Project scheduling and some important factors
When it comes to Six Sigma projects, a firm decides to initiate multiple
projects all at a time with a limited amount of resource available to use. This
is when it becomes so much important for the organization to schedule its
projects in the order of importance so that the maximum level of benefit can be
achieved from them.
A project schedule refers to the graphical representation of the predicted tasks,
objectives, dependencies, requirements, duration of the tasks and
timeline/deadline. The project schedule includes detail information about the
tasks that are to be done, individuals who are responsible for those tasks, the
starting and ending dates for those tasks and the information regarding how much
time the tasks should take in order to be completed. This is something that
allows the planning process to be checked for accuracy.
Factors that should be included in the project schedule are:
Type of Schedule
The type of schedule that is to be used for a project depends on the difficulty
level to implement the project. In case of the large and compound projects, a
PERT chart is used. This involves numerous tasks that are interlinked. PERT
chart provides assistance for planning. Now in case of smaller projects, a Gantt
chart can be used which is a two dimensional tool that displays the tasks with
the time frame. The link between the tasks is not represented through the Gantt
chart.
Milestones
Completion of an important task in any project is termed as the milestone for
that particular project. It is to be mentioned that a vital deliverable from a
certain phase can also be called as milestone. Every project comes with its very
own milestones which are specified just for that project.
Estimation of the task duration
As far as project scheduling in
six sigma is concerned, it is really important to estimate the task duration
which plays an important role to assess the possible costs for the later stages.
Defining priorities
In order to eliminate the unnecessary conflicts while carrying out the project,
it is important to make sure that the task priorities are defined clearly.
Defining the critical path
The critical path refers to the longest path from the beginning of the project to
the end. The critical path is developed in order to determine the earliest
possible completion time for the project.
Documentation of the assumptions
Documentation of the assumptions is required in the subsequent stages in the
project scheduling. The possible changes that may occur in the schedule during
the later periods may appear complex and doubtful if the assumptions are not
documented.
Identification and analysis of the risks
Considering the fact that the project is assigned with a limited amount of
resource, it is important to deal with the possible risks involved with the
project while scheduling.
Conducting a review of the outcomes
As far as project scheduling is taken under consideration, it entails
contributions by people. It is necessary to conduct an appraisal once the first
draft gets prepared. This is something that can be done by the team who are
assigned to do the work. They should be consulted regarding the tasks they need
to carry out and the time that is required to complete the work.
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