CPMGT300 Week 4 - Managing a Project Schedule.doc - 1...

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Managing a Project Schedule
CPMGT/200
Managing a Project Schedule
It is the responsibility of the project manager to monitor and maintain the schedule for
projects that they are managing. Having a plan, along with a ‘big picture’ view of the project and
each of the assigned tasks ensures the project is running according to schedule and allows for a
successful completion of the work. The creation of a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) breaks
the project down into smaller and more manageable components and is a recommended way to
organize the project and get it moving. Once this key deliverable has been generated the schedule
can be established.
Work Breakdown Structure
The WBS should include the tasks that need to be completed in order to fulfil the
deliverables of a project. However, it should not be confused with a simple list of things to do,
the WBS allows for each task to be broken down and organized in a manner that allows for the
project to run efficiently. The tasks included in the WBS should have the appropriate resources
assigned to them and highlight any dependencies that exist between them. The WBS “defines the
scope of work that must be done to produce the deliverables and is the basis for developing
bottom-up estimates of the resources, time, and budget needed for the project” (Cobb, 2012, p.

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55). The WBS is well beyond an itemized list, it is really the base on which the project will
succeed or fail upon.
The development of the WBS is very important, it is a crucial step in the project, since
the WBS acts as a type of pointer for the project manager, forcing them to look at the wider view
of the project and each of its key objectives and deliverables. The manager needs to be able to