WFED405:

Lesson 3 Overview

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Planning and scheduling are essential processes in project management that transform an idea into actionable steps, ensuring a project’s success from start to finish. After defining the project scope, tasks are organized by setting start and end dates, allocating resources, identifying dependencies, and sequencing activities appropriately. Scheduling is a key component of the project management plan, providing a road map for efficient task completion within time and budget constraints. The initial schedule serves as the baseline, though modifications are expected as tasks and project scope evolve. By providing structure, scheduling enables effective resource management, risk mitigation, and informed decision-making throughout the project life cycle.

Lesson Objectives

By the time you successfully complete this lesson, the readings, and the assignments, you should be able to

• outline the components of a schedule management plan,
• recognize commonly used project scheduling tools and their applications,
• develop a project schedule,
• explain what is meant by a schedule baseline, and
• avoid planning and scheduling pitfalls.

Lesson Readings and Activities

By the end of this lesson, make sure you have completed the readings and activities found in the Lesson 3 Course Schedule.

Lesson 3 Self-Assessment

The self-assessment prompts you to reflect on your current knowledge and understanding of the topics covered in each lesson. This helps you align your learning with the lesson's objectives and set a clear direction for your study. This particular self-assessment is adapted from the Take Your Temperature for Utilizing Project Planning and Scheduling Projects section of the text (Donahue, 2024, p. 100).

Self-Assessment

Instructions

Each lesson self-assessment consists of 10 statements. Use the Next button to navigate through each statement.

Evaluate each statement based on your personal and organizational context. For each statement, select your level of agreement. Each response will be given a point value from 1 to 5, where Strongly Disagree is worth 1 point and Strongly Agree is worth 5 points.

Once you submit your responses, you will receive a total score (e.g., 40/50) along with a summary of all of your responses. This cumulative score reflects your current knowledge and understanding of the lesson topic.

Please note, once you leave this page, the self-assessment will reset automatically. To retain a record of your self-assessment results, use the print function (select the Print icon on the top of the page) or take a screenshot.

• I can outline components for building a project schedule and baseline.

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• I know how to sequence project tasks.

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• I understand how to determine the effort needed for tasks.

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• I am confident in my ability to set project milestones.

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• I can develop Gantt charts.

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• I can schedule activities using a spreadsheet.

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• I know how to develop a project network diagram.

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• I can calculate a project’s critical path.

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• I can describe the Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT).

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• I know how to avoid common project planning and scheduling pitfalls.

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Reference

Lesson 3 Stimulating Questions

Overview

This activity is designed to help you connect lesson topics to something you already know or something you have already experienced. By making these connections, the topics become more relevant and meaningful, providing you with a clearer focus for your studies.

Stimulating questions are open-ended and designed to provoke thoughtful reflections. They do not have a single correct answer but, instead, encourage you to explore your prior knowledge, experience, and perspectives. This process fosters deeper thinking, helps you generate ideas, and empowers you to take ownership of your own educational journey.

Instructions

Reflect on the prompts below to stimulate your thinking:

• What challenges have you experienced in planning and scheduling projects at work, such as unrealistic timelines, resource issues, or shifting priorities?
• How did these affect the project outcomes, and what strategies could have helped?

Grading

This activity is structured as a discussion, but while you are not required to comment on other students' posts, you are encouraged to do so. You are also welcome to like their posts to show your engagement.

The discussion is worth a total of 10 points and will be assessed based on the criteria listed in the associated rubric.

Stimulating Questions Rubric

Criteria	Ratings	Points
Identifying challenges Clearly describes relevant project management challenges	This area will be used by the assessor to leave comments related to this criterion.	3 pts
Explaining impacts Explains how the challenges affected project outcomes	This area will be used by the assessor to leave comments related to this criterion.	3 pts
Suggesting solutions Provides thoughtful strategies to address the challenges	This area will be used by the assessor to leave comments related to this criterion.	3 pts
Clarity Ideas are clear and well-organized	This area will be used by the assessor to leave comments related to this criterion.	1 pts

Building an Effective Project Schedule

Creating an effective project schedule is crucial for keeping a project on track, within budget, and aligned with its objectives. This involves identifying tasks, organizing them in sequence, estimating required effort, and setting milestones. By considering task dependencies, project managers can prevent bottlenecks and ensure efficient workflow and resource utilization.

