Notes on Project Schedules
The following a just a few of my thoughts regarding project schedules.
 
  • The purpose for any project document is to communicate. Thus, you want the project schedule to be visible and meaningful to the participants. If I use a sophisticated tool to track the schedule but no one doing the work has access to that tool, then I am not doing a good job of communicating. If, on the other hand, I use a simple tool and readily share that information, then my primary job - that of communicating - is more successful.
     
  • Very large projects benefit from tools that are large. Small projects should be managed with small tools.
     
  • My preferred tool, as of Fall is a simple worksheet with a graphical Gantt chart. A copy of my template is available here. I prefer this tool because it generates an HTML output file and that is one of the lowest common denominators for content distribution. Consider the following simple illustration:

    Example Gantt Chart

TaskActivityPct CompStart DateEnd DatePredecessorsResourcesGantt Chart
1Deliverable 1014-Nov05-Dec   
2Coding014-Nov27-Nov Coder 
3Testing027-Nov05-Dec2Tester  
4Deliverable 2028-Nov19-Dec    
5Coding028-Nov12-Dec3Coder  
6Testing012-Dec19-Dec5Tester  

  • I prefer to actually track progress using Microsoft Project because it is a simple tool, supports dependencies, and allows me to link multiple projects to a resource pool.
     
  • What I find, however, is that very few of the people doing the work on a project comprehend any form of project schedule. They seldom admit this because they think that implies that they are not sophisticated. But the simple fact is that if I publish all of my documents in English, I am putting 80% of the world population at a disadvantage. If I publish a schedule using dependencies or a Gantt Chart, then I am putting 80% of my project team at a disadvantage. And the resulting misunderstandings can lead to serious project failures.
     
  • Thus, on many projects I communicate with a very simple Resource Assignment Matrix. Consider the following.

    Example Resource Assignment Matrix

    Role Coder Tester
    Deliverable 1 Due 27-Nov Due 05-Dec
    Deliverable 2 Due 12-Dec Due 19-Dec

    Most of the people doing the work on a project find it easier to read a Resource Assignment Matrix than they do a Gantt Chart.