Schedule Planning
Planning is not scheduling
Schedule planning defines what must be done, how it is decomposed, who owns it, and what basis supports durations. Start with scope and a WBS that rolls deliverables into work packages and then activities. Use a WBS dictionary to capture scope boundaries, acceptance criteria, and responsible parties. Activity definition should produce discrete, measurable work with clear start and finish; milestones mark zero-duration events, not work. Establish calendars, resource assumptions, and duration-estimating basis before logic. Planning outputs include the schedule basis document, activity attributes, sequencing logic, and a high-level milestone plan.
Traps
Questions often blur planning with scheduling, treat a WBS as a network, or accept durations without a stated basis. Watch for scope gaps, missing calendars, and milestones used as activities. Another trap is decomposing too coarsely to measure progress or too finely to manage.
Rule of thumb
Use the 8/80 rule: an activity should generally require at least 8 and no more than 80 hours of effort. If a work package is estimated at 120 hours, decompose it into three 40-hour activities with clear handoffs. Document the assumption: 120 ÷ 40 = 3 activities. This keeps progress measurable without excessive control.
Plan the work before you schedule it: a clean WBS and defensible durations prevent most downstream logic and float errors.