• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
entry software corporation

Entry Software Corporation

Entry

  • About Us
    • Contact us
    • Our Story
    • Message from the CEO
    • Customer Quotes and Case Studies
    • Press Releases
  • TeamHeadquarters
    • Teamheadquarters Overview
    • Value Proposition
    • Help Desk
    • Project Management
    • Resource Management
    • Team Resource Management
    • My Company
    • My Organizations
    • TeamHeadquarters Videos
  • Pricing
    • Cloud Pricing
    • Services
  • Industries
    • Transportation
    • Education
    • Healthcare
    • Manufacturing
    • Municipalities
    • Service Business
  • Get a Demo

#scheduletasks

5 Principles of Schedule Management

July 11, 2017 by Mark Donais

What is schedule management?

In project management, the schedule refers to the intended start and finish dates of a project’s milestones and activities. Completing deliverables on time equates to good project management. Your schedule serves as your timetable for a project that will show you how you are progressing while taking into account factors like limited resources and potential setbacks.

However, despite a clear schedule, there is always the potential for uncertainties. Therefore, smart project management should follow some simple rules:

1.    Don’t Promise What You Can’t Deliver

Scheduling will demand that you set a date of completion based on predictions and expectations. Before you commit to a schedule, you should have had ample time to evaluate all the factors. The last thing you want to do is make a promise to a client that you cannot keep for the sake of giving them an answer on the spot.

2.    The Client Should Be the First to Know If the Schedule Goes Sideways

Admitting to the customer that something’s gone wrong and that you’ve now been thrown off schedule is hard to do;  however, do it you must. You might be tempted to keep quiet about it and just wait until the client asks about your progress and deal with it then. You’ll find that this is a surefire way for the customer to lose trust in you.

3.    Avoid Scope Creep

Change is inevitable, and that’s why curbing scope creep becomes so challenging. Too often, IT project managers find themselves failing to put their foot down and be tough when receiving requests for additional functionalities. And when team members who are eager to please and impress start to make unauthorized decisions to add more value to the product, the scope creeps.

Ensure your scope change process is rock solid and that it also includes the impact on the project schedule. Follow the original specification document and don’t allow unmanaged contact between your team and the client.

4.    Spread Contingency Throughout Your Project Timeline

Even the most carefully laid out plans have no escape from random occurrences. Equipment breaks and people call in sick. Anything that could go wrong inevitably goes wrong. This is why you should always have a pool of contingency throughout the lifespan of your project. In other words, plan for the unplanned.

5.    Pick the Right Level of Detail

Define the amount of control you want. If your involvement in every aspect of the project is not necessary, don’t push for multiple meetings within the day that will collectively slow things down.

When mapping out your schedule, identify to what degree your team will need to update each other to ensure that everyone involved has the same understanding of what needs to be achieved and by when. You’ll find that there’s a significant difference in productivity between day-to-day scheduling versus week-to-week. It all boils down to the type of project and the level of control and attention it demands.

Project management solution, TeamHeadquarters, knows all about the many uncertainties that take a project off-schedule. That’s why it aims to keep you in control and focused, maximizing the efficiency and effectiveness of your time, as it also eliminates all drudgery from project management.

For a free demo of TeamHeadquarters, click here.

Related posts:

How to Schedule a Better Project

Filed Under: Project Management, Schedule Management Tagged With: #scheduletasks

Primary Sidebar

TEAMHEADQUARTERS OVERVIEW

TEAMHEADQUARTERS EXPLAINER VIDEO

Recent Posts

  • Perfecting the project completion criteria
  • Why Your Help Desk Software Should Have Asset Management
  • Understanding Service Level Agreements (SLA)
  • Improving Customer Service
  • Remote Project Management

Recent Comments

  1. 5 Reasons Why TeamHeadquarters Will Organize and Simplify Your Project Delivery Service - PMLinks.com on Customer Self-Service Portal Improves IT Customer Service Ratings

Archives

  • October 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • March 2019
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017

Categories

  • Agile
  • Audiences
  • Business
  • Capacity Planning
  • Case Study
  • Change Management
  • Client Management
  • Client Services
  • Cloud Based
  • Content strategy
  • Customer Service
  • Customer Tracking
  • Education
  • Facilities Management
  • Help Desk
  • Help Desk and Project Management Software
  • Help Desk Software
  • IT Help Desk
  • IT Managers
  • IT Strategy
  • IT Work Management
  • ITIL
  • ITIL Service Desk
  • ITSM
  • Leadership
  • Milestones
  • Multiple Projects
  • Never ending project
  • Operations Management
  • Prioritize Projects
  • Project Clarification
  • project delays
  • Project Management
  • Project Management Engagement
  • Project Management Software
  • Project Management Tools
  • Project Manager Communication
  • Project Negotiation
  • Project Scope
  • Projects Collision
  • Resource Management
  • SaaS
  • Schedule Management
  • Service Desk
  • Service Level Agreement
  • Small Business
  • Software
  • Strategy
  • Ticketing System
  • Time Management
  • Uncategorized
  • Work Management Software
  • Working Efficiently

Footer

Blog
Login to TeamHeadquarters™
Team Headquarters Help

Brochures & News

TeamHeadquarters™ brochure
Customer testimonials
Press Releases

Legal and Site

Privacy Policy

Free eBooks & Tools

  • IT Managers Guidebook to Implementing ITSM
  • The Essentials of Project Communication Success
  • Tracking Project Status Throughout the Engagement
  • ITSM Readiness Assessment
  • Challenges Facing IT Leaders when working with Disparate Systems
  • Customer Satisfaction Survey Best Practices

Entry Software Corporation

Founded in 1998, Entry Software Corporation has been leading the industry with service desk and project management software for manufacturing, transportation, healthcare, municipalities, service organizations, and education.

Entry Software Corporation © 1998 to 2022

 

Entry Software Corporation © 1998 to 2023