Can ChatGPT Offer Scheduling Tips We Approve Of?
You can get almost anything online now, and AI tools are advancing every day. So, we decided to put an AI bot’s scheduling knowledge to the test and answer the questions, Can ChatGPT offer scheduling tips we approve of? We asked ChatGPT for 10 advanced project scheduling tips (to start with, we asked for ‘scheduling tips’ but the results were so basic we had to go to the next level!). Then we shared the tips with our experienced human schedulers to see what they thought of the advice.
So, can ChatGPT offer scheduling tips we approve of? Are you ready to see how they got on in the AI bot vs. human scheduling showdown? Here we go!
1. Use Monte Carlo Simulations for Risk Management
ChatGPT said: Apply Monte Carlo simulations to model and predict the impact of uncertainties on your schedule. This method uses probability distributions to estimate likely project completion dates and identify tasks with the highest variability.
Human scheduler verdict: If your enterprise project management tool offers Monte Carlo simulations, this is definitely a tip to incorporate. Scheduling is inherently uncertain and creating ‘fuzzy dates’ for deliveries helps manage expectations. However, you have to know how to interpret the results.
2. Incorporate Rolling Wave Planning
ChatGPT said: Instead of planning every detail upfront, use rolling wave planning to focus on near-term tasks with high precision while leaving later phases flexible. This is particularly effective for dynamic or evolving projects.
Human scheduler verdict: Not a bad idea. Rolling wave planning helps when you don’t have much time to get started, for example, you’re under pressure from senior management to get the project kicked off. You can plan the first six weeks in detail and then plan future phases later. You’ll still need to know the overall ‘shape’ of the project.
3. Consider Resource Levelling and Smoothing
ChatGPT said: Use resource levelling to resolve overallocation by adjusting task start/finish dates while keeping within constraints. For more subtle adjustments, use resource-smoothing to optimize resource utilization without affecting the critical path.
Human scheduler verdict: Resource levelling and smoothing are definitely techniques that project managers and schedulers should know about and use. Use the resource management reports in your enterprise project management software to identify pinch points. You’ll need a good understanding of your resource pool and who is available when to make these techniques work.
4. Include “Soft Deadlines”
ChatGPT said: Build “soft deadlines” into your schedule for internal check-ins or informal progress reviews. These don’t carry official weight but help ensure that key tasks are on track before formal milestones.
Human scheduler verdict: You can add milestones for key governance points or pre-decision check ins. The way it’s described makes it sound like items you would normally talk about at a team meeting. I might put reminders in my calendar to check in with colleagues but I wouldn’t necessarily but all those points on the project schedule.
5. Use Lead and Lag Strategically
ChatGPT said: Apply leads (starting a dependent task before the predecessor finishes) and lags (delaying the start of a dependent task) to fine-tune task sequencing. This advanced technique optimizes schedules without compromising dependencies.
Human scheduler verdict: A good strategy for making sure you are using time efficiently. Lean on your project management software to make this easier, as calculating lead and lags by hand is a pain, even if we do teach it in project scheduling training sometimes!
6. Run a Critical Chain Analysis
ChatGPT said: Go beyond the critical path by analyzing the critical chain, which accounts for resource constraints in addition to task dependencies. Add buffers to protect critical chain tasks from delays.
Human scheduler verdict: Knowing your critical path is important, and if you feel like there will be resource bottlenecks, then going over the critical chain can help. I would tend to lean towards using resource management reports to review overallocation because it’s important to keep a balance between spending so much time scheduling and actually getting on with doing some delivery. If you have a full-time scheduler on the team who can spend time analyzing the critical chain, then why not? In our experience, most teams wouldn’t have this and may need to buy in scheduling resource to help out.
7. Plan for “Handover Tasks”
ChatGPT said: Explicitly include tasks for handovers or transitions between teams. These are often overlooked but are critical in ensuring smooth continuity and preventing delays.
Human scheduler verdict: Love the idea of including handover time, but it could be factored into the overall time for a task. Make sure your estimates are explicitly calling out that handover and transition time is included in the estimate so you don’t end up with a bloated plan and time accounted for twice.
8. Visualize Schedule Risks with a Heat Map
ChatGPT said: Create a heat map to visualize tasks with the highest risk of delay (e.g. based on dependencies, resource constraints, or complexity). This helps focus attention on areas needing extra monitoring.
Human scheduler verdict: Schedule risk is something we talk about a lot in the office. While there are obviously different types of risk, it is the scheduling ones that seem to cause clients the most pain – because if work is not delivered on time that normally means disappointed stakeholders and extra money needed to finish things off. It’s worth using whatever communication tools you have to hand to keep the focus on high-impact risks.
9. Optimize Parallel Processing
ChatGPT said: Strategically identify tasks that can be performed in parallel rather than sequentially. This minimizes idle time and accelerates project timelines but requires precise dependency and resource management.
Human scheduler verdict: Running tasks in parallel can be quite risky, although I’ve done it successfully on some software projects. It does require deep knowledge of the schedule and a professional take on the art of the possible. But do bear this in mind when scheduling, especially if you are up against tight deadlines!
10. Apply Parkinson’s Law to Buffers
Buffers often get absorbed unnecessarily due to Parkinson’s Law (“work expands to fill the time available”). Combat this by using buffer zones at project-level milestones instead of padding individual task durations.
Human scheduler verdict: This depends on your approach to contingency. We would normally add phase or group-level contingency to avoid the risk that tasks eat up all the contingency time. But there might be some tasks where you would to add additional time within the task estimate. I wouldn’t apply this tip as a blanket approach to managing your schedule: use your professional judgement and apply contingency in the most appropriate way for your project.
In conclusion…
So, can ChatGPT offer scheduling tips? Overall, ChatGPT did a reasonable job of coming up with creative, advanced tips for project scheduling. Of course, all generative AI Large Language Models are trained on what is out there on the internet so the output is only as good as what humans have written in the first place.
Our main takeaway from this experiment was that ChatGPT can provide some useful tips, we wouldn’t want to rely on AI advice when it comes to putting together a schedule. Experienced human schedulers bring a wealth of pragmatic knowledge to creating a working schedule, and even better, then can actually create it for you instead of simply giving you advice about how to do it!