S. G. M.

English Medium College of Commerce and Management (SEMCOM)

(A Constituent College of Charutar Vidya Mandal University)
Vallabh Vidyanagar

STUDY NOTES

Class TYBBA/TYBCOM/TYITM (Honors)

Course Project Management - I
Unit No and Topic 02 – Project Planning and Scheduling
Course Facilitator Dr Ajayraj Vyas
Academic Year 2022 - 2023

Meaning and Concept of Project Planning

After the project has been defined and the project team has been appointed, you are ready to
enter the second phase in the project management life cycle: the detailed project planning phase.

Project planning is at the heart of the project life cycle, and tells everyone involved where you’re
going and how you’re going to get there. The planning phase is when the project plans are
documented, the project deliverables and requirements are defined, and the project schedule is
created. It involves creating a set of plans to help guide your team through the implementation and
closure phases of the project. The plans created during this phase will help you manage time, cost,
quality, changes, risk, and related issues. They will also help you control staff and external suppliers
to ensure that you deliver the project on time, within budget, and within schedule.

The project planning phase is often the most challenging phase for a project manager, as you need
to make an educated guess about the staff, resources, and equipment needed to complete your
project. You may also need to plan your communications and procurement activities, as well as
contract any third-party suppliers.

Project Planning Fundamentals

Project Planning refers to defining fundamentals such as the following:

Determination of Scope, Cost, and Resources

 The process of determining the scope, cost, and resources help estimate the time required
to complete the project, the number of people needed, and the skill set required
 Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) helps this process by dividing the whole task into smaller,
manageable segments
Identification of the Problem

 A variety of techniques, like surveys or meetings, are used to collect information to assess
problems
  There can be multiple problems; then, the project team selects the issue that requires the
most immediate attention
Identification of Stakeholders

 Identification of stakeholders gives a clearer image of the real problem, specifically which
function or people might be affected by the project
 Stakeholders work with the project team and contribute to the project's success
Definition of Project Objectives

 A plan is made, keeping in mind the various expectations of the stakeholders

 The success of the project entirely depends on how much of the expectations the project is
able to meet

Project Planning Tools

Project planning tools help everyone concerned keep track of project requirements and deadlines.
Some of the most popular project planning tools include the following:

Gantt Chart

 Gantt charts are an industry standard that helps in tracking both time and
interdependencies between tasks
 Gantt charts are an essential tool to show different phases, jobs, and resources involved in
project management
Critical Path Method (CPM)

 Critical Path Method (CPM) is a crucial tool for determining the progress of the project to
ensure that the project is on schedule
 CPM helps in determining the essential or critical path by finding out the longest stretch of
dependent tasks
PERT Chart

 The Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) helps in analyzing the tasks to
complete the project and the time required to complete those tasks
 PERT simplifies the planning and scheduling of large and complex projects
Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

 Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is a process of organizing the team's work into
manageable sections
 WBS is a hierarchical structure of the deliverables needed to complete the project
Project Documentation

 Project documentation is created during the project lifecycle, which involves project scope,
its schedule, and the risk analysis
 Project documents help in better understanding and risk analysis of the project
 How to Create Project Plan?
There are seven essential steps in creating a good and sound Project Plan:

1. Identify and Meet Stakeholder

The stakeholders might include the project manager, the customer, or the team. The first step is to
identify and meet the stakeholders to discuss their expectations and establish the project scope.

2. Define Scope

Project scope involves determining a list of specific project goals, deliverables, budgets, and
deadlines. Project scope helps in establishing boundaries of the project and responsibilities of each
team member.

3. Set and Prioritize Objectives

The objectives are set and prioritized once the expectations of stakeholders become certain. More
exquisite detail to initial ideas is given, which serves as a reference point throughout the project.

4. Determine Deliverables
Deliverables are the reason why the projects are created. It is one of the most critical steps of the
project planning to determine what these deliverables will be and how they will be delivered in
time.

5. Create a Project Schedule

The project schedule outlines when different tasks of a project are supposed to begin and end. The
project schedule helps measure the project progress and set up progress reports.

6. Risk Analysis

Identifying risks and considering how to deal with them is an essential step in project planning.
Specific steps to prevent risks from happening or limiting their impact should be considered.

7. Set Progress Guidelines

There must be a communication plan to update the stakeholders regarding the project progress.
This can be done monthly, weekly, or daily so that all involved members can monitor the progress.

