Strategic Project Management 1SPM Project Time Management

Project Time Management

Project time management includes the processes required to ensure timely completion of the project.

This includes:Activity Definition Activity SequencingActivity Duration EstimatingSchedule DevelopmentSchedule Control

Strategic Project Management 2SPM Project Time Management

Activities versus Tasks

There is some inconsistency within the Project Management community regarding the use of the terms “activity” and “task” some say activities are composed of tasks some say tasks are composed of activities

We will use the terms “activity” and “task” interchangeably know how your company defines these terms

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Project Time Management(continued)

We will focus on three processes: Activity Sequencing, Activity Duration Estimating, Schedule Development

The PMI BOK presents a useful framework throughout the Processes Chapters Inputs-Techniques-Outputs Let’s look at Figure 6-1 (page 66, BOK 2000)

2000 version has some updates over the 1996

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Activity Definition

Activity definition involves identifying and documenting the specific activities that must be performed in order to produce the deliverables.

Useful techniques include:Work Breakdown StructuresDecomposition of Project ElementsHistorical Information from Prior Projects

Strategic Project Management 5SPM Project Time Management

Work Breakdown Structure

A Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is a deliverables oriented grouping of project elements organizes and defines scope develops and confirms common

understanding hierarchical structure with descending

levels showing increasing detail normally presented in chart form

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Work Breakdown Structure(continued)

Items in the WBS can be given unique identification codesCode of Accounts

Items at the lowest level are often referred to as Work Packages

Many organizations have standard WBSs which are used as templates.

PMI BOK contains several good examples Figures 5-2, 5-3, 5-4 (p. 58-60, BOK 2000)

same content p. 54-55 BOK 1996

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Activity Sequencing

Activity sequencing involves identifying and documenting interactivity dependencies.

These can be broken into three types: Mandatory dependencies

inherent in the nature of the workphysical limitations

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Activity Sequencing(continued)

Discretionary dependencies desired but not mandatoryinserted by project plannersfrequently based on “best practices”

External dependencies imposed from outside the projectmulti-project issuesregulatory issues

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Activity Sequencing(continued)

Useful techniques include: Gantt Charts Precedence diagramming

Activity on the NodeActivity on the ArrowConditional Diagramming

We’ll talk more about these later in the course.

Strategic Project Management 10SPM Project Time Management

Activity Duration Estimating

Duration estimating involves assessing the number of work periods that will be required to complete each activity. May also include an estimate of elapsed time

Activity duration estimating typically requires two measures: a measure of expected activity duration a measure of variation of expected duration

Strategic Project Management 11SPM Project Time Management

Activity Duration Estimating (continued)

Useful techniques include: Historical Information Commercial Databases Expert Judgement Estimating using Analogies Simulation Reserve (Contingency, Buffer) Time

More on this later in the course.

Strategic Project Management 12SPM Project Time Management

Schedule Development

Schedule development means determining the start and finish dates (times) for project activities.

Useful techniques include: CPM (Critical Path Method) PERT (Project Evaluation & Review Technique) GERT (Graphical Evaluation & Review Technique)

More on these in the next few topics.

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Schedule Development(continued)

More advanced techniques related to Schedule Development include: Resource Constraints and Leveling Duration Compression (“Crashing”) Simulation

More on these later in the course

Strategic Project Management 14SPM Project Time Management

Displaying the Schedule

After the preceding steps have been completed, the project schedule must be documented and, usually, displayed.

Useful approaches include: Network Diagram with Dates (Figure 6-5) Gantt Charts (Figure 6-6) Milestone Charts (Figure 6-7) Time-scaled Network Diagrams (1996, Fig 6-

8)

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Schedule Control

Schedule control is concerned with managing the factors which lead to

changes, determining the need for a schedule

change, managing the actual changes.

Useful techniques include: Change Control System Milestone Progress Reporting