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Description

Project Schedule: Building the Plan, Tracking Progress and Recovering Delays

Two days to build a schedule that holds up in practice and to know what to do when it slips

  • 2 days — 14 h
  • In-person or virtual
  • Intermediate
  • Up to 6 participants

Schedules are often built once for the kick-off meeting and then maintained out of habit. Durations are set without any logic of sequencing. The critical path is never identified. When a delay appears, the only response is to ask everyone to speed up, which moves the problem without solving it.

These 14 hours focus on managing project time, not on risk or cost management. Participants break down a real project, estimate durations, build the dependency network and identify the critical path. Progress tracking and recovery scenarios are worked on using a project that is already running late.

Learning objectives

  • Break a project down into tasks that can be estimated and assigned
  • Estimate durations while making the underlying assumptions explicit
  • Build a dependency network and identify the critical path
  • Measure the actual progress of a task in execution
  • Build recovery scenarios and assess their consequences

What makes this programme different

The schedule of a real project built from breakdown through to critical path
Work on float and on how it is consumed, often invisibly
Three recovery scenarios assessed in workload terms on a delayed project

Programme

1Breakdown and Estimation

From project to tasks

  • Structured breakdown of the work
  • Level of granularity useful for steering
  • Estimation techniques and associated assumptions
  • Common sources of under-estimation

2Logic Network and Critical Path

Understanding what drives the end date

  • Dependency links between tasks
  • Calculating early and late dates
  • Identifying the critical path
  • Free float and total float

3Resources and a Workable Schedule

A calendar the team can actually meet

  • Assigning resources to tasks
  • Resource levelling and workload smoothing
  • Effects of external constraints and supplier lead times
  • Validating the schedule with contributors

4Tracking and Recovery

Reacting when the schedule slips

  • Measuring physical progress of tasks
  • Updating and re-planning
  • Acceleration scenarios and their limits
  • Communicating a delay to the project sponsor

Who is it for

Project managers, planners, work package leaders and project support officers responsible for schedule tracking.

Prerequisites

Practical experience in running projects is required.

Dates & locations

36 scheduled dates between November 2026 and December 2027. Seats are confirmed in the order enquiries are received.

November 2026

December 2026

January 2027

February 2027

March 2027

April 2027

May 2027

June 2027

September 2027

October 2027

November 2027

December 2027

None of these dates suit you? We open additional sessions on request, and any programme can be run privately for your team.

Practical details

Before the programme
Online positioning questionnaire. Your development objectives are shared with the trainer, who tailors the practical case studies to your context.
Teaching methods
Theoretical input, workshops and practical case studies. Digital course materials and method sheets provided.
Assessment
Multiple-choice tests and role-play exercises. Assessment of learning at the start and end of the programme, with immediate and 60-day follow-up evaluations.
After the programme
One year of access to the e-learning platform. Self-assessment of the skills acquired and a 30-day follow-up session with your trainer.
How to register
Registration online or on the basis of a quotation.
Lead time
11 working days after confirmation of registration.
Accessibility
Accessible to people of determination. Contact our accessibility coordinator to design a suitable solution: contact@mpf-academy.ae
Start dates
Rolling intake: in addition to the scheduled sessions, this programme can start on request.