Components of a Schedule Management Plan

A project management plan, often referred to simply as the project plan, addresses how tasks and resources will be planned, executed, monitored, and controlled. The initial project management plan is referred to as the baseline schedule and plan. A baseline is a fixed schedule that represents the standard used to measure the performance of a project.

In project management, there are three baselines—schedule baseline, cost baseline, and scope baseline. The combination of all three baselines is often referred to as the performance measurement baseline. These baselines align with the project management triangle.

Different Types of Baselines

Cost Baseline

The approved version of the time-phased project budget, excluding any management reserves, which can be changed only through formal change control procedures and is used as a basis for comparison to actual results.

Schedule Baseline

The approved version of a schedule model that can be changed using formal change control procedures and is used as the basis for comparison to actual results.

Scope Baseline

The approved version of a scope statement, work breakdown structure (WBS), and its associated WBS dictionary that can be changed using formal change control procedures and is used as a basis for comparison to actual results.

This lesson module focuses on the schedule knowledge area in the plan phase.

A schedule management plan includes the following information components (Donahue, 2024, p. 104):

• activities list and attributes,
• resource list and calendar,
• activity duration estimates,
• project scope statement,
• constraints and risk assessment, and
• project staff selection and assignments.

Knowledge Areas During Planning

The plan phase involves two key knowledge areas, integration and schedule, as illustrated in Figure 3.2.

Discover More

The following three videos cover the topics that help you

• build a project schedule (Video 1),
• sequence project tasks and activities (Video 2), and
• determine effort for tasks (Video 3).

Select each of the following video titles to read its description and play the video.

Video 1: What Is Project Scheduling?

This video defines project scheduling and provides an overview of the steps in creating a schedule.

Note: Video removed. You will have access to the video in the actual course.

Video 2: Sequence Activities Demonstration

This video demonstrates how to sequence the activities of a WBS backward.

Note: Video removed. You will have access to the video in the actual course.

Video 3: What Is Level of Effort

This video explains the importance of taking the level of effort into the consideration to complete the project.

Note: Video removed. You will have access to the video in the actual course.

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Reference

Tools for Visualizing and Managing Project Schedules

Gantt charts are widely used to visually represent project schedules, displaying tasks, dates, durations, and dependencies. For smaller projects, a simple spreadsheet can be a useful scheduling tool. Check out the Level of Effort Excel spreadsheet for reference (Donahue, 2020).

Network diagrams provide an overview of task dependencies and critical paths—the tasks that directly impact the project’s completion date. Calculating the critical path enables project managers to prioritize essential tasks and allocate resources effectively.

Different Scheduling Tools

Gantt Chart

"A Gantt chart is defined as a graphical representation of activity against time; it helps project professionals monitor progress" (Association for Project Management, n.d., para. 1).

Milestone Chart

A project milestone chart lists project activities and deadline dates.

Critical Path Method (CPM)

A method used to estimate the minimum project duration and determine the amount of schedule flexibility on the logical network paths within the schedule model.

Program Evaluation Review Technique (PERT)

A technique for estimating that applies a weighted average of optimistic, pessimistic, and most likely estimates when there is uncertainty with the individual activity estimates.

Network Diagrams

A graphical representation of the logical relationships among the project schedule activities.

The following chart reviews the criteria to consider when you evaluate and select tools for a project and provides a high/low assessment of the methods/approaches mentioned above.

Discover More

The following four videos covers topics that help you

• develop Gantt charts (Video 1),
• use a spreadsheet to schedule small projects (Video 2),
• develop a project network diagram (Video 3), and
• calculate the critical path (Video 4).

Select each of the following video titles to read its description and play the video.

