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Project Time Management

Once you have completed the WBS chart(s) you may now begin Project Time Management. This includes the following major processes per chapter 6 of the "Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge" (PMI, 1996):

• activity definition
• activity sequencing
• activity duration estimating
• schedule development
• schedule control

The task of deriving and maintaining change a schedule for a large project can be a very complex task. However, there are some keys tools available to help the planner. These include:

• reusing templates from previous projects
• decomposing (or subdividing) work units into more manageable components for activity definition
• diagramming techniques for activity sequencing (the output of which is sometimes referred to as a PERT chart) such as:
  • precedence diagramming method (PDM) - otherwise known as activity-on-node (AON)
  • arrow diagramming method (ADM) - otherwise known as activity-on-arrow (AOA)
• mathematical analysis tools for schedule development such as:
  • critical path method (CPM) - based on those activities which have the least scheduling flexibility thus constituting the "critical path"
  • program evaluation and review technique (PERT) - similar to CPM
• fast tracking - doing activities in parallel
• resource levelling heuristics - allocating scarce resources to critical path activities first
• schedule presentation formats such as:
  • network diagrams
  • bar (Gantt) charts
  • milestone charts
• project management software - which if initially used to perform the activity definition, sequencing, duration estimating, and schedule development tasks could prove an extremely useful aid in controlling changes to the schedule once the project is under way. Typically, unanticipated events will necessitate changes which must be made quickly and yet in consideration of many other dependent activities.

Read chapter 6 of the "Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge" (PMI, 1996). This chapter covers a great deal of material on the subject. You should attempt to get a feel for the main activities and tools that are discussed without getting bogged down in the detail. Skip over the mathematical explanations if you wish. This may be a good time to take a look at the "Time" section of the Project Management Scaleable Methodology Guide to see which time management activities are applicable to smaller scale projects (Priority 4) versus larger scale projects (priority 1). You may also wish to take a look at the module on project management software (in the "Manage Project Implementation" section). If you are thinking about using software to aid you in project planning, now is a good time to get started.

Remember to check the conference forum to see what the other students are saying. Post your thoughts, concerns, or questions about the topic to encourage discussion.

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Subject: Project Time Management