V2. M 2.2 Scheduling Techniques

OTM452 Project management

Dr. Amir Fard Bahreini

Module 2.2

Scheduling Techniques

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

• Explain what a Gantt Chart is and why it’s useful in managing project schedules.
• Differentiate among the four major types of task dependencies (with examples).
• Identify milestones and describe how they shape a project's structure.

MAIN MENU

Gantt Charts: The visual heartbeat of your project

Task Dependencies: What comes before what — and why

Milestones: Project checkpoints that matter

© 2025 UW–Madison | Dept. of OIM | Amir Fard Bahreini. No copying, reproduction, or online posting without explicit permission. All rights reserved.

Part I

Gantt Charts

© 2025 UW–Madison | Dept. of OIM | AFB • All rights reserved

Meet the Gantt Chart — Your Project’s Storyboard

A Gantt Chart is more than just a scheduling tool — it’s a way to tell your project's story over time.

Definition:

• A Gantt Chart is a horizontal bar chart that plots project tasks against time. Each bar visually represents a task’s duration and position in the timeline.

Purpose

• Displays when tasks begin and end

• Shows how long tasks last

• Makes task overlaps and gaps obvious

• Communicates the project plan visually

Used for: Planning, scheduling, progress tracking, stakeholder updates

Why Gantt Charts Are Loved (and Sometimes Hated)

Limitations

Benefits

Lacks Dependency Logic: Gantt charts show timing but not necessarily relationships between tasks Scalability Issues: Can become cluttered in large-scale projects Manual Updates Are Risky: Outdated Gantt charts mislead rather than inform

Simplicity: At a glance, see what’s happening when Visibility: Ideal for communicating with non-technical stakeholders Progress Monitoring: Compare planned vs. actual durations Time Management: Helps ensure deadlines aren’t overlooked

Use Gantt charts as a complement to logic-based tools (like network diagrams), not a substitute.

Modern Gantt Tools – Smartsheet & Friends

Modern Scheduling Tools help automate and elevate Gantt chart functionality:

• Microsoft Project – Advanced, enterprise-ready, steep learning curve

• Smartsheet – Web-based, visually rich, great for collaboration

• TeamGantt – Simple and user-friendly

• Asana/Trello (with plugins) – Add-ons allow timeline/Gantt views

• Excel – Flexible for basic Gantt visuals, accessible to most users

Why Use Smartsheet?

• Collaborative Editing – Multiple users can update in real time

• Automated Dependencies – Updates ripple through the schedule

• Cloud-Based – Access from anywhere, anytime

Part II

Task Dependencies

© 2025 UW–Madison | Dept. of OIM | AFB • All rights reserved

Dependencies – What Comes First, and Why It Matters

In project scheduling, tasks are rarely isolated. Most rely on the completion or start of other tasks — these relationships are called dependencies.

A dependency is a logical, often temporal relationship between two project activities. It dictates how and when one task must occur in relation to another.

Dependencies ensure

The Four Dependency Types

There are four standard dependency types used in network-based scheduling:

Think of dependencies as instructions for the project clock — telling it not just what time it is, but what must happen before the hands can move.

Part III

Project Milestones

© 2025 UW–Madison | Dept. of OIM | AFB • All rights reserved

Milestones – The Project’s Signposts

Recall a milestone is a significant point or event in a project, usually marking the completion of a major deliverable, phase, or decision point.

Let’s revisit what we covered today:

• Gantt Charts visually communicate time, task durations, and overlap.
• Dependencies dictate task order — with FS, SS, FF, and SF types.
• Milestones are zero-duration markers of major events.
• Gantt charts in Excel

THANK YOU

“Time is the scarcest resource, and unless it is managed, nothing else can be managed.

Strengths

Contextualize your topic

• Plan the structure of your communication.
• Give it a hierarchy and give visual weight to the main point.
• Add secondary messages with interactivity.
• Establish a flow through the content.
• Measure results.

Weaknesses

Contextualize your topic

• Plan the structure of your communication.
• Give it a hierarchy and give visual weight to the main point.
• Add secondary messages with interactivity.
• Establish a flow through the content.
• Measure results.

Historical Note: Named after Henry Gantt, who developed the chart in the early 1900s to improve industrial efficiency. Over 100 years later, it remains one of the most widely used project planning tools.

• Tasks are performed in the correct order

• Resource scheduling is coherent

• Bottlenecks are avoided

• Timelines reflect real-world constraints