Silver Project: Time Management

Time management is the process of managing the time spent on each activity in the project, in
an effective and efficient manner, such that the overall schedule/milestones of the project are
met as planned.
Time Management includes the processes, tools & techniques required to manage the timely
completion of the project.

Time Management
 Time is one of the project’s most limited resources as once time has been expended, there is no
recovery.
 Time management is key aspect of managing a project. As such, it is considered to be a core
knowledge area, and is closely knit to scope and cost areas.
 The main purpose is to build processes for the project that assist the manager and team to
complete the project in timely manner.

Customer Expectation

 Here Fast refers to the time required to deliver the product,

 Good is the quality of the final product, and
 Cheap refers to the total cost of designing and building the
product

 Design something quickly and to a high standard, but then it will

not be cheap.
 Design something quickly and cheaply, but it will not be of high
quality.
 Design something with high quality and cheaply, but it will take a
relatively long time.

Effective Time Management

 Ensures product is delivered in time
 Aids to prioritize the tasks
 Enables quality work with lesser effort
 Increases the future probability of success.
 Creates discipline of seeing schedule baseline
 Resolves challenges to meet time by controlling the schedule

Time Management Process

Define Activities  Sequence Activities  Develop Schedule  Control Schedule  “Change Requests
Leading to Change management processes”.
Define Activities Estimate Activity Resources  Develop Schedule  Control Schedule  “Change
Requests Leading to Change management processes”.

Define Activities Estimate Activity Resources  Estimate Activity Durations  Develop Schedules 
Control Schedule  “Change Requests Leading to Change management processes”.

Define activities
While defining activities, we need to ensure that Activities are small enough to Estimate, Schedule,
Monitor and Manage.

For Defining Activities –we need to use

 SOW: from SOW (Scope Of Work) I have all the scope details
 Agreed delivery milestone dates-this tells me the pre-commitments done on my project
 Work breakdown structure: WBS shows me the decomposition of work into smaller work
packages. These work packages I subdivide further to get tasks

Sequence Activities
The result of sequencing the activities is a Network Diagram
 The next process involves taking the activities and milestones and starting to sequence them
into how the work will be performed
 Arrange the Activities logically to show the interdependencies with Leads (Overlaps) & Lags
(mandatory wait time), when applicable.
 The method of sequencing activities is called as “Precedence diagramming method”

Dependencies & Relationship types

Types of dependencies–
 Mandatory Dependency (Hard Logic) –E.g.-the water must first boil before the coffee can be
made.
 Discretionary Dependency (Preferred/Soft logic) –E.g.-the user guide and quick start guide
documents are both required but the sequence of creation is not important, but I chose to
create the user guide first because it is a larger document.
  External Dependency –E.g.–Waiting for a building permit, or for a product to be externally
audited before it can be completed.

Types of relationships:
 Sequence Activities –Finish to start (FS) - E.g. ‘the water must be boiled before I can add my
coffee’.
 Sequence Activities –Finish to finish (FF) - E.g. ‘I must finish frying the chicken before cooking
the sauce is finished’.
 Sequence Activities –Start to start (SS) - E.g. ‘I need to start creating the specification document
before I can start editing it’
 Sequence Activities –Start to finish (SF) - This relationship is not used often.

Sequence activities –Network Diagram

Define the sessions  Create Workbook Template  Add descriptive narrative  Add binder, Index
and Format  Delegate Workbook

Convert Slides to jpg  Insert jpg schematics  Add descriptive narrative  Add binder, Index and
Format  Delegate Workbook

Estimate Activity Resources

Once the activities are sequenced, we estimate the type and quantity of resources needed.
 These resources include materials, equipment, people or supplies.
 Resources must be planned and coordinated in order to avoid common problems such as lack of
resources, joining of resources committed, resources being taken away from the project.
 Here project manager has to work hand in hand with HR & Resource managers to get
appropriate resources and not the “best” resources.
Estimate Activity Duration
Now I estimate the amount of work effort required and the amount of resources to be applied for
approximating the work periods needed to complete the activity.
 Uses information on the activity scope of work, required resource types, estimated resource
quantities, and resource calendars, as well as historical information
 Is progressively elaborated with duration estimates becoming progressively more accurate and
of better quality
 Should take into consideration the input data’s quality and availability
 All assumptions and data used for supporting the duration estimating are documented

Methods for Activity Duration Estimation

While duration estimation, I need to choose software estimation method as well.
 One-point estimate –
One-point estimates should only be used for projects that do not require a detailed, highly reliable
schedule
 Analogous Estimating –
Uses the parameters from a previous, similar project as the basis for estimating the same parameter for
a future project.
 Parametric estimating –e.g. for Jr. resource 1 function point takes 4 hrs.
 Heuristics –A heuristic means a rule of thumb.
 Three-point estimate –
In Three-point estimation technique the estimators give an Optimistic (O), Pessimistic (P), and Most
Likely (M) estimate for each activity. This type of estimating is helpful because it provides a risk-based
duration by taking the average of the three estimates called the PERT technique. The formulas are as
follows.
 Expected Activity Duration(EAD) = (P+4M+O)/6
 Activity Standard Deviation(SD) = P-O/6
 Activity Variance = (P-O/6)^2

Developing schedule
Project Schedule is calendar based and inclusive of resource constraints, lead lags, execution preferences
and reserves.
 Analyses activity sequences, durations, resource requirements, and schedule constraints to
create the Project Schedule. Determines the project activities’ scheduled start and finish dates.
Determines the milestones’ scheduled start and finish dates
 After creation of the schedule, the Schedule Network analysis is done using any or all of the
following techniques
i. Critical Path method
ii. Schedule Compression
iii. What-if scenario analysis
iv. Resource levelling

Developing schedule -Tools and Techniques

Critical Path Method (CPM):
 Used to determine the amount of flexibility in scheduling various logical network paths in the
project schedule network
  Used to determine the minimum total duration of the project
 Used to calculate a single deterministic early and late start and finish date for each activity
based on specified sequential network logic and activity duration estimates
 Critical Path –Is the longest duration path of in the Network diagram that determines the
minimum/shortest time to complete the project. It has Zero Float!

Developing schedule -Tools and Techniques-Critical Path Method (CPM)

Float = Late Start (LS) – Early Start (ES)
Or
Float = Late Finish (LF) – Early Finish (EF)

ES EF

LS LF

Total Float – Is the amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying the project end date.
Free Float – This is the amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying the early start of its
successor/s.
Project Float – Amount of time a project can be delayed without delaying the externally imposed project
completion date.

Activities on Critical path almost always have Zero Float.

Developing schedule -Tools and Techniques

Schedule Compression - When there is need to meet a specific deadline or to bring back on
track/schedule, a delayed project, the Schedule Compression techniques are used.

Fast Tracking - In this technique the activities which are originally planned in sequence are done in
parallel to complete more activities in same time. For this the activities on critical path are chooses as
Critical path has the overall impact on project schedule.
Fast Tracking generally increases risk and may create rework efforts.

Crashing - Crashing is the technique in which cost and schedule trade-offs are analysed. How to
compress the schedule most by having minimal impact on cost and maintaining the scope. For example,
purchasing a software utility for competing any phase of project in less time.
Crashing generally has the risk of increasing the cost.

Of the above two options, the Project Manager has to evaluate the option which has minimal negative
impact for schedule compression.

What-If Scenario Analysis - This analysis is used to evaluate the different scenarios in the network
diagram analysis. Activity assumptions may change and hence the estimate of activity can change, which
may have positive or negative impact on project schedule.
Look for option to a situation that can happen at a later stage and may have impact on project schedule.
Resource Levelling
 It’s applied to schedule which has resource /critical resource availability constraints through the
life cycle of the project.
 Project may have shared resource or the availability of resources is not uniform.
 Done because mathematical analysis produces a preliminary early-start schedule that requires
more than the allocated resources during certain time periods e.g., Rule of thumb –“allocate
scarce resources to critical path activities first.”
 Often results in a project duration that is longer than the preliminary schedule. (Also called
“resource based method”).

Important to Include Reserves!!

 Reserve analysis –Reserves are added in project estimates to cover for risks which cannot be
mitigated and the unknown risks. Reserves are of two types: -
o Contingency Reserves –Also called Buffers, added to cover risks which cannot be
mitigated
o Management Reserves –Any extra amount of funds set aside to cover unknown risks.

Controlling the schedule

Control schedule involves protecting the schedule, and looking out for anything that could affect the
schedule.
A list of activities involved in controlling the schedule that are:
 Conducting performance reviews by analysing how the project is progressing
 Adjusting future parts of the project to deal with delays
 Measuring variances against the planned schedule, determining if the variances warrant
attention
 Considering levelling resources to distribute work more evenly among resources
 Continuing to play "What if...?" with the project schedule to better optimize it
 Adjusting metrics that are not giving the project manager the information needed to properly
manage the project
 Identifying the need for changes
 Following the change control process
 The Baseline schedule can only be changed with formally approved changes.

