how each aspect contributes to effective schedule management:

  1. Sequencing Activities: Sequencing activities involves determining the logical order in which project tasks should be performed to achieve project objectives efficiently. This ensures that dependent tasks are performed in the correct sequence to minimize delays and optimize resource utilization. Sequencing activities require collaboration with the project team to identify task dependencies and constraints accurately.
  2. Estimating Activity Durations: Estimating activity durations involves predicting the amount of time required to complete each project task. Accurate duration estimates are essential for developing a realistic project schedule. Project managers work closely with team members and subject matter experts to gather input and insights for estimating activity durations effectively. This collaborative approach ensures that estimates are based on realistic assumptions and account for various factors that may influence task duration.
  3. Developing the Schedule: Developing the schedule entails creating a comprehensive timeline that outlines when each project task will be performed. The schedule is developed based on the sequence of activities and estimated durations, taking into account resource availability, dependencies, and constraints. Project managers lead the development of the schedule and work closely with the project team to ensure that it accurately reflects project objectives and constraints.
  4. Controlling the Schedule: Controlling the schedule involves monitoring project progress, tracking actual performance against the planned schedule, and taking corrective actions as needed to keep the project on track. Project managers regularly review schedule performance, identify deviations or delays, and assess their impact on project objectives. By involving the project team in schedule control activities, project managers ensure that corrective actions are implemented collaboratively and effectively.
  5. Commitment from the Team: Effective schedule management requires commitment from the team undertaking or impacted by the work. Team members are responsible for providing accurate input for activity sequencing and duration estimation, as well as adhering to the schedule once it is developed. By involving the project team in schedule management activities and fostering a culture of accountability, project managers ensure that the schedule is respected and followed throughout the project lifecycle.

Overall, effective schedule management involves collaboration and commitment from the project team to sequence activities, estimate durations accurately, develop a realistic schedule, and control its execution to achieve project objectives successfully. This collaborative approach ensures that the project schedule is aligned with project goals and constraints and that it serves as a valuable tool for guiding project execution and decision-making.

Activities should be logically sequenced to support the development of a realistic, achievable and controllable schedule.

Sequencing activities in a logical manner is fundamental to developing a realistic, achievable, and controllable project schedule. Here’s why:

  1. Optimizing Resource Utilization: Logical sequencing ensures that resources are allocated efficiently and effectively. By organizing activities in a logical order, project managers can minimize resource idle time and maximize resource utilization, leading to increased productivity and cost-effectiveness.
  2. Minimizing Dependencies and Delays: Logical sequencing helps identify dependencies between activities and ensures that tasks are performed in the correct order to avoid delays. By sequencing activities logically, project managers can minimize the impact of delays on subsequent tasks, reducing the risk of project schedule slippage.
  3. Enhancing Schedule Predictability: A logically sequenced schedule provides greater predictability and reliability in project planning and execution. By following a logical sequence of activities, project managers can develop a schedule that accurately reflects the sequence of work and the expected timeline for project completion.
  4. Facilitating Resource Allocation: Logical sequencing enables project managers to allocate resources effectively based on the requirements of each activity. By understanding the sequence of activities, project managers can allocate resources in a timely manner to ensure that they are available when needed, minimizing resource shortages and bottlenecks.
  5. Supporting Risk Management: Logical sequencing supports effective risk management by identifying potential risks and uncertainties associated with task dependencies. By understanding the critical path and key dependencies in the project schedule, project managers can proactively mitigate risks and develop contingency plans to address potential delays or disruptions.
  6. Improving Communication and Coordination: A logically sequenced schedule facilitates communication and coordination among project stakeholders and team members. By providing a clear and structured timeline for project activities, project managers can ensure that everyone understands their roles and responsibilities and can work together effectively towards project objectives.

Overall, logical sequencing of activities is essential for developing a realistic, achievable, and controllable project schedule. By organizing tasks in a logical order and considering dependencies, resource requirements, and risks, project managers can develop a schedule that accurately reflects project requirements and constraints, leading to successful project execution and completion.

