How to compress the project schedule

Management might come with feedback, once you announce the project duration and might ask can you do the work faster?

First of all, we need to present the project schedule as it is by presenting:

• milestone diagrams
• bar charts
• project schedule network analysis diagrams

Secondly, there are some things we can do, in order to reduce the project duration even though we cannot complete the work faster than already planned with the same resources available.

Crashing the project

This means that we add more people to get the work done faster. This will also increase the cost.

Fast-tracking

Adding risks to the project and overlaps in activities. This will increase the risks.

Alternatively, management might ask to keep costs under control:

Using Resource leveling heuristics

• we limit the labor time to 40 h / week for example
• this often extends the project schedule

Using Resource smoothing

• we limit the labor except for the critical path
• this technique tries to adhere to the deadline