The Integrated Project Schedule

The integrated project schedule (IPS) helps manage all phases of a project. The IPS includes activities, resources, and expenses specified to a fine level of precision. Many professional project planners use the Primavera Project Planner from Primavera Systems, Inc. This tool is the weapon of choice for measuring the vitality of a project.

Whether your project is vital with positive earned value, or moribund, hemorrhaging in negative cost and schedule variances, the much maligned, but never ignored IPS, becomes the pulse and pulse rate of the project once project execution begins.

IPS example

A good project manager refers to the IPS daily. That's because both the customer and the project controls personnel use the IPS to report on the project's progress - and judge the project manager's success or failure. Essential project decisions are often driven by 3rd or 4th level details hidden in the IPS' work breakdown structure. "I've seen product managers come and go during a project," says Joel Kohler. "But the project's IPS is there to stay."

With this much at stake, today's project managers "sweat the details" when developing a project's IPS. More often than not, the initial runs through the IPS force the project manager to make very difficult tradeoffs. For example, what if the IPS forecasts a 24 month project with over a million dollars in cost - yet the customer only has half that much time and money. What now?

Take the Test

If you were the project manager, how would you fix the schedule?

Fast track the project?
Crash the schedule?
Reduce the project scope?
Pound on the project duration estimates?
Ask for more budget and more time?
Be honest with the customer?
All of the above?

To find out the answer, contact Joel Kohler.

Joel has extensive experience making these kinds of difficult decisions. Let Joel teach you the risks and the rewards of using fast tracking, and other methods of completing your project.

If you are looking for an experienced team leader, and a project planner with solid project management credentials, contact Joel Kohler Project Management.

Project Management

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Project Engineering

Bringing a seasoned contract project engineer and manager on to your team often adds precision to the engineering process - with handsome returns in cost and schedule savings.

Every seasoned project manager knows that lurking beneath the surface are eleventh-hour surprises, inadequate interpretations of mission critical requirements, complex and costly engineering designs, and failure to meet requirements.

Seasoned project managers must see the big picture to survive. From experience working on many diverse engineering projects, for many different clients, they have solid communications and problem solving skills. They know where to find, and how to fix, the inevitable problems. They can also help staff engineers more readily implement correctly-engineered solutions.

Need to get your project back on schedule, on budget, or on track? Contact Joel Kohler today.