Develop Schedule

We’re diving into the Develop Schedule process straight from the PMBOK Guide—so grab your virtual hard hat, because we’re about to construct a timeline masterpiece.

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Transcript

Hey hey, project people! Welcome back to PMP in a Snap, your go-to podcast for breaking down PMP exam topics faster than your coffee gets cold on Monday morning. I’m your host, Kaye B., and today we’re talking about something near and dear to every project manager’s heart: schedules.

Yep, we’re diving into the Develop Schedule process straight from the PMBOK Guide—so grab your virtual hard hat, because we’re about to construct a timeline masterpiece.

Before we start, let’s do a quick recap of schedule management. If you’ve been following along, you know that Schedule Management is all about making sure the project gets done on time—which, let’s be honest, is one of the most common reasons a project goes sideways.

The Schedule Management knowledge area includes:

1. Plan Schedule Management
   
   
   
2. Define Activities
   
   
   
3. Sequence Activities
   
   
   
4. Estimate Activity Durations
   
   
   
5. Develop Schedule (that’s us today)
   
   
   
6. Control Schedule
   
   
   

Each one builds on the last, kind of like assembling IKEA furniture—but with fewer allen wrenches and more logic.

So What Is Develop Schedule, Exactly?

Glad you asked.

Develop Schedule is the process where all those activity definitions, durations, dependencies, and resource estimates finally come together to create an actual project schedule. This is the moment we move from “what needs to be done” to “when it’s gonna happen.”

Think of it like planning a road trip. You’ve already figured out where you’re going, who’s driving, how long each leg will take, and where the gas stations are. Now? You’re building the route.

To build a schedule, you need the full buffet of project details or inputs:

• Project Management Plan, specifically:
  
  
  
  • Schedule Management Plan
    
    
    
  • Scope Baseline
    
    
    
• Project Documents, including:
  
  
  
  • Activity List
    
    
    
  • Activity Attributes
    
    
    
  • Duration Estimates
    
    
    
  • Resource Requirements
    
    
    
  • Milestone List
    
    
    
  • Project Schedule Network Diagrams
    
    
    
  • Resource Calendars
    
    
    
  • Assumption Log
    
    
    
  • Lessons Learned Register
    
    
    
• Agreements – Because contract terms can affect your timeline.
  
  
  
• Enterprise Environmental Factors – External influences like company culture, resource availability, or even the weather.
  
  
  
• Organizational Process Assets – Templates, scheduling tools, and policies your organization already has in place.
  
  
  

Now, it’s time to flex those PM muscles. Here are the tools and techniques you use to develop the schedule:

1. Schedule Network Analysis – Think of this as your GPS. It uses logic and math to map out the most efficient path through the project.
   
   
   
2. Critical Path Method – Identifies the longest path through the schedule and the tasks that can’t slip without delaying the whole project.
   
   
   
3. Resource Optimization – Tools like resource leveling and resource smoothing help balance the workload across your team.
   
   
   
4. What-If Scenario Analysis – You play out different scheduling scenarios. What if your lead developer is out sick for a week? Now you’ll know.
   
   
   
5. Leads and Lags – Adjust task timing. Maybe Task B can start two days after Task A finishes (that’s a lag) or even before it ends (that’s a lead).
   
   
   
6. Schedule Compression – Want to finish faster? Use:
   
   
   
   • Crashing (add resources, but it may cost more)
     
     
     
   • Fast Tracking (do things in parallel, but it’s riskier)
     
     
     
7. Project Management Information System (PMIS) – Fancy speak for scheduling software like Microsoft Project, Primavera, or even a good ol’ Gantt chart in Excel.
   
   
   
8. Agile Release Planning – If you’re working in Agile, you’ll use this to plan iterations or releases over time.
   
   
   

At the end of all this, you walk away with these outputs:

• Schedule Baseline – Your official “this is the plan” timeline. Any future changes? You’ll be measuring them against this.
  
  
  
• Project Schedule – This is what you’ll share with your team and stakeholders. Could be in bar chart form, milestone charts, or a network diagram.
  
  
  
• Schedule Data – Includes the nitty-gritty like start/finish dates, float, critical path info, etc.
  
  
  
• Project Calendars – Shows when team members are available and when they’re not (hello, holidays).
  
  
  
• Change Requests – You might realize a schedule shift requires formal approval.
  
  
  
• Updates to the Project Management Plan and Project Documents – Because what’s a PMP process without updates?
  
  
  

Got it? If not, let’s recap:

• Develop Schedule takes all previous schedule planning outputs and organizes them into a living, breathing project timeline.
  
  
  
• You’ll need data on tasks, durations, dependencies, and resource availability.
  
  
  
• Use techniques like Critical Path, What-If Analysis, and Schedule Compression to finesse the timeline.
  
  
  
• Walk away with a detailed project schedule, a baseline for comparison, and all the documentation to back it up.
  
  
  

 And there you have it—Develop Schedule, served up in a snap! If today’s episode helped you piece together the puzzle of project scheduling, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and tell your study group or your coworker who keeps “winging it” on timelines.

Until next time, I’m Kaye B., reminding you to plan smart, track often, and never schedule a deadline the day after a long weekend.

Catch you in the next snap!