Lecture 5
Title: Project Time Management
 By: Mr Hashem Alaidaros
 MIS 434
Main Points
 Activity Definition
 Project Network Diagrams
 Activity on the Node (AON)
 Critical Path Analysis
 Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT)
 Precedence Diagramming Method (PDM)
 Lead and Lag Time
 Activity Resource Estimation
 Activity Duration Estimation
 Schedule Management
Introduction
 Project time management is often cited as the main
source of conflict on projects, and most IT projects
exceed time estimates.
 Some people prefer to follow schedules and meet
deadlines while others do not.
 Different cultures and even entire countries have
different attitudes about schedules.
Project Time Process Management
 Activity definition: Identifying the specific activities that the project





team members and stakeholders must perform to produce the project
deliverables.
Activity sequencing: Identifying and documenting the relationships
between project activities.
Activity resource estimating: Estimating how many resources a project
team should use to perform project activities.
Activity duration estimating: Estimating the number of work periods
that are needed to complete individual activities.
Schedule development: Analyzing activity sequences, activity resource
estimates, and activity duration estimates to create the project
schedule.
Schedule control: Controlling and managing changes to the project
schedule.
Project Planning Framework
Activity Definition
 An activity or task is an element of work normally found
on the WBS that has an expected duration, a cost, and
resource requirements.
 Project schedules grow out of the basic documents that
initiate a project.
 The project charter includes start and end dates and
budget information.
 The scope statement and WBS help define what will
be done.
 Activity definition involves developing a more detailed WBS and
supporting explanations to understand all the work to be done, so
you can develop realistic cost and duration estimates.
Activity list and Attributes
 An activity list is a tabulation of activities to be
included on a project schedule. The list should
include:
 The activity name
 An activity identifier or number
 A brief description of the activity
 Activity attributes provide more information about
each activity, such as predecessors, successors, logical
relationships, leads and lags, resource requirements,
constraints, imposed dates, and assumptions related to
the activity.
Activity Sequences
 Involves
reviewing
dependencies.
activities
and
determining
 A dependency or relationship relates to the sequencing
of project activities or tasks.
 You must determine dependencies in order to use
critical path analysis.
Activity on the Node (AON)
Activity
Description
Estimated Duration
(Days)
Predecessor
A
Evaluate current technology
platform
2
None
B
Define user requirements
5
A
C
Design Web page layouts
4
B
D
Set-up Server
3
B
E
Estimate Web traffic
1
B
F
Test Web pages and links
4
C,D
G
Move web pages to production
environment
3
D,E
H
Write announcement of intranet for
corp. newsletter
2
F,G
I
Train users
5
G
J
Write report to management
1
H,I
AON Network Diagram
Possible Activity Paths on AON
Possible Paths
Path
Path 1
A+B+C+F+H+J
2+5+4+4+2+1
Path 2
A+B+D+F+H+J
Total
18
17
Path 3
2+5+3+4+2+1
A+B+D+G+H+J
2+5+3+3+2+1
16
Path 4
A+B+D+G+I+J
19*
Path 5
2+5+3+3+5+1
A+B+E+G+I+J
17
2+5+1+3+5+1
* The
Critical
Path
Critical Path
 A Critical Path (CP) for a project is the series of activities that
determines the earliest time by which the project can be completed.
 The CP is the longest path through the network diagram and has the
least amount of slack or float.
 Slack (or float) is the amount of time an activity can be delayed
before it delays the project
 The CP must be monitored and managed!
 Project manager can expedite or crash by adding resources
 Fast tracking – running activities in parallel which were originally
planned as sequential
 The CP can change
 If one or more of the activities on the critical path takes longer than
planned, the whole project schedule will slip unless the project
manager takes corrective action.
Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT)
 PERT is a network analysis technique used to estimate
project duration when there is a high degree of
uncertainty about the individual activity duration
estimates.
 PERT uses probabilistic time estimates:
 Duration estimates based on using optimistic, most
likely, and pessimistic estimates of activity durations, or
a three-point estimate.
PERT analysis
Activity
Predecessor
Optimistic
Estimates
(Days)
Most Likely
Estimates
(Days)
Pessimistic
Estimates
(Days)
Expected
Duration
(a+4b+c)
6
A
None
1
2
4
2.2
B
A
3
5
8
5.2
C
B
2
4
5
3.8
D
B
2
3
6
3.3
E
B
1
1
1
1.0
F
C,D
2
4
6
4.0
G
D,E
2
3
4
3.0
H
F,G
1
2
5
2.3
I
G
4
5
9
5.5
J
H,I
.5
1
3
1.3
Possible Paths on PERT
Possible Paths
Path
Total
Path 1
A+B+C+F+H+J
18.8
2.2+5.2+3.8+4.0+2.3+1.3
Path 2
A+B+D+F+H+J
18.3
2.2+5.2+3.3+4.0+2.3+1.3
Path 3
A+B+D+G+H+J
18.6
2.2+5.2+3.3+3.0+2.3+1.3
Path 4
A+B+D+G+I+J
20.5*
2.2+5.2+3.3+3.0+5.5+1.3
Path 5
A+B+E+G+I+J
18.2
2.2+5.2+1.0+3.0+5.5+1.3
* The Critical Path
Precedence Diagramming Method (PDM) Relationships
Task B cannot start before A finishes
Task B cannot start before A starts
Task B cannot finish before A finishes
Task A cannot start before B finishes
Lead and Lag Times
 Lead is starting the next task before the first task is
complete

Example: Begin installing the operating systems when
half of the PCs are set up
 Lag (or negative lead) is the adding of a buffer of time
before the next task begins

Example: Once the walls have been painted, wait one
day before laying the carpet so that the walls have had
a chance to dry
Activity Resource Estimation
 Before estimating activity durations, you must have a
good idea of the quantity and type of resources that
will be assigned to each activity.
 Consider important issues in estimating resources:
 How difficult will it be to complete specific activities on
this project?
 What is the organization’s history in doing similar
activities?
 Are the required resources available?
Activity Duration Estimation
 Duration includes the actual amount of time worked
on an activity plus the elapsed time.
 Effort is the number of workdays or work hours
required to complete a task.
 Effort does not normally equal duration.
 People doing the work should help create estimates,
and an expert should review them.
Schedule Development
 The project’s schedule can be determined based upon the tasks and
time estimates in the WBS
 The schedule will also depend on how these activities are sequenced
 Ultimate goal is to create a realistic project schedule that provides a
basis for monitoring project progress for the time dimension of the
project.
 Project Management Tools
 Gantt Charts
 Project Network Diagrams
 Activity on the Node (AON)
 Critical Path Analysis
 Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT)
 Precedence Diagramming Method (PDM)
Project Schedule
 The project schedule and budget may require several
iterations before it is acceptable to the sponsor, the
project manager, and the project team.
 Once the project schedule and project plan are
accepted, the project plan becomes the baseline plan.
 Once accepted, the project manager and project team
have the authority to execute or carry out the plan.
Schedule Control
 Goals are to know the status of the schedule, influence
factors that cause schedule changes, determine that
the schedule has changed, and manage changes when
they occur.
 Tools and techniques include:
 Progress reports.
 A schedule change control system.
 Project
management software, including schedule
comparison charts, such as the tracking Gantt chart.
 Variance analysis, such as analyzing float or slack.
 Performance management, such as earned value.
Free MS Project Tutorial
 http://www.profsr.com/msproject/msproj01.htm
 http://office.microsoft.com/en-
us/training/FX100565001033.aspx
 http://www.project-blog.com/