What are the components of a project plan?

The three major parts of a project plan are the scope, budget and timeline. They involve the
following aspects:

 Scope. The scope determines what a project team will and will not do. It takes the team's
vision, what stakeholders want and the customer's requirements and then determines
what's possible. As part of defining the project scope, the project manager must set
performance goals.

 Budget. Project managers look at what manpower and other resources will be required to
meet the project goals to estimate the project's cost.

 Timeline. This reveals the length of time expected to complete each phase of the project
and includes a schedule of milestones that will be met.

Why is project planning important?

Project planning is important at every phase of a project. It lays out the basics of a project, including
the following:
 scope
 objectives
 goals
 schedule
Planning enables project managers to turn an intangible idea into reality. Key purposes of planning
include the following:

 facilitate communication and provide a central source of information for project personnel;
 help the project sponsor and other key stakeholders know what is required;
 identify who will perform certain tasks, and when and how those tasks will happen;
  facilitate project management and control as the project progresses;
 enable effective monitoring and control of a project;
 manage project risk; and
 generate feedback useful for the next project planning phase.

Project Core Team

The Project Team is the group of people responsible for the project. This includes planning,
execution, and closing as well as decision making or any other activity that is related to the project.
Project Team consists of the Project Manager, and a variable number of Project Team members
brought in to deliver their tasks according to the project schedule and need.

Explanation of a Core Project Team

The Core Project Team is fully responsible for the day-to-day leadership of the project. This is
different than the strategic level guidance that represents the key function of the project steering
committee and the key stakeholders like sponsors and directors. This is a subset of the Project
Team which is fully engaged throughout the project life cycle. The definition of a Core Project Team
vary between projects and even more so between different organizations or even companies. Some
places use the term Core Project Team interchangeably with the Project Team, and some places do
not use that term at all. Sometimes the project is so small that there would not be a need for a Core
Project Team.

Purpose of the Core Project Team

The purpose can be broken down to two main responsibilities:
• Monitoring the progress of each of the key project deliverables.
• Making decisions about project course corrections considering if the project starts being behind
schedule, starts going over budget or if major scope changes occur.

A good core team includes key stakeholders who are empowered to represent a part of the overall
project (generally defined based upon an organization, or competency, or function they represent).
Representing this piece means that a core team member is responsible for providing knowledge
from their area of expertise, and for both making and influencing decisions that impact this area of
expertise.

To take full advantage of the contribution of Core Project Teams, a number of essentials need to be
realized.
• The good news is that the essentials to team success aren’t expensive, they don’t require the
large amounts of capital spending or expense money and they don’t require new overhead
development.
• The possibly bad news and the biggest challenge is that the only change needed to be made to
implement these essentials to the Core Project Team success is behavior.

There are several essential factors and attributes in creating a successful Core Project Team. The
single most important element is having a team that is working together effectively. Collaboration
and communication skills are two of the most critical personal skills demanded of all Core Project
Team members. Respect, recognition and appreciation of the different roles and contributions of
team members is essential. People possessing different requirements for group success have very
different behaviors and conflict can be one of the products of the team member interactions. Core
Project Team development at the very start of the project can mitigate some of the risks by
including training in communication skills, and training in recognition and valuing of the different
behaviors, values and personal skills needed for the project success.

The Work breakdown Structure

A work breakdown structure (WBS) is a visual, hierarchical and deliverable-oriented deconstruction
of a project. It is a helpful diagram for project managers because it allows them to break down their
project scope and visualize all the tasks required to complete their projects.

All the steps of project work are outlined in the work breakdown structure chart, which makes it an
essential project planning tool. The final project deliverable, as well as the tasks and work packages
associated with it rest on top of the WBS diagram, and the WBS levels below subdivide the project
scope to indicate the tasks, deliverables and work packages that are needed to complete the
project from start to finish.

“A Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is a hierarchical structure of things that the project will make
or outcomes that it will deliver”

“A work breakdown structure defines all the things a project needs to accomplish, organized into
multiple levels, and displayed graphically.”

Essentially, the WBS defines the “what” of the project. Everything you need to accomplish in the
project is displayed in a single, easy-to-understand chart. The purpose of this chart is to break down
complex activities into smaller, more management constituents.

For example, here’s a WBS example for an aircraft system:

 As shown above, a WBS breaks down all these complex activities into smaller, more management
constituent parts.

