We are continuing our column on the different approaches that will help you improve your project management practices. Today, we are going to focus on project scheduling one of the most important important steps in project management.
This step-by-step guide will help any project manager and their teams successfully deliver all of their projects.
What Is A Project Schedule?
The project schedule is the "Who" "What" & "When" part of the project. It describes the project’s deliverables, their deadlines and most importantly the resources that will carry out each activity.
The project schedule includes every single detail of the project, such as who will be completing each task, the deliverables that will be produced, the goals and objectives the project will achieve, the estimated budget and costs of the project and the amount of time it will take to complete the project.
More specifically a project schedule includes:
- Project deliverables
- Tasks required to complete the deliverables
- Dependencies between tasks
- Resources required to complete each task
- Task durations and project deadline
- Budget of the project
- Planned time for each resource
Why use a project schedule?
Project schedules are used throughout the project management lifecycle. Project managers greatly rely on project scheduling to prevent pitfalls.
A project schedule is an effective tool that helps project managers efficiently communicate and collaborate with their teams and stakeholders. Projects managers should use it to ensure the project remains on track.
Using a project schedule is important to everyone involved in the execution of the project. It helps project managers monitor every aspect of the project and track its progress. If any delays or changes occur, the project manager will be able to react accordingly without it impacting the project's delivery. Moreover, your team members will have a better understanding of what is expected of them.
An effective schedule will help you manage two of the biggest factors that impact a project's budget and success: time and resources. Efficient project scheduling helps project managers properly estimate and monitor costs.
It also allows you to determine your team's capacity to help you identify who the right person is for each task.
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