Developing a Project Schedule from Coursera

In this guided project you will learn how to develop a schedule for your project. You will combine your project activities (activity list), their relationships (precedence) and their duration estimates to produce a project schedule. We will start by considering the list of the activities necessary to create our project scope, by decomposing the lowest elements of our WBS (see guided project: Develop a WBS), the relationships of the activities in a project precedence network diagram (there is another Guided Project for Developing the precedence Network Diagram), the estimate for the activities duration (And yes there another GP for Estimation the activity Durations). We will use ProjectLibre, an open source project scheduling swr to develop our project schedule. The concept are the same, if you are using another project scheduling tool. You will enter different type of tasks, different kind of relationships, and task durations, customize the calendar to your environment and produce a project schedule.

Note: This course works best for learners who are based in the North America region. We’re currently working on providing the same experience in other regions.

What's inside

Syllabus

Project Management: Create a Precedence Network Diagram

Good to know

Know what's good

, what to watch for

, and possible dealbreakers

Teaches project management scheduling techniques, which are standard in industry

Develops project management scheduling skills, which are core for project managers

Examines project scheduling processes, which is highly relevant in industry

Builds a strong foundation for beginners in project scheduling

Specifically designed for learners in the North America region

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Developing a Project Schedule with these activities:

Review Project Management Basics

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Review the fundamentals to prepare for Creating a Precedence Network Diagram.

Browse courses on Project Management

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Review concepts like project scope, stakeholders, and project lifecycle.
Go through your notes or online resources to reinforce your understanding.
Complete practice questions to test your knowledge.

Review Project Scheduling Techniques

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This activity will provide students with a thorough understanding of project scheduling techniques.

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Read the book.
Take notes on the key concepts.
Summarize the book in your own words.

Estimate Activity Durations

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This activity will help students gain hands-on experience with estimating activity durations, a key skill for project scheduling.

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Gather data on similar activities that have been completed in the past.
Use expert judgment to estimate the duration of each activity.
Apply a statistical technique to estimate the duration of each activity.

Five other activities

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Discuss Project Scheduling Techniques

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This activity will provide students with an opportunity to discuss project scheduling techniques with their peers, reinforcing their understanding of the topic.

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Meet with a group of peers to discuss project scheduling techniques.
Share your experiences with using different project scheduling techniques.
Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each technique.

Develop a Precedence Network Diagram

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This activity will help students master the concepts of project scheduling by creating a Precedence Network Diagram.

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Identify the activities that make up your project.
Draw a node for each activity.
Draw an arrow from each predecessor activity to each successor activity.
Label each arrow with the duration of the activity it represents.
Analyze the network diagram to identify any critical paths.

Create a Project Schedule

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This activity will allow students to apply their project scheduling skills by creating a detailed project schedule.

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Enter the activities, durations, and relationships into the project scheduling software.
Customize the calendar to reflect your work environment.
Produce a project schedule report.

Mentor a Student on Project Scheduling

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This activity will allow students to apply their project scheduling skills by mentoring a student who is new to the topic.

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Meet with the student to discuss their project scheduling needs.
Develop a plan to help the student learn about project scheduling.
Meet with the student regularly to provide guidance and support.

Contribute to an Open Source Project Scheduling Tool

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This activity will allow students to gain hands-on experience with project scheduling by contributing to an open source project scheduling tool.

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Find an open source project scheduling tool that you are interested in contributing to.
Identify a way that you can contribute to the project.
Make a pull request to the project.

Career center

Learners who complete Developing a Project Schedule will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Project Scheduler

Project Schedulers develop and maintain project schedules. They use specialized software to create schedules that track project tasks, dependencies, and resources. The coursework is directly relevant to this role and will equip potential Project Schedulers with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed.

See salaries and explore the career path for Project Scheduler

Business Scheduler

Business Schedulers develop and maintain project schedules for business projects. They use specialized software to create schedules that track project tasks, dependencies, and resources. The coursework is directly relevant to this role and will equip potential Business Schedulers with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed.

See salaries and explore the career path for Business Scheduler

Product Scheduler

Product Schedulers develop and maintain project schedules for product development projects. They use specialized software to create schedules that track project tasks, dependencies, and resources. The coursework is directly relevant to this role and will equip potential Product Schedulers with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed.

See salaries and explore the career path for Product Scheduler

Program Scheduler

Program Schedulers develop and maintain project schedules for programs. They use specialized software to create schedules that track program tasks, dependencies, and resources. The coursework is directly relevant to this role and will equip potential Program Schedulers with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed.

See salaries and explore the career path for Program Scheduler

Construction Scheduler

Construction Schedulers develop and maintain project schedules for construction projects. They use specialized software to create schedules that track project tasks, dependencies, and resources. The coursework is directly relevant to this role and will equip potential Construction Schedulers with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed.

See salaries and explore the career path for Construction Scheduler

Project Manager

A Project Manager is responsible for planning, organizing, and executing projects. The coursework will lay the groundwork for a future Project Manager in project scoping, relationship development, and duration estimation. Developing a schedule is a crucial skill for this role.

See salaries and explore the career path for Project Manager

Operations Manager

Operations Managers oversee the day-to-day operations of an organization. They must be able to develop and implement procedures to ensure that projects are completed on time and within budget. The coursework will introduce Operations Managers to the basics of project scheduling, an essential skill for their role.

See salaries and explore the career path for Operations Manager

Construction Manager

Construction Managers plan, coordinate, and supervise construction projects. They must be able to develop and manage project schedules to ensure that projects are completed on time and within budget. The coursework will help teach Construction Managers how to create project schedules and manage them, a key aspect of their role.

See salaries and explore the career path for Construction Manager

Program Manager

Program Managers oversee the development and implementation of programs. They must be able to develop and manage project schedules to ensure that programs are completed on time and within budget. The coursework will equip potential Program Managers with the knowledge of project scheduling, an essential skill for this role.

See salaries and explore the career path for Program Manager

Product Manager

Product Managers oversee the development and launch of products. They must be able to create and manage project schedules to ensure that products are launched on time and within budget. The coursework may be useful for those who want to go into Product Management.

See salaries and explore the career path for Product Manager

Systems Analyst

Systems Analysts design and implement computer systems. They must be able to develop and manage project schedules to ensure that systems are implemented on time and within budget. The coursework may be useful for those who want to become Systems Analysts because it will introduce them to the basics of project scheduling.

See salaries and explore the career path for Systems Analyst

Business Analyst

Business Analysts identify and analyze business needs and develop solutions to improve business processes. They may be involved in project planning and scheduling. The coursework may be useful for those who want to become Business Analysts because it will introduce them to the basics of project scheduling.

See salaries and explore the career path for Business Analyst

Software Developer

Software Developers design, develop, and implement computer software. They may be involved in project planning and scheduling. The coursework may be useful for those who want to become Software Developers because it will introduce them to the basics of project scheduling.

See salaries and explore the career path for Software Developer

Quality Assurance Analyst

Quality Assurance Analysts test and evaluate software and systems to ensure that they meet quality standards. They may be involved in project planning and scheduling. The coursework may be useful for those who want to become Quality Assurance Analysts because it will introduce them to the basics of project scheduling.

See salaries and explore the career path for Quality Assurance Analyst

Technical Writer

Technical Writers create and maintain technical documentation. They may be involved in project planning and scheduling. The coursework may be useful for those who want to become Technical Writers because it will introduce them to the basics of project scheduling.

See salaries and explore the career path for Technical Writer