Thread

I’ve seen many, many posts on project management tools (we’ve been using Basecamp since late 2004 and are really happy with it).  However, I can find hardly anything anywhere on how people go about project scheduling.

By project scheduling, I mean handling the ‘booking-in’ of projects, most possibly on a calendar of some sort, and definitely web-based.

I run a small web design and marketing business and we usually have 2 or 3 projects on the go at any one time. A new client comes along and asks “when can you start my project?” and I still have trouble giving a reliable answer!  If I could look at something (a tool or service) and say, “ah, I see that project A will end in 2 weeks time, project B ends in 1 weeks time, but I can also see that team member X is scheduled to be away for a week there so we’ve got less people on the job, so…”  You get the idea.

So, how do other people tackle the eternal question of knowing just what you have on your plate at any one time, and reliably scheduling in both projects and staff/freelancers’ time?  I’ve occasionally heard people at other web companies saying something like, “certainly, we’ve scheduled Bob to begin working on your project on 20th October” and it always intrigues me as to what tools or methods they’re using to schedule so precisely and reliably, especially with 3 of 4 team members at a time.

For the record, we use a combination of Basecamp milestones (with the global calendar feed in Google calendar), plus a list of all current projects in a separate project in Basecamp, with an indication of their status (cos not all our projects warrant cracking open a full new project), plus a Google calendar with time blocked out where we all share each other’s calendars.

Any suggestions appreciated!

The only web-based project management/collaboration tool I’m aware of that does resource scheduling are the Corporate/Enterprise versions of Copper Project.  Otherwise, there’s MS Project, Studiometry, and OmniPlan for software-based solutions.

Check out Active Collab and this thread for some possibilities.

Also, if you are on a Mac then check out the CRM called Daylite.

evoque: I haven’t looked into Copper for a while now, it looks like the corporate/enterprise versions could have the multiple project/staff overview I’m looking for.  However, the price jump from what I currently pay for Basecamp will need some heavy consideration 😊

From what I can see, the 3 desktop apps you mentioned are focused on one project at a time, rather than an overview of the schedule for all projects now and upcoming.  I must admit, MS Project is out as I’m on a Mac anyway.  I know OmniPlan definitely helps you schedule one project at a time, unless I’m mistaken?

stephenslater: I’d seen that thread already actually, really impressed with what you’ve done there. I thought that Active Collab was again concerned with project management, rather than multiple project scheduling?  Daylite actually looks promising!  I’ll take it for a test drive.

Thanks for the tips : )

I’m not sure if you’re asking for methodology, regardless of tool, or a tool that follows a particular methodology. I can’t really speak for tools. Back in my web days I’d managed between 15-20 clients at any given time using Basecamp, Excel spreadsheets, and a notebook. As far as tools goes, that combo worked splendidly. I usually had 3-5 subcontractors at any given time along with 2 full-time staffers. Not each of my clients was full-time redesign or new projects. A lot of them just needed maintenance or small updates, etc…

Anyway, I swear by Web Redesign: Workflow that Works. This book basically showed me step-by-step how to manage just about everything in a web design business. I didn’t follow it point-by-point necessarily but it brings up the issues that I needed to think about.

My biggest tip to your particular “how do I know” question is this. The more work you do upfront with project planning and budgeting , and then merging those into a contract that the client abides by, the better you will be able to answer the “how do I know” questions when taking on new work. Its extremely important to set client expectations upfront, in the contract, and then stick by them throughout the project. Otherwise things can spiral out of control especially if you have a large number of clients.

Second tip: Schedule 1 hour every day to manage your projects and think ahead. Its so easy to get caught up in phone calls, designs, codes, email, that its easy to put off the project management time. Work started at 8am and stopped at 3:30pm. I gave myself a 30 minute break and than 4-5 was project time.

Anyway, hopefully some of this rambling is useful 😊

Leslie: interesting you should make the distinction between methodology and tools - I think in a way I haven’t given methodology a great deal of consideration, instead searching for a ‘magic’ missing tool that will somehow present me with the perfect methodology within itself.  The only problem with this approach, of course, is that every individual needs to find a workflow that works for them and their situation, and therefore most prescriptive tools will almost always fall short.  I suppose that’s why Basecamp, Backpack, etc, work so well - they provide a basic blank canvas that allow the individual to follow their own methodology and adapt them to their own needs.