Activities within the project should be described with dependencies in order to determine the critical path or to identify alternative approaches.

Describing activities within the project with dependencies is crucial for effective project planning and management. Here’s why:

  1. Identifying Critical Path: Dependencies between activities help determine the critical path in the project schedule. The critical path is the longest sequence of dependent activities that determines the shortest possible duration for completing the project. By identifying dependencies and analyzing their impact on project timelines, project managers can identify the critical path and focus their efforts on managing activities along this path to ensure timely project completion.
  2. Understanding Task Interdependencies: Describing activities with dependencies helps project managers understand the interdependencies between tasks. Some activities cannot start until others are completed, while others may be performed concurrently. By documenting these dependencies, project managers can ensure that tasks are sequenced appropriately to minimize delays and optimize resource utilization.
  3. Facilitating Resource Allocation: Dependencies between activities influence resource allocation decisions. When activities have dependencies, project managers must ensure that the necessary resources are available when needed to avoid delays. By describing activities with dependencies, project managers can allocate resources effectively and ensure that they are allocated to the right tasks at the right time.
  4. Identifying Alternative Approaches: Describing activities with dependencies allows project managers to identify alternative approaches for completing tasks. When dependencies cannot be met or are delayed, project managers can explore alternative approaches to keep the project on track. By understanding dependencies, project managers can develop contingency plans and identify opportunities for flexibility in project execution.
  5. Managing Risk: Dependencies between activities highlight potential risks and vulnerabilities in the project schedule. When activities have dependencies, delays or disruptions in one activity can impact the entire project timeline. By describing activities with dependencies, project managers can proactively identify and mitigate risks associated with task dependencies, ensuring that the project stays on track.

Overall, describing activities with dependencies is essential for determining the critical path, understanding task interdependencies, facilitating resource allocation, identifying alternative approaches, and managing risk effectively. By documenting dependencies between activities, project managers can develop a robust project schedule that accurately reflects project requirements and constraints, leading to successful project execution and completion.

The project manager should monitor progress against the approved schedule baseline to enable the project’s scope to be delivered on time, within established schedule constraints and objectives.

Monitoring progress against the approved schedule baseline is a critical responsibility of the project manager to ensure timely delivery of the project scope within established schedule constraints and objectives. Here’s why it’s essential:

  1. Track Progress: By monitoring progress against the approved schedule baseline, the project manager can track how the project is progressing compared to the planned timeline. This involves regularly comparing actual progress with the planned schedule to identify any deviations or delays.
  2. Identify Variances: Monitoring progress against the schedule baseline allows the project manager to identify variances between planned and actual performance. This includes identifying tasks that are ahead of schedule, on track, or behind schedule, as well as understanding the reasons for any deviations.
  3. Take Corrective Actions: When deviations or delays are identified, the project manager can take corrective actions to address them promptly. This may involve reallocating resources, adjusting task priorities, renegotiating deadlines, or revising the project schedule to accommodate changes.
  4. Manage Schedule Risks: By monitoring progress against the schedule baseline, the project manager can proactively manage schedule risks. This involves identifying potential risks that may impact the project schedule and implementing mitigation strategies to minimize their impact on project timelines.
  5. Maintain Stakeholder Confidence: Monitoring progress against the schedule baseline helps maintain stakeholder confidence by demonstrating transparency and accountability in project management. It allows project managers to provide stakeholders with regular updates on project progress and address any concerns or issues proactively.
  6. Optimize Resource Utilization: Monitoring progress against the schedule baseline enables the project manager to optimize resource utilization. By identifying tasks that are ahead of schedule or completed early, the project manager can reallocate resources to other critical tasks or activities, maximizing resource efficiency.
  7. Ensure Timely Delivery: Ultimately, the primary goal of monitoring progress against the schedule baseline is to ensure timely delivery of the project scope within established schedule constraints and objectives. By staying vigilant and proactive in monitoring progress, the project manager can take necessary actions to keep the project on track and meet stakeholder expectations.

