sceduling basics

National E-Health Transition Authority

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1

Module V – Creating Project Schedules

Adam Turner

Basic Project Scheduling

2 National E-Health Transition Authority

www.nehta.gov.au

• Put Mobiles to Silent (actually I would prefer them off)

• Keep strictly to break times

• Only one conversation at a time

• Parking lot – if a conversation continues for too long anyone within the session can call

“time out” in which event the conversation must finish in less then 2 minuets. If it cannot

finish in this timeframe then it will be recorded and addressed out side this training

session

Before We Start – ground rules


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Who is the presenter ?

• Photo right -I’m the one in the red shirt!

• Join NEHTA April 2014

• Worked in telecommunications, utilities, and IT Services

industries in PMO environments since 2003 (Optus,

Fujitsu, Country Energy)

• Specialist skills in project scheduling, project controls

and training delivery .

• Cert IV in training & work place assessment

• Project Management Professional (PMP)


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Training Outline

# Topic ETA

1 Quick Overview (The importance of proper scheduling…)

2 Key Terms

3 How to build a Schedule (Process)

4 WBS – Work Breakdown Structure 5 MSP Basic Navigation 6 Setting project start/finish 7 Enter tasks 8 Task duration 9 Assignment 10 Baseline 11 Tracking progress 12 Reports (is we got time)


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Overview

• Understand what you can realistically

achieve with your time.

• Plan to make the best use of the time

available.

• Leave enough time for things you

absolutely must do.

• Preserve contingency time to handle

'the unexpected'.

• Minimise stress by avoiding over-

commitment to yourself and others

• Make accurate predictions of the future

work plan

The importance of proper scheduling…


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Key terms

1. Critical path:

2. Duration:

3. Gantt Chart:

4. Linking Tasks:

5. Network Diagram:

6. Percent Complete:

7. Predecessor Task:

8. Remaining Duration:

9. Resource allocation:

10. Resource assignment:

11. Slack:

12. Successor task :

13. Summary task:

14. Task dependencies:

15. WBS:


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WBS

• What is the logical grouping of work to be performed?

Activities & Tasks

• What are the activities?

• What are the tasks?

• What level of detail is appropriate?

• Are there deadlines?

Sequencing

• Is there logical or sequential constraints ?

• Are there deadlines?

Baseline

• Does this represent a realistic schedule of work

Track Progress

• What was the actual duration/work of specific tasks

• How does current progress affect the end date of key deliverables

How to go about building a schedule


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Exercise

1-10 A-J I-X

1 A I

2 B II

3 C III

4 D IV

5 E V

6 F VI

7 G VII

8 H VIII

9 I IX

10 J X

Finish Finish Finish


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WBS – Work Breakdown Structure

A Work Breakdown Structure is the logical grouping of activities,

tasks, deliverables and millstones that provides the basis on

which a task list and a schedule can be constructed.


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Link tasks (Sequencing)

FS: Finish to Start

SS: Start to Start

FF: Finish to Finish


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Basic Navigation


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Exercise - Setting Project’s Start or

Finish Date

Use the project information dialogue box to specify the Project Start date and ensure the

project gets schedule from the start date. Let's imagine today is 1 Jan 2015 and you're

planning this project for February so you want all tasks by default to start on 1 Feb 2015.

1. On the Project menu, click Project Information.

2. Do one of the following:

1. To schedule from the start date (Forward Pass), click Project Start Date in the

Schedule from list.

2. (Advanced usage)To schedule from the finish date (Backward Pass), click

Project Finish Date in the Schedule from list.

3. In the Start date or Finish date box, enter the date that you want to schedule from.


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Exercise/Demo - Enter Projects Tasks

Enter a task that occurs once

1. On the View menu, click Gantt Chart.

2. In the Task Name field, type a task name at the

end of the task list

3. Press enter.

Enter a recurring task


2. In the Task Name field, select the row below

where you want the recurring task to appear.

3. On the Insert menu, click Recurring Task.

4. In the Task Name box, type the task name.

5. .In the Duration box, type or select the duration

of a single occurrence of the task.

6. Under Recurrence pattern, click Daily, Weekly,

Monthly, or Yearly.

7. Specify the task frequency and select the

check box next to the day of the week that the

task should occur.

8. Under Range of recurrence, type a start date in

the Start box, and then click End after or End

by.

Single Events and recurring tasks


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Create WBS

After you enter tasks in the task list, organize and add structure to your project by applying

outlining, which you can use to hide or show tasks, or show the relationship between tasks.

Keep the following in mind when you create an outline:


2. In the Task Name field, click the task you want to indent (move to a lower level in the

hierarchy) or outdent (move to a higher level in the hierarchy).

3. Click Indent Button image to indent the task.


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Task Duration

Work

• Is a measurement of effort

• Is normally expressed in Hours

• Normally the amount of work will remain

the same if more resources are added

Duration

• Is a measurement of time

• Is normally expressed in Days, weeks,

or months

• If task is effort driven the duration can

be reduced by increasing resources

Difference between planned work & planned duration


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Resource Tasks – Assignments

Assignments are the associations between specific tasks and the resources

needed to complete them. More than one resource can be assigned to a task.

Both work resources and material resources can be assigned to tasks.

Assign resources to tasks in your project to indicate who or what is needed to

complete the tasks in your schedule. Once assignments are made, the tasks are

scheduled according to resource calendars and assignment units, which provides

for more accurate scheduling.

What are assignments?


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Specifically, assign resources to tasks in your project when your goal is to:

• Track the amount of work done by people and equipment, or the amount of material

used, in the completion of tasks.

• Ensure high accountability and understanding of the project. When responsibilities are

clear, there is less risk that tasks will be overlooked.

• Be more accurate in scheduling how long tasks will take and when they are likely to be

completed. Monitor resources with too little or too much work assigned.

• Account for resource time and costs.

Why should I assign resources to tasks?


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Selecting the resource from (or adding the resource to) the resource list, and entering the assignment

units. For work resources, the default value for assignment units is the same as the maximum units

value. A units value of 100% indicates that the resource is assigned full time on the task, based on the

available working time specified in the resource calendar.

How do I do it in MS Project


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Baseline

Baseline is a snapshot of start/ finish,

duration and effort.

Is used to understand variance from

planned vs actual progress


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Tracking progress

1. Enter in actual start date

2. Enter the actual effort or duration to

present (be consistent throughout the

schedule use either effort or duration)

3. Enter the anticipated remaining effort or

duration

4. At the project level enter in a status as

of date (usually the date of your update

or last reporting cycle)

5. Reschedule uncompleted/non started

work to start after the status as of date.

What is the best way to track progress


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Tips

1. Verify that most tasks have predecessors

and successors

2. Do not manually enter task start or finish

dates

3. Minimise the use of task constraints

4. Use the notes field

5. Standardise your formatting

6. Standardise your task naming

7. Ensue tasks names are not too short and

not too long

8. Do not assign resources to milestones or

summary rows

9. Do not link summary rows

10. Do not duplicate task names

11. Do not add blank task lines to your

schedule

12. Do not manually type names into

'Resource Names' column

13. Avoid use special characters anywhere

in the schedule


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Are you asleep yet?

Clips on YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSS1tu1yQ-Q

sceduling basics

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