Schedule Development: Inputs Schedule Development

6.5.3 Schedule Development: Outputs

.1 Project Schedule The project schedule includes at least a planned start date and planned finish date for each schedule activity. If resource planning is done at an early stage, then the project schedule would remain preliminary until resource assignments have been confirmed, and scheduled start dates and finish dates are established. This process usually happens no later than completion of the project management plan Section 4.3. A project target schedule may also be developed with defined target start dates and target finish dates for each schedule activity. The project schedule can be presented in summary form, sometimes referred to as the master schedule or milestone schedule, or presented in detail. Although a project schedule can be presented in tabular form, it is more often presented graphically, using one or more of the following formats: 6 • Project schedule network diagrams. These diagrams, with activity date information, usually show both the project network logic and the project’s critical path schedule activities. These diagrams can be presented in the activity-on-node diagram format, as shown in Figure 6-5, or presented in a time-scaled schedule network diagram format that is sometimes called a logic bar chart, as shown for the detailed schedule in Figure 6-10. This example also shows how each work package is planned as a series of related schedule activities. • Bar charts. These charts, with bars representing activities, show activity start and end dates, as well as expected durations. Bar charts are relatively easy to read, and are frequently used in management presentations. For control and management communication, the broader, more comprehensive summary activity, sometimes referred to as a hammock activity, is used between milestones or across multiple interdependent work packages, and is displayed in bar chart reports. An example is the summary schedule portion of Figure 6- 10 that is presented in a WBS structured format. • Milestone charts. These charts are similar to bar charts, but only identify the scheduled start or completion of major deliverables and key external interfaces. An example is the milestone schedule portion of Figure 6-10. A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge PMBOK ® Guide Third Edition 2004 Project Management Institute, Four Campus Boulevard, Newtown Square, PA 19073-3299 USA 149 Figure 6-10. Project Schedule – Graphic Examples A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge PMBOK ® Guide Third Edition 150 2004 Project Management Institute, Four Campus Boulevard, Newtown Square, PA 19073-3299 USA Figure 6-10 shows the schedule for a sample project being executed, with the work in progress reported through the data date, which is sometimes also called the as-of date or time now date. The figure shows the actual start date, actual duration, and actual finish date for completed schedule activities, the actual start date, remaining duration, and current finish date for schedule activities with work in progress, and the current start date, original duration, and current finish date for schedule activities where work has not yet started. For a simple project schedule, Figure 6-10 gives a graphic display of a Milestone Schedule, a Summary Schedule, and a Detailed Schedule. Figure 6-10 also visually shows the relationships among the three different levels of schedule presentation. .2 Schedule Model Data 6 Supporting data for the project schedule includes at least the schedule milestones, schedule activities, activity attributes and documentation of all identified assumptions and constraints. The amount of additional data varies by application area. Information frequently supplied as supporting detail includes, but is not limited to: • Resource requirements by time period, often in the form of a resource histogram • Alternative schedules, such as best-case or worst-case, not resource leveled, resource leveled, with or without imposed dates • Schedule contingency reserves. For example, on an electronics design project, the schedule model data might include such items as human resource histograms, cash-flow projections, and order and delivery schedules. .3 Schedule Baseline A schedule baseline is a specific version of the project schedule developed from the schedule network analysis of the schedule model. It is accepted and approved by the project management team as the schedule baseline with baseline start dates and baseline finish dates. .4 Resource Requirements Updates Resource leveling can have a significant effect on preliminary estimates of the types and quantities of resources required. If the resource-leveling analysis changes the project resource requirements, then the resource requirements are updated. .5 Activity Attributes Updates The activity attributes Section 6.2.3.3 are updated to include any revised resource requirements and any other related approved changes Section 4.4.1.4 generated by the Schedule Development process. A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge PMBOK ® Guide Third Edition 2004 Project Management Institute, Four Campus Boulevard, Newtown Square, PA 19073-3299 USA 151