Manual 6

Project Time Management

Book 1 of 3
Introduction to Project Time Management
 Manual 6: Project Time Management

Contents
Topic 1: Project Time Management 3
Section A: Introducing Project Time Management 3
Project Time Management 3
Section B: An Overview of Project Time Management 6
Introduction to Project Time Management 6
The Five Processes of Project Time Management 6

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 Manual 6: Project Time Management

Topic 1: Project Time

Management
Section A: Introducing Project Time
Management
Project Time Management
Project Time Management includes the processes required to accomplish timely completion of the
project. Figure 1 provides an overview of the Project Time Management processes and Figure 2 provides a
process flow diagram of those processes and their inputs, outputs, and other related Knowledge Area
processes. The Project Time Management processes include the following:

Activity Definition – identifying the specific schedule activities that need to be performed to produce the
various project deliverables.

Activity Sequencing – identifying and documenting dependencies among schedule activities.

Activity Resource Estimating – estimating the type and quantities of resources required to perform each
schedule activity.

Activity Duration Estimating – estimating the number of work periods that will be needed to complete
individual schedule activities.

Schedule Development – analyzing activity sequences, durations, resource requirements, and schedule
constraints to create the project schedule.

Schedule Control – controlling changes to the project schedule.

These processes interact with each other and with processes in the other Knowledge Areas as well. Each
process can involve effort from one or more persons or groups of persons, based on the needs of the
project. Each process occurs at least once in every project and occurs in one or more project phases, if the
project is divided into phases. Although the processes are presented here as discrete components with
well-defined interfaces, in practice they can overlap and interact in ways not detailed here.

On some projects, especially ones of smaller scope, activity sequencing, activity resource estimating,
activity duration estimating, and schedule development are so tightly linked that they are viewed as a
single process that can be performed by a person over a relatively short period of time. These processes
are presented here as distinct processes because the tools and techniques for each are different.

Although not shown here as a discrete process, the work involved in performing the six processes of
Project Time Management is preceded by a planning effort by the project management team. This
planning effort is part of the Develop Project Management Plan process, which produces a schedule
management plan that sets the format and establishes criteria for developing and controlling the project
schedule.

The project time management processes, and their associated tools and techniques, vary by application
area, are usually defined as part of the project life cycle, and are documented in the schedule
management plan. The schedule management plan is contained in, or is a subsidiary plan of, the project
management plan, and may be formal or informal, highly detailed or broadly framed, based upon the
needs of the project.

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 Manual 6: Project Time Management

PROJECT SCOPE
MANAGEMENT

6.1. Activity Definition 6.2. Activity Sequencing 6.3. Activity Resource

Estimating
1. Inputs 1. Inputs
1. Inputs
1. Enterprise environmental factors 1. Project scope statement
1. Enterprise environmental factors
2. Organizational process assets 2. Activity list
2. Organizational process assets
3. Project scope statement 3. Activity attributes
3. Activity list
4. Work breakdown structure 4. Milestone list
4. Activity attributes
5. WBS dictionary 5. Approved change requests
5. Resource availability
6. Project management plan 6. Project management plan
2. Tools & Techniques
2. Tools & Techniques 1. Precedence Diagramming Method
2. Tools & Techniques
1. Decomposition (PDM)
1. Expert judgment
2. Templates 2. Arrow Diagramming Method (ADM)
2. Alternative analysis
3. Rolling wave planning 3. Schedule network templates
3. Published estimating data
4. Expert judgment 4. Dependency determination
4. Project management software
5. Planning component 5. Applying leads and lags
5. Bottom-up estimating

3. Outputs 3. Outputs
3. Outputs
1. Activity list 1 Project schedule network diagrams
1. Activity resource requirements
2. Activity attributes 2. Activity list (updates)
2. Activity attributes (updates)
3. Milestone list 3. Activity attributes (updates)
3. Resource breakdown structure
4. Requested changes 4. Requested changes
4. Resource calendars (updates)
5. Requested changes

