Step 4. Calculate Specific Calendar Dates and Times. You
can now use the logic you’ve developed (the network diagram),
your estimated activity durations, and an assumed start date to
position the project timeline onto a calendar. Accommodate
holidays and other special situations as needed. Calculate a
project completion date. Your first iteration will represent the
earliest possible completion date.
Step 5. Identify Resources, Accommodate Resource
Limitations, and Estimate Final Durations. Secure resource
commitments and begin assessing their availability, based upon
the current version of the schedule you developed in Step 4.
Rework schedule (recalculating dates and times) as needed to
accommodate resource constraints, such as part-time participa-
tion levels or specific periods of unavailability. You may need
several iterations to match resource availability to dates.
Additional iterations may be needed as you accommodate
external constraints (Step 6).
Step 6. Identify and Accommodate Any External
Constraints. External constraints are immovable calendar dates
or time periods that must be accommodated. These constraints
are imposed from sources outside the project or the project
team and are typically beyond your control. Examples may
include work done by others (unrelated to the project), reliance
on owner-furnished equipment, or limited site availability.
Step 7. Compare the Estimated End Date and the Required
End Date. Once you’ve accommodated all constraints, create a
baseline control schedule. Document all assumptions and com-
mitments. If your estimated completion date lies beyond man-
agement’s expectations, a risk-based approach (commonly
called “crashing”) may need to be performed. This will be cov-
ered in the next chapter.
Creating a Network Diagram
As described above, the first step in the scheduling process
actually begins at the end of scope management. It consists of
Preparing a Detailed Project Plan: Step by Step 123