Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Project Scheduling Alternatives
    Project Scheduling Alternatives
    Project Scheduling Alternatives
    Ebook62 pages44 minutes

    Project Scheduling Alternatives

    By Robert Perrine

    2/5

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    The purpose for this ebook is to examine project scheduling alternatives and describe a tool that is useful when managing a project in a chaotic environment. Alternatives include the classic waterfall method, fast-tracking and cumulative flow diagrams. Arguments are then presented to explain why cumulative flow diagrams are an excellent choice for project management in a chaotic environment.

    The time and scope for this project are small in order to better illustrate the technique.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRobert Perrine
    Release dateNov 17, 2010
    ISBN9781452355610
    Project Scheduling Alternatives
    Author

    Robert Perrine

    Robert is a wayfarer on this journey through life. He was born in Pennsylvania and now resides in California. During his career he has been a civil engineer, computer programmer, professor and a project manager. Throughout this journey Robert has tried to fit all the pieces together into a holistic framework. His goal now is to describe an integrated model of psychology that he found by delving deeply into a study of project management.

    Read more from Robert Perrine

    Related to Project Scheduling Alternatives

    Related ebooks

    Enterprise Applications For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Quantum Leap

      Jul 11, 2019

      Quantum Leap
      6 min read

    • Article

      Questions for Tim Brown, CEO, IDEO

      Jan 1, 2018

      You have said that, at its best, design creates relationships between people and technologies. Please explain. When I use the term ‘technologies’, I mean anything that is constructed by human beings — whether it’s an iPod, an automobile, a rapid tran

      8 min read

    • Article

      ‘It Is In India’s Own Interest to Keep The Data Flows Open’

      Aug 4, 2023

      This is the age of artificial intelligence (AI). And one of the biggest questions the world is grappling with is how AI should be regulated. Then there’s social media, which humankind can’t seem to have enough of. And the behemoth that is straddling

      8 min read

    • Article

      Roundtable: AI And The Practice Of Architecture

      Mar 4, 2024

      Engagement in practice Gwyllim Jahn: To begin with, we are interested in understanding how AI is being used in your practices. Xavier, could you explain who in your practice is using AI and what they’re using it for? Xavier De Kestelier: We work clos

      10 min read

    • Article

      “By Failing To Adopt The Right Tools For The Right Job, We’re Bringing A Knife To A Gun Fight”

      Aug 10, 2023

      This summer’s big job is to get a patio laid. I needed to replace what was left of the lawn following the activity of two overactive rescue greyhounds, accompanied by a committed but much slower terrier whose daily pilgrimage to a single zoomie spot

      6 min read

    • Article

      Bringing Quantum To The People

      Jan 1, 2020

      In September of 2019, Rotman Assistant Professor Peter Wittek went missing during a mountaineering expedition in the Himalayas, after being caught in an avalanche. Peter was a valued member of the Rotman community and his loss is keenly felt. We are

      6 min read

    • Article

      Learning to Love What I Don’t Know

      Nov 1, 2017

      LIKE MANY WHO HAVE made the leap into Startupland, I guessed from the outset that I had a lot to learn. I was right. Indeed, I jumped into the wormhole of blind spots and unknown unknowns. This has been especially true on matters technological. At Io

      2 min read

    • Article

      Job Replacement And Artificial Intelligence

      Jul 9, 2021

      one of the existential questions of our time must surely be: Will artificial intelligence (AI) replace me at work? The good news for those who wake up in a cold sweat at night is that it is not happening (yet). Four of the world’s leading economists,

      3 min read

    • Article

      Guardians Of The Internet

      Dec 16, 2021

      Late last week, you may have heard rumblings about a scary-sounding new software bug that has affected major companies across the world, including Microsoft and Cisco. In a headline, Wired declared that “The Internet Is on Fire”; the director of the

      8 min read

    • Article

      How AI Will Transform Business

      Jan 1, 2018

      How AI Will Transform Business
      12 min read

    • Article

      Why Tech Designers Should Be Licensed: A Q&A

      Apr 10, 2018

      Technology companies like Facebook, Google, Apple, Amazon and Snap employ some of the most sought-after designers in the world to help them build their products. These designers, using all the tools at their disposal, can wield enormous power, influe

      4 min read

    • Article

      11 Sources of Disruption

      Jan 1, 2021

      You have observed a troubling tendency that often leads to the disruption of business models. Please describe it. All too often, business strategies fail to effectively account for external change in the world. When faced with deep uncertainty, leade

      6 min read

    • Article

      Arnab PANDEY

      Apr 1, 2021

      Arnab PANDEY
      11 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Project Scheduling Alternatives

    2/5

    1 rating0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Project Scheduling Alternatives - Robert Perrine

      Project Scheduling Alternatives

      By Robert E. Perrine.

      Smashwords Edition.

      Copyright 2010 Robert E. Perrine.

      Copyright

      Copyright held by Robert Perrine and Marlene Weldon, Long Beach, California. You may not copy or distribute this document without advanced written permission from the document authors. Contact Robert E. Perrine at http://www.robertperrine.biz.

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      Acknowledgements

      I want to thank all of the friends I have worked with over the years who helped me learn about project management and about people. Special thanks go to Craig, Franklyn, James, Lesley, Ramesh and Tom for their support and encouragement while I worked on this book.

      Table of Contents

      Overview

      Problem Definition

      Possible Causes

      Three Schedules

      Un-Scheduled but Managed

      Supporting Theory

      Creating a CFD

      Overview

      The purpose for this short book is to explain a project management method that is useful in a chaotic environment. The discussion and examples in this book focus on Information Technology (IT). The same problems and same solution also apply in other environments.

      This book is divided into five sections. Problem Definition is focused on the fact that Information Technology has a difficult time finishing projects on time and within budget. Possible Causes explores a few of the typical explanations. Three Schedules illustrates three approaches to scheduling a small project. Un-Scheduled but Managed describes a tool called Cumulative Flow Diagrams (CFDs) and explains how to use a CFD to deal with the chaos within IT. Supporting Theory explains the key theories that undergird this approach. Those underlying theories imply that this approach is useful in a broad range of situations.

      Problem Definition

      Many IT projects fail. This problem was first clearly articulated by Frederick Brooks in the 1960s. Brooks was in charge of the project to create the IBM 360 Operating System. He failed to deliver.

      Since then the Standish Group and Gartner Group have reminded us that IT has a problem with projects. Traditionally the failure rate is reported as somewhere between forty and ninety percent. Those failures cost the company money. They damage the reputation of IT. And they demoralize the people in IT.

      Personally, I do not like failing. Failing damages my ego. It hurts my sense of worth. It can affect my ability to get more work. And it generally makes for a bad day, month or year, depending on how long it drags on.

      The problem is more widespread than we admit. I recently completed two case studies in which I used best practices to manage two IT projects. Both projects eventually delivered adequate results. In both cases the project teams congratulated themselves on delivering complex technology in a difficult environment. When measured objectively, however, both of those projects failed to deliver what was promised. This is a widespread problem in IT. We stumble along and then declare victory when we run out of time. But we fail to assess whether or not we delivered what we promised.

      Suppose the state hired a contractor to build a freeway to connect two cities. Meetings are held and the media report on the benefits

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1