Introduction

The purpose of a Schedule update is to provide a measured result of the project’s progression and to quantify work remaining relative to the schedule’s baseline. The baseline schedule status will be updated with each update cycle. The project manager ensures that the actual start and/or finish dates of activities, remaining duration and expected finish dates of activities are updated correctly and reflect the actual progress for the purpose of monitoring and evaluation.

Rollup Requirements

A project baseline can be used to compare your initial project plans, or the state of a project at certain key points as it progresses, to the current state of a project.

As the project progresses you track the schedule and compare the baselined version against actual work efforts.  After updating your schedule, you now have to roll it up to the data at the current date. This will determine if the overall project is behind, ahead, or on-track with the originally planned dates. The project status date is tracked based on the remaining duration. Schedules should be updated at least every two weeks on a standard cycle (e.g. on every other Friday close of business day). Once updated, the schedule is ideally uploaded to the project server.

Key Benefits

Schedule updates offer several key benefits and purposes:

Progress monitoring tool

Communication tool

Risk management

Project evidence tracking

Improved customer satisfaction

Progress monitoring tool

You obtain the update from project leaders regarding the actual start and/or finish dates of activities, remaining duration and expected finish dates of activities. The updated schedule provides a measured result of the project’s progression and determines the remaining work relative to the schedule baseline.

As a result, it facilitates the effort to draw performance trends, whether the project performance is generally on track (with some variation), slipping, or recovering after a slip. In addition, an updated schedule shared with the team helps them focus on necessary actions to drive deliverables and recovery plans.

Communication tool

Poor communication is one of the key causes of project failure. The schedule updates serves  as an effective communication tool within the team and between the team and stakeholders. It also provides insights into resource availability and commitments, preventing conflicts and scheduling issues that can cause deadlines to slip. The team is aligned on the specific amount of work and time periods for specific resources associated with a project.

Risk management

Core project team members are responsible with providing the task level details for the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) elements including dependencies, critical paths and risk management. Schedule updates promote comprehensive project tracking that allows the team to anticipate the work that’s upcoming as to avoid any discrepancies. You are able to use this exercise to identify risks in each task/activity, then develop mitigation and contingency plans to reduce the likelihood or consequence of occurrence.

Project evidence tracking

Typically, schedules incorporate the criteria set by the Project Management Office (PMO). The framework is designed to assist management and project teams and act as a guide to systemically gauge project progresses through a sequence of stages until the end of the project life cycle. Each gate has its own objectives, gate owners, receivers and set of requirements. The schedule update reinforces effective project management processes by incorporating the established criteria. For instance, you’ll ensure all entry and exit criteria have been satisfied, issues assessed and addressed as well as risk assessment completed. Evidence of completion of each criteria and gate review are typically maintained in electronic format within the project’s respective folder repository.

Improves customer satisfaction

With schedule updates, you are able to share with customers the exact current project status as well as forecasted progress. This is a powerful and persuasive measure for purposeful communication and decision making. This also makes a good impression with customers; and good impression contributes positively to your project.

Written by:

Mohana Dass Visvanathan Nair, Ong Jing Teak, Shoba Subramanian
Corporate Program Management, MIMOS BERHAD
Technology Park Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia