Project Management: Fine-Tuning Your Schedule

Do you have a staff member sitting idly in the midst of the other busy ones? If so, your project schedule might need fine-tuning. One of the most common problems that project managers weep about is 'unrealistic timelines', a common consequence of clients having set their expectations too high. Ironically, there are times in a project when a staff member is waiting for a colleague to finish so he can start his own task. Does the project manager shout foul and blame other people? Chances are, the project schedule needs a second look.

The basic foundation of managing a project is creating an efficient and realistic project schedule. During project planning, the project manager is given the chance to give it some fine-tuning. Given that most projects do not have the luxury of time, the project manager's objective is to create the shortest schedule possible without sacrificing its scope and quality.

The Critical Path

If you want to deliver on time, or shorten the project duration, focus your attention on the critical path. When the path is shortened, the project is finished early. When the critical path is maintained, the project is finished on time. When the critical path is extended, the project is delayed. It cannot be overemphasised here that if there are any tasks in the schedule that a manager should pay close attention to, it is always those in the critical path.

It is quite funny to note that some managers simply stretch the bars in the Gantt chart so that all tasks finish in parallel; doing so simply clouds the entire project schedule. Doing the right things and doing them right are two important ingredients to successful project planning. Here are some right things to do:

1. Estimate the tasks individually. Make a list of tasks first. Do not group them directly into the Gantt chart, because doing so may influence the estimates and the timeline.
2. Identify the task dependencies. Some tasks cannot start until prior tasks are finished. Obviously, you can't install a roof over a house with no walls.
3. Create your Gantt chart. Make sure you use the original estimates and adjust the task based on dependencies. Don't try to schedule putting on the roof and building walls in parallel.
4. Identify your critical path(s). Find the longest path of tasks in the Gantt chart. Take note that you may have more than one critical path in your schedule; and not all tasks are part of the critical path.

Slack Time

Slack time, as the name implies, is the time when one can relax, delay a task but still finish the project on time. Managers tend to remove it from the schedule to impress their bosses or clients. While this may look good on the surface, there are consequences when it is not done properly. For starters, accept the fact that slack times are a normal phenomenon in project schedules. The role of a manager is to identify and minimise them. Once there is acceptance, start thinking of ways to reduce slack times and improve productivity.

Crashing

Crashing is the process of shortening delivery time. It is used when stakeholders ask for a faster delivery without reducing the scope of work. For one, do not crash tasks that are strictly interdependent on one another, such as applying a second coat of paint. Note that crashing works only on tasks in the critical path because reducing time on non-critical tasks will not affect the project delivery time.

You can put two people to work in parallel and have the task completed in half the time. Or you can assign a more productive resource who can finish the work earlier. In any case, make sure you assess the risks. Also, make sure you are not over-assigning critical tasks to your best team member. It is mindless to assume that your best resource can work 16 hours a day for three weeks.