Step-7] Control Schedule

Control Schedule is the process of monitoring the status of project activities to update project progress and manage changes to the schedule baseline to achieve the plan. The key benefit of the process is that it helps in identifying the deviation from the plan and takes corrective and preventive actions and thus minimizes the risk

n  Determine the current status of the project schedule
n  Influencing the factors that create schedule changes
n  Determining if the project schedule has changed, and
n  Managing the actual changes as they occur

1. Outputs:

A. Work Performance Information - Calculated Schedule Variance (SV), Schedule Performance Index (SPI) and Variance at completion (VAC) values for Work packages, control accounts.
B. Schedule Forecasts - Expected Schedule Variance by the time the project gets completed

C. Change Requests - Approved Change Requests to the schedule baseline

D. Project Management Plan Updates - Changes to cost baseline and schedule management plan

E. Organizational Process Asset updates - Causes of Variances, Corrective action chosen and the reasons, Other types of lessons learnt from Project schedule control.

2. Tools and Techniques:

A. Performance Reviews : Trend Analysis - Difference between Expected Project Progress Vs Actual - how it is going to be at the end of project completion. Will this pose risk to end project release date.

Critical Path Method - Monitor the schedule variance on critical path activities - Evaluating the progress of near critical path method can help us detect the schedule risk

Critical Chain Method- Monitor the buffers remaining and take necessary steps to protect project end release date.

Earned Value Management indicators like Schedule Variance (SV), Schedule Performance Index (SPI) - The total float - Early Finish variations etc.

B. Below techniques described in detail in the step “Develop Project Schedule”

ü  Project Management Software
ü  Resource Optimization Techniques
ü  Modelling techniques
ü  Schedule Compression
ü  Scheduling Tool

3. Inputs:

Project Management Plan- Project Schedule -Work Performance Data - Project Calendars -Schedule Data - Organizational Process Assets