Some of our customers who manage a large number of smaller projects calculate their schedules backwards from the opening date. At first it seemed strange to me, (I always projected from the start) but this method has some interesting implications, as it forces team members to think differently about how they get their work done.
Making your key date the opening date makes it easier to get a group of projects scheduled to open in a designated timeframe. For example, most real estate development teams are given goals to open a specific number of stores by the end of a specific quarter. In this case, simply enter an opening date and the targets are set.
When working backward you still need a baseline and a projected schedule; but in this case each calculates in a different direction and provides different insight into the process. The base line projects backward while the projected schedule adjusts forward as tasks are accomplished. The idiosyncrasy of this approach allows the baseline to tell you when things have to happen by, and the projected driven by actual, tells you what day to day impact is.
Unlike starting from the start, now even the less tangible tasks in the front of the process have clear expectations and the team doesn’t spend as much time adjusting durations as they post actuals. The comparison of the two makes it easy to gauge the success of the execution of the project.
To date I have seen this method work well for smaller projects. With short construction schedules, a drop-dead checklist and a forward projecting projected schedule allows everyone to plan and project accordingly.