Forecasting Programs: Scheduling Best-Practices for Real-World Programs

Program managers who try to manage a program as they would a project are doomed to fail, because program management has its own techniques and tools. So, what are those? This book answers that question. Eric Uyttewaal and his team have developed unique techniques and applications specifically for program managers that allow them to forecast their programs and take corrective action early. Program managers do not need to be monthly-messengers-of-bad-news! With these innovations, they can regain control over their program and adjust expectations promptly, or ... turn into monthly messengers of good news! Publishing Notice Disclaimer Acclaimer Download Files that Accompany this Book Short Table of Contents Long Table of Contents Dedication Acknowledgements ProjectPro Consulting ProjectPro Training ProjectPro Products About this Book The Author and Program Management Learning Objectives of this Textbook Target Group and Assumptions in this Book Conventions in This Book Conventions in This Manual Symbols and Font Style Word Choice in Procedural Steps Types of Slides in Our Training Slide Deck Chapter 1 Program Management Learning Objectives Definitions What is a ‘Project’? What is a ‘Program’? What is a ‘Portfolio’? Differences between Project, Program and Portfolio Responsibilities and Skills of a Program Manager Responsibilities of Other Roles Program Life Cycle Phases Integrated Program Management Information System Project Server or Project Online? What is Project Server, Project Online and Project Web App? Project Server / Project Online and PPM Project Server / Project Online and Program Management What Does Project Server / Project Online Add to MS Project? Use Project Server / Project Online for Your Program or Not? Technical Considerations Human Considerations Financial Considerations Working with Vendors Relentlessly Standardize on Scheduling Software Relentlessly Standardize on a Scheduling Software Release How Can You Standardize on Software and Release? Chapter 2 Choosing the Best Scheduling Approach Learning Objectives Introduction Project Ideals Project Constraints Analyzing your Project Current Scheduling Approaches Agile (AG) Scheduling What is Agile? Assumptions of Agile Best Use of Agile Critical Path Method (CPM) Scheduling What is Critical Path? Assumptions of the CPM-Approach Best Use of Critical Path Resource-Critical Path (RCP) Scheduling What is a Resource-Critical Path? Assumptions of the RCP-Approach Best Use of RCP-Scheduling Critical Chain (CC) Scheduling What is Critical Chain? Assumptions of the Critical Chain Approach Best Use of Critical Chain Scheduling Earned Value (EV) Scheduling and Earned Schedule What is Earned Value? What is Earned Schedule? Earned Value / Earned Schedule Reporting Assumptions of the Earned Value Approach Best Use of Earned Value Earned Work (EW) Scheduling What is Earned Work? Assumptions of the Earned Work Approach Best Use of Earned Work? Choosing the Right Scheduling Approach Combining Approaches Happy Couples CPM happy with EV RCP happy with EV EW happy with EV Simulation is Happy Miserable Couples AG unhappy with any other approach CPM and RCP unhappy with CC CC unhappy with EV Validity of the ‘Project Ideal and Constraint Matrix’? Conclusions Bibliography Chapter 3 Agile OR Critical Path? Agile AND Critical Path! Learning Objectives Introduction Agile and Critical Path in One Schedule Compromises Needed from Agile Compromises Needed from Critical Path Can You Live with the Compromises? Agile AND Critical Path in One Schedule: How-To Can Agile Estimates be Converted into Critical Path Estimates? Switching Swiftly Between an Agile and Critical Path WBS Scope Emerges in Agile; Critical Path likes Early and Stable Scope The Struggles of Critical Path All Tasks Need to be Linked Many Dependencies are, in Fact, Resource Dependencies All Tasks Need a Duration Estimate All Tasks are Sequential, Not Iterative Critical Path Expects the Project to be Forecasted to its End Agile Can Help Critical Path with its Struggles The Struggles of Agile The Client Wants the Overall Picture for the Whole Product User Stories Too Big for one Sprint How Can You Coordinate Multiple Sprint Teams? You Must Report Critical Path while You Do Agile Your Program has Agile Parts as well as Critical Path Parts Critical Path Can Help Agile with its Struggles Benefits of Agile and Critical Path in a Single Schedule Chapter 4 Organizing the Program Learning Objectives Sizing Up Your Program: Heuristic Metrics Heuristic Sizing Worksheet for Your IT-Program Introduction to Scheduling Programs The Challenge of Scheduling Programs: Size of Schedule Drowning in Data? Are You Really in a Program? Modeling Modeling Examples The Schedule is Not the Program Modeling Theory Scheduling is Modeling Some Rules for the Program Schedule Model When Can You Call Your Program ‘In Control’? Breaking Down the Program Keep One Large Schedule or Divide the Program Schedule? Can your Organization Handle the Scheduling? What Kind of Project Schedule Should You Request? Proficiency Levels Time, Workload and Cost Modeling Hierarchy Progressive Elaboration Three Levels of Proficiency in Scheduling Projects Time Model Example Workload Model Example Cost Model Example Benefits of the Time, Workload and Cost Model Scheduling Maturity Conclusion The Program Work Breakdown Structure (PWBS) Government Archetypical Breakdown Levels Private Sector Archetypical Breakdown Levels Working With our Archetypical Breakdown Structures The Projects The Crucial Level of Breakdown: Projects How Many Projects Should You Have? Possible Orientations for Breaking Programs into Projects Success Criteria for Breaking down a Program Other Requirements for the Breakdown Orientation You Choose Exercises: Breaking down the Program into Projects Case Study 1: National Mail Corporation Case Study 2: Far North Native Community Construction Case Study 3: National Standards Organization Does the Level of Projects Need to Be Clean? One Big-Bang Release or Many Small-Bang