Thus, you might have one group responsible for building an aircraft. Within this group, you might
have one team focused on building the airframe, another on creating a propulsion system, and so
on.

It’s common to have three levels of decomposition in the WBS. You might have a fourth and even a
fifth level in case of extremely complex projects. For most projects, however, three levels will
suffice.

Here’s another example of a bicycle construction broken down into three levels:
 How to Create a Work Breakdown Structure??
To create a WBS for your project, you’ll need information from other project management
documents. Here are six simple steps to create a work breakdown structure.

1. Define the Project Scope, Goals and Objectives

Your project goals and objectives set the rules for defining your project scope. Your project scope,
team members, goals and objectives should be documented on your project charter.

2. Identify Project Phases & Control Accounts

The next level down is the project phases: break the larger project scope statement into a series of
phases that will take it from conception to completion. You can also create control accounts, which
are task categories for different work areas you want to keep track of.

3. List Your Project Deliverables

What are your project deliverables? List them all and note the work needed for those project
deliverables to be deemed successfully delivered (sub-deliverables, work packages, resources,
participants, etc.)

4. Set WBS Levels

The WBS levels are what make a work breakdown structure a “hierarchical deconstruction of your
project scope”, as defined by the project management institute in its project management body of
knowledge book (PMBOK). You’ll need to start at the final project deliverable and think about all
the deliverables and work packages needed to get there from the start.

5. Create Work Packages

Take your deliverables from above and break them down into every single task and subtask that is
necessary to deliver them. Group those into work packages.

6. Choose Task Owners

With the tasks now laid out, assign them to your project team. Give each team member the work
management tools, resources and authority they need to get the job done.

Types of WBS
There are two main types of WBS: deliverable-based, and phase-based. They depend on whether
you want to divide your project in terms of time or scope.

Deliverable-Based Work Breakdown Structure

A deliverable-based WBS first breaks down the project into all the major areas of the project scope
as control accounts, and then divides those into project deliverables and work packages.

Here’s an example of a deliverable-based WBS that’s taken from our free work breakdown
structure template. Download the template today to practice building your own work breakdown
structure in Excel.

An deliverable-based WBS example showing control accounts, work packages and tasks.

Phase-Based Work Breakdown Structure

The phase-based WBS displays the final deliverable on top, with the WBS levels below showing the
five phases of a project (initiation, planning, execution, control and closeout). Just as in the
deliverable-based WBS, the project phases are divided into project deliverables and work packages.
Our previous graphic in the “Work Breakdown Structure Example” section contained a phase-based
WBS example.

Need/Importance of WBS In Project Management

Making a WBS is the first step in developing a project schedule. It defines all the work that needs to
be completed (and in what order) to achieve the project goals and objectives. By visualizing your
project in this manner, you can understand your project scope, and allocate resources for all your
project tasks.

A well-constructed work breakdown structure helps with important project management process
groups and knowledge areas such as:

 Project Planning, Project Scheduling and Project Budgeting

 Risk Management, Resource Management, Task Management and Team Management

In addition, a WBS helps avoid common project management issues such as missed deadlines,
scope creep and cost overrun, among others.

In other words, a work breakdown structure serves as your map through complicated projects. Your
project scope may include several phases, or smaller sub-projects—and even those sub-projects
can be broken down into tasks, deliverables, and work packages! Your WBS can help you manage
those items, and gain clarity into the details needed to accomplish every aspect of your project
scope.

Project Scheduling
Project schedule simply means a mechanism that is used to communicate and know about that
tasks are needed and has to be done or performed and which organizational resources will be given
or allocated to these tasks and in what time duration or time frame work is needed to be
performed. Effective project scheduling leads to success of project, reduced cost, and increased
customer satisfaction. Scheduling in project management means to list out activities, deliverables,
and milestones within a project that are delivered. It contains more notes than your average weekly
planner notes. The most common and important form of project schedule is Gantt chart.

A project schedule indicates what needs to be done, which resources must be utilized, and when
the project is due. It's a timetable that outlines start and end dates and milestones that must be
met for the project to be completed on time. The project schedule is often used in conjunction with
a work breakdown structure (WBS) to distribute work among team members. The project schedule
should be updated regularly to gain a better understanding of the project's status.