With this in mind your 2 tips make perfect sense - you’ve actually made me realise that I already have a perfectly tailored methodology, and that I need to simply give due attention and focus to how I implement it.  I already set expectations very clearly, setting clear milestones, contingencies, etc.

I don’t, however, follow your second tip in practice very well, and I think that’s the crux of my problem - I already have a great set of tools and a good methodology, I just don’t prioritise an appropriate amount of time to making it work, which is exactly why I now find myself searching for a ‘magic’ solution.  In actual fact, for my company at this point in time, my Basecamp/Google Calendar combo works really, really well.  I just need to ensure I set adequate, prioritised time aside to make it work, which is something that no amount of fancy software is going to help me with.

So after all that, yes, your rambling has been extremely valuable!  Thanks so much for giving me a totally different perspective on my (perceived) problem and helping me see a previously obscured solution.

Thanks Leslie   : )

Leslie: interesting you should make the distinction between methodology and tools - I think in a way I haven’t given methodology a great deal of consideration, instead searching for a ‘magic’ missing tool that will somehow present me with the perfect methodology within itself.  The only problem with this approach, of course, is that every individual needs to find a workflow that works for them and their situation, and therefore most prescriptive tools will almost always fall short.  I suppose that’s why Basecamp, Backpack, etc, work so well - they provide a basic blank canvas that allow the individual to follow their own methodology and adapt them to their own needs.

<SNIP for brevity>
I don’t, however, follow your second tip in practice very well, and I think that’s the crux of my problem - I already have a great set of tools and a good methodology, I just don’t prioritise an appropriate amount of time to making it work, which is exactly why I now find myself searching for a ‘magic’ solution.  In actual fact, for my company at this point in time, my Basecamp/Google Calendar combo works really, really well.  I just need to ensure I set adequate, prioritised time aside to make it work, which is something that no amount of fancy software is going to help me with.<SNIP>
Thanks Leslie   : )

Hi, Lithiumdave:

I don’t use Enterprise/web tools (I do use MS Project desktop), but Project Scheduling is a large chunk of what I do, in order to juggle a variety of clients and projects, all of which have a boatload of moving pieces.  Almost any PM tool, software-wise, will work reasonably well, but here’s what I think might be an issue - the boring, tedious grunt work of resource scheduling.  Almost anyone can create a “to-do” list, and assign ownership of that item in a CPM program, but THEN the real “magic” of scheduling in advance is suffering through actually assigning resources (people, generally, if you’re working in-house) and the hours it will take each resource to accomplish each task.  This is pure tedium, no two ways about it, but if you have more than one client or one job, it’s mandatory if you don’t want to either over-commit or miss opportunities because you believe you are too busy. 

The tedious part is a) creating the work calendar (is this working days, or hours, or…?), b) creating each staff member as a resource, and then (here is the bloody hard part) c) figuring out precisely - or best guesstimate - how many hours of work each itemized TASK will take, e.g., 40 manhours, or one man-week.  Then you “assign” that task to as many resources as you need to accomplish it within your deadlines.  Alternatively, if you have slack in your deadline, you can use more of John Doe and less of Jim Smith - whichever way you prefer to schedule, either forward or backing-in from a deadline.  Once that is completed, you have a critical path established, and you KNOW, within a reasonable error margin, just when John Doe will free up, or how much of Jim Smith’s time you have committed to project X.  If you are juggling multiple projects, to which you have assigned the same personnel, you can usually (depending upon your tool) create multi-dimensional PM files which will allow you to see if you have over-committed your resources (people). 

Resource scheduling is absolutely the dire discipline of PM.  Leslie’s suggestion of taking an hour a day of quiet time and working on it is excellent.  The upside of resource scheduling is that it at least gives you the illusion of control 😊, it will allow you to take on more work (or decline it) with more confidence, AND it becomes an invaluable well of data from which you may draw upon in bidding future jobs, because you have far clearer idea of how much cost you will incur for each project in terms of manpower (or third-party contractors, or both). 

