ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the principles and techniques of project planning and scheduling. It focuses on planning and scheduling in the wider business environment, and describes matrix and time-scaled charts. Anyone planning a project of significant size will soon find that there are a number of factors, both inside and outside the project organization, that can have a profound effect on the planner's intentions. External factors are events and conditions that lie outside the control of the project management organization. Planning can be considered from two opposite viewpoints: the free planning approach, target-led planning. The 'timetable' method is the easiest and simplest approach. The gymnasium example is not strictly a project, but it demonstrates two alternative matrix chart arrangements for simple day-to-day planning of facilities in a small group or department. Coded bar charts are a simple method for scheduling resources on very small projects. Rescheduling an adjustable chart can be tedious and time-consuming.
