This recommended practice (RP) is to be used for schedule development. Schedule development is the process of translating the project scope into activities, contractual milestones, logical relationships, durations, resource availabilities, time constraints, and other schedule basis information into the project schedule model. It involves analyzing the technical and programmatic information about an asset or project to create the as-planned schedule model. This model presents a set of logically-sequenced activities that may be resource- and/or cost-loaded, and is presented in the form of a time phased action plan.

This document is intended to provide a guideline, not establish a standard.

The outputs of the schedule planning process are inputs for schedule development. Schedule planning translates work package scope into manageable activities and determines the manner and sequence (i.e., logic) in which these activities are best performed. Schedule development allocates the available resources to activities in the schedule model in accordance with cost and resource planning and alternative allocation criteria while respecting project constraints affecting the schedule (e.g., contract milestone dates).

Schedule development generally includes iteratively refining schedule planning outputs (e.g., planned durations, means and methods, workflow sequence, and/or preferential logic) in a way that realistically, if not optimally, achieves project objectives for time (e.g., milestones, overall project duration), cost (e.g., cash flow), and others (e.g., performance requirements).

An effective schedule will integrate with project technical documents, scope of work, contracts, and other project attributes that have an impact on the project schedule. A well-developed schedule contains an appropriate level of detail to enable effective project management. The schedule development process may use various techniques such as Critical Path Method (CPM), Critical Chain Method, and Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT). These techniques will be reviewed briefly in this recommended practice and considerations for their use will be discussed.

Schedules provide a platform for communicating, executing (controlling and monitoring), reporting, and presenting a baseline for project progress and performance measurement. It also provides a means for collecting and recording project progress, a basis for processing payment applications to support work performed, and a platform for analyzing project alternatives and decision making. Budgets, costs, resources, risks, and other information logs can be integrated into a project schedule to provide a basis for an integrated project control system. Furthermore, courts use and rely upon schedules for assessing requests for equitable adjustments including delay and disruption claims.