Personally, when I’m PM’ing something with a lot of moving parts from a variety of third-party resources - for example, large real-estate development deals - when I get to the crunch, I print out my charts and tape them to my door, just so I have them immediately to-hand and to-eye.  It’s hokey, but again, that illusion of control helps me stay focused. 

You probably already know all this, and I’m probably boring you to tears, but long years of experience have painfully taught me that doing the grunt work is how I stay on schedule and on budget.  I hope this observation is remotely helpful for you.

Hitch

Hitch has it absolutely correct in saying that resource scheduling, although something of a tedious task, is the bedrock of project management. Gantt charts are missing from most of the web-based project management/collaboration tools, and although I tried to make do without it (using Basecamp and activeCollab at various times), I knew that my personal organization style couldn’t live without it. 

Now if you’re all right with munging something together yourself, there are ways to generate Gantt charts with Excel, and you may be able to integrate that into your workflow.

Hitch has it absolutely correct in saying that resource scheduling, although something of a tedious task, is the bedrock of project management. Gantt charts are missing from most of the web-based project management/collaboration tools, and although I tried to make do without it (using Basecamp and activeCollab at various times), I knew that my personal organization style couldn’t live without it. 

Now if you’re all right with munging something together yourself, there are ways to generate Gantt charts with Excel, and you may be able to integrate that into your workflow.

Well, thanks for the kind words, evoque!

Personally, the idea of trying to use Excel for Gantt charts gives me the yips.  I’m not a visual creature, myself; a lot of people LOVE being able to use the Gantt bars for easy reference; I simply like the glorified to-do lists with predecessor ability and of course, resource usage.  If you are a visual person, though, the Gantts are great (and, if you have the wall space, can contribute mightily to your overall coolness and busy-ness.)  😊.

MS Project does the trick rather nicely, regardless of which method you prefer.  Again, though, I would stress to the OP - if you’re trying to figure out WHEN your resources are free to take on new gigs - you really need to start budgeting and allocating them in the projects you DO have.  And, heck - if you can’t figure out how much time Jim and John and Betty are going to spend on project X - how on earth can you bid it, or submit a proposal for a contract?  For that matter, how do you know, other than instinctively, whether you made or lost money on a project?

One last thought - It is also incredibly helpful to “allocate” the time that your CLIENT is supposed to contribute or use during the project, e.g., “design to client for approval, 2 calendar days.”  I use it for every step of client approval(s) or input…this way, when the project starts to slip its deadlines, I have a record of exactly where the CLIENT contributed to the slippage, by not returning proofs or documents (or whatever) in X days, but rather X + Y…you know the drill. 

HTH,

Hitch

Sorry, I’ve not been able to find time to post back here for a few days… oh, the irony!!  ; )

Thanks Hitch and evoque - nice to hear from people with a couple of different takes on this.  I think - going back to Leslie’s point too - regardless of tools, there’s nothing to replace the methodolgy (read: dedicated slog…) of taking the time to give each project sufficient thought initially (down to individual task level) and then set dedicated time to continually review and analyse progress.

I really love the idea of setting client milestones too - I do that already to a certain extent, but it’s not something that I implement as a critical aspect of project delivery.  I intend to change that, particularly as it’s non-delivery of client content (or waiting for client approval) that invariably sets projects behind.  I’m thinking of setting those milestones upfront (e.g. ‘Client approval of visual designs’ milestone set 4 days after ‘Delivery of visual designs’) and altering our contract to warn that failure to meet client milestones will result in the project being put back the number of days over.  However, I’m tempted to also warn that significant failure to meet those milestones (say, a week over) may result in the project being put on hold, to be resumed at the next available scheduled build slot.

It feels a bit harsh to me at first: however, I definitely need to start giving ‘client’s responsiblity for delivering’ equal weighting with ours.  Without doubt one of the reasons I shy away from spending *quality* time on scheduling to any great depth is because I have it in the back of my mind that the client will inevitably throw a spanner in the works anyway by letting the schedule slip.  If that issue is dealt with upfront, with a plan of action already outlined, then I think things might run a little smoother in future.

Thanks for the tip.

