Project
Planning
& Scheduling
"Someone's sitting in the shade today because
someone planted a tree a long time ago."
Warren Buffett.
| Core
Papers
& White Papers: |
|
The questions 'what makes a good schedule?' 'what makes a good planner?'
and 'what should they do?' are addressed in these papers:
|
Core Papers
These are substantial papers focusing on
core aspects of our profession.
- A
Guide to Scheduling Good Practice describes the
work undertaken by a scheduler to create an effective
'dynamic schedule' and is consistent with the PMBOK Guide
and the PMI Practice Standard for Scheduling. [Open the paper]
- Attributes
of a Scheduler considers the personal skills and
competencies needed by a person to be an effective scheduler
and describes the various 'roles' a scheduler will have
during the life cycle of a typical project including the
difference between planning and scheduling and the
scheduling value proposition. [Open the paper]
- Dynamic Scheduling
describes the benefits derived from developing a 'good
schedule' as defined in a 'A Guide to Scheduling Good
Practice'. [Open
the paper]
- Links, Lags & Ladders
focuses on the issues, problems and challenges of
overlapping tasks in a schedule using various link types
(F-S, S-S, F-F-, S-F) with or without lead and lag
durations, the more sophisticated 'ladder' concept, and the
importance of actively managing the 'space' between tasks. [Open the
paper]
- Schedule Float discusses
the various calculations and definitions for float in both
ADM and PDM networks. [Open
the
paper]
- Schedule Levels provides
a guide the 5 levels of schedule typically used on major
projects from the 'Master Schedule' to the 'Detailed Short
Term Schedule', adapted from Bechtel & Fluor standards.
[Open the
paper]
- Schedule Calculations
a guide the Time Analysis and Float calculations used in PDM
schedules. [Open
the paper]
|
Latest White Papers
These are relatively short papers on a
specific subject.
See
below
for a listing of our
published conference papers |
The
need
for good scheduling practice:
The disastrous state of schedule practice in the construction industry
is detailed in the report Managing the Risk of
Delayed Completion in the 21st Century [or download the
smaller executive
summary]. Between December 2007 and January 2008, The Chartered
Institute of Building (CIOB) conducted a survey of the construction
industry’s knowledge and experience of different methods of project
control, and time management, record keeping, monitoring and training.
The findings suggest there is a lot of work needed to achieve
general 'best practice', Based on the reports findings, the CIOB
believes that it is essential to educate project planners and schedulers
in time management best practice with an aim to reduce the incidence of
delayed project
completion.
To
achieve this, the CIOB have adopted a three-phase strategy to develop
the required standards for the performance of effective time control.
The CIOB’s
Policy
Statement defines their 3 phase approach to improving schedule
management in the construction industry. Mosaic's Patrick
Weaver is a member of the group of international planners and
schedulers working on this project.
The key person driving the report and the on-going work by CIOB to
develop the 'Best Practice' standard and scheduling certification was
Keith Pickavance, former CIOB President and Keynote speaker at PM Asia
2008. Read 'Time
is
NOT money', a conversation with Keith Pickavance' for some
background on this initiative and Keith's assertion the 21st Century
will be 'The Age of Time'. We are working to support the CIOB
initiative to develop 'The Guide'
and it's associated training/certification.
We definitely expect to see the management of 'time risks' improved from
this work and the comparable efforts being lead by Planning Planet and the PMI Scheduling
Community of Practice. Publication of 'The
Practice Standard for Scheduling' was only the beginning!
|
The Practice Standard for
Scheduling 2nd Edition
Price: $60.50 (Australia only)
Effective project scheduling is critical to the success of
a project. PMI's The
Practice Standard for Scheduling is a systematic
guide describing the hallmarks of an effective scheduling
methodology, as well as providing quantifiable means for
assessing the maturity of a schedule model.
Chapters: 1 -
Intro
2 - Schedule Model principles and concepts
(methods and techniques)
3 - Good Practices Overview
4 - Scheduling Components
ie, a listing of items and their
characteristics: name, required/optional,
calculated/manual, data format, behaviour
description, good practices, associated
component, definition
5 - Conformance Index and Conformance Scoring in
Appx D and E. See more on Schedule
Conformance Scoring
Plus a lengthy Glossary |
This standard is available from:
Mosaic's
book
shop
The PMI Bookshop: www.pmi.org
Amazon: www.amazon.com |
|
|
Guide
to
Good
Practice in the Management of Time in Complex Projects.
Publisher: Wiley Blackwell & CIOB UK
Price: $99.oo (Australia
only)
Without effective time management there can be no
effective resource management, cost management or delay
management. The primary purpose of this Guide
is to set down the standards necessary to facilitate the
effective and competent management of time in complex
projects. It defines the standards by which project schedules
will be prepared, quality controlled, updated, reviewed and
revised in practice and describes the standards of performance
which should reasonably be required of a project scheduler.
