A schedule is a tool that allows to plan actions/ tasks in time, which are to be realized within a specific undertaking. Thanks to that, it is possible to quickly read out a period of realization of a given action, as well as of the whole project. Apart from this, there are also e.g. schedules of using executive abilities (taking resources into consideration), which will be discussed in this article.
Schedule
The schedules technique (also called a technique of Gantt charts or a technique of bar charts) is one of the oldest techniques of planning and controlling realization of an action in time. It was developed at the beginning of 20th century by K. Adamiecki and H.L. Gantt, who elaborated it independently from each other. According to a definition, “planning a course of an action through schedules is made on a two-dimensional chart, whose axis of abscissae (horizontal axis) presents a time axis, and the axis of ordinates (vertical axis) – demonstrates actions that undergo planning or performers of those actions (employees, job positions, etc.)” (Trocki, Grucza and Ogonek 2003: 150).
Preparation of a schedule consists in listing all actions encompassed by planning, their lasting times and a graphical presentation of those actions on a chart. While looking on an illustration of separate actions, you may specify the date of their commencement and completion. Schedules may be developed in neutral or calendar time units.
Outline
A schedule is most often present through a chart, therefore its shape will be more understandable, when you get familiar with a pattern or an example. However, you may point the major parts that it is composed from. These are:
- actions (tasks, acts) – they take a form of horizontal fragments marked on the chart. Their length depends on for how long the actions lasts. When the task is complex, it is divided into minor tasks;
- lasting time – you need to determine, e.g. in working days, how long a given action will last;
- realization time – total time that is needed to realize the whole undertaking in accordance with the accepted time unit, e.g. day, week, month.
A schedule step by step
Before you start preparing a proper graphical presentation of the schedule, you first need to specify actions for realization and point dependencies among them. Make progress step by step, so you save your effort with correcting (especially when there are many actions). The proposed manner of developing a schedule is just one from many possible. It relates to a relatively simple schedule, which does not include resource planning, milestones, etc.
1. Determination of actions
List actions that you need to perform. Think what you need to do to achieve the set target. When the targets are too numerous, it is a good idea to group them.
If e.g. you are to organize a conference, you can divide this task into minor tasks: choice of place, invitation of experts, preparation of a promotional actions, performance of the promotional action, employing a moderator, etc. And if you would like to start building a house, the scope of your tasks would cover: choice of design, collection of documentation required to obtain a construction permit, obtaining the construction permit, preparation of utility services connections, etc.
Prepare a table that is similar to the one below, where you will place names of subsequent actions in the field of “Action1”, “Action2”. The level of details of the distinguished actions depends on you. They should be comprehensible (i.e. you are aware what a particular name means, and how much time will need to realize this action).
| No. | Action |
|---|---|
| 1. | Action 1 |
| 2. | Action 2 |
| 3. | Action 3 |
| 4. | Action 4 |
| 5. | Action 5 |
| … | Action … |
2. Pointing to dependencies
When you have already specified a set of actions, move on and point dependencies among them. It may be achieved by pointing which action takes place before and after another. It is a highly significant step, preventing a situation, in which a given tasks was anticipated for realization before another task ended, and whose completion influences the first one. What is more, it makes it necessary to order the plan of what you would like to do.
Referring to the example with organization of a conference, preparation of a promotional action (so e.g. printing information posters) would need to take place after inviting experts and choosing a place, and before conducting the conference itself. Obtaining a construction permit takes place having collected the construction permit, and before preparation of utility services connections.
Before the first and after the last actions you do not need to mark anything.
| No. | Action | Actions that directly precede | Actions that directly follow |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Action 1 | – | 2 |
| 2. | Action 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 3. | Action 3 | 2 | 4, 6 |
| 4. | Action 4 | 3 | 5 |
| 5. | Action 5 | 4 | 6, 7 |
| … | Action … | … | … |
3. Determination of duration of action
It is important to determine a real duration of an action. Too optimistic prognoses and interconnected delays may act in a demobilizing manner. You could decide on duration of the action already in the point no. 1 (if you believe that you are able to specify it precisely there).
| No. | Actions | Duration (working days) |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Action 1 | |
| 2. | Action 2 | |
| 3. | Action 3 | |
| 4. | Action 4 | |
| 5. | Action 5 | |
| … | Action … |
4. Graphical presentation
Now, when you have all the needed data at you disposal (i.e. you know the actions, their sequence and duration), you may present them in a graphical form and develop a chart. The schedule may be prepared in e.g. Excel, but there are also special applications that facilitate its preparations, as MS Project, which generate a Gantt chart (however, the software does not collect the required data for you).
The graphical presentation: points to the action’s name, provides its durations (working days) and marks it with a fragment, proportional to the applied time unit (these may be days, weeks, months). If you start with a particular date, you should take presence of various kinds of brakes and days that are statutory free from work into account.
Template
| No. | Tasks | Duration (working days) | Month 1 | Month 2 | Month … | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | |||||||
| 1. | Task 1 | … | ||||||||||||
| 2. | Task 2 | … | ||||||||||||
| 3. | Task 3 | … | ||||||||||||
| 4. | Task 4 | … | ||||||||||||
| 5. | Task 5 | … | ||||||||||||
| … | Task … | … | ||||||||||||
Example
| No. | Tasks | Duration (working days) | Weeks | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | |||
| 1. | Development of an initial competence model | 5 | |||||||
| 2. | Preparation of tools for evaluation of the model | 3 | |||||||
| 3. | Collection of opinions from management staff | 2 | |||||||
| 4. | Preparation of a final version of the competence model | 4 | |||||||
| 5. | Preparation of terms and regulations regarding periodic evaluations | 3 | |||||||
| 6. | Preparation of tools for periodic evaluation | 5 | |||||||
| 7. | Preparation of tools for recruitment | 5 | |||||||
| 8. | Preparation of workshop regarding a competence model and the prepared tools | 3 | |||||||
| 9. | Conducting workshops | 1 | |||||||
| 10. | Introduction of changes into tools and preparation of their final version | 5 | |||||||