Scheduling Techniques

Scheduling Techniques in project management are methodologies used to develop and maintain the project schedule, determining when activities start, their duration, and completion times. 1. Critical Path Method (CPM): Identifies the longest sequence of activities that must be completed on time for the project to meet its deadline. Activities on this path have zero float. 2. Critical Chain Method (CCM): Focuses on resource constraints rather than just task dependencies. It adds buffers at strategic points to protect the project schedule from delays. 3. Resource Optimization: Includes resource leveling (adjusting start and finish dates based on resource constraints) and resource smoothing (adjusting activities to balance resource usage while maintaining the critical path). 4. Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT): Uses a weighted average of optimistic, most likely, and pessimistic time estimates to calculate expected activity durations in uncertain environments. 5. Rolling Wave Planning: Elaborates near-term work in detail while keeping future work at a higher level until more information becomes available. 6. Fast Tracking: Performing activities in parallel that would normally be done in sequence to compress the schedule. 7. Crashing: Adding resources to critical path activities to reduce duration, often increasing costs. 8. Schedule Compression: Techniques to shorten schedule duration while maintaining original scope. 9. What-If Analysis: Examining various scenarios to predict their effects on the project schedule. 10. Dependency Determination: Establishing logical relationships between activities (Finish-to-Start, Start-to-Start, Finish-to-Finish, Start-to-Finish). 11. Lead and Lag: Adjusting timing between activities by accelerating successor activities (lead) or delaying them (lag). Effective scheduling requires balancing time, resources, and costs while accounting for risks. The chosen technique should align with project complexity, industry standards, and organizational constraints.

Scheduling Techniques in project management are methodologies used to develop and maintain the project schedule, determining when activities start, their duration, and completion times. 1. Critical …

Concepts covered: Resource Levelling, What-if Scenario Analysis, Agile Project Scheduling, Resource-Constrained Scheduling, Precedence Diagramming Method, Critical Chain Project Management, Gantt Charts, Rolling Wave Planning, Scheduling Software, Time-Boxed Scheduling