Pinnacle Insights

In Part 1 of this series, Schedule Analysis, Part 1: What Is It?, provided a brief introduction to schedule analysis. This article discusses why a schedule analysis should be performed. But first, a point of clarification. Schedule analysis and Schedule Risk Analysis (SRA) are two different things. 

A schedule is a time-model of how you as the supplier or manager plan on executing your project. It represents the project scope, resources, assumptions and constraints of the project. Like a cost model, the time model or schedule should respond to changes.

Many of our clients are looking to implement an Earned Value Management System (EVMS) to satisfy reporting requirements for EVM on US federal contracts (FAR 52.234-4, DFAR 252.234-7001, or equivalent), whether they have an existing requirement, or potential future requirement.

For many years, Deltek's Micro-Frame Program Manager (MPM) has been the backbone of many Earned Value Management systems.  It provided a simplistic cost engine for a single program environment that could be integrated with scheduling data to meet the needs of even government programs.  

Project Management (PM) tool selection can be a daunting task. Many organizations drive their PM tool selection without understanding exactly how these tools will be used, who will use them, and how they will be accepted within an organization. If you select the wrong PM tools they are likely to end up sitting on a shelf and delaying any improvement to your PM capabilities.

What's the foremost risk to implementing Project Management improvements? The same thing that threatens any business change initiative. It requires change!

We've been asked many times to evaluate implementations that are in progress or that have been recently completed. We see 4 typical and costly things that are forgotten, not considered or undervalued (by the Enterprise Project Management (EPM) software vendors) during an implementation.