Introduction

One of the biggest challenges for managers is delivering

projects on time.
In particular:
 Time has the least amount of flexibility; it passes no matter
what.
 Schedule issues are the main reason for conflicts on projects,
especially during the second half of projects.
Introduction
Project time management involves the processes
required to ensure timely completion of a project.
Processes include:
 Activity definition.
 Activity sequencing.
 Activity duration estimating.
 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.
Activity Sequencing
Involves reviewing activities and determining dependencies:
 Mandatory dependencies: inherent in the nature of the work;
hard logic.
 Discretionary dependencies: defined by the project team; soft

logic.
 External dependencies: involve relationships between project

and non-project activities.

You must determine dependencies in order to use critical
path analysis. 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.
 Arrow Diagramming Method (ADM)

Also called activity-on-arrow (AOA) project network diagrams:

 Activities are represented by arrows.

 Nodes or circles are the starting and ending points of activities.

 Can only show finish-to-start dependencies.

 Process for Creating AOA Diagrams

1. Find all of the activities that start at node 1. Draw their finish
nodes and draw arrows between node 1 and those finish
nodes. Put the activity letter or name and duration estimate on
the associated arrow.
2. Continuing drawing the network diagram, working from left to
right. Look for bursts and merges. Bursts occur when a single
node is followed by two or more activities. A merge occurs
when two or more nodes precede a single node.
3. Continue drawing the project network diagram until all
activities are included on the diagram that have dependencies.
4. As a rule of thumb, all arrowheads should face toward the
right, and no arrows should cross on an AOA network diagram.
Precedence Diagramming Method (PDM)
In this method activities are represented by boxes, and:
 Arrows show relationships between activities
 Used by project management software

 Better at showing different types of dependencies

Sample - Precedence Diagramming Method (PDM)
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 plus elapsed time.

 The project team should help create

estimates, and an expert should review them.

Schedule Development
Schedule development uses results of activity definition,
activity sequencing, and activity duration estimating 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, and critical path
analysis.
Gantt Charts
Gantt charts provide a standard format for displaying
project schedule information by listing project activities
and their corresponding start and finish dates in a
calendar format. Symbols include:
 A black diamond: milestones or significant events on a project
with zero duration.
 Thick black bars: summary tasks.
 Lighter horizontal bars: tasks.
 Arrows: dependencies between tasks.
Gantt Chart for Software Launch Project
Sample Tracking Gantt Chart

white diamond: slipped milestone

two bars: planned and actual times
Critical Path Method (CPM)
CPM is a project network analysis technique used
to predict total project duration
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 and has the least amount of
slack or float
Finding the Critical Path
1. First develop a good project network diagram
2. Add the durations for all activities on each path through
the project network diagram
3. The longest path is the critical path
Consider the following project network diagram.
Assume all times are in days.
C=2 4 E=1
A=2 B=5
start 1 2 3 6 finish

D=7 5 F=2
a. How many paths are on this network diagram?
b. How long is each path?
c. Which is the critical path?
d. What is the shortest amount of time needed to complete this project?
Determining the Critical Path
More on the Critical Path
If one of more activities on the critical path takes longer than
planned, the whole project schedule will slip unless
corrective action is taken:
Misconceptions - The following ARE TRUE:
 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.

Also:
 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

Making Schedule Trade-offs
Knowing the critical path helps you make schedule trade-offs
Free slack or free float is the amount of time an activity can be delayed
without delaying the early start of any immediately following activities.
Total slack or total float is the amount of time an activity may be delayed
from its early start without delaying the planned project finish date.
Task Start Finish Late Start Late Finish Free Total
Slack Slack
A Mon 8/3/98 Mon 8/3/98 Wed 8/5/98 Wed 8/5/98 0days 2days
B Mon 8/3/98 Tue 8/4/98 Mon 8/3/98 Tue 8/4/98 0days 0days
C Mon 8/3/98 Wed 8/5/98 Wed 8/5/98 Fri 8/7/98 0days 2days
D Tue 8/4/98 Fri 8/7/98 Thu 8/6/98 Tue 8/11/98 2d 2d
E Wed 8/5/98 Tue 8/11/98 Wed 8/5/98 Tue 8/11/98 0d 0d
F Wed 8/5/98 Mon 8/10/98 Fri 8/14/98 Wed 8/19/98 7d 7d
G Thu 8/6/98 Thu 8/13/98 Mon 8/10/98 Mon 8/17/98 0d 2d
H Wed 8/12/98 Wed 8/19/98 Wed 8/12/98 Wed 8/19/98 0d 0d
I Fri 8/14/98 Mon 8/17/98 Tue 8/18/98 Wed 8/19/98 2d 2d
J Thu 8/20/98 Mon 8/24/98 Thu 8/20/98 Mon 8/24/98 0d 0d
Program Evaluation & Review Technique (PERT)
PERT is a network analysis technique used to estimate
project duration when there is a high degree of uncertainty
about the individual activity duration estimates. PERT uses
probabilistic time estimates based on using optimistic, most
likely, and pessimistic estimates of activity durations

PERT weighted average formula:

(optimistic time + 4X most likely time + pessimistic time) / 6

Example:
PERT weighted average =
(8 workdays + 4 X 10 workdays + 24 workdays) / 6 = 12 days
where 8 = optimistic time, 10 = most likely time, and 24 = pessimistic time
 Controlling Changes to Project Schedule

1. Perform reality checks on schedules

2. Allow for contingencies
3. Don’t plan for everyone to work at 100%
capacity all the time.
4. Hold progress meetings with stakeholders
and be clear and honest in communicating
schedule issues.
Working with People Issues
Strong leadership helps projects succeed more
than good PERT charts.
Project managers should use:
 empowerment

 incentives

 discipline

 negotiation
Using Software in Time Management

Software for facilitating communications helps

people exchange schedule-related information.
Decision support models help analyze trade-
offs that can be made.
Project management software can help in
various time management areas.
Using Software in Time Management
BUT
 Many people misuse project management

software because they don’t understand

important concepts and have not had good
training.
 You must enter dependencies to have dates

adjust automatically and to determine the critical

path.
 You must enter actual schedule information to

compare planned and actual progress.