week 4 time chapter 06

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Information Technology ProjectManagement, Sixth Edition

Project Scope ManagementProcesses

Collecting requirements : defining and documenting

the features and functions of the products producedduring the project as well as the processes used forcreating themDefining scope : reviewing the project charter,

requirements documents, and organizational processassets to create a scope statementCreating the WBS : subdividing the major projectdeliverables into smaller, more manageable

componentsVerifying scope : formalizing acceptance of theproject deliverablesControlling scope : controlling changes to project

scope throughout the life of the projectInformation Technology ProjectManagement, Sixth Edition 1

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Chapter 6:Project Time Management

Information TechnologyProject Management, Sixth

Edition


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Learning ObjectivesUnderstand the importance of project

schedules and good project time managementDefine activities as the basis for developingproject schedulesDescribe how project managers use networkdiagrams and dependencies to assist inactivity sequencingUnderstand the relationship betweenestimating resources and project schedulesExplain how various tools and techniques helpproject managers perform activity durationestimating

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Learning Objectives (continued)Use a Gantt chart for planning andtracking schedule information, find thecritical path for a project, and describehow critical chain scheduling and theProgram Evaluation and Review

Technique (PERT) affect scheduledevelopmentDiscuss how reality checks and peopleissues are involved in controlling andmanaging changes to the projectscheduleDescribe how project managementsoftware can assist in project timemanagement and review words of cautionbefore using this software 4


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Importance of Project SchedulesManagers often cite delivering projectson time as one of their biggestchallengesTime has the least amount of flexibility;it passes no matter what happens on aprojectSchedule issues are the main reason

for conflicts on projects, especiallyduring the second half of projects

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Individual Work Styles and CulturalDifferences Cause Schedule Conflicts

Some people prefer to followschedules and meet deadlines whileothers do notDifference cultures and even entirecountries have different attitudes

about schedules

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Project Time ManagementProcesses

Defining activities : identifying the specific activitiesthat the project team members and stakeholdersmust perform to produce the project deliverables Sequencing activities : identifying and documentingthe relationships between project activitiesEstimating activity resources : estimating howmany resources a project team should use toperform project activitiesEstimating activity durations : estimating thenumber of work periods that are needed to completeindividual activitiesDeveloping the schedule : analyzing activity

sequences, activity resource estimates, and activityduration estimates to create the project scheduleControlling the schedule : controlling andmanaging changes to the project schedule

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Figure 6-1. Project TimeManagement Summary

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Defining Activities

An activity or task is an element ofwork normally found on the workbreakdown structure (WBS) that has an

expected duration, a cost, and resourcerequirementsActivity definition involves developing amore detailed WBS and supportingexplanations to understand all the workto be done so you can develop realisticcost and duration estimates

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Activity Lists and Attributes

An activity list is a tabulation ofactivities to be included on a projectschedule that includes: The activity name An activity identifier or number A brief description of the activityActivity attributes provide moreinformation such as predecessors,

successors, logical relationships, leadsand lags, resource requirements,constraints, imposed dates, andassumptions related to the activity

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Milestones

A milestone is a significant event thatnormally has no durationIt often takes several activities and a

lot of work to complete a milestoneTheyre useful tools for settingschedule goals and monitoringprogressExamples include obtaining customersign-off on key documents orcompletion of specific products

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What Went Wrong?

At the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI),poor time management was one of the reasonsbehind the failure of Trilogy, a disastrous,unbelievably expensive piece of vaporware, whichwas more than four years in the (un)making. Thesystem was supposed to enable FBI agents tointegrate intelligence from isolated information siloswithin the Bureau.* In May 2006, the Government Accounting Agency

said that the Trilogy project failed at its core missionof improving the FBIs investigative abilities and wasplagued with missed milestones and escalatingcosts

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*Roberts, Paul, Frustrated contractor sentenced for hacking FBI to speed deployment, InfoWorld Tech Watch, (July 6, 2006).


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Sequencing Activities

Involves reviewing activities anddetermining dependenciesA dependency or relationship is the

sequencing of project activities ortasksYou must determine dependencies in

order to use critical path analysis

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Three types of Dependencies

Mandatory dependencies : inherent inthe nature of the work being performed ona project, sometimes referred to as hardlogic Discretionary dependencies : defined bythe project team; sometimes referred toas soft logic and should be used with care

since they may limit later schedulingoptions External dependencies : involverelationships between project and non-project activities 14


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Network Diagrams

Network diagrams are the preferredtechnique for showing activitysequencing

A network diagram is a schematicdisplay of the logical relationshipsamong, or sequencing of, project

activitiesTwo main formats are the arrow andprecedence diagramming methods

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Figure 6-2. Sample Activity-on-Arrow(AOA) Network Diagram for Project X

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Arrow Diagramming Method(ADM)

Also called activity-on-arrow (AOA)network diagramsActivities are represented by arrowsNodes or circles are the starting andending points of activitiesCan only show finish-to-startdependencies

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Process for Creating AOA Diagrams1. Find all of the activities that start at node 1. Draw

their finish nodes and draw arrows between node 1and those finish nodes. Put the activity letter orname and duration estimate on the associatedarrow.

