What is a schedule and its relationship with time control in companies

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Organizing tasks in a timeline can be very useful to avoid missing deadlines and to continue managing company projects. Find out more about the topic in this post!

Raphael Pires

Jun 3, 22 | 11 min read
What is a schedule?
Reading time: 8 minutes
Managing time and executing tasks within a deadline are how does cash app work? challenges that many companies face in their daily routine, especially in departments such as Marketing or Sales. Even a well-performing, experienced and skilled team can face difficulties during the progress and completion of a project.

The best way to avoid delays or failures in processes is to adopt a schedule as a management and task organization tool, ensuring that all steps will be visualized and completed in a timely manner.

In this post we will show you what a schedule is and explain its importance for companies. You will also be aware of the benefits of this tool and how to relate it to the Gantt chart . Happy reading!

What is a timeline?
How important is the schedule in organizing tasks?
What are the objectives of a schedule?
What are the benefits of using a schedule?
How to manage schedules properly?
Tool for managing schedules
3 techniques to help you manage time in your company
How to create a schedule for your company?
What is a timeline?
The schedule is a tool used for planning, controlling and managing projects. This resource establishes the ideal expected times for the completion of each task, avoiding delays and encouraging activities to be executed with the necessary consistency.

You may have heard the phrase “time is money.” In a corporate context, this means that failure to complete some activities or stages of a project can impact business productivity , performance, and profitability.

Etymologically, the word 'schedule' comes from Greek (' kronos ' means time and ' gramma ' refers to something written or drawn). That is, a graphic and time-bound demonstration of various activities belonging to a project or routine.

Many factors influence schedule compliance and work environment productivity. According to the 2018 Economic and Development Report , Mexico recorded a total productivity of 43% compared to that accumulated by the United States.

Modern devices and tools, higher education rates, investment in innovation and more favorable business environments are some of the reasons that make the environment more productive. It is important to take them into account so that the schedule is in line with the reality of your company.

Relationship between schedule and Gantt chart
The two tools have similar objectives and complement each other. The Gantt chart controls the project schedule . The graphical illustrations represent the evolution of the stages and the time frame for completing each of them.

The diagram has coloured bars that help to visualise and monitor tasks. For each professional on the team involved in the project, there is a description of their responsibilities and deadline. This way, the group helps each other and meets the planned time.

Costs, time consumption and resources used are measured in a schedule displayed in the Gantt chart. It is possible to define changes or shifts in the project before investments become losses due to not taking advantage of an idea.

How important is the schedule in organizing tasks?
Now that you know what a schedule is , let's talk about its importance.

With the timeline in hand, the manager and the team can discuss best practices and identify those that best fit the scope of work. Objectives are better defined, facilitating communication and work among team members.

Cost analysis and feasibility are two perceptions that go hand in hand and need support to help complete the project. The function of the schedule is to show priorities and validate the delivery time.

If the step-by-step process is well prepared and the variables are considered, the person who signs the project will surely be able to take action in case of unforeseen events that may impact the final result.

When looking for the services of a company, the client wants to find a specialized team ready to meet all his expectations. He may not really recognize what he wants, but he looks for support and solutions from those who have experience in the subject.

This makes the state of anxiety about the results natural. Therefore, the schedule should be used to put together the strategy and even to compose the project presentation material and the deadlines for the execution of each stage.

Organization and planning are essential factors for a client to feel secure and close a contract with your company. The client needs to feel that they have found the solution to a problem or the difference in your business.


What are the objectives of a schedule?
The schedule has clear and well-defined objectives, but requires proper compliance and careful monitoring to avoid delays or rework.

Identify a sequence of tasks
A project has many tasks, with essential particularities. Each step can present a sequence with greater or lesser complexity. Adding to the schedule makes it easier to check daily so you don't run the risk of forgetting it.

Keep deadlines clear
What are the deadlines for completing one or more steps? Often, the team knows what to do, but not what is a priority, which can compromise delivery or change initial plans.

Additionally, team members may not work together and a task may be completed sooner than it should be waiting for an addition or adjustment. Time is measured by deadlines and should be used to its full potential .

Assist in strategic planning.
Every project has a plan: increase market visibility, achieve sales goals, serve a specific niche, attract customers, launch a new product, maintain a competitive advantage, among others.

For each objective, a customized strategy must be developed with a focus on achieving results. The design of phases and stages helps with strategic planning and optimizes processes.

Show delays
As we said, delays are not well received by clients who hire a service. Of course, unforeseen events happen and can affect progress, but remember that trust is based on the company's ability to deliver the project on time.

What are the benefits of using a schedule?
Any tool that has task control and management as its main focus has a beneficial and enriching character. Competitive advantage begins with mapping and controlling the activities to be carried out.

There are many benefits, but the most important ones are the following:

estimate the time of activities;
better allocate resources;
increase focus and productivity;
anticipate failures.
It would be great to be sure of the success of a project: deadlines, budget and resources, such as labor, equipment and tools, would be better assigned and distributed, but satisfaction lies in the ability to make challenges the best weapon to overcome uncertainties.

Discover the importance of good schedule management
Schedule management defines a set of processes necessary to ensure that the project meets the deadline. If the schedule provides an overview of the activities, their relationships and the time available for the execution of the tasks, schedule management orchestrates all these elements so that they are consistent with the reality of the company .

