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How do you like organize project schedules, by deliverable or by PMI process group (initiating, planning, executing, monitoring/controlling, and closing)?

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Jonathan Lever Shaker Heights, Oh, United States
I am trying to learn why one approach is preferred over the other. Do you have any samples that you can share?
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Krishna Pakki Project Services Manager| Rio Tinto Gilbert, Az, United States
You develop the activities by decomposing your work packages. So the WBS would provide the framework for Schedule Breakdown structure.
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Jonathan Lever Shaker Heights, Oh, United States
Hi Krishna, thanks for your response. Do you have any examples you could send? [email protected]
I have decomposed by deliverable for WBS. I have heard of some who organize their project schedule by process group. What do you think about that approach?
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Sergio Luis Conte Helping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based Organizations Buenos Aires, Argentina
In the way is simple to communicate with my project stakeholders. They are the source for all related to schedule.
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Kiron Bondale Retired | Mentor| Retired Welland, Ontario, Canada
Jonathan -

While deliverable-based schedules (where higher outline levels represent deliverables) work, I prefer to create schedules which track to the major phases or sets of activities over the life of a project.

The benefit of having tasks in your schedule flow roughly chronologically is that dependency tracking and monitoring is less complicated than if you are having to jump constantly up and down your schedule...

I wouldn't organize activities by PMBOK Process Group because always remember those process groups are NOT phases and the processes themselves are iterative and not linear...

Kiron
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1 reply by Jonathan Lever
Oct 23, 2017 10:33 PM
Jonathan Lever
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Hi Kiron,

Thanks for you sharing. Your approach to organizing by the major project phases makes sense so you don't have to jump around the schedule. Do you have a sample you would be willing to share? [email protected]

Thanks,
Jonathan
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Sante Delle-Vergini, PhD Senior Project Manager| Infosys Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
The person you refer to who organizes their schedules by process group is probably talking about phases in the project, a common misconception.
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Jonathan Lever Shaker Heights, Oh, United States
Oct 23, 2017 4:52 PM
Replying to Kiron Bondale
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Jonathan -

While deliverable-based schedules (where higher outline levels represent deliverables) work, I prefer to create schedules which track to the major phases or sets of activities over the life of a project.

The benefit of having tasks in your schedule flow roughly chronologically is that dependency tracking and monitoring is less complicated than if you are having to jump constantly up and down your schedule...

I wouldn't organize activities by PMBOK Process Group because always remember those process groups are NOT phases and the processes themselves are iterative and not linear...

Kiron
Hi Kiron,

Thanks for you sharing. Your approach to organizing by the major project phases makes sense so you don't have to jump around the schedule. Do you have a sample you would be willing to share? [email protected]

Thanks,
Jonathan
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Kiron Bondale Retired | Mentor| Retired Welland, Ontario, Canada
Jonathan -

Unfortunately I don't have a "scrubbed" schedule template as all the schedules I've worked with contain proprietary information, but a simple summary task outline for a waterfall s/w development project might look like:

Project X
- Requirements
-- Requirements elicitation
-- Requirements review, refinement & signoff
- Design
-- High-level design
-- Low-level design
-- Design review, refinement & signoff
- Development
-- Development
-- Unit Testing
- Testing
-- Systems/Integration Testing
-- User Acceptance Testing
- Implementation
-- Pre-implementation prep
-- Deployment & training
-- Post-implementation activities
- Transition & Closeout
-- Handover to operations
-- Administrative & financial closeout

Kiron
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Stéphane Parent Self Employed / Semi-retired| Leader Maker Prince Edward Island, Canada
I prefer to take a WBS approach to my schedule. I agree to Kiron's point that it may not be as easy to develop and maintain. The value is that I can take a more activity-based costing approach to my tracking, having all costs associated with a deliverable easily roll-up.

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