The Guide has been
developed as a scheduling reference document capable of wide
application. It is a practical treatise on the processes to be
followed and standards to be achieved in effective management
of time. It can be used in any jurisdiction, under any form of
contract, with any type of project and should be identified as
the required standard for the preparation and updating of
contract programs, progress reporting and time management.
The concepts contained in The
Guide
are implemented by the CIOB Complex
Projects
Contract
2013 (CPC2013); see more
on the contract.
Read the background
to
the
development of The Guide.
|
 |
GAO
Schedule
Assessment Guide: Best Practices for Project Schedules
- GAO-16-89G: Published: 22nd December 2015.
Price: Free
This schedule guide is a companion to the GAO Cost Estimating and
Assessment Guide. The Schedule Assessment
Guide and Cost Guide, together offer a consistent
methodology for developing, managing, and evaluating
capital program cost estimates includes the concept of
scheduling the necessary work to a timeline. Simply
put, schedule variances are usually followed by cost
variances. Because some program costs such as labor,
supervision, rented equipment, and facilities cost
more if the program takes longer, a reliable schedule
can contribute to an understanding of the cost impact
if the program does not finish on time. In addition,
management tends to respond to schedule delays by
adding more resources or authorizing overtime.
Further, a schedule risk analysis allows for program
management to account for the cost effects of schedule
slippage when developing the life-cycle cost estimate.
A cost estimate cannot be considered credible if it
does not account for the cost effects of schedule
slippage.
Download the GAO
Schedule
Assessment Guide from: http://www.gao.gov/products/gao-16-89g
Download the GAO Cost
Estimating and Assessment Guide from: http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-09-3SP
|
| Scheduling Training and
Certifications |
|
- PMI-SPsm
Scheduling
Professional Credential - PMI's credential for
professional schedulers. For more information on the
credential and Mosaic's PMI-SP exam prep course options,
see:PMI-SP
Exam Information & Courses
- CIOB (UK) Project Time
Management Qualifications - withdrawn by
CIOB
- 'How
To' Develop
an Effective Schedule -
These
workshops are designed to build and maintain a positive
stakeholder consensus using the power of pro-active
'dynamic scheduling' to build and foster a strong team
commitment. Based on the PMI Practice
Standard for Scheduling and the CIOB Guide
to
Good Practice in the Management of Time in Complex
Projects, the workshops focuses on effective
schedule planning and control techniques. These courses
are designed for people who already know how to use a
scheduling tool and wish to move their practice to a more
advanced level focused on achieving positive outcomes. The
workshops can also form the initial classroom phase for
both the PMI-SP and CIOB PTMC Blended
exam prep courses.
- The Guild of Project Controls
Scheduling Qualifications - The Guild of Project
Controls have announced the development of a scheduling
certification structure. For updates visit www.TheGuild.net
- AACE Planning and Scheduling
Professional™ (PSP™) – An advanced credential
focused on construction & engineering professionals
with 4 to 8 years experience. See: http://www.aacei.org/cert/whatCertOffers.shtml
- AACE Certified Scheduling
Technician (CST) – An credential to give less
experienced professionals with 0 to 4 years experience the
opportunity to advance their scheduling skills, knowledge,
and professional development. See: http://www.aacei.org/cert/whatCertOffers.shtml
- The
core
attributes of a scheduler are defined in: Core
Scheduling
Paper # 2
- Our thoughts on the value
of scheduling credentials Should
you certify your schedulers? presented at the Construction CPM Conference,
Florida, 2012 - download
the presentation
|
We have
built a new website for Scheduling Certifications - Click
below to
|
| Scheduling
Consultancy
and Support |
|
- Mosaic's
consultants have a wide range of skills, honed over 30 years,
designed to enhance the ability of business to harness the skills
of their staff to, plan and track projects. [ See
more ]
- Mosaic offers
on-site software training and support focusing on the
implementation of practices and procedures to optimise the way the
project management software is used as a tool to assist in
developing effective schedules to plan and control time, resources
and costs. [ See
more ]
- Forensic
schedule
analysis. Mosaic, our associates and consultants have extensive
experience in the preparation, analysis and defending of
contract claims. [ See
more ]
| Schedule
Risk
Assessment & Management |
|
Every
estimate
included is a schedule has a degree of risk (ie, uncertainty that
matters) associated with the estimate. It is impossible to predict the
future with complete certainty - recognising and managing this risk
leads to far better project outcomes than attempting to avoid the risk
through contracts or simply ignoring the issue. For more on managing
risk, visit our PM
Knowledge Index.
