It is created such that it depicts the tasks of the projects, the duration and the sequencing of them, and the major milestones of the project. The visual representation of a schedule is a timeline chart. In other words, the project schedule gives the means by which the project manager brings the team and the project under control. If a task is on the schedule, the team is committed to doing it.
It can be used as a checklist to make sure that all necessary tasks are performed. In addition, the schedule provides project teams with a map for project execution and offers a baseline for tracking progress and managing changes. Timetables can then be negotiated and agreed, actions lists or diaries/calendars can be used for recording and planning purposes. All those in the project team should be communicated with as to their tasks content and timing. A simple project such as those identified above may only require a timetable and/or an action plan. Unless all team members are trained in the tool then the use of the tool may itself lead to poor communication and an unsatisfactory result. With simple projects, a tool such as a Gantt chart may make over complicate the project scheduling. These are the real keys to planning a successful project. However, before a project manager can use such tools, he should have an understanding over concepts like WBS, dependencies, resource allocation, critical paths etc. Once these data are established a project scheduling tool can automatically do much of the tedious work of calculating the schedule. Prior to creating the project schedule the project manager must have a work breakdown structure (WBS), an effort estimate for each task, and a list of resources with availability for each resource.