Releases? Chapter 5 Consolidating Projects into a Program Schedule Learning Objectives Why (Re)Integrate the Project Schedules? Project Schedules and the Program Schedule Checks to Perform before Consolidating Project Schedules Microsoft’s Object Linking and Embedding Consolidating Project Schedules To Consolidate Projects in a Master Schedule Using MPP-files on your File Server Inserting Project Server or Project Online Schedules Working with a Consolidated Schedule Exercise Creating a Master Schedule Possible Problems with Consolidated Files Chapter 6 Linking Projects in a Program Learning Objectives Dependencies between the Projects in the Program Options for Dependencies between Projects 2 Identify Them and Coordinate Dates Manually and Regularly Exercise: Create Give-And-Get System from single Program Schedule Exercise: Manually Synchronize Dates Give-And-Get System 3 Model them Using the Deliverables Feature Exercise Deliverables 4 Model them Using the ‘Links-Between-Projects’ Feature in MS Project Setting Cross-Project Links Using the Master Schedule File (Recommended) Browsing in Two Places in one Master Schedule Concurrently Using ribbon View, button New Window (Not Recommended) Viewing External Tasks in a Project Behind the Screens of an External Dependency To Maintain the Cross-Project Links The Links Between Projects Dialog Messages in the Column ‘Differences’ Exercise: Accepting the Impacts from Links-between-Projects Possible Problems: Circular Dependencies Do’s and Don’ts when Working with Links-between-Projects Advantages & Disadvantages of Links-between-Projects Working Around the Disadvantages 5 CrossLinksPro: Our Solution for Integrated Programs Reducing the Program Model to Something Manageable CrossLinksPro, Solution for Integrated Programs Example Program “Write Book” Excel Spreadsheet to List All Cross-Project Links Program “Write Book”: Updated Schedules CrossLinksPro: Get Latest Dates: Handoff Dashboard CrossLinksPro Creates the Links PathsPro Analyzes the Program Critical Path CrossLinksPro Marks Handoffs as Critical in Excel CrossLinksPro Replaces and Removes Links after Optimizing Original Unique IDs from Sub Schedules Shown in Master Typical Weekly Process when Working with CrossLinksPro CrossLinksPro: Advantages and Disadvantages Advantages Disadvantages Chapter 7 Sharing Resources Learning Objectives Limited Resources Pose Resource Constraints What is a Shared Resource Pool? Resource Management in Programs Types of Resources: Generic versus Actual Role Balancing: Finding the Optimum Mix of Roles Workload Leveling: Keeping the Workloads Reasonable Generic and Actual Resource Sharing Situations Reactive or Proactive Workload Leveling across Programs? What are the Options for Creating Shared Resource Pools? Overview Getting Started with Project Online Step 1. What Resources in the Shared Resource Pool? A) Use Generic Resources Only B) Use Actual Resources Only C) Combine Generic and Actual Resources Team Assignment Pool Resources Step 2. Determine What Generic Resources You Will Need Step 3. Create Team Assignment Pools Step 4. Create Generic Resources in Program Resource Pool Exercise: Create the Generic Resources for the Program Step 5. Migrate the Project Schedules to Project Online Step 6. Create the Master Schedule for the Program Sharing Resources Inside versus Outside the Program Sharing Resources with Projects Outside your Program Large Delays When You Level One Enterprise Schedule Have MS Project Level Workloads of Shared Resources When there are Over-Allocations Left... Chapter 8 Optimizing the Integrated Master Schedule Learning Objectives Are You in a Portfolio or an Integrated Program Schedule? Critical Path or Resource-Critical Path in Your Program? Critical Path in a Project Program Critical Path Can You Display a Complete Critical Path in a Program? Focus on One Major Milestone at a Time Manual Technique to Find the Critical Path to a Milestone Technique: Sequestering the Subnet Sequestered Subnet Interactive Filter to Display the Sequestered Subnet Exercise Metro Police Dispatch System Automatically Identify Critical Paths on Major Milestones Finding the Resource-Critical Path in Program Schedules Fragmented Traditional Critical Paths in all Schedules PathsPro for Resource-Constrained Programs Creating and Comparing Multiple Scenarios Comparing the Three Scenarios (Interim Plans) Optimizing the Program Critical Path Chapter 9 Reporting on Large Schedules Learning Objectives The Challenges of Reporting on Large Programs Multiple Breakdown Orientations in your PWBS What Breakdown Structures Do You Need? How to Create Multiple Breakdown Orientations in MS Project? Overview: Single-Page Reports in Large Programs 1. Create Tracking-Gantt-like Progress Bars for Projects 2. Major Milestone View Major Milestone View with Filter Exercise: Create a Major Milestones View for the Intranet Program Major Milestones Replicated at the Top of the Program Schedule? Views Format, Bar Styles Dialog Format, Text Styles Dialog Major Milestones View 3. Using Advanced, Custom Filters Some Useful Standard Filters Filters that Use Multiple Fields and Criteria Interactive Filters 4. MS Project Timeline view 5. Swim Lane Chart 6. Earned Value Report Exercise: The Concept of Earned Value Creating Earned Value Charts with MS Project’s Visual Reports Issues with Microsoft Project’s Earned Value Calculations Earned Value Add-Ins and Software Applications Chapter 10 Monitoring Progress in Projects of a Program Learning Objectives Program Manager’s Responsibility Task Update versus Assignments Update Update Tasks If... Update Assignments If... How Gantt Chart-Literate Are You? Competitors, On Your Mark ... Getting at the Truth of a Project Back in the Executive Boardroom... Exercise 1: What is the Performance of this Program? Exercise 2: Is this Program Schedule Up-To-Date? Chapter 11 Summary Program Management Scheduling Approach Agile and Critical Path Method (CPM) Organizing the Program Consolidating Projects Linking Projects Sharing Resources Optimizing Reporting Monitoring Closing Index