Time Charts		page contents What How Go On
What Is It Good For?		Time charts and schedules help process participants see where they are going and where they have been. Keeping these up to date helps: Organize activities Spot gaps in investigating and data Manage team members' time Plan for and control time-sensitive activities Provide an overall map of the decision process
How Do I Use It? Computer programs do a lot of this scheduling automatically. One frequently used computer program is Timeline.		Break the project into specific, overall processes.   List all the steps or tasks required in each of these processes.   Identify (as much as possible) who is responsible for each task.   Determine when each step can start and how long it will take by consulting with those who will be doing the task. Make sure that you note all the special circumstances. For example, seining for salmon can start only after testing measures have been determined. It will take 2 months and must be done in the spring.   Create a large time chart for each process by drawing in the amount of time needed for each step and when each step can take place. Determine time in days or weeks, but don't start to create a schedule yet.   Use the chart to estimate the time required for the process and pencil in the approximate schedule. Meet with everyone involved to ensure that the schedule is accurate and practical.   Draw lines between tasks that relate to or depend on other tasks. If you color-code these lines, you will be able to quickly group related tasks.   To signal which events are critical to complete the task on time, highlight these events in a different color or create a critical path diagram where these events are shown alone. You may want to arrange the schedule around these critical tasks by putting each critical task on one sheet and then scheduling the dependent tasks around that critical task.   Copy the final chart for everyone involved.
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