The project schedule:

 outlines the time needed for the required tasks
 establishes milestones to be met to complete the project on time
 allocates resources across tasks
 can be presented in various forms to suit different stakeholders
The three main types of project schedule
There are many ways that the project schedule can be displayed to meet the needs of the target
audience using it. Three commonly used schedule formats are the:
  Master project schedule: a summary level schedule that highlights the key tasks and their
estimated duration. This is useful as a high-level overview document for senior management
or external stakeholders who don’t need the detail.
 Milestone schedule: tracks major milestones but not every task or deliverable. It’s great for
reporting status and helping teams see their progress at a glance.
 Detailed project schedule: this is a more operational level schedule that tracks every project
activity. It’s designed for the project team and managers to keep track of every element of
the project.

What information does Project Schedule Provide?

Typically, the project schedule should include the following information:

Deliverables
 Definition: A description of the outputs created by the work done
 Example: An app will be created that enables users to record their daily food intake

Task description
 Definition: A description of the outcomes you want to produce
 Example: One of the tasks is writing a user help guide containing FAQs

Task duration
 Definition: The entire time taken to complete a task
 Example: We estimate that the creation of the user help guide will take one person three
working days

Task start and end date

 Definition: The dates the task will start and finish
 Example: We have scheduled the user guide to be created between 4 May – 8 May

Task dependencies
 Definition: Relationships between tasks
 Example: We cannot commence building the app until after design approval

Project calendar
 Definition: Defines the working and non-working times
 Example: Weekends are not included as workdays in our schedule

Work packages
 Definition: A group of related tasks within a project
 Example: The app needs testing before it is launched. Testing is work package, and tasks
within the work package include compatibility testing, interface testing, security testing, and
beta testing

Budgets
  Definition: A detailed estimate of all costs expected during the project
 Example: We have included $85,000 in the budget for the sub-contracted app designer

Resource availability
 Definition: What resources you have available, when they are available, and any conditions
of the availability
 Example: Sam, our writer, is available for the first week of May to complete the user help
guide

Schedule risk analysis

 Definition: A technique to connect the risk profile of tasks to the schedule
 Example: Considering possible staff absence, the task completion date is set at 9 May

The benefits of effective project scheduling

The project schedule guides the project team as they deliver the project. It communicates progress
to the team, management, and other stakeholders. Done well, it makes the entire project run more
smoothly and helps you finish up on time and on budget. Data suggests only 30% of organizations
are likely to deliver projects that are on time, but more effective scheduling will help.

The project schedule:

 Contributes heavily to project success
 Provides a clear roadmap to everyone at the beginning of the project
 Manages stakeholder expectations
 Monitors and communicates project progress
 Ensures buy-in and accountability for tasks and deadlines
 Lets the team know which tasks rely on others
 Serves as an early warning system for potential project issues
 Reserves your resources for when you need them

Project scheduling tools and techniques

Project managers use a range of tools and techniques to create, track and control their project
schedules. These days, the tools are almost always digital. Here’s a brief description of some of the
most common tools and techniques:

Task list
The most basic form of project schedule, this is a list of activities with deadlines that must be
completed to finish a project.

GANTT chart
The most common form of project schedule is the GANTT chart. It’s a horizontal bar chart that
tracks activities over time. Depending on resource allocation and task relationships, the bars might
be running in parallel or sequentially. It can be produced with differing levels of detail depending on
the needs of the target audience.

Work breakdown structure

A graphic that details the deliverables by presenting key milestones within a hierarchy. It simplifies
projects into smaller, more manageable groups. It also provides the necessary framework for
detailed cost estimating and control along with providing guidance for schedule development and
control.

Schedule network analysis

A graphic that depicts the interrelationships and timing of all project activities in chronological
order.

Critical path method

The critical path method adds the times of all critical activities, taking into account dependencies,
to determine the earliest time that the project can be completed.

PERT charts
The program evaluation and review technique uses a different method to calculate time compared
to the critical path method. For each activity, the shortest time, the longest time, and the most
likely time are estimated for each task. The time estimate for each task is the weighted average of
the three estimates.

Project Resource Management

Resources are the largest contributor to successful project delivery, and project managers spend
significant time planning and managing their activities. Both resource and project managers work in
tandem to develop resourcing strategies for projects. The project manager estimates the resource
requirement and creates open positions that get fulfilled by the resource manager. Once deployed,
the project manager ensures that the assigned resources perform at their maximum potential and
complete the delivery.