6.4. Activity Duration 6.5. Schedule Development

Estimating 6.6. Schedule control
1. Inputs 1. Inputs
1. Enterprise environmental factors 1. Organizational process assets 1. Inputs
2. Organizational process assets 2. Project scope statement 1. Schedule management plan
3. Project scope statement 3. Activity list 2. Schedule baseline
4. Activity list 4. Activity attributes 3. Performance reports
5. Activity attributes 5. Project schedule network diagrams 4. Approved change requests
6. Activity resource requirements 6. Activity resource requirements
7. Resource calendars 7. Resource calendars 2. Tools & Techniques
8. Project management plan 8. Activity duration estimates 1. Progress reporting
- Risk register 9. Project management plan 2. Schedule change control system
- Activity cost estimates - Risk resister 3. Performance measurement
4. Project management software
2. Tools & Techniques 2. Tools & Techniques 5. Variance analysis
1. Expert judgment 1. Schedule network analysis 6. Schedule comparison bar charts
2. Analogous estimating 2. Critical path method
3. Parametric estimating 3. Schedule compression 3. Outputs
4. Three-point estimates 4. What-if scenario analysis 1 Schedule model data (updates)
5. Reserve analysis 5. Resource leveling 2. Schedule baseline (updates)
6. Critical chain method 3. Performance measurements
3. Outputs 7. Project management software 4. Requested changes
1 Activity duration estimates 8. Applying calendars 5. Recommended corrective actions
2. Activity attributes (updates) 9. Adjusting leads and lags 6. Organizational process assets
10. Schedule model (updates)
7. Activity list (updates)
3. Outputs 8. Activity attributes (updates)
1. Project schedule 9. Project management plan
2. Schedule model data (updates)
3. Schedule baseline
4. Resource requirements (updates)
5. Activity attributes (updates)
6. Project calendar (updates)
7. Requested changes
8. Project management plan (updates)
- Schedule management
- Plan updates

Figure 1: Project Time Management Overview

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 Manual 6: Project Time Management

Scope Definition Project Management Develop Project

Activity
5.2 Project Scope Statement plan Management Plan
Definition
(3.2.2.3) 4.3
6.1 Scope Management (3.2.2.1)
(3.2.2.5) plan
Activity list Approved change requests
Create WBS Work breakdown structure Activity attributes Approved corrective actions
5.3 WBS dictionary Milestone list
(3.2.2.4)

Requested changes

Enterprise
Resource availability
Environmental Activity Requested changes
Factors Sequencing Project management plan (updates)
6.2
(3.2.2.6)
Organizational policies Project schedule network diagrams
Organizational
Historical information
Process Assets
Project calendar

Select Sellers Activity Resource

Estimating Requested changes
12.4 Resource availability
(3.2.3.7) 6.3
(3.2.2.7)
Activity resources requirements
Acquire Project
Resource breakdown structure
Team
Resource calendars (updates)
9.2 Resource availability
(3.2.3.3)

Cost Estimating Activity Duration

Activity cost estimates
7.1 Estimating Requested changes
(3.2.2.10) 6.4
(3.2.2.8)

Risk Activity duration estimates

Management Risk register Schedule
Planning Development Project management plan (updates)
11.2-11.5 6.6
(3.2.2.15) Requested changes
(3.2.2.9)
Performance Project schedule
Reporting Schedule model data
10.3 Performance reports Schedule baseline
(3.2.4.9) Resource requirements (updates)
Project calendar (updates)
Direct &
Manage Project Work performance information
Execution Performance measurements
10.3 Activity list (updates)
(3.2.3.1) Activity attributes (updates)
Project management plan (updates)
Close Schedule baseline (updates)
Project Schedule Schedule model data (updates) Integrated
4.7 Control Project schedule Change Control
(3.2.5.1) Organizational process assets 6.6 4.6
Requested changes
(updates) (3.2.4.5) Recommended corrective (3.2.4.2)
actions

Figure 2: Project Time Management Process Flow Diagram

Note: Not all process interactions and data flow among the processes are shown

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 Manual 6: Project Time Management

Section B: An Overview of Project Time

Management
Introduction to Project Time Management
As a project manager, you are required to manage projects within the constraints of time, cost, scope, and
quality. This is a difficult undertaking because project management can be turbulent: composed of
meetings, report writing, planning and preplanning, and constant communicating with stakeholders, team
members, and senior management. Disciplined time management is a major key to effective project
management.

Definition: Project Time Management

A subset of project management that includes the processes required to ensure timely
completion of the project. It consists of activity definition, activity sequencing, activity duration
estimating, schedule development, and schedule control

The Five Processes of Project Time Management

Project time management involves the processes required to ensure the timely completion of a project.
Achieving timely completion, however, is by no means simple. The graphic below provides a view of the
process groups that make up the time management knowledge area. Four of the time management
processes are part of the planning process group and the fifth is part of the controlling process group.

Process Group
Initiating Planning Executing Controlling Closing
Knowledge Area
Project Time 6.1. Activity Definition 6.5. Schedule
Management Control
6.2. Activity
Sequencing

6.3. Activity Duration

Estimating

6.4 Schedule
Development

Defining the Project Time Management Processes

The five processes of the project time management knowledge area are defined below.

• Activity definition involves identifying specific activities that the project team members and
stakeholders must perform in order to produce the project deliverables. An activity or task is an
element of work normally found on the work breakdown structure (WBS) that has an expected
duration, cost, and resource requirements.

• Activity sequencing involves identifying and documenting the relationships between project activities.

