A summary of milestones is included in the project charter. Milestones are interim deliverables of the project schedule. Timeline for each of the defined activities is not considered as a milestone. Milestones are also to be determined in the Define Activities process. Activity attributes are the documentation of the details of the activities. Activity list and Activity Attributes are two outcomes of Define Activities process. There is a likelihood that project managers can use this planning method as an excuse for not planning the project appropriately. He can plan activities to the detail needed to manage the work only when he starts that phase of the project lifecycle. In this method, the project manager need not plan all the details of the project right at the start. In these situations, the project manager’s use a technique called “rolling wave planning”. When the project manager is defining the activities, there may be too many components to adequately break-down the components and schedule it. Involving the team early on in defining activities ensures that the estimates are more accurate. Scope baseline (scope statement, WBS and WBS dictionary)ĭefining the activities involve making the estimates. For defining activities, a project manager needs two critical things: Sequencing of these activities is the next process. Thus, these activities should be small enough. Each activity is then estimated, scheduled, monitored and managed. These work packages are broken down further into activities to ensure that work packages are delivered. Work packages are used as inputs in the Define activities process. In scope management, we had created a WBS. Reporting of the project is also determined by the schedule management plan. During the monitor and control phase, the deviation from the schedule baseline can be analyzed and acted upon. It expedites the schedule estimation process by providing guidelines on how estimates should be stated. Schedule management plan is a part of the project management plan and can be formal or informal. As described earlier, the measures of performance need to be planned in advance and then captured and reported. Reporting requirements should also be established. Change Control Procedure should be in place to manage schedule changes. The project manager should also include a plan to mitigate any variances observed in the schedule. This baseline is to be used to monitor and control the project during various phases. All of this should establish the project baseline. The schedule management plan should also include the duration of each activity and the efforts required for those activities. should he measure the process progress in hours, days, weeks, months or quarters. He should identify the measurement guidelines i.e. The project manager should also describe the use of scheduling software. A schedule management plan should include the methodology used to create the schedule. A project manager must create a schedule management plan and it is observed that in real-world scenarios most of the project managers miss on this important aspect. The schedule management plan is created as a part of Develop Management Plan process in Integration Management. Method to manage and control the project to schedule baseline and manage any deviations Use of organizational processes and procedures The approach required to plan a schedule of the process Individuals involved in the scheduling process It involves thinking through several points, including: Schedule Management Plan requires thinking proactively before executing the project.