Tools
to
help assess schedule risk include:
- Acumen Risk™
- an integrated cost/schedule risk analysis tool combining
true cost and schedule risk analysis against a native
project plan together with identified risk events from a
project risk register. It is the first truly integrated and
easy-to-use cost/schedule risk analysis and risk register
software that helps you effectively account for and
proactively reduce project risk exposure. Acumen Risk’s
Uncertainty Factor is a simple-to-use sliding scale that
project teams can relate to, to develop a
truly integrated means of linking schedule
risk to cost risk so that you can determine the impact of
schedule delays on your project cost estimate. See: http://www.deltek.com/products/ppm/risk/acumen-risk
- Barbecana’s Full
Monte is schedule risk analysis software that
integrates seamlessly with Microsoft Project 2007 through to
2016. Full Monte for Oracle Primavera P6 is a
standalone application working directly against the P6
database, so requires no import or export.
Full Monte utilizes the Monte Carlo simulation method, and
is fast and easy-to-use. Some of the
features include:
- Probability distributions for task durations, resource
cost rates, and calendars.
- Correlations between durations, cost rates.
- Autocorrelation and seasonality in calendars.
- Full results for every task.
- Sophisticated sensitivity analysis.
- User-defined reports.
See: http://barbecana.com/
- JUJU Scan: Because the
plan isnt gonna fix itself! BETA version - P6
and MSP analytics: https://jujuppm.com/
- SCRAM: The
Schedule
Compliance
Risk Assessment Methodology (SCRAM) is an approach
for identifying risks to compliance with the program
schedule, it is the result of a collaborative effort between
Adrian Pitman from the Australian Department of Defence,
Angela Tuffley of RedBay Consulting in Australia, and Betsy
Clark and Brad Clark of Software Metrics Inc. in the United
States.
SCRAM focuses on schedule feasibility and root causes for
slippage. It makes no judgment about whether or not a
project is technically feasible. SCRAM can be used:
- By organisations to construct a schedule
that maximizes the likelihood of schedule compliance.
- To ensure common risks are addressed before
the project schedule is baselined at the commencement of
a project.
- To monitor project status, performed either
ad hoc or to support appropriate milestone reviews
- To evaluate challenged projects, to assess
the likelihood of schedule compliance, root cause of
schedule slippage and recommend remediation of project
issues
For more information and free resources see: https://sites.google.com/site/scramsitenew/hom
|
 |
| Schedule
Quality
& Conformance Scoring |
|
One
of the foundations for successful project management is to start
with the right schedule. The devil is not in the detail.... it is
in the schedule!! Always
check the schedule.
The subjective view of someone in the project team which in
itself is open to inconsistency is
often based on their personal assessment
of
what the ‘right’ schedule looks like and whether a particular
schedule is good enough, there are better options:
The PMI Practice Standard for
Scheduling include a conformance scoring system that
allows schedules to be rated for conformance with accepted good
practice. This version of the Standards allows assessors to assess
whether a schedule uses (ie contains) a component correctly, not
the way it is utilised (ie, its usefulness). To
purchase a copy of the PMI Practice Standard for Scheduling go to
our [ books page ]
The
DCMA 14 Point schedule assessment: see WP1088 (required by the USA
government). More comprehensive guidance on creating and maintaining a
schedule is included in the U.S. Government Accountability Office
(GAO) Schedule Assessment Guide which
supports the scheduling concepts introduced in the Cost Estimating and
Assessment Guide.
Effective
analytical
tools are available to automate the checking process. These tools
reverse engineer schedules created in a range of software tools and
check for errors and inconsistencies. Some of the better
options include:
- Acumen Fuse: A
powerful analytical tool that integrates with most of the
major scheduling tools: http://www.deltek.com/products/ppm/schedule/acumen-fuse
Acumen is a comprehensive analysis and correction tool
that includes:
- Schedule
Quality
Assurance: Set your own metrics and thresholds to use as
a benchmark against future plans or status
updates.
- Performance
Evaluation
& Schedule Acceleration: Identify potential problems
while there is still time for recovery and automatically
generate scenarios to get your project back on track, or
even ahead of schedule!
- Schedule
Comparison
& Forensic Analysis: Fuse can compare an unlimited
number of schedule updates and identify not only the
differences, but the impact of those changes.
- Customization:
Evaluate
schedule, cost, risk, earned value and performance using
a combination of Acumen-specific and industry-standard
metrics, all customizable to meet your project’s
specific needs.
- Project
Reporting:
Quickly generate reports on quality, performance, or
status of the project from Fuse. Even use the API to
automatically publish these reports to 3rd party
applications, the web, or Microsoft Sharepoint.
- Acumen Cloud™: is a
web-based schedule benchmarking utility built directly
into Fuse that gives you the power to compare your Fuse
diagnostics results to other similar projects in terms
of size and/or nature.
- Acumen 360 gives you
the ability to create schedule scenarios that accelerate
time frames and recover delays.