• Activity duration estimating involves estimating the number of work periods that are needed to
complete individual activities. Resource planning, part of the project cost management knowledge
area, is an important process that is closely tied to estimating activity durations, and will also be
discussed in detail in this course.

• Schedule development involves analyzing activity sequences, activity duration estimates, and
resource requirements to create the project schedule.

• Schedule control involves controlling and managing changes to the project schedule.

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 Manual 6: Project Time Management

Process Flow and Interaction

The project time management processes interact closely with many processes from other knowledge
areas. The following graphic illustrates the interaction among these processes.

INITIATION PLANNING CONTROL

Scope Scope Time Time
Scope Scope Activity Activity
Initiation Planning Definition Sequencing Comms.
Performance
Time Reporting
Scope Cost
Activity
Scope Resource Durations
Definition Planning
Time

Cost Schedule
Control
Cost
Estimating

Time
Schedule
Development

Purpose of the Time Management Processes

Of all the constraints imposed on project managers today, deadline is usually the most pressing. Whether
developing a new product for the commercial market or constructing a new office building, many projects
are driven by “Time-To-Market.” The sooner the project is delivered, the sooner profits can be generated.
While budgets and schedules are separate entities, they are linked. Those who succeed in meeting their
project schedule have a good chance of staying within their project budget. A common cause of exceeding
the project budget is lack of time management.

The main purpose of the time management processes is to create the project network diagram, which
will evolve into a project schedule.

The Project Network

The project network is a graphical flow chart of the activities that must be completed throughout the
course of the project. It is developed from the information collected for the work breakdown structure
(WBS) and the activity list. The project network diagram depicts:

• Activities that must be completed.

• Logical sequences of activities.
• The interdependencies of the activities.
• An estimate of the duration.
• The longest path(s) through the network (critical path).
• Activities that are critical and those which can be delayed.

Once the team finishes the final iteration of the network diagram, dates are assigned and approved. It is
then that the network diagram officially becomes the project schedule.

The Project Schedule

In any organization, there are more projects than available resources. Schedules allow management to
quickly assess the availability of resources by providing a way to track the resources that are formally
committed to a specific project. This information may then be used to determine when to start new
projects as resources become available.

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 Manual 6: Project Time Management

The schedule is also used to help the project manager to determine in the planning phase of the project
whether the project is feasible, given the scope of work, resources, time, labor, budget, planned quality,
and stakeholder expectations.

A project schedule provides the following:

• A mutual understanding of workflow and deliverables of the project.

• A useable schedule baseline for controlling and assessing the time flow of the project.
• A planning, tracking, and reporting tool used by management and the project team.
• Support to the integrated project management system.

The project schedule is the agreed upon set of tasks/activities and due dates used to guide and monitor
the project to completion. The project schedule is a comprehensive calendar, which may depict:

• Time (duration) estimates for all activities.

• Start and finish dates for the activities.
• The sequence in which activities must occur.
• Names of resources assigned responsibility to complete activities.
• The current status of each activity.

Developing the Project Schedule

Performing the project time management processes results in a project schedule that can be tracked and
monitored. The project schedule sets expectations for project progress by defining the time frames and
dates of key project deliverables. It also provides a project completion date for sponsors and stakeholders.
Work is broken down into small, manageable pieces, and thus reduces the overall complexity of the
project. Creating a project schedule will also provide a tool for performing deadline risk assessments and
more effective detection and analysis of problem areas. Without a project schedule, the project manager
will not have a clear view of all that must be completed, who needs to complete it, how to make effective
adjustments in order to get things completed, or when to expect the project to be complete.

All projects can be broken down into a number of activities that must be performed. In order to create the
project schedule, you must first decompose the WBS to determine what these activities are. You can then
determine how long they will take, what resources they require, and in what order they should be
performed. Each of these elements has a direct bearing on the schedule.

For example, if you fail to identify a task or omit a task altogether, the project won’t be completed. If you
underestimate the length of time or the resources required for the task, you could miss your completion
date as well as underestimate the project budget. The schedule can also be set back if you make a
mistake in the sequencing of the tasks, or fail to respond to identified risk.

The following steps are necessary in the development of the project schedule.

1. Identify the activities that must be completed.

2. Estimate the duration or work periods required for each activity.
3. Estimate resources required for each activity.
4. Sequence the activities by determining predecessors (the activities which must be completed
before the activity can begin) and successors (the activities which cannot start until after the
activity has completed) for each task.
5. Analyze and refine the dates and other information from the activity sequence to create a finalized
activity and resource project schedule.

Once the schedule is created, it must be controlled. The schedule and budget are interrelated in that if you
fail to meet the project schedule, you will probably exceed the project budget as well. Meeting the project
schedule will not guarantee that you will meet the project budget, but it may significantly increase your
chances.

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