Chapter 7 Schedule Control 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Learning Objectives Perform the steps in the project control process Determine the effects of actual schedule performance on the project schedule Incorporate project changes into the schedule Calculate an updated project schedule Control the project schedule 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

Real World Example Vignette: Mars Pathfinder Motto: Better, faster, cheaper Three year development cycle with a $150 million cost cap, managed by Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Critical 30 day launch window occurs only every 26 months. Project completed on-time and under-budget. 2.5 gigabytes of data; nearly 17,000 camera images; and 8.5 million individual temperature, pressure, and wind measurements were recorded. 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

Real World Example Vignette: Pinnacol Assurance – A Denver-based Medical Insurance Provider Current system was a disaster with huge backlogs and daily overpayments of more than $5,000. A new project was started with a six month time frame and a development staff of two dozen. No project management principles were applied and the project spiraled out of control. Twelve months later nothing had been delivered and jobs were on the line. A project re-start was initiated with clear objectives and controls. This time the deadline never budged! 4 5 5 4 5 4 4 4 4 4

Project Control Process The key to effective project control is to measure actual progress and compare it to planned progress on a timely and regular basis and to take necessary corrective action immediately. Establish a regular reporting period. During each reporting period, collect: data on actual performance information on any changes to project scope, schedule and budget. If changes are incorporated, a new plan must be established. 5 7 7 5 7 5 5 5 5 5

Effects of Actual Schedule Performance Actual finish times (AFT) of completed activities will determine the earliest start and earliest finish times for the remaining activities. 6 8 8 6 8 6 6 6 6 6

Incorporating Project Changes into the Schedule Changes might be initiated by the customer or the project team, or they might be the result of an unanticipated occurrence. The degree of impact may depend on when the changes are requested. When the customer requests a change, additional costs might need to be charged. 7 10 10 7 10 7 7 7 7 7

Updating the Project Schedule An updated project schedule can be calculated based on actual finish times of completed activities 8

Approaches to Schedule Control Four Steps Analyze the schedule Decide what corrective actions should be taken, if any Revise the plan Recalculate the schedule 9 11 11 8 11 8 9 8 8 8

Approaches to Schedule Control (Cont.) A change in the estimated duration of any activity will cause a corresponding change in the slack for that path. When a path of activities has negative slack, focus on: Activities that are near term. Activities that have long estimated durations. 10 14 14 9 14 9 10 9 9 9

Reducing the Estimated Durations Apply more resources. Assign a person with greater expertise to perform or help with the activity. Reduce the scope or requirements for an activity. Totally eliminate some activities. Increase productivity through improved methods or technology. 11

Approaches to Schedule Control (Cont.) Reducing durations of activities usually results in an increase in costs or a reduction in scope. The key is to effectively address paths with negative or deteriorating slack values as soon as they are identified. 12

Schedule Control for Information Systems Development Common necessary changes during IS development projects: Changes to input screens Changes to reports Changes to on-line queries Changes to database structures Changes to software processing routines Changes to processing speeds 13 16 16 10 16 10 13 10 10 10

Project Management Software The software allows you to perform various control functions. The percent complete for each task can be entered. Changes to the duration estimates can be entered. The software will automatically revise the project schedule and the corresponding network diagrams. 14 17 17 11 17 11 14 11 11 11