- Acumen Schedule Index™
Calculator: is a free web-based utility that
scores schedule quality and compares it with industry
benchmarks for a more comprehensive level of project
analysis.
|
The
Acumen
Fuse Cloud
|
- Schedule Analyzer: For
Primavera P3 or P6, detailed analysis and expert
recommendations with a wide range of capabilities and
reports for schedule maintenance add the eForensic package
for forensic analysis - http://scheduleanalyzer.com
- Schedule Inspector: Barbecana’s
Schedule
Inspector does 30 different tests on your schedule,
including all 14 points in the Defense Contract Management
Agency's (DCMA's) assessment guide for Microsoft Project
2007 or later schedules, plus many others including:
redundant relationships, out-of-sequence progress,
connectivity index (ratio of relationships to tasks), and
resources or relationships on summary tasks - www.barbecana.com
- SCRAM
-
Schedule Compliance Risk Assessment Methodology: SCRAM
is an approach for identifying risks to compliance with
program schedule, i.e. SCRAM can be used for the
assessment and improvement of schedule risk compliance.
Unlike the options above, SCRAM uses an assessment team to
review all aspects of the schedule's development (people
and process as well as technical conformance) - http://www.scramsite.org
|
Assessing
the
'usefulness' of a schedule is more complex, a good starting
point is for managers to ask the right questions, our article: Testing
Schedule Quality: Why do so many organisations and clients
accept bad schedules? suggests five key questions
to ask.
The
APM Planning SIG’s scheduling maturity model can also help to
providing an objective, consistent method for firstly establishing
what attributes the ‘right’ schedule should have and then for
assessing an individual schedule against this standard. Available
from: https://www.apm.org.uk/books
| Assessing
Schedule
Delay and Disruption |
|
- Mosaic's
published papers focused on assessing delay and disruption to
contracts:
- Forensic
schedule
analysis; we have extensive experience in the preparation,
analysis and defending of contract claims. [ See
more ]
| Planning & Scheduling
Resources |
|
Mosaic's
Published
Papers
- 5-STEPS,
Five
Steps To Ensure Project Success - The ‘5 Steps To Ensure
Project Success’ methodology is a proven process designed to focus
the thinking of the key Stakeholders onto the parameters required to
achieve a successful project outcome. [View
Abstract]
- A
Brief History of Scheduling - The first paper is a brief
history of scheduling from the late 18th century to the present,
including the first 60 years of 'Critical Path' Scheduling; and
arguably the evolution of modern project management. The suggestion
is that the growth of modern project management is a direct
consequence of the need to make effective use of the data generated
by the schedulers in an attempt to manage the 'project' and control
the 'critical path'. The second paper, The
Origins
of Bar Charting
looks at the emerging concepts that allowed bar charts to be
developed in 1760. This paper starts with the Ancient Greeks and
traces the underlying principles through to the 18th century. [View
Abstract]
- Avoiding the 'Tipping Point to
Failure' - A performing organisation can
manage a level of complexity in its projects based on prior
experience, maturity, supporting systems and the capability of the
people managing the work. As long as this ‘complexity
quotient’ is within the management capability of the organisation
and the people it deploys, reasonably predictable outcomes can be
expected and normal risk management practices are likely to be
effective. Change any of these parameters to the point where
the overall tipping point is reached and there is a sudden
breakdown that causes a significant negative change in the likely
project outcomes. Recovery is no longer a simple process of
marginally increasing the resources deployed, what’s needed is a
massive change in the capability of resources. Whilst it is
impossible to predict where a tipping point may occur until after
it has been reached, effective project control systems can provide
early warnings. [View Abstract]
- Beyond
Reporting - The Communication Strategy - Communication
is a science and an art. Communicating effectively with the
project’s important stakeholders, so that their expectations can be
both managed and met, is central to achieving a successful outcome.
Reports are not enough! Communication is a complex two way process
within the overall relationship between the project and the
stakeholder. This paper identifies the key processes involved in
developing and implementing an effective communication strategy. [View Abstract]
- Calculating and Using Float
-
This paper argues that the lack of defined calculations for most of
the float values in a PDM schedule must reduce the overall value of
the schedule model compared to more rigorous approaches but also
recognises that if scheduling is a modelling process designed to
affect the future behaviours of people working on the project other
factors may be more important. [View
Abstract]
- CIOB’s
Contribution
to the Effective Management of Time in Construction Projects
- This paper outlines the major advances in the practice of project
planning and scheduling introduced by the Guide to Good Practice in
the Management of Time in Complex Projects (see more on The Guide)
and gives an up-to-date report on current developments in the
effective management of time being led by CIOB. [View
Abstract]
- Communication in organisations:
making the schedule effective - There is no point
working hard to develop a schedule that is not used! Once the
schedule has been created or updated, it is its role as a
communication medium that can have the most powerful influence
on the successful delivery of a project and the skills
outlined in this presentation become critical to realising the
value embedded in the scheduling tool. [View
Abstract]
- (The) Cost of Time - or who's
duration is it anyway? - Probably the most
common action undertaken by schedulers everywhere is assigning
a duration to a task. This paper outlines the factors
influencing the choice of an optimum duration. Considers the
factors that can cause the duration to be modified during the
planning phase and then outlines some of the likely costs
associated with accelerating the project. [View
Abstract]
- (The) Effective Management of Time in
the 21st century -
This paper overviews a range of ideas to assist in the effective
management of time including:
* The need for effective planning ahead of
scheduling and the different objective of these two processes.
