Project planning & AI-assisted scheduling
Turn project objectives into a workable schedule and budget. We review dependencies, resource requirements and uncertainty, with AI-assisted analysis where the available information supports it.
How we can help
Before a team commits to a completion date, it needs to understand the work behind it. We help define the project scope, break it into manageable activities and establish how those activities depend on one another. The plan includes milestones, resource needs and budget assumptions so that sponsors can see what they are being asked to approve.
We also examine what could change the plan. A delayed approval, shared specialist or late delivery can affect several activities at once. Scenario analysis helps the team understand these effects and decide where contingency is needed. AI can assist with reviewing patterns or exploring alternatives, but the schedule remains subject to the judgement of people who understand the work and its constraints.
When this may be useful
- You are preparing a new project for approval and need a schedule linked to a clear scope and budget.
- Several teams share staff or suppliers, and their plans contain conflicting deadlines or resource commitments.
- An existing schedule has become difficult to maintain or no longer reflects the work still to be completed.
What the work involves
Define the work
Agree objectives, scope boundaries and completion criteria with the project team. Develop a work breakdown structure that identifies the activities and outputs needed, including approvals and handovers that can otherwise be overlooked.
Build the schedule and resource plan
Sequence activities, identify dependencies and establish milestones. Review estimated durations with the people responsible for delivery, then check whether staff, equipment and funding are available when the schedule assumes they will be.
Examine alternative scenarios
Test the effect of changes in durations, resource availability and cost assumptions. Where the data is suitable, use quantitative or AI-assisted analysis to explore ranges and identify the assumptions that have the greatest influence on completion.
Agree the baseline
Present the plan for review and approval, including unresolved decisions and stated assumptions. Establish how actual progress will be recorded, how changes will be approved and when the schedule should be reviewed with the sponsor.
How the assignment runs
Review the brief
Discuss objectives, deadlines, constraints and the information already available. Agree the decisions the plan needs to support.
Develop and test the plan
Build the schedule with your team and examine resource conflicts, dependencies and alternative delivery scenarios.
Approve and hand over
Resolve review comments, agree the baseline and walk the team through updating progress and controlling changes.
What to prepare
These details will help us understand the starting point and agree a useful scope:
- Project brief, intended outputs and any agreed completion dates
- Existing schedule, budget estimates and resource information
- Known approval, procurement and supplier dependencies
If some information is still being developed, we can discuss what is available in the first conversation.
Questions about this service.
For anything specific to your organisation, get in touch. We can discuss the requirements before you decide on an engagement.
Can you improve a schedule we already use?
Yes. We can review the current schedule, check its assumptions and update the remaining work. Any proposed change to an approved baseline is documented for the appropriate decision-maker.
Do we need historical data to use this service?
No. We can start with estimates from the delivery team and record the uncertainty. Historical data may strengthen the analysis, but weak or incomplete records should not be presented as reliable predictions.
Will AI decide the project's completion date?
No. AI may help examine scenarios or identify inconsistencies. Your delivery team validates the assumptions, and the authorised sponsor approves the plan and its commitments.
Let’s talk about what you need.
Share a little about your project, the challenge you are facing and where you would like some help.