Overall, monitoring progress against the approved schedule baseline is essential for effective project management. It enables the project manager to track progress, identify variances, take corrective actions, manage schedule risks, maintain stakeholder confidence, optimize resource utilization, and ensure timely delivery of the project scope.

Controlling the schedule should include monitoring the status of phases, work packages and activities related to the project.

Controlling the schedule involves monitoring the status of phases, work packages, and activities related to the project to ensure that they are progressing according to plan. Here’s how controlling the schedule at these different levels contributes to effective project management:

  1. Phases: Monitoring the status of project phases helps ensure that the project is progressing through its lifecycle according to the planned timeline. Each phase represents a distinct stage of the project, and monitoring phase progress allows project managers to ensure that milestones are being achieved and that the project is moving forward as expected.
  2. Work Packages: Work packages are smaller, manageable components of the project that are grouped together to accomplish specific objectives. Monitoring the status of work packages allows project managers to track progress on individual tasks and activities within each package. This enables them to identify any delays or issues early on and take corrective actions to keep the project on track.
  3. Activities: Activities represent the smallest unit of work within the project and are the building blocks of the project schedule. Monitoring the status of activities involves tracking the progress of each task or activity against its planned duration and schedule. By monitoring activity status, project managers can identify any deviations from the schedule and address them promptly to prevent schedule slippage.

By controlling the schedule at these different levels—phases, work packages, and activities—project managers can effectively monitor project progress, identify potential issues or risks, and take corrective actions as needed to keep the project on track. This proactive approach to schedule control helps ensure that the project is completed on time and within budget, meeting stakeholder expectations and achieving project objectives.

Controlling also should involve managing the changes to the schedule, monitoring milestones and introducing other controls, as deemed appropriate.

Controlling the project schedule involves managing changes, monitoring milestones, and introducing additional controls as necessary to ensure successful project execution. Here’s how each aspect contributes to effective schedule control:

  1. Managing Changes to the Schedule: Project schedules are dynamic and subject to change due to various factors such as scope changes, resource constraints, and unforeseen risks. Controlling the schedule involves managing changes effectively by assessing their impact on project timelines, costs, and resources. Project managers must evaluate change requests, determine their feasibility, and make adjustments to the schedule as needed. This may involve revising task durations, reallocating resources, or updating dependencies to accommodate changes while minimizing disruptions to the project timeline.
  2. Monitoring Milestones: Milestones are key events or achievements within the project that mark significant progress or completion of critical deliverables. Monitoring milestones allows project managers to track progress against key project objectives and deadlines. By regularly reviewing milestone status, project managers can assess overall project progress, identify any deviations from the planned schedule, and take corrective actions to keep the project on track.
  3. Introducing Other Controls: In addition to managing changes and monitoring milestones, project managers may introduce other controls as deemed appropriate to ensure schedule adherence and project success. This may include implementing performance metrics, establishing progress tracking mechanisms, conducting regular project status meetings, or utilizing project management software to facilitate schedule control activities. These controls help provide visibility into project progress, identify potential issues early, and facilitate timely decision-making to address schedule-related challenges.

By effectively managing changes, monitoring milestones, and introducing other controls, project managers can maintain control over the project schedule, mitigate schedule risks, and ensure that the project is completed on time and within budget. This proactive approach to schedule control helps enhance project outcomes, meet stakeholder expectations, and drive project success.