Video 1: How to Create a Gantt Chart in 9 Easy Steps

This video describes how to create a Gantt Chart.

Note: Video removed. You will have access to the video in the actual course.

Video 2: Top 5 Excel Project Templates

This video identifies five excel templates to use when managing a project.

Note: Video removed. You will have access to the video in the actual course.

Video 3: How to Draw a Project Network Diagram

This video demonstrates how to draw a project network diagram based on the relationship of the tasks with various examples.

Note: Video removed. You will have access to the video in the actual course.

Video 4: How to Calculate Critical Path

This video demonstrates how to calculate critical path.

Note: Video removed. You will have access to the video in the actual course.

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Reference

Advanced Techniques and Best Practices for Scheduling

The Program Evaluation Review Technique (PERT) is valuable for complex projects, as it provides time estimates based on optimistic, pessimistic, and most likely scenarios.

Table 3.2. Program Evaluation Review Technique (PERT)

Task	Optimistic (O)	Most Likely (M)	Pessimistic (P)
Task A	2 wks.	4 wks.	5 wks.
Task B	1 wks.	2 wks.	3 wks.
Task C	2 wks.	3 wks.	4 wks.
Task D	3 wks.	5 wks.	8 wks.
Completion	8 wks.	14 wks.	20 wks.

To avoid pitfalls, such as unrealistic timelines and missed dependencies, project managers should set realistic deadlines, maintain regular communication, and include buffer time for high-risk tasks. A well-planned schedule acts as a road map, helping teams meet project goals on time and within scope. The textbook provides 15 tips that help project managers schedule a project for its successful conclusion (Donahue, p. 137).

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Reference

Lesson 3 Activities

Lesson 3 Building a Gantt Chart

Overview

This individual performance assessment gives you the opportunity to practice creating a Gantt Chart.

Instructions

For the same project that your team used for the WBS learning activity, individually create a Gantt chart for the project:

• List tasks: Identify all tasks (e.g., book venue, send invitations).
• Set dependencies: Arrange tasks in order, noting any dependencies.
• Add durations: Estimate how long each task will take and mark milestones.
• Create Gantt chart: Use a spreadsheet or software to build a chart showing task sequences and dependencies.

You may submit your Gantt Chart as a manually created document or as an output from software of your choice.

Grading

The assessment is worth total of 20 points and will be evaluated based on the criteria listed in the associated rubric.

Lesson 3 Building a Gantt Chart Rubric

Criteria	Ratings	Points
Task identification Lists all relevant tasks for the project, showing an understanding of necessary steps	This area will be used by the assessor to leave comments related to this criterion.	5 pts
Task sequences and dependencies Orders tasks logically, clearly noting dependencies to ensure a smooth workflow	This area will be used by the assessor to leave comments related to this criterion.	5 pts
Duration estimates and milestones Provides realistic time estimates for each task and marks key milestones, supporting effective planning	This area will be used by the assessor to leave comments related to this criterion.	5 pts
Gantt Chart creation Creates a clear Gantt chart that visually represents task timelines, durations, and dependencies	This area will be used by the assessor to leave comments related to this criterion.	5 pts

Lesson 3 Team Assignment: Develop a Network Diagram

Overview

In this activity, teams will practice developing a network diagram.

There are two deliverables for the Lesson 2 Team Assignment:

Deliverable 1: Lesson 3 Team Assignment: Develop a Network Diagram

Group members will collaborate to prepare a network diagram. (Due in Lesson 3.)

Deliverable 2: Lesson 3 Team Assignment: Peer Review Discussion

Individual classmates will review other groups' work and provide feedback to the groups. (Post due in Lesson 3; responses due in Lesson 4.)

Instructions

For the same project that your team used for the WBS learning activity, create a network diagram. This diagram can be adapted to various projects, helping you visualize dependencies and manage timelines effectively.

Specifically, your team will do the following:

1. Identify tasks and durations: List tasks (e.g., book venue, confirm instructors) and estimate durations.
2. Set dependencies: Determine which tasks depend on others.
3. Draw the diagram: Map out tasks as nodes with arrows showing dependencies (use a drawing tool or software if you desire).
4. Find the critical path: Identify the longest sequence of dependent tasks that affect project completion.

