Project Time Management by Linda Kampata-Olowski - University of Zambia, School of Public Health - Project Management

Project Time Management Linda Kampata-Olowski University of Zambia School of Public Health Project Time Management Project time management includes the processes required to ensure timely completion of the project. It includes: Management of Plan Schedule Activity defining Activity sequencing Activity Resource Estimating Activity Duration Estimating Schedule development Schedule control Plan Schedule Management Plan Schedule Management The process of establishing the policies, procedures, and documentation for planning, developing, managing and controlling the project schedule The key benefit of this process is that it provides guidance and direction on how the project schedule will be managed throughout the project. Plan Schedule Management - Inputs Plan Schedule Management - Tools and Techniques Plan Schedule Management - Outputs Define Activities Define Activities The process of identifying and documenting the specific activities or actions to be perform that the project team members and stakeholders must perform to produce the project deliverables. Defining Activities The key benefit is to break down work packages into smaller components called activities that provide a basis for estimating, scheduling, executing, monitoring, and controlling the project work. An activity or task is an element of work normally found on the work breakdown structure (WBS) that has expected duration, a cost, and resource requirements 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 Define Activities - Inputs Define Activities - Tools and Techniques Define Activities - Outputs Sequence Activities Sequence Activities The process of identifying and documenting relationships among the project activities. The key benefit of this type of process is that it defines the logical sequence of work to obtain the greatest efficiency given all project constraints. Sequence Activities Every activity, except the first and last, must be connected to at least one predecessor and one successor Milestones are generally connected to predecessor and successor activities with some exceptions, particularly when the milestone denotes an external dependency or a major event that is outside of the project Simplified by using project management software Occurs during Planning Sequencing Activities Involves reviewing activities and determining dependencies A dependency or relationship is the sequencing of project activities or tasks You must determine dependencies in order to use critical path analysis As with activity definition, it is important that the project stakeholders work together to define sequence (dependencies) of activities Sequence Activities - Inputs Sequence Activities - Inputs Sequence Activities - Tools and Techniques Sequence Activities - Outputs Precedence Diagramming Method 4 types of dependencies or logical relationships Finish-to-Start (FS) This relationship means Task A must complete before Task B can begin. This is the most common relationship. Finish-to-Finish (FF) Finish of successor activity depends on finish of the predecessor Start-to-Start (SS) Start of a successor activity depends on start of a predecessor activity. Start-to-Finish (SF) Finish of Successor depends on the start of preceding activity. Sequence Activities Dependency Determination Mandatory dependencies: legally or contractually required or inherent in the nature of the work being performed on a project, sometimes referred to as hard logic Discretionary dependencies: referred to as preferential logic, or soft logic are defined as best practices and are considered the preferred choice among the other alternatives External dependencies: involve relationships between project and non-project activities; external to the project and are not in project’s control. E.g. Deliverable from other project or expected new law Internal dependencies: involve a precedence relationship between project activities and are generally inside the project team’s control For example, if the team cannot test a machine until they assemble it Estimate Activity Resources Estimate Activity Resources Before estimating activity durations, you must have a good idea of the quantity and type of resources that will be assigned to each activity; Resources are people, equipment, and materials Consider important issues in estimating resources How difficult will it be to do specific activities on this project? What is the organization’s history in doing similar activities? Are the required resources available? Estimate Activity Resources The process of estimating the type and quantities of material, human resources, equipment, or supplies required to perform each activity. The key benefit of this process is that it identifies the type, quantity, and characteristics of resources …