Chapter 7 Realistic Scheduling Ideas

You can be ambitious about your project but your project should be realistic to be successful.
According to Verzuh, a realistic schedule:
-Includes a detailed knowledge of the work to be done
-Has task sequences in the correct order
-Accounts for external constraints beyond the control of the team
-Can be accomplished on time, given the availability of skilled people and enough equipment

There are steps to follow to create realistic project plan.
Step one: Create a work breakdown structure
Step two: Identify task relationships (Network Diagrams/PERT Charts)
Step three: Estimate work packages
Step four: Calculate an initial schedule
Calculating the schedule is a three-step process; forward pass, backward pass, and calculate float. Forward pass helps you determine the early start (ES) and early finish (EF) for each task. Backward pass determines the late start and late finish dates. Calculate float means flexibility in the schedule and calculated buy subtracting early start from late start. Critical path has no float, so it should begin and finish on time.
Step five: Assign and level resources
Resources mean the people, equipment, and the materials. And the leveling follows a four-step process:
1. Forecast the resource requirements throughout the project for the initial schedule.
2. Identify the resource peaks.
3. At each peak, delay noncritical tasks within their float.
4. To eliminate the remaining peaks, reevaluate the work package estimates.
This detail and realistic schedule may not solve all the problems but wil provide a tool set for solving many of them.