Project Management Scheduling
In project management scheduling practices, one of the important traits is to consider the trait known as Parkinson’s Law, which states that work expands to fill the time available (Budd & Budd, 2009). In other words, while one project can have multitude of stages requiring thorough planning, the other project could be less complicated in similar terms, but unless being projected against available resources, could still consume significant time to accomplish.
Avoiding this could be reached through appropriate scheduling, which is broadly considered as a core procedure within project planning (Applied Software Project Management, n.d.). It is suggested that the following functions and elements should be considered while developing an effective project schedule that translates actions to measurable results. First, the appropriate identification of resources required to complete the task is needed. Under resources, it is important to identify not simply key responsible project executives, but technical resources, location or other equipment required within a defined project scope. Second, project schedule should consider dependencies among tasks to avoid double work or overlapping of dependant activities. A good practice in this step is to identify the role of “task-predecessor”, or the combination of start to finish relationships among two different tasks (Applied Software Project Management, n.d.). Third, it is important to consider project schedule visualization, or the tool which is needed to demonstrate two previous stages. Gantt charts are the most typical forms of schedule’s visual representation, but other tools like PERT diagrams could be considered for additional task communication.
Finally, it is important that tasks under the project schedule are aligned with organizational needs and capabilities. This could be achieved through intermediate reviews involving other department representatives, and reporting milestones which would help to get required feedback from other functions within an organization.
References
Applied Software Project Management (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.safaribooksonline.com/library/view/applied-software-project/0596009488/ch04.html
Budd, C.I., & Budd, C.S. (2009). A Practical Guide to Earned Value Project Management. Management Concepts, …
