Successful Project Management: Applying Best Practices and Real-World Techniques with Microsoft® Project

Chapter 6. Building a Project Schedule

IN THIS CHAPTER, YOU WILL:

• Learn several methods for estimating tasks

• Learn how to define the order in which work occurs

• Discover several ways to assign resources to tasks

• Learn how to make a schedule realistic

• Understand methods for shortening a schedule

“Time flies. It’s up to you to be the navigator.”

—ROBERT ORBEN

When you build a work breakdown structure (WBS), you define the work the project team must do. After you’ve put your project team together, you know who you have to work on project tasks. To build a project schedule, you need a few more pieces of information: how much time each task is likely to take, the order in which the work must occur, exactly who does the work, and any constraints on the schedule, ...