2. Continue 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 moreactivities. A merge occurs when two or more nodesprecede a single node.

3. Continue drawing the project network diagram untilall activities are included on the diagram that havedependencies.

4. As a rule of thumb, all arrowheads should facetoward the right, and no arrows should cross on an

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Precedence DiagrammingMethod (PDM)

Activities are represented by boxesArrows show relationships betweenactivitiesMore popular than ADM method andused by project management softwareBetter at showing different types ofdependencies

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Figure 6-3. Task Dependency Types

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Estimating Activity ResourcesBefore estimating activity durations, you must

have a good idea of the quantity and type ofresources that will be assigned to each activity;resources are people, equipment, andmaterialsConsider important issues in estimatingresources How difficult will it be to do specific activities on

this project? What is the organizations history in doing similar

activities?

Are the required resources available?A resource breakdown structure is ahierarchical structure that identifies theprojects resources by category and type

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Activity Duration EstimatingDuration includes the actual amount oftime worked on an activity plus elapsedtimeEffort is the number of workdays orwork hours required to complete a taskEffort does not normally equal durationPeople doing the work should helpcreate estimates, and an expert shouldreview them

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Three-Point Estimates

Instead of providing activity estimatesas a discrete number, such as fourweeks, its often helpful to create athree-point estimate An estimate that includes an optimistic,

most likely, and pessimistic estimate, suchas three weeks for the optimistic, fourweeks for the most likely, and five weeksfor the pessimistic estimate

Three-point estimates are needed forPERT and Monte Carlo simulations

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Developing the ScheduleUses results of the other timemanagement processes to determinethe start and end date of the projectUltimate goal is to create a realisticproject schedule that provides a basisfor monitoring project progress for thetime dimension of the projectImportant tools and techniques includeGantt charts, critical path analysis,and critical chain scheduling, andPERT analysis

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Gantt ChartsGantt charts provide a standardformat for displaying project scheduleinformation by listing project activitiesand their corresponding start and finish

dates in a calendar formatSymbols include: Black diamonds: milestones Thick black bars: summary tasks Lighter horizontal bars: durations of tasks Arrows: dependencies between tasks

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Figure 6-5. Gantt Chart forProject X

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Note: Darker bars would be red in Project 2007 to represent critical tasks.


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Figure 6-6. Gantt Chart for SoftwareLaunch Project

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Adding Milestones to GanttCharts

Many people like to focus on meetingmilestones, especially for largeprojects

Milestones emphasize importantevents or accomplishments onprojects

Normally create milestone by enteringtasks with a zero duration, or you canmark any task as a milestone

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SMART Criteria

Milestones should be: S pecific Measurable Assignable Realistic Time-framed

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Best Practice

Schedule risk is inherent in the development of complexsystems. Luc Richard, the founder ofwww.projectmangler.com, suggests that projectmanagers can reduce schedule risk through projectmilestones, a best practice that involves identifying andtracking significant points or achievements in the project.The five key points of using project milestones includethe following:1. Define milestones early in the project and include them in the

Gantt chart to provide a visual guide.2. Keep milestones small and frequent.3. The set of milestones must be all-encompassing.4. Each milestone must be binary, meaning it is either complete or

incomplete.5. Carefully monitor the critical path.

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Fi 6 7 S l T ki G tt


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Figure 6-7. Sample Tracking GanttChart

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Critical Path Method (CPM)CPM is a network diagrammingtechnique used to predict total projectdurationA critical path for a project is the seriesof activities that determines the earliest time by which the project can becompletedThe critical path is the longest path through the network diagram and has the

least amount of slack or floatSlack or float is the amount of time anactivity may be delayed without delayinga succeeding activity or the project finish

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Calculating the Critical Path

First develop a good network diagramAdd the duration estimates for allactivities on each path through the

network diagramThe longest path is the critical pathIf one or more of the activities on thecritical path takes longer than planned,the whole project schedule will slipunless the project manager takes

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Figure 6-8. Determining the Critical Pathfor Project X

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More on the Critical PathA project team at Apple computer put a

stuffed gorilla on the top of the cubicle of theperson currently managing critical taskThe critical path is not the one with all thecritical activities; it only accounts for time

Remember the example of growing grass beingon the critical path for Disneys Animal Kingdom There can be more than one critical path ifthe lengths of two or more paths are thesameThe critical path can change as the projectprogresses