To manage your schedule, you need to have a plan that establishes the policies and procedures for creating and tracking that schedule. Essentially, this plan includes the following elements:

definition of activities;
task sequencing;
estimated duration of processes;
schedule development;
schedule control.
This preliminary study to establish the schedule makes all the difference in a company's productivity. After all, a project summary does not always clearly define what activities need to be carried out.

Careful observation of available resources, as well as knowledge of the equipment, ensures that the work is more fruitful.

How to manage schedules properly?
Management establishes procedures and policies to plan and manage the schedule, as well as to encourage more productive habits . It also identifies the specific activities to produce the project deliverables, as well as the dependency relationships between the activities. Discover the steps!

Controlling deadlines
The deadlines set for your projects must be met. That's why it's so important to give deadlines that fit the reality of your team, so you don't get overwhelmed.

Whatever monitoring tool your company uses, make sure it has a space for project stakeholders to report task status. This will give you a more transparent idea of ​​the progress of activities.

Ensuring the quality of work
In the rush to deliver a project in a short time, many companies end up failing in the quality of service. Therefore, when defining the deadlines of your projects, make sure that your team can have enough time to deliver a satisfactory result.

With good planning, you have a better idea of ​​the steps to follow to achieve the established goals. Pay close attention to this aspect in your negotiations.

Beware of too much information
Information is necessary for the schedule to flow smoothly and for planning to become ever simpler, but irrelevant data can seriously slow down the team. Schedule management cannot become a burden for those involved; in fact, it is there to relieve the routine.

Using technology
The flow of information within companies, even small ones, is large, and it is common for employees and managers to feel lost among so much data and projects to take care of. Fortunately, there are a number of platforms that make schedule management easier.

As we point out in the following topics, each of them has benefits. The important thing is that the resources are aligned with the dynamics of your business.

Tool for managing schedules
To manage your schedule, productivity levels or keep track of your project progress, there is the Studio tool. Take note!

Studio is a management software aimed at companies, which allows not only the management of jobs, but also that of clients. With it, it is possible to consult the hours applied to the project to facilitate the work budget .

In addition to enabling better insight into project pipelines, including refactorings, Studio also makes it easier for organization administrators to stay financially organized through automatic reconciliation .

Customer profiles can also be standardized for the company to record work preferences and relevant information. There are 3 plans available: free (basic), business (intermediate) and corporate (advanced).

3 techniques to help you manage time in your company
Just as important as managing your schedule is managing time in your business. Some tools can contribute to your team's productivity, such as the following.

1. Kanban method
Kanban is a project management method that helps you group tasks on a board that is divided into lists. Tasks are placed on cards, which move between the “in progress,” “completed,” and “starting” columns.

2. Pomodoro Method
The Pomodoro technique is very democratic, being used by companies, students and professionals from different areas to make the best use of their time. It creates a division of the workflows into time intervals, which we call “pomodoro”, of 25 minutes.

Pomodoro works in a simple way:

List the tasks to be performed.
Set a timer for 25 minutes.
Select a task and work on it without interruptions for 25 minutes.
When your 25 minutes are up, take a 5 minute break to do something relaxing.
After the break, he gets back to work for another “pomodoro”.
After four pomodoros, take a longer break of 30 minutes.
When you finish the task, remove it from your list.
There are a few browser extensions that help you implement Pomodoro: Marinara: Pomodoro® Assistant and Tomato Timer are the most suitable ones.

3. GTD Method
The Getting Things Done (GTD) methodology uses 5 steps to give you greater control over your tasks:

Capture: Think about what requires your attention and make a list.
Clarification: Analyze each piece of information and figure out what does or does not require action.
Organization: Organize items that require action and make lists, separating tasks according to similarities.
Reflection: Review your lists to make sure nothing is missing.
Commitment: Complete the tasks outlined in your lists.
How to create a schedule for your company?
Listen to the customer and what they want from your organization. Then create a timeline based on the information gathered in the brainstorming phase.

Define the scope : what are the main characteristics of the project and how your company intends to take advantage of the opportunity to transform a good idea into a concrete action for the client.
Building the WBS (Project Analytical Structure): A macro view of the project is important, but structuring it in layers to analyze the details and follow the deadlines with confidence, dynamism and practicality in project management is much more effective.
Define clients and suppliers : Your clients and suppliers must be in tune with the way you operate and function your company, facilitating communication and project demands.
Create task sequences : Sequential work may not be perfect, but we must agree that risks are reduced.
Estimate the duration of activities : there are activities that require more or less time to complete. Know how to mark the assigned time and ensure the efficiency of the project.
Assign responsibility for each task : it is not necessary to overwhelm a professional with so many tasks. Sharing responsibilities has a motivational aspect and encourages healthy competition.
Build the timeline : Moving from the realm of ideas to the realm of execution requires organization and guidance on the team’s steps. The timeline is essential to getting started and proceeding.
Any type of company can use the schedule as a management tool. It is useful for projects, daily activities that involve costs, people and processes.

These are significant additions that raise the standard of excellence and give the brand authority in the marketplace.

If you enjoyed this post about the importance of scheduling and want to further improve your business performance, learn all about productivity and how to boost it in your company!