Project Time Management

• Project time management includes the processes required to ensure timely project completion.

Time Management Processes

• Definition of Activities: Identify specific schedule activities that need to be performed to produce various project deliverables.
• Establishment of the Sequence of Activities: Identify and document dependencies between schedule activities.
• Estimation of Activity Resources: Estimate the types and quantities of resources required to perform each schedule activity.
• Estimation of Activity Duration: Estimate the number of working periods required to complete each schedule activity.
• Schedule Development: Analyze activity sequences, activity durations, resource requirements, and schedule constraints to create the project schedule.
• Schedule Control: Control changes to the project schedule.
• These processes interact with each other and with processes in other Knowledge Areas.
• Each process may involve the effort of one or more individuals or groups, depending on the project needs.
• Each process takes place at least once in each project and occurs in one or more phases of the project.
• In practice, the processes overlap and interact in ways not detailed in this guide, even though they are presented here as discrete components with well-defined interfaces.
• Interactions between processes are detailed in Chapter 3.

Activity Sequencing, Resource Allocation, and Scheduling

• For projects of smaller scope, establishing the sequence of activities, estimating activity resources, estimating activity duration, and developing the schedule are closely linked and considered as one process completed by one person in a short amount of time.
• These processes are presented here as distinct processes because the tools and techniques for each one are different.

Project Schedule Execution

• Is preceded by a planning effort by the project management team separate from all six project management activities
• This planning effort is part of the Develop Project Management Plan process (Section 4.3) and produces a schedule management plan.
• The schedule management plan determines the format and establishes the criteria for developing and controlling the project schedule.
• Project time management processes and related tools and techniques vary by application area and are generally defined as part of the project life cycle, and documented in the schedule management plan.
• The schedule management plan is either in the project management plan or a subsidiary plan, and can be formal or informal, very detailed or broadly outlined, depending on the project's needs.

Activity Definition

• This involves identifying and documenting the work required to be done
• Defines deliverables at the lowest level of the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), known as work packages.
• Work packages are then broken down into smaller components called schedule activities, to provide a basis for estimating, scheduling, executing, and controlling project work
• Activity definition and schedule planning are implied in this process to meet project objectives.

Inputs of Activity Definition

• Environmental factors of the company
• Organizational process assets, such as policies, procedures, and guidelines
• Project scope statement, outlining deliverables, constraints, and assumptions
• Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), which provides a hierarchical decomposition of the project scope
• WBS dictionary, providing detailed information about each element in the WBS
• Project management plan, which includes guidance on how the project will be executed, monitored, and controlled

Tools and Techniques

• Decomposition, breaking down work packages into smaller, more manageable components
• Templates, using standardized lists of activities or parts of activity lists from previous projects
• Rolling wave planning, elaborating on the project scope and WBS as the project progresses
• Expert judgment, relying on the expertise of project team members or other experts
• Planning component

Outputs of Activity Definition

• Activity list, a comprehensive list of all schedule activities to be performed on the project
• Activity attributes, extending the activity list with multiple attributes related to each schedule activity
• Milestone list, identifying all project milestones
• Requested changes, which may affect the project scope statement and WBS
• These changes undergo review and disposition through the Integrated Change Control process.

Factors

• Environmental factors include project management information systems and software tools for schedule development.
• Organizational assets encompass activity planning policies, procedures, guidelines, and lessons learned database with historical information on used activity lists in similar past projects.
• The project scope statement includes deliverables, constraints, and assumptions, which limiting options or are considered to be true for planning (work hours per week or construction timing)
• WBS (Work Breakdown Structure) is used for defining schedule activities, and the WBS dictionary provides detailed information for each element.
• Decomposition is subdividing project work packages into smaller schedule activities, and the list of activities, WBS, and WBS dictionary can be developed sequentially or concurrently.
• Standard activity lists or parts of activity lists from previous projects can be used as templates, and related information about activity attributes (resource skills needed, risk identification, expected deliverables) can be taken into account.
• The EDT can provide an overview of the project.

Activity Sequencing

• Involves identifying and documenting logical relationships between schedule activities.
• Activities can be arranged logically with appropriate precedence relationships, leads, and lags, supporting a realistic and achievable project schedule.
• Sequencing can be done manually or with project management software and manual and automated techniques can be combined.

Establishment of the Sequence of the Activities: Inputs

• Project scope statement contains product scope description affecting activity sequencing.
• Activity list described in Section 6.1.3.1
• Activity attributes described in Section 6.1.3.2 include identified, coded activities
• Milestone list described in Section 6.1.3.3.
• Approved Change Requests, described in Section 4.4.1.4.

Tools and Techniques used in Activity Sequencing

• Precedence Diagramming Method (PDM) uses boxes or rectangles/nodes, to represent activities connected with arrows showing dependencies. Has four dependency types:
  • Finish to Start—successor activity depends on predecessor activity finishing
  • Finish to Finish—successor activity depends on predecessor activity finishing
  • Start to Start—successor activity depends on predecessor activity starting
  • Start to Finish—successor activity relies on starting predecessor
• Arrow Diagramming Method (ADM) creates a project schedule network diagram connecting activities with nodes/arrows
• Schedule network templates can be used to expedite preparation of the project schedule network activity
• Dependencies consist of mandatory dependencies when the project team determines dependencies inherent in the nature of the work being done.
• Discretionary dependencies are determined by the project team, but should be fully documented since they produce arbitrary total slack values- "soft logic".
• External dependencies refer to relationships between project activities and non-project activities

Applying Advances and Delays

• Project teams determine dependency requirements (6.2.2.4) or use leads and lags to define relationship logic.
• Leads accelerate the successor activity
• Lags delay successor activities

Establishing the Sequence of the Activities: Exits

• Project Schedule Network Diagrams provide the network
• Activity List Updates occur when change requests come as a result of Sequence of Activities analysis
• Activity Attributes are updated to include the established logical relationships and any related advances and delays- update those related to Activity if those change.
• Change Requests prepare logical project relations, advances, lags might reveal instances that create a change request on activity (add/remove activity).

Estimating Activity Resources

• Involves determining the resources (people, equipment, material) and amounts needed, and resource availability
• Coordinated with the cost estimating process (Section 7.1).

Inputs to Estimating Activity Resources

• Environmental factors, including availability of project management information systems
• Organizational process assets with personnel policies and supply purchasing. Past project review shows required resources for similar work
• Activity list identifying activities for the resources
• Activity attributes providing key inputs, defining activities for estimating resources
• Resource availability potential is evaluated
• Project Management Plan provides schedule for estimating activity resources

Resource Estimation Tools and Techniques

• Project team may require expert judgment for entries in a process. A planning or resource estimation group can provide experience
• Many activities have alternative methods, with a range of values and information (Different skill ability and machines)
• Industry-produced unit costs and resource periodicals
• Resource breakdown structures defined with complexities software help organize resources and developing resource estimation.

Increase confidence

• When there is very little confidence with an activity schedule
• Activities with inter-dependencies affect scheduling documented if there are dependencies