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Using Critical Path Analysis toMake Schedule Trade-offs

Free slack or free float is the amount oftime an activity can be delayed withoutdelaying the early start of any immediatelyfollowing activities

Total slack or total float is the amount oftime an activity may be delayed from itsearly start without delaying the plannedproject finish dateA forward pass through the networkdiagram determines the early start andfinish datesA backward pass determines the late startand finish dates

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Figure 6-9. Calculating Early and LateStart and Finish Dates

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Table 6-1. Free and Total Float orSlack for Project X

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Using the Critical Path toShorten a Project Schedule

Three main techniques for shorteningschedules Shortening durations of critical

activities/tasks by adding more resourcesor changing their scope Crashing activities by obtaining the

greatest amount of schedule compressionfor the least incremental cost

Fast tracking activities by doing them inparallel or overlapping them

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Importance of Updating CriticalPath Data

It is important to update projectschedule information to meet timegoals for a project

The critical path may change as youenter actual start and finish datesIf you know the project completion

date will slip, negotiate with the projectsponsor

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Critical Chain SchedulingCritical chain scheduling A method of scheduling that considers

limited resources when creating a projectschedule and includes buffers to protect theproject completion date

Uses the Theory of Constraints (TOC) A management philosophy developed by

Eliyahu M. Goldratt and introduced in hisbook The Goal and Critical Chain

Attempts to minimize multitasking When a resource works on more than one

task at a time

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Figures 6 10a and 6 10b


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Figures 6-10a and 6-10b.Multitasking Example

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Buffers and Critical ChainA buffer is additional time to complete ataskMurphys Law states that if something cango wrong, it willParkinsons Law states that work expandsto fill the time allowedIn traditional estimates, people often add abuffer to each task and use it if its neededor notCritical chain scheduling removes buffersfrom individual tasks and instead creates: Project buffers or additional time added before

the projects due date Feeding buffers or additional time added

before tasks on the critical path

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Figure 6 11 Example of Critical Chain


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Figure 6-11. Example of Critical ChainScheduling

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Program Evaluation and ReviewTechnique (PERT)

PERT is a network analysis techniqueused to estimate project durationwhen there is a high degree ofuncertainty about the individual activityduration estimatesPERT uses probabilistic timeestimates Duration estimates based on using

optimistic, most likely, and pessimisticestimates of activity durations, or a three-point estimate

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PERT Formula and ExamplePERT weighted average =

optimistic time + 4X most likely time + pessimistic time6

Example:PERT weighted average =8 workdays + 4 X 10 workdays + 24 workdays = 12

days 6where optimistic time = 8 daysmost likely time = 10 days , andpessimistic time = 24 days

Therefore, youd use 12 days on the network diagraminstead of 10 when using PERT for the above example

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Schedule ControlSuggestions

Perform reality checks on schedulesAllow for contingenciesDont plan for everyone to work at100% capacity all the timeHold progress meetings withstakeholders and be clear and honest

in communicating schedule issues

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Controlling the ScheduleGoals are to know the status of theschedule, influence factors that causeschedule changes, determine that theschedule has changed, and managechanges when they occur

Tools and techniques include: Progress reports A schedule change control system Project management software, including

schedule comparison charts like the tracking

Gantt chart Variance analysis, such as analyzing float orslack

Performance management, such as earnedvalue (Chapter 7)

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Reality Checks on Scheduling

First review the draft schedule orestimated completion date in theproject charter

Prepare a more detailed schedule withthe project teamMake sure the schedule is realistic

and followedAlert top management well in advanceif there are schedule problems

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Working with People Issues

Strong leadership helps projectssucceed more than good PERT chartsProject managers should use: Empowerment Incentives Discipline

Negotiation

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What Went Right?Mittal Steel Poland earned Polands Project

Excellence Award in 2007 for implementing a SAPsystemDerek Prior, research director at AMR Research,identified three things the most successful SAP

implementation projects do to deliver businessbenefits: Form a global competence centre Identify super-users for each location Provide ongoing involvement of managers in

business processes so they feel they own theseprocesses

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Using Software to Assist in TimeManagement

Software for facilitatingcommunications helps peopleexchange schedule-related

informationDecision support models help analyzetrade-offs that can be made

Project management software canhelp in various time managementareas

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Words of Caution on UsingProject Management Software

Many people misuse projectmanagement software because theydont understand important conceptsand have not had trainingYou must enter dependencies to havedates adjust automatically and todetermine the critical path

You must enter actual scheduleinformation to compare planned andactual progress

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Chapter Summary

Project time management is often citedas the main source of conflict onprojects, and most IT projects exceedtime estimatesMain processes include: Define activities Sequence activities

Estimate activity resources Estimate activity durations Develop schedule Control schedule

week 4 time chapter 06

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