While assigning resources to tasks, the concerned project manager is expected to look into their
day-to-day involvement and provide guidance. Unforeseen circumstances can create a resource
crunch that adversely affects project delivery:

What if some of your employees get sick, take a sabbatical, or change jobs? The project managers
must ensure that the other related resources are not overloaded, disengaged, or become
unproductive on their respective tasks.

To utilize project resources effectively and ensure that they meet their anticipated performance
goals, project managers play the role of both people manager and functional manager. Project
resource management techniques address how resources need to be managed while working in
different project situations.

What is project resource management?

Project resource management identifies, schedules, and oversees internal and external resources
required for successful project delivery. It measures every team member’s productivity and helps
you take proactive measures to maximize their billable and strategic utilization.

Effective project resource planning provides a clear picture of who is doing what and how long they
need to accomplish the same. It helps you visualize underutilized resources or those getting rolled
off from tasks and re-allocate them to suitable project vacancies.

Project resource management also enables you to answer questions like:

Do I have sufficient resources to finish a job? Or do I need to hire someone else? How can I reduce
project resource costs and complete the delivery?

Therefore, project resource management is a continuous process, and by implementing the right
solution, one can take preventive measures to meet the overall objectives.

What are the types of resources used in projects?

People, processes, and technology, also referred to as the golden triangle, are essential for
successful project implementation. So, to get the work done, you need labor, and they, in turn,
need materials, equipment, and a place to carry out the project activities.

On an enterprise level, project resources can be human and non-human, which includes but not
limited to:

Labor:

Labor or human resource forms the backbone of any project and comprises employees (part-time
or full-time) and contingent staff with various skill sets required for delivery.

Consumables & materials:

These are the consumables needed to generate the final product. The materials for a road
construction project are soil, rock aggregates, binders like lime, bituminous materials, cement, etc.

Equipment & Tools:

It covers all the tangible assets (machinery, plant, equipment, etc.) and intangible assets (software,
process, methods, and even ideas). These assets might change depending upon the type and nature
of the organization.

Facilities:

Resources need an environment for project execution, such as land, conference room, office space,
accommodation, and more.

Finance:

The most significant resource is the money required to procure the resources and carry out the
necessary work.
However, while assigning resources to projects, one must consider the following characteristics of
human resources:

Resource Availability and Capacity:

Capacity is the total number of hours an employee is available to work as per employer
arrangement. Availability is the time the resource can spend on the project. So if a resource’s
capacity is 8 hours a day and he works on another project for 3 hrs, his availability is 5 hours. Both
availability and capacity play a crucial role in project resource planning and allocation.

Resource Capabilities and skills:

The workforce brings in required skills, experience, and expertise to help various projects meet the
deliverables. Simultaneously, people also need a plethora of appropriate tools and technology to
complete their work. Therefore, project managers must consider the resource’s skills and
capabilities before scheduling them to tasks.

Why is Project Resource Management important?

As a project manager, your primary concern is: How do I deliver a project on time and within the
stipulated budget?

Effective project resource management strategy aims to meet the delivery commitments
and enhance client satisfaction. It also improves the team’s performance, engagement, and
productivity.

Once you have the resources and the skills in place, you need to master the art of scheduling,
forecasting, and planning efficiently for the project’s success. Efficient project resource
management also ensures maximum billable resource utilization for profitability.

A powerful resource management solution can unleash the potential of your workforce. Here is
how:

 Reduce project costs– Complete visibility across the enterprise helps leverage global
resources from low-cost locations. Using a multidimensional resource scheduler, managers
can substantially reduce project resource costs without compromising quality. It also helps
avoid deploying under-skilled or over-skilled resources on projects.

 Maximize profitable utilization– Project managers can forecast and improve billable and
strategic resource utilization. They can ensure that project team members are productive
and not spending too much time on administrative activities. Project managers can
periodically mobilize resources from non-billable to billable and strategic work.

 Future proof your business against uncertainties – Resource capacity planning helps
you forecast pipeline project resource demands and identify excesses or shortfalls in
advance. Accordingly, suitable resourcing treatments can be applied to create a skilled and
future-ready workforce.
  Competent resource allocation: Unlike spreadsheets and homegrown tools that create
silos, a resource management solution consolidates all information on a single platform.
Using this information, managers can allocate the right resources to projects for timely and
cost-effective delivery.