Regarding budgeting - actually this is something I do feel I’m almost there on, but just missing a piece of the puzzle.  I always have an estimate of how long the project will take, and can put an hourly time budget to that too.  One tool (there I go again…) I love with regards to this is Tick (http://www.tickspot.com/) - a nice web app (so even remote workers can post their time) that allows you to set a project time budget, and then feeds back as to how much of that time you’ve already used (in lovely graphic progress bar format).  It also posts a daily updated progress bar to each project’s Basecamp project too. That way I have a really good idea of how profitable the project has been (taking into account other project costs, etc…)

Thanks everyone - I’ve learnt a huge amount here, or have at least been reminded of stuff I already knew but failed to put into practice 😊

Hi

We have recently set up our website (with EE) to start selling our Project Planning and Scheduling solutions.

Our solutions do automatic multi-project scheduling. They gives you on optimized resource-constrained schedule for a selection of project scope or portfolio and resources, i.e. it places tasks in time, allocates resources, and calculates durations (e.g. depending on the efficiency and availability of the selected resource).

That way you can easily do simulations, e.g. if a customer asks you when you can start a new project and how long it will take, then you can add it to your current plans, generate the schedule and immediately see how it fits in, get an estimate on the duration and end-date, see who is ideally allocated to it, and see how it has an impact on your efficiency.

It is a desktop application for planning and decision support. Not for project ‘management’. It is written in Java and will work on Mac OSX as well, however we need to finish testing before releasing the new version.

The site is PlanningForce

Cheers

@fbossuyt:

You said “It is a desktop application for planning and decision support. Not for project ‘management’.”  I’m always looking for new applications or methodologies to reduce my admin workload, but I’m not sure I understand the distinction you are making; you said that you place tasks, resources and durations, and your application optimizes resource-constrained schedules (which is pretty straight-up CPM). 

Can you elucidate on what you see as the difference between your application and, say, MS Project?  In the interim, I’ll drop by your site and check it out - thanks!

Hitch

Hitch

Most project ‘management’ tools provide great functionality for the management of projects in progress, e.g. time/progress tracking, issue tracking. For planning and scheduling, they provide only tools that help you manually build a schedule and resource allocation.

This however is a time consuming iterative process, if done right. You have to look at a whole lot of information, like task effort estimates, historic data, resource calendars, customer calendars, resource allocation to other projects. If you change something in a task chain, you should verify anything later in the chain, etc.

Because of this complexity, most people just create one plan and try to stick to it, although things change plus you get better information and estimates over time, so you should re-plan (while keeping some committed dates). Also if you get a new opportunity, you can probably do things more efficiently with a different schedule.

How is our product different from MS Project:
- multi project
- automatic schedule generation
- development and comparison of multiple scenarios
- use of variables (e.g. ‘Velocity x Effort’) to easily improve e.g. duration estimates
- Document required Skills for each task
- Document a resource skills matrix (+ levels) (Resources are automatically selected buy fit and availability)
- Document calendars and curves (e.g. seasons, efficiency increase)

So, once you have entered your
- tasks, sequence, duration, skill requirements
- your resources, their skills and availability
then you can generate the schedule in seconds, play around with constraints, variables, priorities and re-schedule. The moment something changes in your plan, e.g. a project is postponed, then you just add a start-date constraint on that project and reschedule immediately. In MS Project, you would have to start rescheduling that project manually, but likely also a number of other projects to use your resources more efficiently.

We are currently working on mechanisms to give you a choise to build more robust plans (a lower risk level or less prone to change) and manage buffers.

The tool will also allow you to track progress, but primarily with the purpose of rescheduling unfinished work. Most tools only track progress to see if you are on track or not.

It is written in Java and will work on Mac OSX as well, however we need to finish testing before releasing the new version.

Looks interesting!  I’ll keep my eyes peeled for when you have a Mac version ready (it seems the Express download at the moment is Windows .exe only?)

I’m sure you’ll find it very interesting once it has been developed a little more.

We are currently going through a round of VC funding, before we can hire more developers and a marketing team, so we are not that fast at the moment.

I’ll post it here when a Mac version is available. The Express version is to limited for being useful. It was intended more to demonstrate the use of a scheduling engine.