* The concept of ‘schedule density’ and the need
to schedule at an appropriate level of detail based on the
contemporary knowledge available to the project team.
* The need for on-going dynamic scheduling to
manage time.
* The need to contemporaneously assess the impact
of delaying events in real time based on accurate and current
schedules to allow effective mitigation.
* The need for effective training and
credentialling of planners and schedulers.
[View Abstract]
- (The) Effective Management of Time in
Complex Projects - an ICT perspective - The IT
industry’s inability to effectively manage time has been widely
documented, other industries fare no better! In response to this
challenge, the CIOB assembled an international team of project
planning and scheduling experts to develop a Guide
to
Good Practice in the Management of Time in Complex Projects
(the Guide). This paper will identify the key elements within the
Guide that proactively contribute to the successful delivery of
complex projects and offer a way forward to improve time management. [View Abstract]
- (The) Effective Management of Time on
Mega Projects - Why there are so many problems and how to solve
them? - The construction industry’s ability to effectively
manage time is getting worse. In response to this challenge, the
CIOB assembled an international team of project planning and
scheduling experts to develop a Guide
to
Good Practice in the Management of Time in Complex Projects
(the Guide). This paper will identify the key elements within the
Guide that proactively contribute to the successful delivery of mega
projects, relate these ideas to practical examples of their use on
mega-projects and offer a way forward to improve time management. [View Abstract]
- Establish
the project schedule - The
steps
needed to develop and validate an effective project schedule.. [Download
the presentation]
- Estimating
Fallacies - excessive detail does not help -
Estimating costs and durations can be done in great detail, however,
detailed is not synonymous with accurate! This paper sets out a
pragmatic framework for estimating that offers realistic levels of
accuracy to generate sensible expectations for a reasonable
investment of estimating effort. [View
Abstract]
- Float
-
Is It Real? - The existence of a ‘critical path’ and
non-critical activities (with their associated ‘float’) grew out
of the science of ‘scheduling’ as defined by Critical Path
Analysis (CPA) and are barely 50 years old! This paper analyses
the factors creating the ‘critical path’ and ‘float’ within a
schedule and then look at ways of resolving the conflicting views
of float encountered in the literature. Potential solutions
include the UK ‘Delay and Disruption Protocol’, client led
integrated teams and the use of alternative planning methods such
as location based scheduling, trend analysis and earned schedule.
[View Abstract]
- Henry L. Gantt - A Retrospective view
of his work - This
paper
describes the important contributions made by Henry Gantt to
modern management and defines what a 'Gantt Chart' really is. What
the modern worked calls a 'Gantt Charts' pre-dates Gantt by more
than a century. A second paper looks at the potential source of
the misuse of term Gantt Chart. [View
Abstract].
- Improving
Schedule Management - This paper describes the
changing role of scheduling within the complex dynamic environment
of modern projects and programs. PMI’s contributions including the
SEI, standards and credentials are identified. The attributes
needed for an effective schedule and the skills needed by an
effective scheduler are described and linked to the emerging
paradigms of complexity theory. [View
Abstract]
- Managing
for
Success - The power of regular updates - Critical
path scheduling techniques, supported by efficient scheduling
software have long been recognised as a standard component in the
overall project management process. This paper looks at the
interaction between the analytical and psychological processes
involved in schedule development and control systems to identify
ways to deliver major enhancements in the planning / scheduling
process. [View Abstract]
- Practical
project controls – the art of getting to ‘Done’! - Getting
to ‘done’ is the objective of any project, done on time, done on
budget and done to the satisfaction of stakeholders. Most
projects fail to achieve this. This presentation looks at the
reasons for this failure and suggest a practical framework for
successfully getting your projects to ‘done’. [View Abstract]
- Project
Controls in the C21 – What works / What’s fiction - This
paper
takes a controversial look at the relevance of project control
systems and suggests the changes in skills, attitudes and
practices needed to keep scheduling, cost control and EV relevant
in the coming years. Updated to include a presentation to the AIPM
PC-SIG on Trends in Project
Controls [View
Abstract]
- Project
management vs Project scheduling - This
presentation focuses on the differences between successful
schedulers and successful project managers and how together they
can create successful project outcomes. [View
Abstract]
- Resource optimisation - a new
paradigm for project scheduling - A
resource optimisation approach would involve changing the
underlying philosophical approach embedded in CPM from a belief
that the pre-determined duration and sequencing of activities
takes precedence, to one that recognises the real objective of
scheduling is to keep the resources working effectively. This
paper looks at two alternative approaches to achieving this
objective. [View Abstract]
- Scheduling
in
a Defence Environment - The primary purpose of any
schedule should be to help the project manager and project team
optimise the overall strategy for the delivery of the project,
