Lecture 5 Title: Project Time Management

By: Mr Hashem AlaidarosMIS 434

Main PointsActivity DefinitionProject Network Diagrams

Activity on the Node (AON) Critical Path Analysis Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) Precedence Diagramming Method (PDM)

Lead and Lag TimeActivity Resource EstimationActivity Duration EstimationSchedule Management

IntroductionProject time management is often cited as

the main source of conflict on projects, and most IT projects exceed time estimates.

Some people prefer to follow schedules and meet deadlines while others do not.

Different cultures and even entire countries have different attitudes about schedules.

Project Time Process ManagementActivity definition: Identifying the specific activities that the

project team members and stakeholders must perform to produce the project deliverables.

Activity sequencing: Identifying and documenting the relationships between project activities.

Activity resource estimating: Estimating how many resources a project team should use to perform project activities.

Activity duration estimating: Estimating the number of work periods that are needed to complete individual activities.

Schedule development: Analyzing activity sequences, activity resource estimates, and activity duration estimates to create the project schedule.

Schedule control: Controlling and managing changes to the project schedule.

Project Planning Framework

Activity DefinitionAn activity or task is an element of work normally found on

the WBS that has an expected duration, a cost, and resource requirements.

Project schedules grow out of the basic documents that initiate a project.The project charter includes start and end dates and

budget information.The scope statement and WBS help define what will be

done.Activity definition involves developing a more detailed WBS and

supporting explanations to understand all the work to be done, so you can develop realistic cost and duration estimates.

Activity list and AttributesAn activity list is a tabulation of activities to be

included on a project schedule. The list should include: The activity name

An activity identifier or number

A brief description of the activity

Activity attributes provide more information about each activity, such as predecessors, successors, logical relationships, leads and lags, resource requirements, constraints, imposed dates, and assumptions related to the activity.

Activity SequencesInvolves reviewing activities and determining

dependencies.

A dependency or relationship relates to the sequencing of project activities or tasks.

You must determine dependencies in order to use critical path analysis.

Activity on the Node (AON)Activity Description Estimated Duration

(Days)Predecessor

A Evaluate current technology platform

2 None

B Define user requirements 5 A

C Design Web page layouts 4 B

D Set-up Server 3 B

E Estimate Web traffic 1 B

F Test Web pages and links 4 C,D

G Move web pages to production environment

3 D,E

H Write announcement of intranet for corp. newsletter

2 F,G

I Train users 5 G

J Write report to management 1 H,I

AON Network Diagram

Possible Activity Paths on AONPossible Paths Path Total

Path 1 A+B+C+F+H+J 18

2+5+4+4+2+1

Path 2 A+B+D+F+H+J 17

2+5+3+4+2+1

Path 3 A+B+D+G+H+J 16

2+5+3+3+2+1

Path 4 A+B+D+G+I+J 19*

2+5+3+3+5+1

Path 5 A+B+E+G+I+J 17

2+5+1+3+5+1

* The Critical Path

Critical PathA Critical Path (CP) for a project is the series of activities that

determines the earliest time by which the project can be completed.

The CP is the longest path through the network diagram and has the least amount of slack or float. Slack (or float) is the amount of time an activity can be

delayed before it delays the projectThe CP must be monitored and managed!

Project manager can expedite or crash by adding resources Fast tracking – running activities in parallel which were

originally planned as sequential The CP can change If one or more of the activities on the critical path takes

longer than planned, the whole project schedule will slip unless the project manager takes corrective action.

Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT)PERT is a network analysis technique used to

estimate project duration when there is a high degree of uncertainty about the individual activity duration estimates.

PERT uses probabilistic time estimates:

Duration estimates based on using optimistic, most likely, and pessimistic estimates of activity durations, or a three-point estimate.

PERT analysisActivity Predecessor Optimistic

Estimates (Days)

Most Likely Estimates

(Days)

Pessimistic Estimates

(Days)

Expected Duration

(a+4b+c)

6

A None 1 2 4 2.2

B A 3 5 8 5.2

C B 2 4 5 3.8

D B 2 3 6 3.3

E B 1 1 1 1.0

F C,D 2 4 6 4.0

G D,E 2 3 4 3.0

H F,G 1 2 5 2.3

I G 4 5 9 5.5

J H,I .5 1 3 1.3

Possible Paths on PERTPossible Paths Path Total

Path 1 A+B+C+F+H+J 18.8

2.2+5.2+3.8+4.0+2.3+1.3

Path 2 A+B+D+F+H+J 18.3

2.2+5.2+3.3+4.0+2.3+1.3

Path 3 A+B+D+G+H+J 18.6

2.2+5.2+3.3+3.0+2.3+1.3

Path 4 A+B+D+G+I+J 20.5*

2.2+5.2+3.3+3.0+5.5+1.3

Path 5 A+B+E+G+I+J 18.2

2.2+5.2+1.0+3.0+5.5+1.3

* The Critical Path

Task B cannot start before A finishes

Task B cannot start before A starts

Task B cannot finish before A finishes

Task A cannot start before B finishes

Lead and Lag TimesLead is starting the next task before the first

task is completeExample: Begin installing the operating

systems when half of the PCs are set upLag (or negative lead) is the adding of a

buffer of time before the next task beginsExample: Once the walls have been painted,

wait one day before laying the carpet so that the walls have had a chance to dry

Activity Resource EstimationBefore estimating activity durations, you must

have a good idea of the quantity and type of resources that will be assigned to each activity.

Consider important issues in estimating resources:How difficult will it be to complete specific

activities on this project?

What is the organization’s history in doing similar activities?

Are the required resources available?

Activity Duration EstimationDuration includes the actual amount of time

worked on an activity plus the elapsed time.

Effort is the number of workdays or work hours required to complete a task.

Effort does not normally equal duration.

People doing the work should help create estimates, and an expert should review them.

Schedule DevelopmentThe project’s schedule can be determined based upon the tasks

and time estimates in the WBSThe schedule will also depend on how these activities are

sequencedUltimate goal is to create a realistic project schedule that

provides a basis for monitoring project progress for the time dimension of the project.

Project Management ToolsGantt ChartsProject Network Diagrams

Activity on the Node (AON) Critical Path Analysis Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) Precedence Diagramming Method (PDM)

Project ScheduleThe project schedule and budget may require

several iterations before it is acceptable to the sponsor, the project manager, and the project team.

Once the project schedule and project plan are accepted, the project plan becomes the baseline plan.

Once accepted, the project manager and project team have the authority to execute or carry out the plan.

Schedule ControlGoals are to know the status of the schedule,

influence factors that cause schedule changes, determine that the schedule has changed, and manage changes when they occur.

Tools and techniques include:Progress reports.A schedule change control system.Project management software, including schedule

comparison charts, such as the tracking Gantt chart.Variance analysis, such as analyzing float or slack.Performance management, such as earned value.

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