Tag Archives: How does the schedule support accurate project planning and cost estimation?

Project Schedule & Resource Allocation

In Week 3, you worked to define the scope and complete the WBS for your project. Now that you understand more about the work to be done and the associated activities related to the work, the next step is to create the project schedule. The project schedule helps you understand when the activities will happen and allows more insight into how long the project will take. In addition to having a schedule, you can begin to assign resources to the different tasks. Resource allocation is crucial, because it helps set expectations of the needs a project manager requires. This deliverable is worth 100 points.

For this deliverable you can use Microsoft Project or a similar software to create a schedule with resources.

1. Create a project schedule using Microsoft Project. Review the Microsoft Project videos below and use the WBS you created in Week 3. As you create your schedule, make sure you consider possible new information you may have discovered since last week.
2. Once you create your Microsoft Project schedule, create a column for resources and add the resources associated with the activities in your schedule. Make sure that you not only consider human resources but also other physical resources. This exercise will help you more accurately assign costs later in this course.
3. To recap your deliverable for this week, you need to create a project schedule using MS Project or some other project scheduling application that includes the following.
   • Have at least 50 lines of activities that are clearly identified.
   • Start and finish dates for each activity.
   • Predecessors are identified (i.e., there should be a predecessor column).
   • Include resources (human and nonhuman resources).
   • Upload your submission when it is complete.
4. Select this Accessing Microsoft Project link for instructions to download the Microsoft Project application

   • How do you create a project schedule using Microsoft Project?,

   • How should activities be identified and organized in the schedule?,

   • How are start and finish dates and predecessors assigned?,

   • How are resources (human and nonhuman) added to the schedule?,

   • How does the schedule support accurate project planning and cost estimation?

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   Comprehensive General Answers

   1. Creating a Project Schedule in Microsoft Project

   To create a project schedule, first open Microsoft Project and set up a new project file. Import or manually enter the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) from Week 3. Each major deliverable and sub-deliverable should become a task line in the schedule. Microsoft Project allows hierarchical task organization, so sub-tasks are indented under their parent tasks, reflecting the WBS structure.

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   2. Identifying and Organizing Activities

   All project activities should be clearly defined, including at least 50 lines of tasks, covering planning, execution, monitoring, and closing activities. Each task should have a descriptive name that reflects the work to be done. Organizing activities in a logical sequence makes it easier to assign predecessors and understand task dependencies.

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   3. Assigning Start and Finish Dates and Predecessors

   For each activity, assign a start date and finish date based on realistic duration estimates. Microsoft Project allows task dependencies to be set using the Predecessor column, which identifies which tasks must be completed before others can begin. Common dependency types include:

   • Finish-to-Start (FS) – A task cannot start until the predecessor finishes.

   • Start-to-Start (SS) – A task cannot start until the predecessor starts.

   • Finish-to-Finish (FF) – A task cannot finish until the predecessor finishes.

   • Start-to-Finish (SF) – Rarely used, a task cannot finish until the predecessor starts.