If you are a project manager, you have likely heard of the Develop Schedule process. In this article, you will read about how to conduct the detailed schedule process. We will give real-life examples to help support your understanding of the Develop Schedule process. You will likely see this topic appear on the PMP exam if you are enrolled to get your certification. First, we will start with the main objective of this process and how it applies to you as a project manager.
Develop Schedule features:
- Process of analyzing activity sequences, durations, resource requirements, and schedule constraints to create the project schedule model
- Generates a schedule model with plan dates for completing project activities
- Estimates our time based, E.G activity a will take three days
- Schedule is calendar-based, for example: an activity will be performed by Jane between February 13-15
What is The Goal of This Process?
In the Develop Schedule process, project managers will explore resource needs, team ability, and other aspects important to the schedule process. Each of these steps works towards completing the project schedule. This schedule will include the timeline of each project, how each activity coordinates with one another, the resource of each activity, and the total time it will take to complete the project.
The Deliverables
Once you have completed the Develop Schedule process, you will have a finalized model with each activity planned to a T. Once you have organized activities in a specific sequence that makes sense for your team, you can explore the relationship between activities. Then, the planned start and completion dates of the project will be finalized and communicated within the project schedule.
In the project schedule, you will find that the estimates will be based on completion time. For example, if you are working on an app development project, task completion goals will appear as:
- Completion of the database is three days
- Back-end work on the user experience is four days off
- Front-end work on the sign-out page is one day
Remember, The use of similar units must be included in the entire schedule plan. For example, every activity must be met with estimated hours, days, or minutes.
Your project schedule should be calendar-based so that activities are organized by start and end date. For example, activity a will start on June 10th and will end on June 12th. Both the activity’s start and end dates need to be clearly stated on the schedule for all project team members to view.
Inputs Needed to Complete The Process
In order to develop a schedule following are needed:
- Project scope statement
- Activity list
- Network diagram
- Activity duration estimate
- Activity resource requirements
- Resource calendars
- A company calendar, such as working and non-working days
How to Implement This Process
In order to complete your Develop Schedule process, follow these implication steps:
- Complete a project scope statement, this should be the very first thing you do when starting a new project! This is because the project’s main focus revolves around the project scope. Timeline, budget, and quality are all identified in the project scope. So, the scope statement play is an integral part of outlining how the project will go for your team.
- Then, you must complete an activity list. The activity list will include each stuff that needs to be performed in order to complete a work package. This helps to contribute to the overall project scope. The project schedule includes an organized outline of each activity, so every step is important to the success of the team.
- Now it is time to create a network diagram. Network diagrams show how each activity flows into the next. So, when deciding how each activity will be related, it is important to have your network diagram so that you can communicate effectively.
- You will also need to define the duration each activity will have. It is important to provide time estimates to your project team, as well as key stakeholders and investors. Once each activity is posted on the project schedule, certain mandates must be defined. This will help you as a project manager make sure that your team is on track.
- Some activities may require external resources. This also needs to be shown, so that the project team member is aware prior to beginning the activity.
- Resource calendars are another critical part of this process. Your resource calendar will display the availability of a project resource for all to see. This is a great way to show if a resource is available or not and if it is working properly. Resource calendars are critical for project teams to ensure they have what it takes to complete the project.
- Finally, a company calendar must be created. This will show what day operations are open versus closed. You can also show any special dates, such as conference days, luncheons, or birthdays, to help improve employee morale. Company calendars must be consulted as you work to complete your project schedule.
When Should I Begin The Develop Schedule Process?
There is no one perfect time to complete your Develop Schedule process. It is important to remember that the schedule will likely be updated multiple times throughout the project process. For example, you will need to make change requests based on the current working environment, and availability of resources. Project manager should always be ready to make changes quickly! For example, you may run into a situation where activities take longer than expected to complete. It is important to communicate the setbacks with the entire team so that they are aware of the current project status.
Keep in mind that change requests must be built into your project schedule. Your project duration may change as production is underway, which is why effective communication is so important.
What Happens Next?
After your schedule is complete, you will begin focusing on the network analysis.
- Develop Schedule is intuitive and can occur many times during a project.
- once the schedule is complete, schedule network analysis can begin and may take one of the following forms:
- Critical path
- Schedule compression
- What if scenario analysis
- Resource leveling
- Critical change method
Real-World Example
Next, we will explore the Billing System to give you a better understanding of the develop schedule process. Let’s pretend that there are three different assignments under the invoicing screen work package. Once the Develop Schedule process has completed, you will have a better understanding of how the project activities flow between one another.
In this example, the flow will be as follows. First, the analysis of the invoice green will begin on the 1st of June. A week after this invoice has begun, the design of the screen will start on the 5th of June. It is important to remember that there are x amount of days between the two activities, but you may need to leave more in case a change request occurs.
Especially in tech projects, it is important to understand the start-to-finish developmental design. Once all tasks are completed, it is important to test the product. The test should start after the development is finished, but this might not always be possible! Typically, project teams test the product at about 80% completion. This is done to help shorten the length of the project and meet required deadlines.
We hope this article helped you better understand the Develop Schedule process, and allowed you to explore the objectives, inputs, and outputs respectively.
Understanding the information in this article is an essential part of project management and a vital part of the PMP exam. Improve your project management skills or prepare for the PMP Certification exam by taking a quality online PMP exam prep course.