Scheduling Multiple Projects

1. Scheduling Multiple Projects

2. Rationale The evaluation work is complete and specific project plans have been prioritized from the Long Range Plan. The purpose of this module is to assist in scheduling multiple projects to assure goals are set and met each fiscal year. This module will look at the fundamental parts of projects and how to manage the phases of multiples projects to achieve both short-term and long-term goals. Implementation of your project plans not only involves addressing each project plan, but also meshing all planned projects and milestones to make the maximum use of your resources.

3. Objectives • Coordinate time demands of multiple projects • Improve efficiency by coordinating tasks of multiple projects

4. Chat: • What are the four fundamental parts of a project?

5. Activities Resources Products Results Field investigation MLRA SSO staff Transects Map unit composition A project includes these 4 fundamental parts.

6. Planning Scheduling Doing QC/QA Correlation Your planning will address the 5 phases.

7. Chat: • Objectives should have what five • attributes?

8. S M A R T Specific Measurable Attainable Realistic Time bound Objectives should be S.M.A.R.T.

9. Chat: • What are the products of your project plans?

10. Chat: • What are the results of your project plans?

11. Transects Correlation Pedon descriptions Classification issue resolved Landscape issue resolved New series Product Result Product Result Result Result Products and Results

12. Chat: • How are the activities of your project plans managed in NASIS 6.0?

13. Milestones • Develop lists taking a first and second level approach and enter into the Project Object in NASIS 6.0 • Estimate time required for each • Assign primary responsibility for each to members of your team (later when we take a look at resources available) and enter into NASIS 6.0 • Set start and end dates for each milestone to be entered into NASIS 6.0

14. Chat: • What is the concept of Sequencing - Precedence modeling?

15. Sequencing-Precedence modeling This involves taking your list of milestones and arranging them into a proper sequential order.

16. Chat: • What resources are needed for your project?

17. Resource needs • 1-Determining resource needs • 2-Effect of resource limitations on your project planning • 3-Assigning your staff to each milestone

18. Determining Resource needs: • Time • Materials and Supplies • Equipment • Technology • People • Facilities

19. NSSL data Is lab data needed for your project? If lab data is a project product, lag time will be involved and getting that data will be a fence and a milestone as not much of anything else can occur until you get it. Communicate with your NSSC Liaison!

20. QC and QA of Data

21. Scheduling-applying precedence modeling to a time line

22. The dashed line represents “float” or slack time Utilizing a scheduling template, our schedule looks like this. C is a “predecessor” to E A, B, C, etc. are “milestones” The solid vertical line represents a “fence” The different color indicates an “external” milestone, one that has been outsourced and you have no control over

23. Remember some things to consider when developing the schedule: • Are people resources available? • Do people resources have dates you must work into the time line or work around as you develop the time line? • Do other resources, such as equipment, need to be scheduled and how that affects your time line?

24. More things to consider when developing the schedule: • Time of year that works best for some milestones • A high priority item that may have a need to be completed by a predetermined date • Need to confirm up front when the NSSL can have data available for that project, the availability date being a predecessor milestone for milestones to follow

25. Scheduling of multiple projects • Approved from your long range plan! • Do you add a lower priority project to your planning for high priorities because it will be easier to “kill 2 birds with 1 stone” and get it done while in the same area of the MLRA (low hanging fruit)? • Reportable Milestones will be a part of the schedule for each project! • Is there a waiting period of time for any particular outsourced milestone to be completed?

26. Know your objectives: • So you can develop your milestones • You can sequence your activities using precedence modeling in table and/or diagram formats • Know your critical path of activities which will indicate the shortest amount of time for the project. Fencing and milestones will help indicate this. You can add float time based on the critical path, but you cannot take it away. • Once you have your milestones, you can then acknowledge the resources you need. • If resources include scheduling people and equipment, determine availability before attempting to schedule – may require hard dates with no float time for those associated activities.

27. Float Time is Your Friend • Float time allows you to deal with the unexpected events that always require your attention. • Float time allows you flexibility in scheduling multiple projects during the same period of time. • You can decrease or increase float time as needed to allow scheduling multiple projects (as long as there are no concurrent activities in a project that will be adversely affected and you do not try to shrink the critical path for a project)

28. Proximity • If projects are within commuting distance of the office, there is no issue in scheduling concurrently or apart unless: • You have equipment or people resources needed and must maximize their use while you have them. Then you would go ahead and complete those activities for multiple projects in the same time period

29. Travel Time • If projects are outside commuting distance of the office and require travel, you should consider how you could maximize use of your trips to an area • Work on similar activities for 2 or more projects planned for the area – transects, for example • Work on multiple activities for 2 or more projects planned for the area – transects for one, sampling for another for example • Might be possible to work on multiple activities for one project if planned appropriately • Transects – summarize transect data while there – describe and sample appropriately while still there.

30. Managing Multiple Projects • A scheduling process may help you find that you have time to at least initiate another project (or more), or • You are trying to schedule too much into a period of time.

31. Follow-up • You can visualize a single project in your mind, but when it comes to scheduling multiple projects, you need to be more formal to maximize use of your resources. This model is one way of achieving that. • Microsoft Project is a tool that may help you. Look into its use to see if it is something you want to access. • Either way, you now have a product that you can use to help sell your projects and APO to management.

32. Summary • Maximize Your Time • Manage more than one Project at a Time • Float Time is Your Friend • Integrate Lab Time & QA and QC • Communicate, Communicate, Communicate!!! • Use Milestones in NASIS 6.0 to schedule dates and document completion • Gain Efficiency by Combining Tasks and Proximity