Section 3 · Project Scheduling
On this page 6 headings
Why a schedule matters: a schedule helps the project manager monitor the timely completion of each task, and take corrective action if the project falls behind.
The eight scheduling activities
| # | Activity |
|---|---|
| 1 | Identify major activities |
| 2 | Break activities into tasks |
| 3 | Determine dependencies |
| 4 | Estimate each task’s duration |
| 5 | Represent tasks in a diagram |
| 6 | Assign start and end dates |
| 7 | Find the critical path |
| 8 | Allocate resources |
Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
The root is the project. Each node is broken into children; each leaf is a task that can be allocated to a developer and scheduled, roughly two weeks of work.
Seller Portal WBS
The Seller Portal is broken into Requirement Gathering and Analysis, Design and Development. Requirements includes gathering requirements and creating an SRS. Design includes the component diagram, database schema and user interface. Development includes catalogue management, inventory management and order tracking.
From WBS to activity network
Leaf nodes of the WBS become nodes of the activity network. The activity network shows dependencies and durations of tasks.
| Task | Duration (days) |
|---|---|
| Component diagram | 15 |
| User interface | 30 |
| Database schema | 10 |
| Catalogue management | 15 |
| Inventory management | 15 |
| Order tracking | 25 |
| Payment tracking | 40 |
| Sales tracking | 30 |
| Customer feedback | 30 |
Gantt chart
A special type of bar chart: each bar is an activity, its length proportional to the planned duration. In the Seller Portal, user interface and database schema start together (UI takes longer); catalogue, inventory and order tracking happen one after the other; then payment, sales and customer feedback happen in parallel.
Representations like the Gantt chart help all members of the team be aware of the schedule.
Critical path
The critical path is a chain of tasks that determines the duration of the project.