Page 52 - The Six Sigma Project Planner

Project schedules are developed to ensure that all activities are completed, reintegrated,
and tested on or before the project due date. A number of tools and techniques that help
create, analyze, and manage project schedules will be discussed next. Software can be
used to automate the calculations involved and to make it easier to identify scheduling
conflicts and resource shortages. The output of the scheduling activity is a time chart
(schedule) showing the start and finish times for each activity as well as its relationship
to other activities in the project and responsibility for completing the activity. The
schedule must identify activities that are critical in the sense that they must be
completed on time to keep the project on schedule.

Don’t accept the initial project schedule as a given. The information obtained in
preparing the schedule can be used to improve it. Activities that the analysis indicates to
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be critical are prime candidates for improvement. Pareto analysis can be used to
identify those critical elements that are most likely to lead to significant improvement in
overall project completion time. Cost data can be used to supplement the time data and
the combined time/cost information can be analyzed using Pareto analysis. Always
keep in mind that the project’s deadline is a worst acceptable date, not the most
desirable.

Activity Definition
Once the WBS is complete, it can be used to prepare a list of the activities (tasks)
necessary to complete the project. Activities don’t simply complete themselves. The
resources, time, and personnel necessary to complete the activities must be determined.
We now have the information we need to complete this portion of the project plan.

Activity Definition Inputs
To complete this portion of the project planner, you will need to refer to the WBS (p. 31)
and the project charter (p. 2). Additional research will also be required to determine if
similar projects or subprojects were conducted previously and, if so, what historical
information for activity definitions, activity durations, and problems encountered
should be reviewed. Document the findings using Worksheet 14. Historical Research
Summary. If available, activity lists from similar projects should be obtained to use as
templates. These can be placed into the Planner as supporting detail.

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Six Sigma Handbook, Chapter 8.

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