 Make informed decisions: Efficient resource management techniques help you see where
your resources are and what they are doing, giving you control of the entire resource
planning process. Real-time business intelligence and reports let you measure the
performance of project members. It facilitates accurate forecasting for informed decision-
making and helps you to steer projects in the right direction.

How to create a project resource plan?

For every successful project, the journey starts with creating an efficient project resource plan.
Using resource management solutions, project managers can plan, organize, and manage the
project resources effectively.

Let’s take an example for better understanding. Suppose a bridge construction project will start two
months from now. As resources are critical drivers of project success, the project manager needs to
create an efficient project resource plan. Here are the essential steps to formulate one:

1. Estimate resources required for the project:

Before starting the project, it is critical to define resource requirements. The project manager
identifies the type and quantity of resources. Depending on the resource type, grades or skills can
also be determined. For this bridge construction project, he/she also needs to establish cement
grade, size of cranes, kind of steel, etc.

Similarly, the skills, roles, experience, etc., are predefined for human resources such as civil
engineers, architects, contractors, supervisors, and construction workers. Once the resource
estimation is complete, the project manager informs the concerned stakeholders and takes their
concurrence. He/she can then raise resource requests by filling and submitting the resource
requisition form on the tool. Although done initially, one must note that resources can be
requested in a staggered manner, depending on the project requirement.

2. Request resources

Once resource estimation is completed, the project manager requests the resource manager for
fulfillment. An automated resource requesting helps streamline the process.

Modern resource management solutions allow project managers to specify the required skills,
experience, qualifications, cost, and project timelines. This request reaches the inbox of the
resource manager in charge, who starts planning for the same. The whole process is documented
and remains auditable, which eliminates any process-related confusion or conflicts.

3. Identify and estimate the shortfall

After receiving the resource request from the project manager, the resource manager
starts planning for fulfillment. But first, he/she needs to analyze the existing resource capacity. The
resource manager looks into all the resources matching the requirements across the enterprise.

Using appropriate filters such as role, competency, location, and more on the resource
management tool, he/she can quickly find all the relevant resources and their availability. Demand
capacity planning helps to identify and estimate the excesses or shortfalls accurately.

4. Hire or retrain resources as needed

After identifying the excesses or shortages, the resource manager in charge can apply appropriate
treatments to bridge the capacity gap. Depending upon the project’s duration and nature,
stakeholders can decide whether to hire permanent employees or a contingent workforce.

If there is an excess, adjusting project timelines, training, reskilling, or selling excess capacity helps
bridge the gap. Employees can be encouraged to acquire more skills. People on the bench and
project vacancy reports enable resource managers to identify available employees. If the resources
match the minimum qualification criteria, learning new skills with shadowing (on-the-job training)
opportunities increases billability.

5. Publish requirements to empower resources:

Studies have shown that employees are engaged and more productive if they are fully empowered
to carry out their responsibilities. Since human resources are essential assets for most
organizations, involving them in choosing projects of interest boosts productivity. They are
motivated and hence feel responsible for accomplishing their respective tasks.

Resource managers can publish open positions within the resource management system. Every
relevant resource matching the role and belonging to the required organization structure like the
team, department, location, etc., are notified. Accordingly, they can revert to the open positions
and show their interest in joining the project team. The resource manager in charge can take
appropriate action in selecting the ideal resource pool.

6. Seek approval from project/ line managers:

Once the resource manager in charge selects the team members, he/she seeks approval from the
project manager before allocation. The project manager can either approve all recommended
resources or request changing few team members. Accordingly, the resource managers start
looking for more suitable resources befitting the requirements.

The entire process repeats till both the concerned stakeholders agree on the proposal. The project
manager then approves the mutually agreed resources, and the resource manager starts the
allocation process. In case there is a performance issue with a particular resource, the project
manager can roll the person off and ask for a replacement during the project life-cycle.

7. Schedule appropriate resources to tasks:

The resource manager’s responsibility ends after the resources are accepted within a project. At
this stage, the project manager assigns various tasks to the selected resources. He/she creates a
complete task list and its dependencies as per the work breakdown structure (WBS).

While scheduling team members, the project manager ensures that no one is under or over
allocated. It improves project members’ overall productivity, reduces burnout, and helps meet the
project’s objective.

