Driving without knowing the route is the same as working on a project without a schedule. The schedule is the key aspect of any project taken up by the organization. It assists project managers in knowing when an activity should be completed, what has already been accomplished, and the sequence in which activities should be performed.
What Is Develop Schedule Process?
Develop Schedule in project management is the process of creating the project schedule model by analyzing activity sequences, durations, resource requirements, and schedule constraints. The results of the previous processes are grouped to form the project’s final schedule during the develop schedule process. It comprises the start and end dates of each project activity, the relationship of activities, the resources required for each activity, and the project’s total duration.
Inputs Of Develop Schedule Process
Schedule management plan
Schedule Management Plan outlines policies and processes for developing, managing, executing, and controlling the project schedule.
Activity list
The activity list is a document that contains all the scheduled project activities. It includes the activity identification as well as a full scope of work description for each activity, helping project team members to understand what work has to be done.
Activity attributes
Activity attributes provide information such as the activity description, activity dependencies, and activity constraints.
Network diagram
A network diagram is used to develop and document the sequence of activities. It illustrates the logical relationships between project activities in a visual manner.
Activity resource requirements
The different types of resources required for various activities in the project are described as activity resource requirements. It includes the quantity, cost, equipment, and resources required to perform each activity in the project.
Resource calendars
Resource calendars show the availability of team members and resources, as well as the amount of time they have to work to complete a task. It helps in planning and managing resources more effectively and efficiently.
Enterprise environmental factors
Enterprise environmental factors are variables that originate within or outside of the organization and have an influence on the project in both positive and negative ways. Few examples include industry standards, legal restrictions, finance, market conditions, political conditions, and resources.
Organizational process assets
Organizational process assets are assets that an organization acquires and uses to manage a project. Examples: guidelines, templates, historical information, lessons learned, and previous project files.
Project scope statement
A project scope statement provides a detailed description of all project scope aspects, as well as assumptions, project requirements, and acceptance criteria for completing the project on schedule and within budget.
Tools And Techniques Used In Develop Schedule Process
Project schedule network analysis
Project schedule network analysis is a technique for identifying critical paths and listing project activities. It is a graphical representation of various project tasks and their relationships in the project management plan.
Critical path method
The critical path method is a technique for identifying and scheduling tasks that are required to complete a project on time.
Resource optimization
Resource optimization is a technique used to make adjustments in the implementation and completion dates of the projects, modify the organized resource used, and resource availability.
What-if scenario analysis
What-if scenario analysis is a method that analyses various situations in order to forecast their positive and negative consequences on project objectives.
Leads and Lags
Lead is the total time that a successor activity can progress with respect to a predecessor activity. Whereas, lag is the amount of time that a successor action is required to postpone a predecessor activity.
Schedule compression
Schedule compression is a technique that shortens the project schedule without changing the project scope, schedule, and objectives.
Project management information system
Project management information systems are tools and techniques for gathering, integrating, and communicating project management process outputs. It aids in the planning, executing, and completing the project.
Agile release planning
Agile release planning is a method for planning incremental product releases. It prioritizes previous iteration input and defines the scope, timeline, and resources for each release.
Outputs Of Develop Schedule Process
Schedule baseline
A schedule baseline is a planned and approved timetable projection for a project. It is used to assess and monitor the progress of a project.
Project documents updates
Project document updates describe that some processes require updates in project documents such as activity attributes, risk register, assumption log, duration estimate, lesson learned, and resource requirement.
Project schedule
A project schedule is a timetable that organizes activities, resources, and due dates in order to ensure that a project is completed on time.
Project management plan update
A project management plan update is a document that reflects any changes in elements of the plan such as cost, schedule, and scope of the project.
Project calendar
The project calendar is a calendar that specifies working and nonworking days, shifts, deadlines, and individuals responsible for scheduled activities.
Schedule data
The schedule data is a collection of information for managing and controlling the project schedule. It lists project activities, deliverables, and milestones.
Conclusion
PMP Exam content outline has changed and candidates should use the PMBOK 7th edition as reference material. The sixth edition of PMBOK covered the project management knowledge areas as well as five comprehensive domains of project lifecycle. These domains originally outlined the methods that project managers must follow to successfully complete the project.
On the contrary, PMBOK 7 covers performance domains and delivery principles. These domains are more concerned with overall performance and value delivery principles. Under this edition, schedule is included under the planning performance domain to be showcased as a model for executing project activities. The durations, dependencies, and other planning activities are all covered under the Schedule section of the Planning domain. This highlights the fact that PMBOK Guide is constantly evolving to adopt the latest practices being followed in project management.
