Abstract:

A high quality schedule is one where the critical path is believable.  Brian will present a prototype of an add-in to Microsoft Project 2010 that helps you build a higher quality schedule.  The prototype finds and helps correct several issues that can interfere with the correct calculation of the critical path.  Some of the issues run counter to scheduling best practices (e.g. missing predecessors), and some of the issues run counter to Microsoft Project best practices (e.g. Summary Tasks with Predecessors).  Steelray Software developed over 40 criteria for assessing schedule quality over the past three years in Steelray Project Analyzer, which is used by almost every major Aerospace & Defense contractor, as well as Government agencies charged with auditing project schedules (e.g. DCMA).  The presentation will be interactive – the group will use the prototype to fix the quality of an example schedule.