You may submit your network diagram as a manually created document or as an output from software of your choice.

Deliverables

Have one of your team members submit your network diagram as a manually created document or as an output from software of your choice to this assignment by the end of Lesson 3.

Grading

The assessment is worth a total of 30 points and will be evaluated based on the criteria listed in the associated rubric.

Lesson 3: Develop a Network Diagram Rubric

Criteria	Ratings	Points
Task identification Clearly identifies all necessary tasks for the project, showing an understanding of required steps	This area will be used by the assessor to leave comments related to this criterion.	5 pts
Duration estimates Provides realistic duration estimates for each task, supporting effective timeline planning	This area will be used by the assessor to leave comments related to this criterion.	5 pts
Dependencies Accurately identifies and organizes task dependencies, showing logical sequencing for workflow efficiency	This area will be used by the assessor to leave comments related to this criterion.	5 pts
Network diagram structure Creates a clear, organized diagram that visually represents task sequences and dependencies	This area will be used by the assessor to leave comments related to this criterion.	10 pts
Critical path identification Correctly identifies the critical path, demonstrating an understanding of tasks essential for timely project completion	This area will be used by the assessor to leave comments related to this criterion.	5 pts

Lesson 3 Team Assignment: Peer Review Discussion

Overview

This is part of the Lesson 3 Team Assessment: Develop a Network Diagram assignment. The goal is to present your team’s work to the entire class for peer review.

There are two deliverables for the Lesson 2 Team Assignment:

Deliverable 1: Lesson 3 Team Assignment: Develop a Network Diagram

Group members will collaborate to prepare a network diagram. (Due in Lesson 3.)

Deliverable 2: Lesson 3 Team Assignment: Peer Review Discussion

Individual classmates will review other groups' work and provide feedback to the groups. (Post due in Lesson 3; responses due in Lesson 4.)

Instructions

Please ask one of your teammates to post your team's network diagram for the class to review.

Deliverables

For this assignment, you will review other teams' work and are welcomed to share your comments. While this activity is ungraded and participation is entirely optional, we encourage you to respond to at least two of your peers' contributions.

Suggested Posting Timelines

Day	Task
Last day of Lesson 3	Post your team's network diagram.
Last day of Lesson 4	Review other teams' posts and respond to at least two.

Lesson 3 Knowledge Review Test

Overview

This knowledge review test is designed to help you evaluate your understanding of the course materials. The questions are drawn directly from Chapter 3 in your textbook and reflect the concepts and knowledge that are important for your learning.

Instructions

The test consists of 20 multiple-choice questions. To complete it, you will:

• Work independently and do not look up the answers in the textbook while answering. This will help you honestly assess what you know and identify areas for improvement.
• After completing your test, review any questions you answered incorrectly or were uncertain about. Review those specific topics to strengthen your understanding

Lesson 3 Learning Journal

Overview

Each week, take time to reflect on what you've learned from the readings and assignments. Use the reflection questions to articulate your insights and understanding.

Instructions

Here are the learning reflection prompts for your journal this week:

1. What are the most common challenges you face in project scheduling, and how can you address them more effectively in future projects?
2. Reflect on a recent project. How did planning and scheduling decisions impact its success, and what would you do differently next time?
3. Which three actions from the text’s Module 3 Recap Checklist (p. 139) are most beneficial to apply in your projects, and how might they improve project outcomes?

Please address all the questions in a short and concise manner, and do not exceed one page in total length, double-spaced, 12-point font.

You can download the Personal Journal Entries template and update your plan throughout the course on your local computer before you submit it for grading.

If you are working on your plan via Google Workspace or OneDrive, please make sure that you provide a shareable link so the instructor can access your learning journal.

• Penn State Google Workspace for Education is free to students, faculty, and staff members. For more information about this workspace, visit the Google Workspace Website at Penn State.
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