I noticed that PMI is creating a special certification for project scheduling. So, I’m curious as to others' experience in organizations and/or projects that have warranted somebody who was dedicated to that role. We briefly considered that role for a large project here, but the Project Managers with the right skills thought it was too clerical… and conversely we’ve never seen anyone with the tool skills who is not already a Project Manager. In checking in my sphere of local acquaintances, several had worked in companies in which there was a dedicated project scheduler. And in every instance, they described that role as falling somewhere in between a clerical position and a junior PM. However, with just a cursory glance at Dice.com or Monster.com it certainly looks like the scheduler job can require a lot of skill and commensurate salary. I’d like to hear from others who have worked in environments in which there are dedicated project schedulers: Clerical…. or highly paid professional… or in between? Saving Changes...
I consider a scheduler to be a fully professional position, but more specialized than a project manager. It is kind of like asking whether a specialized pharmacist is more or less a professional than a general internist. Depending upon demand and specialty area, the pharmacist might be treated as "just" a pill-dispenser. In other areas, they might be a highly-trusted medical advisor.
In some large construction areas, nuclear plant programs, and aerospace projects, schedulers are routinely used. They are highly valued for their in-depth knowledge of their industry and scheduling methods. In other areas, like IT, I have rarely seen anyone with the title of "scheduler", and updating the schedule is treated like a clerical task. People doing that work are often given a title like "project manager", but they may be junior PMs.
Like the title of "Project Manager", the title "Scheduler" has many levels to it. I have seen people advocate a three- or four-tier system with titles ranging from "associate" or "assistant" up to "senior" or "Master Scheduler". A master scheduler would have many years of experience, and should be paid more than a junior project manager.
A lot of this varies by industry and by company, though.
In my opinion, whether a particular scheduler is highly professional or clerical depends upon two things:
1. The quality of the person doing the job
2. The way their employer treats the job
I believe that a good scheduler can be just as much a professional as a project manager. They can and should be treated as equal partners and trusted advisors, just like a good project manager. On the other hand, some companies will always treat scheduling work as "grunt" work and clerical. In those environments, even the best scheduler will never get the respect that he or she deserves. Saving Changes...
Don KimPROJECT-TO-PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT EXPERT| Seeking opportunitiesSacramento, CA, United States
Yeah, I saw that new certification for a scheduler from PMI and am kinda doubtful of it future adoption.
But to your question about having a dedicated scheduler, my feeling is that when it is viewed as a high skill profession is typically when the skill is tied to being able to do advanced scheduling in an enterprise PPM tool such as Primavera, Clarity, Planview, etc.
For example, my company uses Planview and we have programs of projects that need to be not only scheduled, but integrated and prioritized based on demand capacity availability and planning. These projects will be managing hundreds of resources and millions of dollars, so being able to handle this would hardly be "clerical".
The skill set to do the above requires a solid understanding of project and resource management, as well as an advanced understanding of an enterprise PPM tool. Both of these require very high skill sets.
For anyone skeptical of the PMI certification, I strongly recommend looking at the AACEi Planning & Scheduling Professional (PSP) certification. It has been around longer than the PMI certification, and it is a really strong certification program, especially if you are using Primavera. If I were going to get a scheduling certification, I would go for the PSP:
http://www.aacei.org/certification/PSP/welcome.shtml Saving Changes...
Richard HowProgramme Management Consultant| How Associates LtdHarthill, South Yorkshire, United Kingdom
I started my project life in the aerospace and then Oil & Gas industry and the role of project planner / Project scheduler was a significant role in the project. It has to be remembered that when building and deploying something like an oil rig, the project is 5 years long and the plan may have well over 1000 tasks. There fore the Project manager will often have a planner/ Scheduler and a cost engineer to look after those specific parts of the PM role. The planner/scheduler role is often seen as a trainee PM role. Saving Changes...
