Dependencies between Tasks

After the project has been broken down into appropriate level tasks in the work plan, any dependencies between various tasks must be determined and defined. As part of this process it is important to examine whether any task is dependent on any other task, and if so, how. People often go astray here and create unnecessary and strange connections between…

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Work and Duration Estimation

Estimation of the work volume and time for each task can be done in a variety of ways: according to work or time—depending on the type of task. Variable Duration Tasks are tasks for which the duration depends on the number and type of resources allocated for their completion. Estimating this type of task should be done based on the…

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Developing a WBS

As we develop the project’s lifecycle table, including stages, tasks, deliverables and work process, we must also plan the project’s content by breaking down the structure of the outcome services or products. This breakdown is called a ‘Work Breakdown Structure’, or WBS. It is a central and essential tool of project planning. A WBS divides the project’s content into smaller,…

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Permits and Approval Controls

Many projects require a variety of authorizations and permits, as well as a-priori approval of the deliverable before any progress can be made on the project. Some of these authorizations and approvals are internal—ones given by managers or other bodies involved in the project. Others are external—ones obtained from bodies that are not related to the organization or project, such…

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Deliverables and Quality Control

The road to the project’s final service or product is often paved with many interim deliverables—each of which must be complete in and of itself, of suitable quality and coordinated with all other deliverables, all while ensuring that: The quality level demanded by the client and primary stakeholders is maintained. The project deliverables are developed according to client specs and…

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Project Slack Time

Task floats are generated by determining early and late scheduling of the tasks. The scheduling mechanism of the tasks is calculated in two steps: Calculate the earliest start date of each task, which is calculated from the beginning of the project forward. The earliest start date combined with the duration of the task defines the earliest finish date of the…

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