coordinate work flows and assist in the decision making processes
needed to resolve dilemmas and issues on a day-to-day basis. This
paper identifies some of the symptoms of scheduling failure and
then addresses three topics; a discussion of the real purpose and
usefulness of scheduling. the current ‘state of play’ in the
development of scheduling and some emerging trends that may
re-focus scheduling. [View
Abstract]
- Scheduling
Complexity - This
paper
précis the work of the CIOB focused on the management of complex
projects and offer practical suggestions for the improvement of time
management within the Australian context, including the
professionalisation of the scheduling discipline. [View Abstract]
- Scheduling
in
the Age of Complexity - This paper suggests that a
radically different approach is needed to make scheduling relevant
and useful in the 21st Century. Starting with the ideas
derived from Complexity Theory, Complex Responsive Processes of
Relating (CRPR) and the concept of the project team as a
‘Temporary Knowledge Organization (TKO) one can see the delivery
of the project being crafted by thousands of individual decisions
and actions taken by people who are ‘actors’ within the social
network of the project team and its immediate surrounds. The
role of ‘project management’ is to motivate, coordinate and lead
the team towards the common objective of a successful project
outcome. The project scheduler has a key role in this complex
environment provided the right attitudes, skills and scheduling
techniques are used in the optimum way. [View
Abstract]
- Seeing
the Road Ahead - the challenge of communicating schedule data -
The successful delivery of projects requires a broad understanding
of what is required to be achieved, by whom and when. However, one
of the key challenges facing schedulers has been to convert the
rich data contained in their schedules into useful information
that the project team can actually use. This paper outlines
the evolution of the graphical presentation of time related data
from 1765 through to
the current time. [View
Abstract]
- Should
your schedulers be certified? - This paper focuses
on initiatives to revitalise our industry by creating a career
path for planners and schedulers as well as clearly identifying
the benefits of certification for organisations that employ
planners and schedulers.
New initiatives by the CIOB and Planning Planet are designed to
deliver a career framework for professional ‘Time Managers’,
taking people from novice, to a practitioner skilled in the art of
planning and scheduling. [View
Abstract]. See also: The problem with CPM.
- Standardising
Quality
in Project Scheduling - The publication by PMI of
its Practice
Standard for Scheduling in May 2007 followed by the
CIOB Guide
to
Good Practice in the Management of Time in Complex Projects
go a long way towards defining ‘good scheduling practice’and
providing tools that for the first time allows the unambiguous
assessment of the technical competence of any schedule. The
definition of planning and scheduling and the certification of
schedulers has also been the subject of much attention. This paper
provides an overview of the Practice
Standard, The Guide
and the emerging credential framework
for schedulers. [View
Abstract]
- Time
IS
NOT Money - “Time is
not money; with money you can put it on the table and you can
see it, and if you leave it, it may even accumulate - whereas
with time, you can’t see it or touch it. It expires at a regular
and consistent rate whether you use it or not.”
- Read the interview 'Time is NOT money', a conversation with Keith
Pickavance' for some background on Keith's assertion the
21st Century will be 'The Age of Time'. [View
PDF]
- Time management -v- Contract
administration - This
paper
defines the standards by which project schedules should be
prepared, quality controlled, updated, reviewed and revised in
practice to effectively manage time. And then describes the
standards of performance which should reasonably be required of a
project scheduler. [View
Abstract]
- Why
Critical Path Scheduling (CPM) is Wildly Optimistic
- CPM tends towards an optimistic representation of the project’s
completion date. Used appropriately, this can be a performance
motivator. However, prudent management also requires an accurate
prediction of the completion date. This paper will describe how
both processes can be used in combination for the effective
management of time. [View
Abstract]
Scheduling
Resources
Mosaic's
Scheduling
Blogs - Visit blog
Scheduling
White
Papers - PM Knowledge Materials
Planning
&
Scheduling Articles - View
the series
Mosaic's
History
of Project Controls - Visit the Page
Scheduling
Organisations and
Useful
Links
Scheduling Books and Standards
- Preview and
buy CIOB's Guide to Good
Practice in the Management of Time in Complex Projects -
The Guide defines the
standards by which project schedules will be prepared, quality
controlled, updated, reviewed and revised in practice and
describes the standards of performance which should reasonably be
required of a project scheduler. For more information, see: Mosaic's
Book Shop
- Guild
of Project Controls Compendium and Reference (GPCCAR) is
a suite of process-based documents which document what 1000's of
contributors believe constitutes Project Controls. It is an ever
evolving global statement as to what we, the practitioners,
believe constitutes our role as 'project controllers'. Anyone with
an opinion (and justification) is free to propose amendments and
additional references. Sign up for free access at: http://www.planningplanet.com/guild/GPCCAR/
- Preview and
buy PMI's Practice Standard for
Scheduling 2nd Edition - a systematic guide describing
the hallmarks of an effective schedule methodology and providing a
quantifiable means for assessing the maturity of a schedule model.