Techniques such as earned value management can be used to monitor progress and predict future performance

Earned value management (EVM) is a powerful technique used in project management to monitor progress, assess project performance, and predict future outcomes. Here’s how EVM works and its benefits:

  1. Measurement of Performance: EVM integrates measurements of scope, schedule, and cost performance into a single, comprehensive performance metric. It quantifies the value of work performed (earned value) against the planned cost and schedule to provide an objective assessment of project progress.
  2. Baseline Comparison: EVM compares actual performance to a baseline plan to determine whether the project is ahead of schedule, behind schedule, or on track. By comparing earned value with planned value and actual costs, project managers can assess whether the project is meeting its objectives within the established constraints.
  3. Forecasting Future Performance: EVM allows project managers to forecast future project performance based on current trends and performance metrics. By analyzing variances and trends in earned value, project managers can predict whether the project is likely to meet its objectives, identify potential risks or issues, and take corrective actions proactively.
  4. Early Warning Signs: EVM provides early warning signs of potential schedule delays, cost overruns, or performance issues. By analyzing variances in earned value metrics such as schedule variance (SV) and cost variance (CV), project managers can identify deviations from the baseline plan and take corrective actions to address them before they escalate.
  5. Performance Indices: EVM provides performance indices such as schedule performance index (SPI) and cost performance index (CPI) to assess the efficiency and effectiveness of project performance. SPI measures schedule efficiency, indicating whether the project is ahead of schedule or behind schedule, while CPI measures cost efficiency, indicating whether the project is over budget or under budget.
  6. Objective Decision Making: EVM provides objective data and metrics to support decision-making processes. By analyzing earned value metrics and performance indices, project managers can make informed decisions about resource allocation, schedule adjustments, risk mitigation strategies, and other aspects of project management.

Overall, earned value management is a valuable technique for monitoring progress, assessing project performance, and predicting future outcomes. By integrating measurements of scope, schedule, and cost performance, EVM provides project managers with actionable insights to optimize project performance, mitigate risks, and ensure project success.

Published by Pretesh Biswas

Pretesh Biswas has wealth of qualifications and experience in providing results-oriented solutions for your system development, training or auditing needs. He has helped dozens of organizations in implementing effective management systems to a number of standards. He provide a unique blend of specialized knowledge, experience, tools and interactive skills to help you develop systems that not only get certified, but also contribute to the bottom line. He has taught literally hundreds of students over the past 5 years. He has experience in training at hundreds of organizations in several industry sectors. His training is unique in that which can be customized as to your management system and activities and deliver them at your facility. This greatly accelerates the learning curve and application of the knowledge acquired. He is now ex-Certification body lead auditor now working as consultancy auditor. He has performed hundreds of audits in several industry sectors. As consultancy auditor, he not just report findings, but provide value-added service in recommending appropriate solutions. Experience Consultancy: He has helped over 100 clients in a wide variety of industries achieve ISO 9001,14001,27001,20000, OHSAS 18001 and TS 16949 certification. Industries include automotive, metal stamping and screw machine, fabrication, machining, assembly, Forging electrostatic and chrome plating, heat-treating, coatings, glass, plastic and rubber products, electrical and electronic equipment, assemblies & components, batteries, computer hardware and software, printing, placement and Security help, warehousing and distribution, repair facilities, consumer credit counseling agencies, banks, call centers, etc. Training: He has delivered public and on-site quality management training to over 1000 students. Courses include ISO/TS -RAB approved Lead Auditor, Internal Auditing, Implementation, Documentation, as well as customized ISO/TS courses, PPAP, FMEA, APQP and Control Plans. Auditing: He has conducted over 100 third party registration and surveillance audits and dozens of gap, internal and pre-assessment audits to ISO/QS/TS Standards, in the manufacturing and service sectors. Other services: He has provided business planning, restructuring, asset management, systems and process streamlining services to a variety of manufacturing and service clients such as printing, plastics, automotive, transportation and custom brokerage, warehousing and distribution, electrical and electronics, trading, equipment leasing, etc. Education & professional certification: Pretesh Biswas has held IRCA certified Lead Auditor for ISO 9001,14001 and 27001. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Mechanical Engineering and is a MBA in Systems and Marketing. Prior to becoming a business consultant 6 years ago, he has worked in several portfolios such as Marketing, operations, production, Quality and customer care. He is also certified in Six Sigma Black belt .

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