Week Two Lecture for CMGT 410
Objectives:
 Overview
 Time Management
o Schedule development
 Task (activity) definition
 Sequence
 Durations
o Deliverables and milestones
o Baseline dates
o Scheduling
o Gantt Chart
o Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) Chart
o Critical Path Method (CPM) Chart
 Conclusion
Overview
Last week we learned about project management and the organization, the
project life cycle, roles in project management, and the value of project and
scope management. In week two, we will explore time management.
Time Management
Time management involves schedule development, baseline dates, and
deliverables/milestones.
Schedule Development
All tasks and sub-tasks that are necessary to accomplish a project are identified.
The duration, start date, end date, resources available, and sequence to each
task and sub-task are also determined.
The length of time it takes to complete a task or sub-task is known as the
duration. The most common unit or work period is one day, eight hours. In MS
Project, one day is equal to 100% units.
The start and end dates determine when the task or sub-task needs to be done.
Additionally, human and non-human resources are reserved to make sure they
are available to complete the task or sub-task within the timeframe allocated.
The sequence is the order of the task or sub-task. Sequencing is related to
linking related tasks together so that the project manager will know what comes
before/after or what can be done at the same time of each task to other tasks.
Each section and sub-section is prioritized and analyzed to determine which
section is necessary and when. Then, management can defer or cancel any part
of the project that does not benefit the company immediately.
Deliverables and Milestones
Critical and important components are identified as milestones. Deliverables
such as screens and reports are determined so that the stakeholders can
determine if the project team is creating what they expect.
Baseline Dates
A baseline is when project data such as dates are saved for comparison. The
initial baseline date is when the project manager first determines the start date
and the completion date of each task or sub-task.
Other baseline dates can be saved throughout the project’s life. Usually a
baseline should be saved every time there is a change in scope. The project
manager can then justify to management why his plan had to be rewritten and/or
his timeframe had to be changed. With a history of baseline information, the
project manager can analyze what went wrong and what went right with the
project.
MS Project will allow the project manager to save the project data at any point in
time and then do a comparison between whatever baseline the project manager
wants.
Scheduling
In our example, the project manager needs to estimate how much time it will take
him to implement an integrated freight system. Following are some approaches
and techniques of estimating the time it will take to manage and implement a
project.
The Stochastic approach of estimating durations is to review historical data to
estimate how long it will take to complete a task and/or project.
The Deterministic approach of estimating the timeframe of a task and/or project is
to average past data.
The Modular technique of estimating durations is to estimate how long each task
and sub-task will take, and then add them all up for a total time.
The Benchmark Job technique of estimating the timeframe of a task and/or
project is to calculate by multiplying the number of times a task or sub-task is
performed, and how many tasks and sub-tasks there are in a project. This
technique can only be used by known projects such as construction projects.
Since the project manager is not experienced in implementing an integrated
freight system, he decides to use the Modular technique. The Stochastic
approach, Deterministic approach, and the Benchmark Job technique all require
historical knowledge that he does not have access to.
Many project managers use software applications such as MS Project to
generate a Gantt chart and other project management charts such as Program
Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) and Critical Path Method (CPM).
Example of a Gantt chart
A Gantt chart is the most common method of depicting how tasks and time are
allocated in a project. The tasks are on the vertical axis, and the time is on the
horizontal axis.
Project managers will also use the PERT and CPM in conjunction with Gantt
charts to show how one task relates to another, and how time and resources can
be balanced and maximized for the most efficient mix.
Example of a PERT and CPM chart
In the above example of a PERT/CPM chart, the tasks are in the nodes and the
arrows show a precedence relationship. Some project managers place the
activities on the arrows, and the milestones in the nodes. The duration of the
tasks are based on estimations.
CPM is part of the PERT chart. CPM bases the estimation of time on past data.
The critical path is the total of the all the inter-related, dependent tasks and subtasks in a project. If any one of these tasks is prolonged, shortened, or skipped,
the project could easily be compromised. In the above example, the critical path
is denoted in red. The critical path is all the tasks that have to be completed on
time in order for the project to finish as scheduled. Tasks that have some slack
or float time are denoted in a different color than the tasks that are critical.
The PERT/CPM networks are tools that help the project manager plan, schedule,
monitor, and control a project. A project manager uses the PERT/CPM networks
to determine which tasks are critical tasks, which tasks can be done at the same
time, if there are any restrictions or requirements to the critical tasks, and the
length it takes to complete each task. Once the time frames and start/finish
dates, and slack times are estimated, the project manager can balance the
resources and tasks so that all resources are maximized throughout the whole
project. Slack time is the time in between the end of a task and the start of
another task.
In the above example, a project manager must first find companies that sell
integrated freight software before he can make an appointment to go see a
demo. These two tasks are critical to purchasing an integrated freight software.
If the project manager did not research which companies sold integrated freight
software, his project would fail immediately because he would not know where to
buy any integrated freight software.
A task that the project manager could do concurrent to researching freight
software companies is to define the components necessary to operate his
logistics company more efficiently. The project manager may want to place the
constraint of only looking at ten different software companies in two weeks so
that the searching phase is not prolonged. Resources, time, and money will not
allow the project manager to indefinitely look for the right software for his
company.
Conclusion
Time management is used to determine the schedule of the project. Project
managers use charting and analysis tools created by software applications such
as MS Visio and MS Project to diagram the Work Breakdown Schedule, the
Gantt chart, the PERT chart and the CPM chart to help them scope out projects.
References
Keogh, J., Shtub, A., Bard, J. F., Globerson, S. (2002). Project Planning And
Implementation: Section Two: Work Breakdown Structure And Scheduling.
Retrieved August 8, 2002, from University of Phoenix Online, rEsource Web
site: https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/secure/resource/resource.asp
Snead, G. Lynne and Wycoff, Joyce. To Do, Doing, Done! New York: Simon
and Schuster Inc., 1997.
Baker, Sunny, Baker, Kim, and Campbell, G. Michael. The Complete Idiot’s
Guide To Project Management. Indiana: Alpha Books, 2003.