PMP Q #20 -Managing an Ad-hoc Work
Q20. Your team is getting ad-hoc work while performing transition activities; which of the following scheduling approach may work best?
A. Iterative Scheduling
B. On-Demand Scheduling
C. Critical Path Method
D. Rolling wave planning
Correct answer is option B – “On-Demand Scheduling”
Here team performs the transition activities, which means deliverables go to the end users. When end-users start using the product, they often request changes and ask for some new features. These requests usually come on an ad hoc basis. You can not plan this dynamic flow of work in advance. In such cases, you need On-Demand Scheduling. It is the solution when teams receive work on an ad hoc basis.
Let’s see what the on-demand scheduling is.
On-demand, scheduling does not use traditional schedules like upfront baselines plans or timeboxing approaches. Instead, it works based on Kaban and lean methodologies. For example, on-demand scheduling, based on capacity and priority team “pulls” work from a queue.
The team and relevant stakeholders can see the entire workflow. The workflow shows how the work moves from start to finish through different stages represented by different columns. it radiates information on –
- How much work is in progress, at what stage,
- Who is working on what, what is blocked, and so on.
Due to the ad hoc nature of work, there could be a continuous flow of work from the queue, but the team believes in limiting work in progress to different workflow stages. So they define WIP (work in progress) limits for the same, Which means they have a mechanism to show how many items can be at a particular stage?
Limiting work helps to finish work faster once it is picked. Too many items in progress impede finishing them. The team focuses more on finishing work items instead start working on new items. But the team also pulls urgent work as they arrive, irrespective of WIP. The team may have a policy or rule associated with such kind of work that helps them better respond to such work items.
So, in summary, the team has the flexibility to pull in work as needed, but they do it in a disciplined manner (by establishing WIP limits ); this ad hoc work does not disturb the team’s pace.
This is how on-demand scheduling concepts work when the team receives an ad hoc basis.
