Introduction

• Estimating and completing a project
• Comparing estimates to actuals
• Defining project success criteria

Best Practices for Project Planning

Building the foundation

• Developing a WBS
• Adopting a product-oriented focus
• Identifying the appropriate level of detail

Diagramming network relationships

• Applying network diagrams: AOA, AON
• Reviewing CPM and PERT
• Defining precedence relationships
• Establishing dependencies
• Determining lead and lag times
• Constructing PDM diagrams

Developing Realistic Estimates

Choosing the right estimating model

• Engaging subject-matter experts: the Delphi technique
• Preparing analogous estimates
• Applying parametric techniques to estimates
• Contrasting bottom-up and top-down methods
• Determining a Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) estimate

Dealing with uncertainty

• Formulating three-point estimates
• Factoring in contingency

Integrating the Schedule and Critical Path

Computing the Critical Path

• Adding task durations to determine path lengths
• Calculating activity Start and End dates
• Determining the critical path
• Identifying near-critical paths

Creating Gantt charts

• Building Gantt charts following industry standards
• Representing the relative durations of activities graphically

Fine-tuning your plan

• Calculating and using float
• Planning delivery by applying earliest start times

Building a Budget

Categorising project costs

• Identifying direct and indirect cost elements
• Itemising capital expenses
• Costing based on WBS tasks
• Aggregating project costs

Modelling costs

• Calculating total project costs
• Adding costs to the schedule
• Scheduling cash accruals
• Building the project cash flow
• Analysing contingency reserves

Realistic Resourcing

Schedules that make sense

• Factoring in productivity
• Allocating resources effectively: resource aggregation, levelling and smoothing
• Addressing resource constraints: rescheduling and resourcing strategies

Responding to delivery-date changes

• Fast-tracking the project plan
• Crashing the Critical Path

Measuring and Improving Performance

Monitoring your plan

• Recording actual durations and costs
• Summarising project status
• Determining project progress

Performing EVA

• Calculating schedule and budget efficiency
• Quantifying cost and schedule variance
• Projecting impact on project outcomes
• Mapping EVA to cost accounting
• Reconciling project issues

Communicating with Stakeholders

• Working with inbound information
• Building outbound reports
• Identifying the right level of detail
• Interfacing project information with organisational reporting needs
• Aligning project monitoring to project planning