Definitions for Project Time Covers all aspects of

Definitions for Project Time – ü Covers all aspects of time and duration, from how long it takes to complete one activity right through to the timeframe for the entire project Project Schedule ü Comprises the planned dates for performing project activities, completing deliverables and meeting milestones ü Normally represented as a GANTT chart using MS Project or a similar project scheduling tool Project Time Management – ü The processes required to manage the timely completion of a project Adapated from PMBOK 4 th Edition BSBPMG 503 A Manage Project Time

What is a GANTT chart? • Gantt charts are named after their creator, an American engineer Henry Laurence Gantt, who created the first bar charts in the early 1910’s. • It converts the Work Breakdown Structure into a graphical display of a project schedule • It displays the durations of all scheduled activities including the interdependencies • Often also includes information on project milestones and resource allocation to activities • It has become one of the most widespread project management tools due to the prevalence of MS project BSBPMG 503 A Manage Project Time

Sample GANTT Charts BSBPMG 503 A Manage Project Time

What is a PERT chart? • PERT stands for Programme Evaluation and Review Technique • It was created by a Naval scientist, Frederick Taylor, in the 1950’s • It is a project management technique for determining how much time a project needs before it can be completed. • Each activity is assigned a best, worst and most probable completion time estimate. • These estimates are then used to determine the average completion time and are represented graphically in a network diagram BSBPMG 503 A Manage Project Time

Sample PERT Charts BSBPMG 503 A Manage Project Time

What is a Critical Path? • Was developed in the 1950 s by the Dupont Corporation • The Critical Path Method, abbreviated CPM, or Critical Path Analysis, is a mathematically based algorithm for scheduling a set of project activities. • It takes the activities in the Work Breakdown Structure, the durations and the interdependencies, and calculates the longest path through the project. • It is the longest total duration of all the activities required to complete a project BSBPMG 503 A Manage Project Time

Importance of Time • Project Managers often cite delivering projects on time as one of their biggest challenges. • Schedule issues are one of the main reason for conflicts on projects. • There will be constant pressure from your Project Sponsor and other stakeholders to accelerate delivery • In the relationship between Scope, Time, Cost and Quality, Time normally has the least Scope amount of flexibility Cost BSBPMG 503 A Manage Project Time Quality

Staying on Schedule To stay on schedule, Project Managers must – ü Diligently control Project Scope ü Re-baseline the project schedule after any Change Requests are approved ü Closely monitor the Critical Path activities ü Urgently resolve or escalate risks and issues that relate to activities on the Critical Path ü Renegotiate the baseline Project Schedule whenever it changes due to external factors ü Manage stakeholder expectations closely ü Evaluate performance against the agreed and re-baselined Project Schedule BSBPMG 503 A Manage Project Time

An Analogy • Staying on schedule is like piloting a plane that is on auto pilot • You will always get from point A to point B but at any point in time you are Most direct route normally off course • You need to constantly correct your course Point A BSBPMG 503 A Manage Project Time Point B Critical Path given weather and other air traffic

Characteristics of Project Time • Project timeframes are one of the primary sources of conflict on projects • Timeframes are often artificially imposed on projects due to other factors such as business plan cycles, sales targets, performance objectives etc • Project timeframes are hard to predict when there is high risk Refined during the project High level becoming detailed BSBPMG 503 A Manage Project Time Assumptions often Constraints required will be applied Changes need to be monitored Measures project success

Project Time Interrelationships • Time is one of the “triple constraints” to Project Scope Time • Normally the least flexible • Often imposed on the project based business priorities and other dependencies Cost Quality • When the timeframe is fixed then Scope and Quality will need to be sacrificed when additional time is required due to invalid assumptions, missed deadlines or additional effort • High Risk projects normally exceed original timeframes! BSBPMG 503 A Manage Project Time

Project Time Processes • PMBOK Project Time Management Processes ü 6. 1 Define Activities ü 6. 2 Sequence Activities ü 6. 3 Estimate Activity Resources ü 6. 4 Estimate Activity Duration ü 6. 5 Develop Schedule ü 6. 6 Control Schedule • Related processes from Project Integration Management – ü 4. 1 Develop Project Charter ü 4. 2 Develop Project Management Plan BSBPMG 503 A Manage Project Time