How to Schedule Work Assignments

by Audra Bianca

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4Business Tools for Scheduling

Many computer programs are available on the market that simplify scheduling the work of
employees, contractors and machines in your business. But before you start inputting
names, it's best to consider what factors affect the different kinds of work to be performed.
Once you've thought about the big picture, then you can use a paper-and-pencil method or a
computer method to implement your scheduling decisions.
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Processes or Projects

Before you can schedule, analyze the work of your small business. Some businesses divide
up the work among departments and those units develop internal work procedures. Other
businesses look at the core processes that produce products or services and assign workers
to processes or cross-functional teams. Either way, work will be performed in chunks from
start to finish or in a more hybrid function approach based on decisions of workers in a
department.

Labor Resource Analysis

Before you schedule work, look at the number of positions, what skills are available
internally or from those who will be hired, and how many hours each position will have
available for a process, task or project. These are the resources to be scheduled. You can
 also make a flowchart depicting all steps in a work process or task. Then, schedule
employees to cover the steps in the flowchart and develop backup plans in case employees
are not able to perform their duties as assigned.

Efficiency

Once you have mapped out the workflow, run through it a few times and note how many
hours are needed for each step in the process. Work with managers and employees to
troubleshoot each step so that the whole process can be streamlined for maximum
efficiency. Once you have done these steps, you are ready to start scheduling your workers
as resources.

Duplication

If you departmentalize or assign employees to different core processes, you run the risk of
work being duplicated. That's because not all tasks that employees do are mapped out in a
flow chart or a procedures manual. Employees take on work from their managers or invent
tasks for themselves based on business conditions. Look at the work duties across the
organization at least once a year to ensure there is no work duplication. In addition, ensure
customers have a clear understanding of whom they should talk to throughout a project so
they don't get conflicting updates from different staff members.
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Business Tools for Scheduling

by David Ingram

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Business scheduling is the process of creating formal plans to structure complex projects.
Scheduling tools work for everyday tasks, such as scheduling work shifts or order
placements, or for large projects, such as reorganizing functional departments or building
new facilities. Program Evaluation and Review Technique / Critical Path Method (PERT/CPM)
and Gantt charts are notable common scheduling tools that you can use manually or with
the assistance of specialized software.
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PERT/CPM

PERT/CPM diagrams identify each subprocess involved in completing a complex project, the
exact sequences that must be followed, the earliest and latest start and end times for each
process, and the project's critical path. The critical path is a specific sequence of
events, from the beginning of the project to the end, which must begin and end on time to
ensure the timely completion of the project. PERT/CPM diagram construction begins with
identification of the time requirements for each activity. Planners then build a chart listing
the prerequisite activities for each process. Beginning with the first process in the project,
nodes representing each activity are drawn horizontally, from left to right, in order of their
sequence. Planners connect subsequent activity nodes with lines, according to the
previously established chart. The earliest and latest start and end times for each activity are
calculated beginning with the first node and moving forward. Each earliest start time is
based on the earliest end time of the previous activity, and each latest start time is based
on the latest end time of the previous activity. End times are calculated by adding the time
requirement for each process to its two start times. The difference between the earliest and
latest start times is referred to as slack time, or the time that the activity can sit idly without
affecting the project's schedule. Activities with no slack time are connected to
form the critical path.

Gantt Charts

Gantt charts serve much the same purpose as PERT/CPM diagrams, though Gantt is a bit
simpler. A Gantt chart lists each activity along a horizontal diagram with equally spaced
columns representing specific time periods. Horizontal bars drawn from left to right
represent individual activities. Each bar begins at the specific activity's planned
start time and stretches out to the planned end time. Concurrent activities are drawn
parallel to each other in the same time column. Constructing a Gantt chart begins with
listing the time requirements of each activity. Assuming that each process will proceed on
schedule, the time sequence for the project is constructed by adding the first
process's time requirement to the planned start time of the project, then
starting the next process immediately after, and continuing all the way to the end for all
concurrent process flows.

Scheduling Software

Using scheduling tools by hand or with office software, such as spreadsheets, can be time-
consuming and error-prone. A number of specialized software packages can efficiently and
reliably handle the complex calculations involved in scheduling for a large or ongoing
business project. These packages may require extensive user input upon which to base
calculations, but they can quickly produce user-friendly graphs, charts, recommendations
and analysis to help keep your projects on schedule. Software like this can work efficiently
for small business owners who work with limited time and staff.