Why September Is the Perfect Time to Re-evaluate Your Schedule
Your plan is based on what you knew at the time
Every schedule is created using the information available at that time. You determine activities, lead times, dependencies, and milestones, and make assumptions about what will happen in the coming months. But how many of those assumptions are still accurate? Perhaps an activity took longer than expected, a decision was postponed, or a supplier needed more time. It’s also possible that the capacity you had planned for the fall is no longer available.
That in itself isn't a reason to immediately draw up a new plan. It is, however, a reason to ask yourself one important question: Am I still basing my decisions on a realistic picture of what lies ahead for us?
Just a refresh, or a real re-examination?
An activity has been completed. You enter the actual date and update the progress. This brings your schedule back up to date. But is it still realistic? That’s where validation begins. You don’t just look at what has happened, but especially at the consequences for what comes next. Will the next activity be delayed as a result? Will a dependency be put under pressure? Is there still enough time to meet a milestone?
This is how you review the schedule with the knowledge you have now. Not just to assess where you stand, but to determine whether the next steps are still feasible.
Does "100 percent" really mean "ready"?
To determine whether moving forward is still feasible, you first need to be certain that the current progress is accurate. After all, what does “complete” actually mean in the context of your project? An activity may be marked as 100 percent complete in the schedule, even though a required approval is still pending. On paper, the work is done. In practice, however, the next activity still cannot begin. So look beyond percentages and statuses. Is the necessary information available? Have decisions been made? Have handoffs been completed? Can the next phase actually begin?
Because only then will the progress in your schedule provide a reliable picture of where your project truly stands.
What has summer quietly changed?
Once you know where the project really stands right now, the next question is: what has changed since the last thorough review? This is especially relevant after the summer. It is precisely during periods of fluctuating staffing levels, supplier vacations, and sometimes slower decision-making that small shifts can accumulate. A review took a few days longer, a decision was postponed until after the vacation, or a supplier delivered a week later. Taken separately, these might not be cause for concern. But what happens when you add up all those shifts?
So look at the overall effect. Which activities have been postponed? Which dependencies have been affected as a result? And where has the flexibility in the schedule decreased without it being immediately apparent?
Is December still listed under December?
If activities and dependencies have shifted, you'll want to know what that means for the milestones in Q4. Are the dates you were targeting before the summer still achievable? A date doesn’t automatically become more realistic just because it’s been on the schedule for months. So, take a step back and look at a key milestone: which activities still need to be completed, which decisions need to be made on time, and is the necessary capacity available? Perhaps there’s enough leeway to make up for previous delays. But maybe December is still listed as December mainly because that date was never reevaluated.
You want to know that difference now, not in December.
Which assumptions do you still take for granted?
Whether a milestone is achievable depends not only on the progress made so far. Just as important are the assumptions on which your planning for the coming months is based. A supplier will deliver within six weeks. A review takes five business days. Engineering will be completed on time. A specialist will be available in October. Every schedule contains assumptions like these. But how many of them still align with what you know now?
Do you now know that a supplier needs eight weeks rather than six? If so, that information must be factored into the planning of the work that’s still to come. Otherwise, you’ll continue to base your calculations on an assumption that you already know is incorrect.
Also look into the cause behind the abnormality
Does your validation show that a milestone is at risk? If so, you’ll want to know not only that the schedule has deviated, but especially why. Suppose engineering is running behind schedule because a key decision hasn’t been made yet. As a result, procurement is also delayed, and implementation eventually comes under pressure. Deploying additional capacity to engineering would be of little use in that case. The real bottleneck lies in the pending decision.
By identifying the cause of a deviation, you'll gain a better understanding of what it takes to get the project back on track.
Where do you really need to make adjustments?
If you know the cause of a deviation, you can determine whether action is needed. After all, not every deviation requires corrective action. Perhaps there’s enough flexibility in the schedule to accommodate a delay. Perhaps you can organize the work differently. But if a milestone is in danger of becoming unachievable, you’ll have to make some choices. The action required depends on the cause. Does a decision need to be expedited, capacity need to be reallocated, or does the schedule itself need to be adjusted? The key is to make that distinction early enough.
How confident are you in your plans for Q4?
A schedule can still hold up just fine after validation. But perhaps a milestone turns out to be less certain than expected, or a deviation requires action sooner than you had anticipated. That’s exactly why September is such a logical time to validate. Any issues you identify now give you the opportunity to make targeted adjustments before the final months of the year really start to count.
Our Project Controls Professionals help organizations gain and maintain control over scheduling, progress, risks, and changes. That way, you won’t realize a project is off track only after there’s no longer any room to make adjustments.
Curious? Learn more about Planning & Scheduling at Ditio.