Introduction

• Discussion of workshop approach
• Review of notebook contents

Introduction to Project Scheduling Workshop

• Programs vs. Projects
• Workshop Objectives

Use and Users of the Project Schedule

• Impacts of poor scheduling
• Using schedule results
• Schedule Roles and Responsibilities

Schedule Development Process

• Planning vs. Scheduling
• Nine step schedule development process

Scope Definition and Work Breakdown Structure

• WBS overview
• Introduction to the WBS Dictionary

Network Diagramming Fundamentals

• Introduction to the fundamental components of a schedule network:
  • Activities
  • Relationships

Case Study:  Creating Simple Network Diagrams

• Construction of a basic network diagram

Critical Path Fundamentals

• Definition of critical path
• Forward and Backward Passes
• Total Float vs. Free Float
• How to determine the critical path
• Critical path vs. driving path

Case Study:  Forward/Backward Pass Calculations

• Practice the calculation of early dates, late dates, float and the critical path

Project Modeling Techniques

• Use and abuse of Lags
• Schedule Visibility Tasks (SVTs) - an alternative to Lags
• Use and abuse of Leads
• Modeling common processes with Templates
• Overview of integrating Level of Effort into the schedule

Activity Constraints

• Hard vs. Soft constraints
• Constraint types
• Examples of how constraints alter forward/backward pass calculations

Resource Loading and Leveling

• Benefits of resource loaded schedules
• Basic resource limitations: Resource capacity and time
• Resource leveling priorities

Case Study:  Resource Leveling

• Apply resource leveling principles to model an achievable plan

Schedule Traceability

• Horizontal vs. Vertical traceability
• Summary tasks vs. hammocks
• Causes of traceability issues

Schedule Health

• Characteristics of a “healthy” schedule
• Overview of common schedule health metrics

Schedule Baseline

• Definition and objectives of the schedule baseline
• Baseline differences between  scheduling tools
• Baseline revisions

Schedule Status

• Progress vs. Forecast
• Status requirements for each activity state
• Recommendations for effective statusing

Schedule Changes

• Routine updates vs. Baseline changes
• Causes of baseline changes

Case Study: Determining Status and Forecasting Project Completion

• Demonstrate the impact of status on the forecasted project completion

Reporting and Analysis

• Benefits and limitations of common scheduling formats/reports

Schedule Acceleration Techniques

• Identify the various schedule acceleration techniques
• Understand the potential drawback of each technique
• Participate in a schedule acceleration demonstration

Introduction to Schedule Risk

• Sources of schedule risk
• Schedule Risk Assessment (SRA) overview

The Schedule in the Government Environment

• Differences between commercial and government scheduling
• Review the documents that define project requirements
• Introduce the concept of a control account
• Overview of the Integrated Master Plan (IMP)

Other Schedule Metrics

• Review of metrics not already covered in the Schedule Health section

Good Practices in Planning & Scheduling

• Scheduling best practices
• Schedule review checklist

Appendix

Course Evaluation Sheet

Adjourn