For more information, see: Mosaic's
Book Shop
- Preview and
buy Murray Woolf's 'Faster
Construction Projects with CPM Scheduling' - Written
by a 30 year scheduling veteran, this book is packed with hundreds
of 'tricks of the trade'. For more information see: Mosaic's
Book Shop
- Other useful
books and references:
- Murray
Woolf's
'CPM Mechanics ' - a comprehensive, coherent, and
practical guide to the raw, underlying mechanics of the Critical
Path Method (CPM): http://www.cpmmechanics.com/
- U.S.
Government Accountability Office (GAO) - Schedule
Assessment
Guide: Best Practices for Developing and Managing Capital
Program Schedules (GAO-12-120G): http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-09-3SP
Scheduling
Software,
Tools and Techniques
- Tools we
know and/or use:
- ACOS
PLUS.1 is a sophisticated MIS and offers a range of
progressive features such as Milestone Trend or Cost Trend
Analysis. Sophisticated layout options allow compressed bar
chart outputs and combined reports. [See
more]
- Deltek Open Plan - Powerful
Project Management software for project planners and schedulers.
[See
more]
- Micro
Planner X-Pert and Manager - Micro Planner has the best
network diagram of any tool we know. [See
more]
- Microsoft
Project - The ubiquitous project management tool found
in every office. [See
more]
- Primavera
provides a range of software for every aspect of project
management including project planning and scheduling, risk
analysis, contract administration. [See
more]
- Primavera Risk (formally Pertmaster) project risk
analyses your project risk in time and/or money. [See
more]
- Synchro 4D Modelling links to Primavera and other
scheduling tools: http://www.synchroltd.com
- Scheduling
Methodologies
- 5-STEPS,
the ‘5 Steps To Ensure Project Success’ methodology is a proven
process designed to focus the thinking of key Stakeholders onto
the parameters required to achieve a successful project outcome.
5-STEPS uses the development of the schedule as a central plank
in its approach to developing an effective project team and
fostering positive stakeholder involvement. [See
more]
- Beeline
Diagramming Method (BDM) Beeline represents the
overlapping relationship between two consecutive tasks by the
shortest straight line (the beeline). BDM connects any point in
the predecessor to any point in the successor - www.mosaicprojects.com.au/PDF/Beeline_Diagramming.pdf
- Chronographic
Model uses the concept of internal divisions and
internal measurement as a function of production - www.mosaicprojects.com.au/PDF/Chronographic_diagramming_method.pdf
- Critical
Chain is a method of planning and managing projects
that puts the main emphasis on the resources required to execute
project tasks - WP1050 Critical Chain
- Earned
Durations (ED) / Count
the Squares (CTS) is a method of assessing schedule
performance based on the comparing the duration of activities
'as-planned' and accomplished. In the 1970s CTS was used
where each day of an activities duration was counted as ‘1’ and
the cumulative planned days was compared to the cumulative
actual days work accomplished. ED modifies this basic process by
adjusting the 'earned duration' for each activity based on the
current expected duration. The fundamental weakness in this
approach is its assumption that one days work on one activity in
a barchart is equivalent to any other day's work on any other
activity, whereas the the resources assigned to one activity in
a may be 1 person per day and another 15 people per day.
- Earned
Schedule (ES) adapts traditional Earned Value data to
provide a reliable prediction of a project's expected completion
date. ES overcomes the limitations in ED/CTS by using the value
of the work accomplished as a reasonable proxy for the resources
being used to accomplish the work. See: http://www.earnedschedule.com/
- Line
of Balance (LOB) is a method of showing the repetitive
work that may exist in a project as a single line on a graph - WP1021 Line of Balance