Project Management Development Program – PMDP

 Read the Project Plan
 Develop Project Schedule using Best Practices
 Tracking Project Plan
 Reporting using report center in Microsoft Project® 2013

Reading the project plan

The objective of “Reading” exercise is to
 Explore the tool systematically
 Understand methods to extract project information
Reading Assignment
Following points are generally looked at while reading the project plan in MSP.
This is the information that one should understand and extract from MSP as a Project Manager / Team
Member.

Read the API-Library File

Read the file and find out following things
1. Start & Finish dates of the projects.
2. Calendar duration of the project in days or months or hours, etc.
3. The names and number of the resources.
4. Task assignments of the resources. Tasks allocated to a resource.
5. Dependencies of your tasks as a predecessor as well as successor.
6. Notes & constraints on the tasks.
7. Allocation: over-allocation & under-allocation.
8. The project calendar - working time & the holidays incorporated in it.
9. The resource calendar (for self) – working time, non-working time (e.g. leaves).
10. Total work (efforts) planned for the project.
11. Total work (efforts) planned for self for the complete project.
12. Critical Path of the project.
13. Presence of resource on critical activity.
14. Milestones of the project.
15. Tasks planned for a particular time frame – coming week, month, etc.
16. Summary or the overall project statistics
17. Baseline & Multiple baselines
18. User defined columns
19. Tables & User defined tables
20. User defined view
21. Combination views
22. Settings

Developing the project plan

Don’t worry even if you spend / invest X more time in planning & developing a project plan in MSP. For it
is quite useful in later stages of tracking and updating.

Developing Plan Assignment

The objective of this exercise is to
Understand systematic approach of developing the Schedule.
Develop realistic and “easy to track” Schedule.

You may refer the following guidelines/ checklist while writing the plan. These guidelines are based on
the observations made in writing & tracking and best practices suggested by experts.

The steps in creating a schedule are starting a new file,

1. Set task mode to manual.
2. Add project summary task, hide timeline, add view bar.
3. Designating a project start or finish date
4. Set the Project Calendars, work hours, holidays etc.
 5. Set Currency (if applicable)
6. Set schedule options if required
7. Add appropriate custom fields, tables, views if required.
8. Do Task Entry – Grouping, sequencing
9. Add appropriate Milestones
10. Adjust Leads & Lags Enter Resources, skills rates
11. Resource availability – Calendar adjustments
12. Resource allocation – Manage workload
13. Arrive at required schedule
14. Baseline your project plan

Tracking the project plan

Effective monitoring on any project demands regular & accurate tracking of the project plan.

Tracking of a project plan

The objective of this exercise is:
 Understand systematic approach of tracking the Schedule.
 Understand how to identify risks.

1. Ensure that all the team members have submitted the duly filled in Timesheets.
2. It is better to track the activities in a combination view comprising Resource Usage View (Top
Pane) & Task Usage View (Bottom Pane).
3. It is advisable to update the plan by updating the resource actual work information for the listed
tasks.
4. To start with an actual tracking, check for the leaves / unavailability of the resources. If the
resource is on unplanned leave or was not available on work, then modify the resource calendar
appropriately.
5. Next, check the status of the task – whether it is completed.
6. If the task is completed, mark % work complete as 100%, remaining work / remaining duration
as 0.
7. If the task is not completed then enter the actual work information for task and the remaining
duration for that task.
8. Check for work done by the resource on a task(s) not falling in the prescribed timeframe.
9. Check for the task(s) not listed in the project plan.
10. Check for the tasks that are not thoroughly planned in the project plan.
11. Some tasks, especially the tasks that are allocated to all of the resources (most of the resources)
simultaneously; are easy to update from the task usage
12. Over and above these guidelines, always keep an eye on the baselined information.
13. Make it a mandatory activity to make a note of any changes, assumptions, comment on
feedback, etc

Reporting the Project status

Reporting Pre-requisites:
1. Ensure all required tasks are entered in the .mpp file.
2. Baseline is already saved
3. Tracking information is updated in the file
Options in MS Project 2013”
1. Report Center in MS Project 2013
2. Custom reports
3. New views
4. Visual reports