8. Manage the project delivery

Project resource management is an ongoing process and doesn’t end after the initial resource
allocation is complete. The project manager allows a buffer for any potential risks that can affect
resource availability and complete projects with fewer members. Resource optimization
techniques help project managers to complete deliverables with minimal obstruction. They are:

 Resource Leveling: This technique is applied when you face sudden constraints on
resources, but you have the flexibility to extend the project timeline. It is applicable when a
critical resource is not available for a particular duration or sharing resources with other
projects. Going back to our bridge construction example, suppose a vital resource, the
hammerhead crane, needs repair and will be out of order for one week. In that
case, resource leveling can help delay the construction activities, dependent on it by a week.

 Resource Smoothing: This technique is used when there is a constraint on the timeline but
not on resources’ availability. It means the project deadline and critical path remain
unchanged. Assuming the resource availability, the project manager can add and remove
resources to deliver the time-bound project. Referring to the bridge construction example,
the project manager can add more construction workers to meet the delivery deadline.

Apart from optimizing resources across projects, the project manager also ensures profitability and
team productivity. Using forecasting analytics and reports inbuilt on resource management
solutions, project managers can enhance profitable resource utilization.

Project Communication Plan

In project management, one of the most effective ways of keeping stakeholders and teams aligned
is through the use of a communication plan. But what is a project communication plan and how
does it help keep projects running smoothly?

Natural cognitive biases like group think, unrealized expectations, and lack of contextual framing
can get in the way of project success. Creating a project communication plan gets ahead of all of
these challenges by setting a workflow everyone can refer back to throughout the entire
collaboration process.

What is a project communication plan?

A project communication plan is an agreement between collaborators and stakeholders that

outlines what, when, and how information will be shared at key intervals. Information like status
updates, task-related questions, and meeting details should all be included in this written guide.
The goal is to define and streamline team communications as much as possible.

A project management communication plan identifies how important information will be

communicated to stakeholders throughout the project. It also determines who will be receiving the
communication, how those people will receive it, when they’ll receive it, and how often they should
expect to receive that information.

For instance, if you’re a project manager in charge of launching a new website, you’ve probably
already segmented the project into tasks like wire framing, copywriting, and coding. But have you
determined what you’re going to tell your stakeholders at each stage of the project? Probably not.

Why is a communication plan important in project management?

A communication plan is important in project management because it helps get stakeholders,
clients, freelancers, and team members all on the same page. Communication plans fail if there is
excessive discussion around the project or if the scope of each interaction (like detailed copy notes
versus big picture suggestions) isn’t defined. These issues can have a significant effect on deadlines
and budgets.

A project communication plan also establishes professional boundaries. For example, your
stakeholders may want to limit their interaction to email whereas your freelancers may be
comfortable with texting when the conversation is time-sensitive.

Now that we are living in a post-pandemic working world, the importance of a good communication
plan is even greater. Thousands of workplaces have now migrated to a hybrid or fully remote
working model, and with many teams widely dispersed across locations and even time zones,
communication has to be a top priority. A good project communication plan ensures that
every stakeholder, no matter where they are based, is updated with the information they need,
when they need it.

How to make a project management communication plan

Based on the benefits explained above, we’re sure you’re anxious to start your own project
management communication plan. Follow these steps to get started.

1. Choose a format

Choose a platform where it will be easy to gather feedback on your communication plan and to
share or store the plan for your team and stakeholders to reference.

Many project managers create their communication plan on a word document or a spreadsheet,
starting from a project communication plan template, but you might also consider choosing a more
visual option, such as a timeline or a flowchart, to clearly explain the frequency of communication
or the best method to use based on the stakeholder.
 Example (Click on image to modify online)

Communication Matrix (Click on image to modify online)

2. Set a communication goal

Whatever you hope to achieve, the first step to crafting a successful communication plan is to write
that goal down. Referring back to the importance of a communication plan, your goal will likely be
to keep stakeholders updated on the project status or even to keep stakeholders mindful of the
project’s benefits so they’ll continue to advocate for it.

3. Identify stakeholders

Most projects have many stakeholders, most of whom have different levels of interest in and
influence on the project. You’ll need to identify the stakeholders with whom you’ll communicate
throughout the project and list them.

4. Identify methods of communication

Your CTO never checks his email but is on Slack all day. On the other hand, your head designer
never installed Slack but checks her email constantly. And you’ll need to hire a skywriter to
communicate with your art director.

