Introduction
Projects are widely utilized by various organizations at present. To secure the successful completion of any project, it is crucial to apply appropriate planning and develop a detailed schedule, which should be followed in the process of project implementation. It is noted that project management is related to utilizing skills, knowledge, and tools to develop project activities and meet project requirements (Heagney 2016). This research paper deals with the process of planning and scheduling applied for the project of Patient Smart Portal (PSP) developed by the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP) in UAE to enable their patients to see their personalized records.
Developing a Detailed WBS
The detailed work breakdown structure (WBS) presents all the works which are required for project completion. It is arranged in the form of a hierarchy and allows logical and clear groupings by various activities. According to Heagney (2016), the idea of WBS is to divide the activities into smaller tasks to reach the simplest level that cannot be subdivided. It is a general opinion that a project schedule should be based on WBS.
It is possible to say that the work breakdown structure applied to develop Patient Smart Portal should include such stages as initiation, analysis planning, execution, and monitor and control. This WBS will have three levels to summarize the information about the tasks that should be completed during the project, plan the project logically and proactively, and define manageable components of the activities to achieve the required objectives. It should be noted that WBS does not show the sequence of the performed activities. The sequence of the tasks and the terms to complete them are determined when a schedule is developed. The following figure shows WBS for Patient Smart Portal Project.
Thus, WBS can be used to define the scope of the project and estimate approximate time, resources, and costs on its basis. It is also crucial for assigning responsibilities for each activity. It is generally recognized that a good WBS can greatly assist in identifying the difficulties of the project.
Planning Schedule Management
It is possible to divide the project management process related to planning schedule management into three stages such as planning a worktable scheme used to accomplish the goals, executing the plan, and controlling the process of implementation with necessary corrections. It guides managing project schedules throughout the project by establishing certain documentation, policies, and procedures. Some researchers note that “projects are often initiated as part of a broader strategic planning process; thus the field of strategic planning would seem to be an appropriate source of ideas for planning and managing projects” (Papke-Shields & Boyer-Wright 2017, p. 169).
For the PSP project, the policies and procedures include determining methodology and software for scheduling, as well as measurement guidelines such as days of months. It is noted that “two methods of scheduling were developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s, both of which use arrow diagrams to capture the sequential and parallel relationships among project activities” (Heagney 2016, p. 105). Microsoft Project is regarded to be a convenient software to use for developing a schedule and assigning the workforce to the tasks. The schedule change process should be identified by a project manager to control the possible changes in the timeline. The documentation should include the reports for the schedule in the form of network diagrams or activity lists.
Defining and Sequencing Activities
To define activities, the small tasks utilized in the development of WBS are applied. Each activity based on the task from WBS should be properly estimated, managed, scheduled, and monitored. It is crucial to use the scope baseline from WBS and consider the project team’s availability to develop schedule activities successfully. The estimating process is a key point in defining the required activities. It is important to involve all the project team in this job to make estimates more accurate. Project managers often use the “rolling wave planning” technique to develop activities, which allows planning activities at the start of a certain project phase without planning all the details at the beginning of the project.
The activities determined for the given project include three phases presented in WBS for Patient Smart Portal. These activities are designing a web database, software development, interphase design, procurement, installing development web system PSP, testing PSP system, a productive start of the PSP system, user training, as well as issuing necessary documentation related to system functioning and gathering feedback on the system. These activities should be sequenced properly to guarantee work performance.
It is possible to use a network diagram to sequence activities in the project schedule. Such a diagram utilizes activity-on-arrow notation with events and arrows which connect them and represent the sequence of tasks. The sequence of activities for Patient Smart Portal is determined in three stages which should be implemented one after another according to phase numbers.
Estimating Activity Recourses and Duration
The recourses that can be applied in performing activities usually include material, people, money, equipment, and facilities. They are required during the project implementation throughout the cycle. It is emphasized that “industry,
organization size, and project cost are categorical variables while project duration and several people on the project are continuous variables” (Papke-Shields & Boyer-Wright 2017, p. 174). Estimating activity recourses helps to determine the type and amount of the certain recourses that are required for the successful implementation of the project. The quality and quantity of resources might influence the duration of the assigned activities. The amount of work effort is also important for estimating the activity recourses. Still, the duration of activity greatly depends on the amount of work effort.
For Patient Smart Portal Project, it is possible to estimate such activity recourses as employees who would implement the software, hardware equipment required for development and implementation of software, and costs required for implementation. The duration of activities depends on the number of employees and their qualifications, as well as on the milestones that might appear because of vendor change. It is generally recognized that estimating activity duration is a long process that requires the efforts of the whole project team. There are many methods of estimating activity duration such as analogous estimating that is based on the duration of the past projects and parametric estimating based on the statistical data and variables.
Developing the Schedule
For schedule development, it is necessary to determine the tasks from the work breakdown structure that will be included in the final schedule and identify their relationship by utilizing a network diagram. Each task should be assigned to a certain workforce with the amount of effort that is required. Such variables as assumptions, project constraints, material delay, project risks, staff interaction, and teaching realities should be considered as well. It is noted that a failure to allocate recourses in the right way usually leads to a bad schedule the objectives of which cannot be achieved (Heagney 2016, p. 116). The following table represents the basic schedule for the PSP project.
Conclusion
The paper dealt with developing a detailed WBS and project schedule processes for the Patient Smart Portal project. According to the analysis of the determined activities and their sequences, the project schedule was developed. The Ministry of Health & Prevention in UAE is responsible for the development of the standards and requirements that have to be met in terms of this project. Its success is predetermined by the way of how managers and other stakeholders understand their duties and the worth of their work outcomes.
There are four main stages in the Patient Smart Portal, and each of them has its goal, impact, and value. It is not enough to plan a worktable and make sure that all employees follow it. It is also important to promote its execution, control, and implementation, in other words, to create strong guidance to management and identify what type of resources may be required. In this project, employees are defined as the main resource for consideration along with material, money, and facilities. The idea of WBS has been successfully developed and proved as an urgent managerial step.
References
Heagney, J 2016, Fundamentals of project management, 5th edn, AMACOM Diverse American Management Association, New-York, NY.
Papke-Shields, KE & Boyer-Wright, KM 2017, ‘Strategic planning characteristics applied to project management’, International Journal of Project Management, vol. 35, pp. 169-179.