There are plenty of write ups on project complexity however I'm looking for references on schedule model complexity. What should a scheduler be aware of that makes a schedule unmanageable? Too many activities? Too many constraints overriding natural logic? Too many Lag/Leads? While all of these are certainly contributors to a complicated schedule not used appropriately, I'm looking for stack ranked list. Which is the number 1 offender. Can you point me to documentation on this? Saving Changes...
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Francisco AbreuPortfolio Manager| Banco Central do BasilBrasilia, Df, Brazil
Dear Kevin,
I’m trying to help you pointing some books. I believe they would be useful for you.
I suggest two titles about this issue.
Thomas WalentaGlobal Project Economy ExpertHackenheim, Germany
Sorry, Kevin, I haven't seen a list.
I think one factor is to find the right balance between planning detail and required effort to monitor and control actuals vs. plan. Another factor is the expected level of changes, which will increase with planning depth and uncertainty about scope. One good idea might be to use running wave planning or agile, when you develop the detailed plan only just in time (then also the risk of wrong estimates is lowest).
Even if you need to plan very detailed (e.g. for having a good estimation on work package level), you might want to group WBS elements in control accounts, used to monitor and control on a higher, aggregated level than the planning was carried out. The purpose here is too to balance the effort for tracking with the expected outcomes. Saving Changes...
Darren KosaPlanning & Controls ContractorHampshire, United Kingdom
Hi Kevin,
I've not seen anything specifically relating to schedule models. It could be pretty difficult to get a definitive list as 'complexity' may differ depending on the skills of scheduler. One man's meat is another man's poison so to speak.
You might want to check out a White Paper from a couple of years ago. It dealt with complexity in infrastructure projects, but it may be of some use to you. The title of the paper was ‘House of Project Complexity’.
Another good source is the Defense Contract Military Agency (DCMA). They developed a 14 Point Assessment for project schedules. The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) also has their own schedule assessment guide.
Both of these would enable you to build credible schedules, but again, it may not address your question complexity directly.
My rule of thumb is if I have to spend most of the day managing the schedule... then it’s too complex.
Regards,
Darren Kosa Saving Changes...
Kristin JonesSocial Media Specialist III| PMINewtown Square, Pa, United States
