Re: Schedule Validation

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From: Steve House [MVP] (sjhouse.remove.this_at_to.send.hotmail.com)
Date: 02/18/05 

Date: Fri, 18 Feb 2005 17:33:49 -0500

One problem I see with this approach is in the manner in which your schedule
is being determined. You have functional experts, the resources, telling
the project manager when they're going to work on their activities - you
said they "provide a schedule of their respective activities." This, to my
thinking is getting it backwards and relegating the project manager to the
role of a project documentor at best. To validate the schedule, you need to
insure it is aligned with the functional and strategic needs of the
organization as a whole, expressed through the plan as developed by the
project manager, approved by senior management, and then communicated to the
resources. You consult with the functional experts as you develop the plan,
most certainly, but the final plan is yours. The final decisions and the
authority to determine what is done, who will do it, and the timeframe for
when it must be done must lie with the project manager, NOT the functional
experts. This means, in a nutshell, the functional experts don't tell you
what they want to do when. Instead it's you, the one charged with the
responsibility of insuring the strategic goals of the organization are met -
in other words, the boss in the context of the project - who should be
telling tell THEM what THEY need to do in order to bring the project in
successfully. Oh, you phrase it tactfully and all that but the bottom line
is that the Project Manager has to take charge and instruct (okay, "advise")
the resources what they are supposed to be doing and when they're supposed
to be doing it and insure that there are processes in place, perhaps, to
correct situations where the required plan is not being followed (like they
get poor job performance reports and no raises).

Just my 2 cents .... 

-- 
Steve House [MVP]
MS Project Trainer & Consultant
Visit http://www.mvps.org/project/faqs.htm for the FAQs
"Nancy" <nancy@byrge.com> wrote in message 
news:OxNIhEgFFHA.2824@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
> Julie,
>
> Thanks for your quick response.   JackD's response pretty much covered 
> what
> I was looking for.  However, would appreciate anything you could add.
>
> While developing the schedule, each functional expert (software, 
> logistics,
> engineering, etc.) provided a schedule for their respective activities
> required to develop a given capability.  Unfortunately, a cross-functional
> evaluation was not conducted to determine what impact their individual
> schedule would have on another functional area.   Then all the individual
> schedules were integrated into a master schedule.  I know there are
> disconnects, which is driving my need to validate the schedule.
>
> I'm inclined to focus on activities that are on or near the critical path
> and to make sure we have links to the critical assets required to support
> test activities.   However, I hoping someone can tell me if there are 
> other
> areas I need to focus on.
>
> Thanks again,
>
> Nancy
>
>

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Schedule Validation
    ... > thinking is getting it backwards and relegating the project manager to the ... To validate the schedule, you need ... expressed through the plan as developed by the ... You consult with the functional experts as you develop the ...
    (microsoft.public.project)
  • Re: Schedule Validation
    ... meet with the functional experts and go over their sections of the ... dependencies they have with other groups. ... schedule. ... > presented to senior management for their approval. ...
    (microsoft.public.project)
  • Re: I cant make hammock tasks work
    ... Project helps them by producing a workable schedule. ... Now all projects want resources from a pool where a "staffer" is trying ... assignments - that's what MSP is no good at or won't do at all). ...
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  • Re: I cant make hammock tasks work
    ... assign resources to tasks in order to generate the resource sheets. ... and insisting on a schedule that is based more on desire and and a mistaken ... all of the resources are need for the duration of the task, ... Joe has to make 100 widgets and when working ...
    (microsoft.public.project)
  • Re: I cant make hammock tasks work
    ... That's not Project's fault - it's the manager's fault for not thinking things through and insisting on a schedule that is based more on desire and and a mistaken impression of what will be required to meet the business goals and less on the harsh, cold, physical facts of goals to be achieved constrained by the availability of the assets with which to achieve them. ... logistics part of scheduling "so what real-life resources are available ... Project from showing some resources as assigned for the full duration of the ... Joe has to make 100 widgets and when working> at ...
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