Chapter 6. Scheduling Project Work

One of the primary features that distinguishes project management from general management is the special attention to scheduling. Remember from chapter 1 that Dr. J. M. Juran says a project is a problem scheduled for solution.

Unfortunately, some people think that project management is nothing but scheduling, and this is incorrect. Scheduling is just one of the tools used to manage jobs and should not be considered the primary one.

Project management is not just scheduling.

People today tend to acquire scheduling software, of which there is an abundance, and think that will make them instant project managers. They soon find that that idea is wrong. In fact, it is nearly impossible to use the software effectively unless you understand project management (and scheduling methodology in particular).

Suggestion: Whatever scheduling software you choose, get some professional training on how to use it.

I do have one suggestion about software. Whatever you pick, get some professional training in how to use it. In the early days of personal computers, there was a pretty significant difference between the low-end and the high-end software that was available. The low-end packages were pretty easy to use, whereas the high-end ones were not.

The gap between low- and high-end software has closed to the point that this is no longer true. They are all difficult to use now, and the training materials (tutorials and manuals) that come with the software are often not very good. In addition, it is hard to find time to work through a tutorial without being interrupted several times, which means that self-learning is difficult. The most efficient way is to take a class.

Do check out the instructor’s knowledge of project management. Some of the people teaching the software know very little about project management itself, and, when you have questions, they can’t answer them.

You should expect to spend from two to three days of classroom time becoming really proficient with the software. That is still a good investment, considering the time the software can save you in the long run.