Fundamentals of Planning and Scheduling

Course Information:

Tuition: $695 per student

This course is designed to teach the basics of project planning, project scheduling and resource/cost allocation.  Upon completion, the student will understand precedent networking techniques, the relationship between schedule development and Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), coding structures and time relationship to resources/costs.

No specific project control software will be emphasized, but some discussion of project software in general will be explored.  The class projects will be accomplished manually with follow-up using Microsoft Project 2000.  From these class projects, the student will execute a forward pass, backward pass and critical path(s) isolation.  The student will understand what makes up positive float, negative float, total float, and free float.

After the fundamentals are manually executed via several class projects, some examples of computer input/output will be discussed, and the student will be required to do a series or hands on computer input.  There will be some discussion relative to applying status, including actual costs.  This will lead to some in depth exploration of the concept of earned value, performance measurement and methods for predicting cost at completion.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be ready to take a course on implementing any project control software package.

This course is taught on and off-site.  Our on-site facility is located in Arlington, VA, in Crystal City near the Metro stop.  Tuition includes a course manual and refreshments  in the morning.  

Course Scheduling 100: Fundamentals of Planning and Scheduling (Two-days)

During this course you will learn the following concepts and principles:

I. Introduction
II. History of Project Control
III. Scheduling Terminology

A. Project
B. Activity
C. Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
D. Duration (units)
E. Forward/Backward Pass
F. Early Start/Finish
G. Late Start/Finish
H. Critical Path
I. Float

a. Total
b. Positive/Negative
c. Free

J. Relationships

a. Predecessor
b. Successor

K. Relationship Types

a. Finish to Start (FS)
b. Start to Start (SS)
c. Finish to Finish (FF)
d. Start to Finish (SF)
e. Lag

1. Positive
2. Negative

IV. Class Project 1

A. Simple logic
B. Multiple/parallel logic

V. Class Project 2 (Oil Change & Tune-up of Pre 1980 Car)

A. Activity List (provided)
B. Network Development
C. Durations
D. Forward Pass
E. Backward Pass
F. Critical Path Identification

Input to Computer
Review Results

VI. Cost/Resource Terminology

A. Cost/Resource

a. Resource Loading
b. Actual Cost of Work Performed (ACWP)
c. Budgeted Cost of Work Performed {BCWP or Earned Value(EV)}
d. Budgeted Cost of Work Scheduled (BCWS)
e. Cost Performance Index (CPI)
f. Schedule Performance Index (SPI)
g. Budgeted Cost of Work Remaining (BCWR)
h. Estimate-at-Completion (EAC) Escalation

VII. Class Project 3

A. Project Definition/Requirements (Christopher Columbus Expedition)
B. Develop WBS (Group Prepared)
C. Activity List (Group Prepared)
D. Network Development (Prepared by each group)
E. Apply Durations
F. Assign Resources

Forward pass/Backward Pass
Input to computer

I. Optimization of Schedule
J. Recalculate Forward/Backward Pass (on computer)
K. Establish Schedule (on computer)
L. Apply First Month's Status (on computer)
M. Recalculate Dates & Critical Path (on computer)
N. Optimize Schedule Based on Status (Work Arounds as Req'd)

VIII House Construction Analysis (on Computer)

A. Examine WBS
B. Examine Code Structure
C. Examine Output reports
D. Examine Sample Graphic Output
E. Examine Advanced Evaluation Output

IX. Automated Software

Primavera
Microsoft Project
Artemis

Project 2 (Main Frame) ETCɉ..

X. Summary & Questions

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Call for enrollment information: 571-527-1001.