PKB’s IMS “Cheat Sheet” for DoD Program Managers EVM IMP The Culture SRA and CRA Risk/Opp Handling Don’t Allow the IMS to be the “Rodney Dangerfield” of your software models! Help it become a useful, value-added dynamic model of your program lifecycle. Help it generate information that supports proactive leadership decisions! HORSEPOWER Cost RAM The Trade Space “To-Do” List PowerPoint TEAM COORDINATION The System IRONSCHEDULER 3 Return of the PMO PG13 The Scheduler The Discriminators The moment you put two schedules together (a.k.a. “integrate”) you have a SYSTEM. In a SYSTEM “little” things WILL have “big” effects. So: What makes the difference in IMS’s? What really counts? See below: Value Your Scheduler. If you don’t have one, GET ONE! If you are too busy, MAKE TIME for it! To be a great scheduler you gotta have: Focus on practice and use before you talk tools. Know what is feeding your IMS and adjust accordingly. Different schedulers, different skills, different horsepower. As a minimum: The contractor IMS needs to reflect all the scope. Your Gov’t IMS needs to reflect all your decisions. Pay attention to level of detail. Too much gets too cumbersome real fast. Put your best scheduler in the “middle” and expand outwards from there. Build it right. Best practices are well-known and readily available in print from GAO, NDIA and PMI. THE IMS CAPTURES ALL SCOPE IN A WBS. What the work is and who is doing it. If you omit work, it will bite you YOUR PROGRAM EXECUTES A SCHEDULE RISK ANALYSIS. An SRA pulls together the risk conversation with the time and event conversation. The simplest of SRAs are worth the effort. YOUR INTEGRATED MASTER PLAN ANCHORS THE IMS. The IMP is all about what “done” looks like and is designed to support decisions. Build your schedule around it. YOUR IMS IS ACTUALLY USED TO SUPPORT LEADERSHIP DECISION-MAKING. If the PM doesn’t use it, what good is it? Attitude Communication Maturity Team Building Leadership Program Knowledge Program Mgt. Knowledge Scheduling Art Mastery Software Tool Skills Find someone with some of these traits and help that person develop the rest! And move the scheduler’s desk next to the PM’s desk! This is continually evolving. Got comments or suggestions? Contact me: patrick.barker@dau.mil

GAO’s 10 Best Practices for Scheduling and What They Mean for the PM PKB’s IMS “Cheat Sheet” for DoD Program Managers GAO’s 10 Best Practices for Scheduling and What They Mean for the PM GAO Best Practice Significance Critical Enabler Demand on Scheduler 1. Capturing All Activities All required work must be reflected in the schedule. Every work requirement is traceable The work breakdown structure (WBS) and Integrated Master Plan (IMP) The scheduler must advocate for the WBS and IMP to be established before the schedule is developed 2. Sequencing All Activities Activities need to be logically sequenced (clear predecessors and successors) Integrated Master Plan (IMP) and active participation and contributions from technical team leads in order to verify logic. The scheduler must advocate for the IMP to be developed and encourage IPT lead to review schedule activities in detail 3. Assigning Resources to Activities Labor, materials and overhead must be aligned to the schedule Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) The schedule must “pull” resource information from IPT leads and other project elements 4. Establishing Duration of all Activities Realism in durations are critical; ensure reasonable ability to measure progress Active participation and contributions from technical team leads in order to verify logic. The scheduler must encourage IPT leads to review the schedule activities in detail 5. Verification of Horizontal and Vertical Traceability HORIZONTAL: linkage of products, outcomes (hand-offs); VERTICAL (traced to knowledge/decision points) Integrated Master Plan (IMP) and inputs from technical leads The scheduler must advocate for the WBS and IMP to be established before the schedule is developed. IPT leads must confirm “hand-offs” (givers and receivers) across the program 6. Confirming valid critical path Path of longest duration that determines completion date Best Practices #1, #2, #3, #4 and #5 above. Note that schedule software assumes infinite resources when calculating critical path. The scheduler must lead by example to encourage discipline in best practices #1 through #5 7. Ensuring reasonable total float The schedule should have available slack/margin to allow for adjustments and trade-offs 8. Conducting a schedule risk analysis (SRA) Statistical analysis of schedule duration based on detailed risk assessment Best practices #1 thru #7 above and Active participation and contributions from technical team leads in order clarify details of risks and opportunities The scheduler must encourage IPT leads to review the schedule activities in detail. Also requires close communication with risk management function since SRA information will feed risk register and planning. 9. Updating using actual progress and logic Periodic progress updates and adjustments to logic as conditions change Active participation and contributions from technical team leads in order to verify status and completion forecast realism The scheduler must create a clear and simple system for IPT leads to report progress in a clear and reasonable manner 10. Maintaining a Baseline Schedule Enables continual awareness of original plan so deviations can be identified and resultant outcomes predicted Clearly established processes and discipline in practice The scheduler must lead by example to encourage discipline in best practices #1 through #9 This is continually evolving. Got comments or suggestions? Contact me: patrick.barker@dau.mil