- Momentology focuses
on
measuring
the momentum of work on the project. Each section of a project
has its momentum as does the overall project - WP1036 Momentology
- Multiple
Activity Charts (or Multi-Activity Charts) are a very
useful tool for understanding the flow of work in a cyclical
process and as a consequence understanding which resource is
controlling the overall progress - WP1025 Multiple Activity Charts
- RD
CPM™, The Relationship Diagramming variation of the
Critical Path Method of schedule analysis developed by Fredric
L. Plotnick - WP1035 Relationship Driven CPM.
- Rolling
Wave Planning is the process of increasing the detail
in a schedule as more information becomes available - WP1060 Rolling Wave Planning
- Schedule
Density, similar to rolling
wave planning but designed for modern software - WP1061 Schedule Density
- Timeboxing,
is used to attempt to complete the defined amount of work in a
fixed period - WP1020 Timeboxing
- Other
interesting scheduling tools:
- Acumen Fuse metrics
analysis & visualization software assessing quality of
schedules, cost forecasts and risk - http://www.projectacumen.com
- AMS
Realtime solution-set with powerful scheduling, earned
value management and other functionality including an excellent
report writing module and multi resource management to
effectively plan and control work, time and resources in real
time at project, program and portfolio level. Distributors for
AMS Realtime in the Asia - Pacific Project Plus Ltd. Or see http://www.amsrealtime.com
- Aurora
intelligent scheduling and Critical Chain software:
- Asta's Project Management
Software:
- BASIS a knowledge driven
systm designed to facilitate expert inpput to help
organisations build better plans in less time. Team Expertise
+ Knowledge Library = Collective Intelligence: https://www.basispm.com/
- IRIS
BASIS' artificially intelligent planning assistant
- CASCAD-e a new time-scaled
precedence diagramming (TSPD) planning tool from CASCAD-e
Systems. Dr. J. Gordon Davis says "Showing
project
status on a time-scaled precedence diagram (TSPD) is a very
unforgiving process. Behind-schedule activities and
out-of-sequence work stand out like a sore thumb. But
the recovery opportunities are also apparent." CASCAD-e
imports
data
from most standard scheduling applications. For more
information see http://www.cascad-e.net
- Critical Tools: The
tools can be used by themselves or as an add-on to Microsoft
Project. For more information see http://www.criticaltools.com
WBS Chart Pro
- plan and display your projects using a Work Breakdown
Structure (WBS) Chart.
PERT Chart Expert, plan and display
your projects using a Precedence Diagram
- FreeCPM: a fully
functional and robust CPM scheduling application for the
Construction Industry - http://freecpm.com/
- Full Monte: Full Monte is a
cost and schedule risk analysis tool supplied as an add-in for
Microsoft Project 2007 or 2010 - www.barbecana.com
- Gantter.com: Is a free
simple web based tool for drawing bar charts - http://www.gantter.com/
- GanttProject:
Is a
free tool for drawing bar charts, flexible open source application
- http://www.ganttproject.biz/
- Grapple:
Assign and monitor project and task progress in one easy-to-use
application - http://www.grapple.co/
- jxProject:
a free scheduling tool with resource optimisation and durations
down to minutes - http://www.jxproject.com/
- LBMS:
Location-based management Solutions (see also Vico below).
Location based construction scheduling (LoB) for construction
projects - http://www.lbms.com.au/
- LinearPlus:
Entry-level time chainage diagrams for linear projects (eg
railways & pipelines) - http://www.pcfltd.co.uk/
- Merlin
2: Project management software for Mac OS X. - http://www.projectwizards.net/en/merlin/
- NetPoint™ PMA’s
intuitive Graphical Planning Method™ (GPM) application that
provides an activity network-based process for simplified and
collaborative planning and scheduling to give clarity to all
stakeholders by creating an effective communication tool: http://pmatechnologies.com/
- OnePMO Project planning
and scheduling software for Mac & Windows OS. The focus is
on multi-project resource levelling for PMOs in small/medium
sized organisations and programs. See
http://www.onepmo.com
- OpenProj™ is a free, open
source desktop alternative to Microsoft Project - new name is
ProjectLibre (see below). See http://www.projectlibre.org/
- Open Workbench: An
open source scheduling tool similar to OpenProj - download
- OnePager Pro & Express Build
PowerPoint-ready project presentations from Microsoft Project
or Excel. See: https://www.onepager.com/
- Phoenix
Project Manager, Simple and feature rich critical
path method (CPM) scheduling system with high quality graphics and
network diagrams - http://www.phoenixcpm.com
- PlanningForce,
Free resource planning software and management tool - http://www.planningforce-express.com/
- pmBLOX: Resource and project
optimisation. The underlying engine is based on the system
dynamics simulation methodology: http://www.pmblox.com
- Project Commander - easy
to use, low cost, intuitive product with it's extensive use of
the mouse and WYSIWYG screens. See www.pmscsolutions.co.uk
- PROJECT in a box - y
free and professional project planning tool anyone can use.
See www.projectinabox.org.uk/planner/
- ProjectLibre - the open
source replacement of Microsoft Project. New and updated
version of OpenProj with hundreds of updates/bug fixes. See http://www.projectlibre.org/
- Project Plan - easy to
use, low cost scheduling tool focused on tasks, resources and
links. See http://www.projectplan.com
- RPM - Relationship
Driven Critical Path Method of planning and schedule analysis
(based on a melding of ADM and PDM ideas) - http://www.fplotnick.com/RDCPM.htm
- Safran Project -
Scheduling, risk analysis, cost management and a separate
reporting system in a single desktop client - www.safran.com
- Spider - Integrated
schedule, cost and resource management - http://www.spiderproject.ru
- Synchro 4D Modelling: 4D
modelling, integrates with Primavera, MSP and other scheduling
tools (or stand alone) - http://www.synchroltd.com
- Turbo Chart:
Generates Time location charts using your existing
schedule by simply adding location and display coding to your
Oracle Primavera P6 database - http://www.turbo-chart.com/
- Vico Software: An integrated
Line-of-Balance, or Flowline-based system designed for
construction projects - http://www.vicosoftware.com/
- Week Plan:
Priority Planner for Effective People https://weekplan.net/
- More tools
to be added........
PMI Credentials