How can you ensure stakeholder expectations are met through project scheduling?

1 Identify and analyze stakeholders

Before you start scheduling your project, you need to identify who your stakeholders are and what their needs, preferences, and concerns are. You can use a stakeholder analysis matrix to map out their level of interest, power, and impact on your project. This will help you prioritize and tailor your communication and engagement strategies for each stakeholder group. You should also involve your stakeholders in the planning process, as this will increase their buy-in and commitment to your project.

2 Define and agree on project scope

Project scope is the description of what your project will deliver, how it will be done, and what it will not include. It is essential to define and agree on the project scope with your stakeholders, as this will set the boundaries and expectations for your project. You should document the project scope in a scope statement or a scope baseline, which should include the project objectives, deliverables, assumptions, constraints, and acceptance criteria. You should also establish a change control process to manage any requests or modifications to the project scope during the project execution.

3 Create and share a realistic schedule

A project schedule is a tool that shows the sequence, duration, and dependencies of the project activities, as well as the allocation of resources and the estimation of costs. To create a realistic schedule, you should use a work breakdown structure (WBS) to break down your project into manageable units, and a network diagram to visualize the logical relationships among the activities. You should also use a scheduling technique, such as the critical path method (CPM) or the program evaluation and review technique (PERT), to calculate the start and finish dates of each activity and identify the critical path of your project. Once you have created your schedule, you should share it with your stakeholders and get their feedback and approval.

4 Monitor and report progress

Once your project is underway, you should monitor and report the progress of your project according to your schedule. You should use key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics, such as the schedule variance (SV) and the schedule performance index (SPI), to measure how well your project is meeting the planned schedule. You should also use tools, such as Gantt charts, dashboards, or status reports, to communicate the progress of your project to your stakeholders in a clear and concise way. You should also update your schedule regularly to reflect any changes or issues that may arise during the project execution.

5 Manage risks and issues

Risks and issues are potential or actual events that may affect your project schedule negatively or positively. You should identify, analyze, and prioritize the risks and issues that may impact your project, and develop a risk management plan and an issue log to document how you will handle them. You should also implement risk response strategies, such as avoidance, mitigation, transfer, or acceptance, to reduce the likelihood or impact of the risks. You should also resolve the issues as soon as possible, or escalate them to the appropriate stakeholders if needed.

6 Celebrate and evaluate success

Finally, you should celebrate and evaluate the success of your project with your stakeholders. You should acknowledge and appreciate the contributions and achievements of your project team and other stakeholders, and celebrate the completion and delivery of your project. You should also conduct a project evaluation or a lessons learned session to review the performance of your project against the planned schedule and the stakeholder expectations. You should identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and challenges of your project, and document the best practices, lessons, and recommendations for future projects.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?