Project Relationships and Programme Schedule
Identify, document, and sequence programme projects based on their interdependencies and available resources.
Improvement Planning
Practices-Outcomes-Metrics (POM)
Representative POMs are described for Project Relationships and Programme Schedule at each level of maturity.
- 1Initial
- Practice
- Rely on the best endeavours of staff.
- Outcome
- An immediate basic capability is turned on.
- Metric
- Number of experienced staff.
- Practice
- Leverage professional associations and networking to identify working approaches known to be effective.
- Outcome
- The implementation of working approaches that are known to be effective is very fast.
- Metric
- Number of approaches, methods, tools, or processes adapted from outside to get up and running.
- 2Basic
- Practice
- Identify interdependencies and chronological constraints between programme projects.
- Outcome
- Implementable programme schedules are developed.
- Metric
- Number of interdependencies identified post scheduling.
- Practice
- Use forward and reverse pass analysis techniques to ensure interdependencies are identified.
- Outcome
- Using both forward and backward passes increases the accuracy of dependency maps and of schedule reliability.
- Metric
- Number of interdependencies identified post scheduling.
- 3Intermediate
- Practices
- Identify usability issues — for example a research project may solve a problem and provide a solution.
- The solution may need to be delivered as a service or fabricated by third parties, but this cannot be determined until the research solution is identified.
- Outcome
- Usability issues are identified up-front and any conversions, service provisioning, or productization or packaging and deployment actions can be identified.
- Metric
- Number of programme schedule changes and disruptions because of omissions.
- Practice
- Provide tools to manage programme schedules that will ideally roll-up project schedules and provide transparency on the progress of all programme projects.
- Outcome
- Programme management transparency is supported and schedules from programme components (i.e. projects) can be aggregated quickly.
- Metric
- Number of programme management tools in use.
- 4Advanced
- Practice
- Use advanced tools and techniques that support ‘what if’ analysis and optimizations to get the best possible programme schedule within the programme constraints.
- Outcome
- A best balanced schedule is identified.
- Metric
- Programme schedule variance.
- Practice
- Provide training and education to advanced levels, including master's level for programme schedule management.
- Outcome
- Trained staff are able and competent in the use of the tool suite provided.
- Metric
- Number of staff provided advanced training.
- 5Optimized
- Practice
- Monitor and review efficiencies and inefficiencies in programme scheduling and related approvals cycles for continuous improvement.
- Outcome
- Wait times are significantly reduced.
- Metric
- Duration of wait times for projects and tasks dependent on other projects.
- Practice
- Develop a programme of continuous improvement around project relationships identification and programme scheduling that leverages best-known industry practice, research findings, and the advice of programme management tools vendors.
- Outcome
- Excellent programme scheduling approaches provide competitive programme schedules.
- Metric
- Number of programme scheduling innovations in the last year.