IT Project Management, Third Edition Chapter 6 1 Chapter 3: Project Time Management

IT Project Management, Third Edition Chapter 6 1

Chapter 3:Project Time Management


Importance of Project Schedules

Many IT projects fail in terms of meeting scope, time and cost projections.

Time has the least amount of flexibility; it passes no matter what happens on a project.

Schedule issues are the main reason for conflicts on projects throughout the project life cycle, especially during the second half of projects


Importance of Project Schedules

Schedule problems are so common because Time is easily and simply measured

People often compare planned and actual project completion times without taking into account approved changes in the project.

Managing Time is an important activity.


Project Time Management Processes

Project time management involves the processes required to ensure timely completion of a project. Processes include in PTM: Activity definition Activity sequencing Activity duration Schedule development Schedule control


Activity Definition

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

budget information 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 duration estimates.


Activity Definition

Example A WBS item might be “Produce report”. The

project team would have to understand what that means. How long should the report be? Does it require a survey or extensive research to produce it? What skill level does the report writer need to have? So further defining that task will help the project team determine how long it will take to do who should do it.


Activity Sequencing

Involves reviewing activities and determining dependencies

You must determine dependencies in order to use critical path analysis


Project Network Diagrams

Project network diagrams are the preferred technique for showing activity sequencing

A project network diagram is a schematic display of the logical relationships among, or sequencing of, project activities

A network diagram represents activities that must be done to complete the project


Figure 6-2. Sample Activity-on-Arrow (AOA) Network Diagram for Project X


Activity Duration Estimating

After defining activities and determining their sequence, the next step in time management is duration estimating

Duration includes the actual amount of time worked on an activity

Resources assigned to a task will also affect the task duration

A duration estimate of one day could be based on eight hours of work or four hours of work

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

If changes are made to the scope of the project, the duration estimates should be updated to reflect those changes.


Schedule Development

Schedule development uses results of the other time management processes to determine the start and end date of the project and its activities

Ultimate goal is to create a realistic project schedule that provides a basis for monitoring project progress for the time dimension of the project

Important tools and techniques include Gantt charts, PERT analysis, Critical path analysis, and Critical chain scheduling


Gantt Charts

Gantt charts is a common tool which provide a standard format for displaying project schedule information by listing project activities and their corresponding start and finish dates in a calendar format


Figure 6-5. Gantt Chart for Project X


Critical Path Method (CPM)

CPM is a project network analysis technique used to predict total project duration

CPM provides the following benefits: Provides a graphical view of the project Predicts the time required to complete the project. Shows which activities are critical to maintaining the schedule

and which are not. A critical path for a project is the series of activities that

determines the earliest time by which the project can be completed

The critical path is the longest path through the network diagram


Finding the Critical Path

First develop a good project network diagram

Add the durations for all activities on each path through the project network diagram

The longest path is the critical path


Figure 6-8. Determining the Critical Path for Project X


More on the Critical Path

Misconceptions: The critical path is not the one with all the critical

activities; it only accounts for time. The critical path is not the shortest path through the

network diagram There can be more than one critical path if the lengths of

two or more paths are the same The critical path can change as the project progresses


Traditional Techniques for Shortening a Project Schedule using the Critical Path

Various compression techniques are used to shorten a project schedule estimate.

1. Starting work as early as possible, not even when scheduled which give rise to multitasking.

2. Reduce the duration of activities on the critical path. The Project Manager can shorten the duration of critical path activities by adding more resources to those activities or reducing the scope of activities to complete the project on time.


Importance of Updating Critical Path Data

It is important to update project schedule information

The critical path may change as you enter actual start and finish dates

If you know the project completion date will slip, negotiate with the project sponsor


Controlling Changes to the Project Schedule

Allow for contingencies Don’t plan for everyone to work at 100%

capacity all the time Hold progress meetings with stakeholders

and be clear and honest in communicating schedule issues


Using Software to Assist in Time Management

Software for facilitating communications helps people exchange schedule-related information

Project management software can help in various time management areas

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IT Project Management, Third Edition Chapter 6 1 Chapter 3: Project Time Management