Schedule and network planning: everything that is important for a project manager to know. Digest of articles
21.05.2026
A large investment project cannot be controlled by eye. Deadlines are missed not because people work poorly, but because problems become visible too late. Schedule-network planning solves exactly this problem: it provides an objective picture of what is happening and tools for making decisions before the situation becomes critical.
We have collected all the PM Excellence materials on this topic - from basic principles to practical diagnostic methods.
Why do we need a network model at all?
The answer is simple: without it, it is impossible to honestly see what is happening with the project. Roman Cheremisin explains: the model automatically calculates deadlines based on the logic of work, determines the critical path, and immediately recalculates the entire project with any change. This is not about beautiful charts - this is about real control.
How to read the status of a project: the Saw method
Alexander Shaturny and Ivan Ponomarev offer a simple diagnostic tool - record the estimated completion date weekly and build a line based on it. "Prongs" up - accumulation of problems, down - management intervention. Takes 15 minutes. A perfectly straight line most often means dishonest calculation: a live project always has dynamics.
What to do when deadlines are set by directives
The classical methodology builds a plan from the bottom up. But what if the customer has already named the date? Roman Cheremisin shows: KSM in this case works as a diagnostic tool - it identifies bottlenecks and risks without declaring the project a failure. Algorithm: find critical chains → look for compensating solutions → only then request a change to the baseline.
Planning as navigation: the view of Alexander Kutuzov
Senior Vice President of PM Excellence Alexander Kutuzov compares managing a megaproject to sailing: you need a team that looks 3-12 months ahead and makes adjustments in advance on three horizons. The principle is simple: "if you doubt the danger, assume that it exists." The percentage of completion is often manipulated - trust the bottlenecks, not the numbers in the report.
Typical mistakes when implementing CSP
Roman Cheremisin analyzes why good tools do not work: KSM are implemented for the sake of implementation, they create parallel reporting instead of replacing the existing one, they detail up to tens of thousands of operations that cannot be updated. And most importantly, they do not prepare for resistance: the real schedule shows real responsibility, and this is inconvenient.
How to assess whether planning is working in a company
Method 14 DCMA is popular, but an experienced planner will turn all the traffic lights green in a few hours without improving the project itself. Cheremisin suggests a different approach: individual conversations with the team without warning. If people know where the critical path is and how it affects their decisions, planning works.
Is it possible to link the budget to the schedule?
Theoretically, yes, and PMBoK requires it. In practice, it depends on the reception system. Payment milestones are easy to implement. Acceptance by volume in construction is more complicated: the model lags behind the actual acts. The main condition is synchronization between the planning department and the financial unit.
All of the materials listed are part of the large PM Excellence knowledge library. We regularly publish practical articles, analyzes and techniques from specialists who have worked with real megaprojects in construction, mining and industry. Read, save, ask questions - that's what we're here for.
The entire selection on the topic: pmexcellence.com/news/article/all/kalendarno-setevoe-planirovanie/