Module 3 · Week 1 · Schedule Studio

1

Review the Work Breakdown Structure

Start where the work is already defined

Goal. Confirm that every schedule activity traces back to scoped work. Do not add anything to the schedule that was not already in the plan.

A schedule does not introduce new work. It sequences the same work already broken down in the Work Breakdown Structure, now placed in time. Module 2 locked the Heron Pond work breakdown structure. Below are the four deliverables and the work packages under them.

Heron Pond work breakdown, 75 and 100 percent design

Ten of these tasks form the 75 to 100 percent schedule. Open each activity below to trace it back to its work package. When you have opened all ten, you have identified the complete set of schedulable work.

0 of 10 traced

Finish Step 1 to unlock

2

Identify dependencies

What does each activity need before it can start

Goal. For each activity, name the work that has to finish first. This dependency logic is what distinguishes a schedule from an unfounded guess.

Ask the same question for every task. What has to be finished before this task can begin. Task A starts at notice to proceed and has no predecessor. For the remaining tasks, select the predecessors from the choices shown. Some choices are incorrect and are included to test your understanding of the dependency logic.

Set the predecessors for all nine, then check.

Finish Step 2 to unlock

3

Build the critical path

Find the chain that sets the finish date

Goal. Mark the activities on the longest path through the network. That chain determines the promised completion date. Every other activity carries slack.

Now that the logic is set, add the durations along every route from start to finish. The longest route is the critical path. A slip on any activity on that path delays the finish date for the whole project. Select the activities you believe sit on that path, then check your selection.

0 selected

Finish Step 3 to unlock

4

Assign float

Measure the room the off-path work carries

Goal. Quantify the slack for each activity. Float is the number of weeks an activity can be delayed before it delays the finish date.

An activity on the critical path has zero float. An activity that is not on the critical path can start late or run long without cost, until its float is used. For each activity below, set its float in weeks. Two of these activities sit on the critical path. Two do not.

Finish Step 4 to unlock

5

Review forward

Walk the plan forward and pressure test it

Goal. Read the finished Schedule of Activities, then apply the pressure test questions below. A plan you have not tested is a plan you cannot yet trust.

Below is the network you built, sorted into a Schedule of Activities. Red bars indicate activities on the critical path. Teal bars indicate activities that carry float, shown with a hatched tail for the amount of float they carry. The amber line marks the week the Owner review opens.

On the critical path Carries float Float remaining before it delays the schedule Owner review opens

Now apply the pressure test. Answer each question, then reveal what the network actually does.

Five steps, one Schedule of Activities

1 Review the Work Breakdown Structure2 Identify dependencies3 Build the critical path4 Assign float5 Review forward

You did not guess a duration. You started from defined work, set the dependency logic, identified the chain that determines the finish date, measured the float in every other activity, and tested the complete schedule by walking it forward.

Next. Week 2 uses this same network and adds protection to it. You will place a buffer on the Owner review, place Project Gates at the 30, 60, and 90 percent milestones, and convert the sequence into a Milestone Schedule with real dates. The staffing for each activity and the cost associated with it are covered in Module 4.