4: Schedule Estimation
- Page ID
- 49225
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)In this milestone, your role shifts from designing the structure of the project to defining the execution plan. You’re no longer just thinking about what will be done—you’re now answering:
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How much effort will it take?
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Who will do the work?
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When will it happen?
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What must be completed first—and what comes next?
This chapter takes everything you structured in Milestone 2—scope, deliverables, phases, and roles—and transforms it into a detailed, sequenced, and time-aware plan. This is how you bridge planning into action.
🧱 What You Will Build in This Milestone
You will create a five-part planning package that forms the backbone of your project execution framework:
1. Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
You will translate your project scope and deliverables into a structured hierarchy of work components. Your WBS breaks the project into logical, manageable units that can be estimated, scheduled, and assigned.
2. Effort and Duration Estimation
You will estimate the time and/or effort needed to complete each major task or work package. This section will ask you to balance realism with constraints, and defend your numbers based on assumptions, complexity, and risk.
3. Task Dependencies and Sequencing
You will identify the logical order in which tasks must be performed. This will include dependencies (e.g., “Task B can’t start until Task A is complete”) and may reveal critical paths, parallel workstreams, or bottlenecks.
4. Milestone Schedule
You’ll define 3–5 major project checkpoints—milestones—that represent significant progress events or approvals. These are not tasks; they are decision points or deliverable completions that guide stakeholder expectations and project control.
5. Planning Readiness Review
In this final section, you’ll review your plan for quality, consistency, and execution readiness. You’ll verify alignment with the Charter, confirm your schedule reflects real constraints, and assess whether your team is prepared to move forward confidently.
🧠What You Will Practice and Learn
This chapter develops your ability to think like a delivery strategist, not just a designer. You’ll practice:
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Decomposing complex work into actionable parts
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Estimating work with clarity, logic, and defensible reasoning
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Understanding task flow, sequencing, and critical dependencies
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Using milestones to track progress and focus communication
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Building tools that are both structural and usable by project teams
You will learn to lead execution—not by micromanaging, but by planning systems that support team clarity, focus, and progress.
🛠️ Tools and Thinking This Chapter Will Strengthen
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Hierarchical thinking (WBS structure)
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Time and resource awareness
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Estimation strategies (historical, expert judgment, analogs)
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Critical path logic and parallelism
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Milestone framing and delivery gates
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Real-world pacing, tradeoffs, and buffer design
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Planning for flow—not just tasks
📌 Why This Chapter Matters
Many projects have a great vision—but no usable plan. Without clear breakdowns, realistic estimates, and sequence-aware scheduling, projects collapse under their own ambition.
This chapter teaches you how to:
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Build planning artifacts that teams can use—not just read
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Enable coordination across stakeholders, timelines, and delivery teams
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Identify problems before they happen
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Support proactive leadership through structure, not improvisation
If the previous chapter was your project’s blueprint, this one is your construction plan.
You’re now moving from architect to builder—from concept to execution.
- 4.1: Scenario Building
- Introduces client context, project scope, and PM’s role in breaking work into structured parts. Frames importance of WBS, schedules, and clarity for coordinated delivery.
- 4.2: Plan of Attack
- Outlines sequential approach to create WBS, task lists, and milestone schedules. Emphasizes role clarity, realistic timing, and early collaboration to ensure project readiness.
- 4.3: Best Practices Guide
- Presents proven methods for structuring project work. Covers clarity, detail level, sequencing, and dependencies—balancing flexibility and accountability to maintain momentum and avoid scope drift.
- 4.4: Submission Checklist
- Lists all required WBS, task list, and schedule deliverables. Ensures client alignment, internal process verification, and professional formatting before submission for Chapter 3 evaluation.
- 4.5: Reflection and Debrief
- Prompts individual and team analysis of work breakdown quality, schedule realism, and collaboration effectiveness—building skills in adaptability, shared ownership, and continuous process refinement.
- 4.6: Instructor Notes and Grading Rubric
- Provides evaluation criteria for WBS accuracy, schedule feasibility, clarity, and professionalism. Includes guidance for giving feedback and aligning grading with real-world project management expectations.
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