How to create project schedules to make work easier

A new project at work often signals the beginning of another adventure filled with stakeholders, deadlines, deliverables, and tools . But whether your project is a new product launch, a vendor event, the annual editorial calendar, or even employee onboarding, you’ll need a project schedule to get you there.

Empowering yourself to create a project schedule with clear plans , processes, and responsibilities is essential to keep your team on track, know who’s doing what by when, and see how all the pieces connect. While it may take some time up front, a well-done project schedule will increase efficiency, accountability, and clarity. And those three words are music to everyone’s ears (especially your boss who entrusted this project to you). You’ll also be able to cut back on the tools that are supposed to help you manage a project but are actually making the process harder.

Your business card may not have the title project manager under your name, but guess what? For this project, and many you’ll encounter in the future, that’s your de facto role. Embrace it! When you learn to think like a project manager, you’ll be on your way to making work work again.

How to create project schedules

Now that you’re ready and willing to move ahead as a project manager, it’s time to start planning and draft a project schedule. Since the project management scheduling process may feel a bit foreign to you, here is a list of steps you can take as you build your project plan:

Define your project goals. Write down what your key milestones or deliverables are that will make this project successful in the end.

Identify all stakeholders. Make a list of every person that needs to be involved in your project, even if their role is a simple sign-off.

Determine your final deadline. Ultimately, when do you need to be completely finished with the project? Be sure to give yourself enough time to account for conflicts that, no doubt, will come your way.

List each step or task. Take those milestones and deliverables you defined in Step 1 and break them down into smaller tasks and subtasks to be sure all bases are covered.

Assign a team member responsible for each task. Decide who will take on each task and subtask, and be transparent with deadlines. Remember that your colleagues likely have other projects going on at the same time. Be mindful of their workload so they don’t feel overloaded.

Work backward to set due dates for each task. Figure out how long each task will take to complete (its start and end date), knowing that delays are inevitable. Sequencing is important to consider as well since certain tasks will need to be finished before another can start.

Organize your project schedule in one tool , and share it with your team.

You’ve successfully built your project plan and now it’s important to organize it in a way that everyone involved can see and work from it. Finding a tool that can help you do both will be critical to your success.

Once you have a detailed project schedule in place, your hands-on project management time will decrease, and you (and your team) will have more hours in the day to spend on quality work. Ultimately, isn’t that why you were hired?

Project schedule examples

Once you’ve followed all of the above steps, you will have a clear schedule that outlines your project’s schedule and steps. Below are a few examples of what these might look like:

Event planning schedule example

Planning a virtual event? Your schedule will map out everything that needs to get done, and when, before your big day.

Product launch schedule example

For your next new product, create a work breakdown structure by mapping out all of your steps and dependencies, then view them in one, easy-to-share project to keep your team on track.

Marketing campaign schedule example

Know exactly what’s going on at any given date in your marketing campaign with a project plan that schedules out every piece:

Next steps after you complete your project schedule

The purpose of a project timeline is to get more work done, more efficiently. Seeing the overall picture of your project and creating a well-thought-out plan means less stress and more productivity. Once you’ve completed your plan, there are two more essential steps to take.

Share it with your team

By sharing your project schedule, team members will clearly understand their responsibilities for the project and have an avenue to give insights on their pieces of the plan. Start by sending the project schedule to everyone involved and ask for specific feedback (questions, concerns, or ideas).

Stay organized by offering a central location to deliver all responses and give a firm deadline to promote timely action from team members. Once you’ve collected all feedback, create an updated version of the project schedule and re-share it with all stakeholders. Additionally, make sure your project schedule is included in all of your important project planning documentation, like your project brief and executive summary .

Adapt it as you go

Heraclitus was on to something in ancient Greece when he mused that the only thing that is constant is change. That goes for your project plan as well. Once you’ve kicked off the project, make sure you’re checking on your schedule consistently. Adapt it as necessary when unforeseen circumstances arise.

Managing your project schedule, and all project assets, in a central location will help everyone have a single source of truth and ensure the most updated version of the project schedule is being used.

Improve efficiency: Turn your plans and schedules into templates

To save even more time planning projects, use a proven template and stop reinventing the wheel every time you press “Go” on a new project.

If your current project is an annual event—say, a vendor expo—then it’s a no-brainer to get a solid project schedule in place now, so you can build off it for the next one. And what other projects do you work on that go through the same process each time? For example, your vendor expo might share comparable tasks with the virtual client luncheon you are hosting later this year. Having a project schedule template means you’ll be able to launch future projects faster and more efficiently.

Where should you make a project schedule?

If you’re embracing a new role as a de facto project manager—as well as a more efficient way to approach your work by creating project schedules—it’s probably time to upgrade to all-in-one tool , too. (Yes, these exist!)

Work management tools are available to help you build dynamic project schedules and intuitive Gantt-chart like timelines that provide clear visibility at all stages and to all stakeholders. Say so long to email, spreadsheets, and chats that don’t talk to each other.

Developing and managing your project schedule in a centralized system allows you to create each step and determine its duration with a project calendar , build tasks and subtasks, and assign them to the appropriate person. As you need to adjust your project plan, you can quickly make the change in the tool and all stakeholders will be notified. Different views of your schedule accommodate all work and learning styles and your workflows will come together seamlessly because you’ll always know who’s doing what by when.

Work smarter, with project schedules

Congratulations, de facto project manager, you’re on the road to working smarter. You have the mindset and the steps you need to start revamping—revitalizing—your process for projects. You can do all of the above (and more) with a work management solution like UDN Task Manager . Consider it your all-in-one tool for project success. Happy planning!