One purpose of your communication plan is to get the right eyes on the right information, so along
with listing who your stakeholders are, your communication plan should also list how you intend on
communicating with those stakeholders.

Consider the following methods depending on what your stakeholders are most likely to see or
attend:
 Weekly check-ins
 Meetings, whether in person, over the phone, or through video conferencing
 Meeting summaries
 Status reports
 Formal presentations
 Surveys
 To-do lists
 Project dashboards
 Collaboration apps, such as Slack or Google Hangouts
The communication method you choose may also depend on the information you need to deliver.
You likely don’t need a formal in-person meeting every week to share updates on the project; you
could send a weekly email with updates and hold meetings when the team reaches a major
milestone.

5. Determine frequency of communication

List how often you will send out each type of communication (e.g., send a weekly email on
Mondays with project progress, links to completed deliverables, current budget, etc.) or how often
you need to loop in each stakeholder (e.g., each team member should send daily emails to update
the project manager but only include the executive stakeholder on the video conference following
each milestone).
In addition to including this information on your project management communications plan, make
sure to schedule communication frequency on your calendar or into your task management
software.

6. Determine who provides communication updates

Most often, this task will fall on the project manager, but if not, the owner of a specific update
needs to be clearly identified in your communications plan.

GANTT CHART
Meaning and Concept

A Gantt Chart is a horizontal bar chart used in project management to visually represent a project
plan over time. Modern Gantt charts typically show you the timeline and status—as well as who’s
responsible—for each task in the project.

Here’s a quick look at the details a Gantt chart enables you to capture at a glance:

 How a project breaks down into tasks

 When each task will begin and end
 How long each task will take
 Who’s assigned to each task
 How tasks relate to and depend on each other
 When important meetings, approvals, or deadlines need to happen
 How work is progressing in a project
 The full project schedule from start to finish
In other words, a Gantt chart is a super-simple way to communicate what it will take to deliver a
project on time and budget. That means it’s a whole lot easier to keep your project team and
stakeholders on the same page from the get-go.

How to read and Understand Gantt Chart

Gantt charts may seem complicated at first. But once you learn the basics, you’ll be able to read
and create a Gantt chart easily and tell exactly where your projects are and what needs to happen
to guide them to success.

Elements of a Gantt chart

Reading a Gantt chart really comes down to understanding how the different elements come
together to make a Gantt chart work.

Let’s review some basic terminology so you understand the key parts of a Gantt chart and how they
function in a project plan:

 Task list: Runs vertically down the left of the Gantt chart to describe project work and may
be organized into groups and subgroups
  Timeline: Runs horizontally across the top of the Gantt chart and shows months, weeks,
days, and years

 Dateline: A vertical line that highlights the current date on the Gantt chart

 Bars: Horizontal markers on the right side of the Gantt chart that represent tasks and show
progress, duration, and start and end dates

 Milestones: Yellow diamonds that call out major events, dates, decisions, and deliverables

 Dependencies: Light gray lines that connect tasks that need to happen in a certain order

 Progress: Shows how far along work is and may be indicated by percent complete and/or
bar shading

 Resource assigned: Indicates the person or team responsible for completing a task

Use of Gantt chart in Project Management

In project management, Gantt charts are used for planning and scheduling projects. A Gantt chart is
incredibly useful because it allows you to simplify complex projects into an easy-to-follow plan and
track the status of tasks as work progresses.

Gantt charts also help you keep track of project deadlines, milestones, and hours worked so you
can spot and address delays or overages before they wreak havoc on your project.

So how do you know when to use a Gantt chart to manage your project? We think a Gantt chart’s
handy for any project with a plan! But here are a few sure signs you’re going to need a Gantt chart
to get the job done.

If ANY of these are true about your project, use a Gantt chart:

 Your project has a hard deadline.

 Multiple people or teams are involved in the project and need to be coordinated.
 A boss, client, or team member wants to see a visual timeline of the project from beginning
to end.
 Your project involves even just a little complexity, such as tasks that need to be done in a
specific order.
 Team members work on multiple projects at a time, and you need to manage their
workloads.
 You have a good idea of roughly how long each task should

Gantt charts are useful in almost any industry. Here are just a few types of teams and companies
that use Gantt charts to plan, schedule, and execute their projects:

 Construction
 Consulting agencies
 Marketing teams
 Design and creative
 Manufacturing
 Human resources
 Software development
 Event planning