Chapter 6:
Project Time Management
Using Critical Chain Scheduling,
PERT, and MS Project 2003
Thursday, March 1
Information Technology Project Management,
Fourth Edition
Today’s Schedule

Complete Chapter 6 Time
Management
Critical Chain Scheduling
 PERT Analysis
 Using MS Project

Assignments #7 and #8 are posted
 Test #2 on Calendar

Information Technology Project
Management, Fourth Edition
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Overview of Project Time
Management Processes

Activity definition: Identifying the specific
activities must be performed to produce the
project deliverables.
 Activity sequencing: Identifying and
relationships between project activities.
 Activity resource estimating: Estimating how
many resources should be used.
 Activity duration estimating: Estimating the
number of work periods needed to complete
individual activities.
Information Technology Project
Management, Fourth Edition
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Overview of Project Time
Management Processes (cont’d)

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.
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Management, Fourth Edition
4
What do you say …

From your text, page 240,
Discussion Questions 1 through 5
Information Technology Project
Management, Fourth Edition
5
Gantt Chart for Software Launch
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Management, Fourth Edition
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SMART Criteria

Adding Milestones to Gantt Charts

Specific

Measurable

Assignable

Realistic

Time-framed
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Management, Fourth Edition
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Using Critical Path Analysis to
Make Schedule Trade-offs

Free slack or free float - time an activity can be
delayed without delaying the early start of any
immediately following activities.
 Total slack or total float - time an activity can be
delayed from its early start without delaying the
planned project finish date.
 A forward pass through the network diagram
determines the early start and finish dates.
 A backward pass determines the late start and
finish dates.
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Management, Fourth Edition
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Multitasking Example
Multitasking often adds time and
increases risk level of project
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Management, Fourth Edition
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Critical Chain Scheduling

Attempts to minimize multitasking, which
occurs when a resource works on more
than one task at a time.

Critical chain scheduling

considers limited resources when creating a
project schedule

includes buffers to protect the project
completion date.
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Management, Fourth Edition
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Buffers and Critical Chain

Parkinson’s Law states that work expands
to fill the time allowed.


People often add a buffer to each task and use
the additional time whether it’s needed or not.
Critical chain scheduling removes buffers
from individual tasks and instead creates:


A project buffer or additional time added before the
project’s due date.
Feeding buffers or additional time added before
tasks on the critical path.
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Management, Fourth Edition
11
Example of Uncertainty in Model
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Management, Fourth Edition
12
Program Evaluation and Review
Technique (PERT)

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.
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Management, Fourth Edition
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PERT Formula and Example

PERT weighted average =
optimistic time + 4X most likely time + pessimistic time
6

Example:
PERT weighted average =
8 workdays + 4 X 10 workdays + 24 workdays = 12 days
6
optimistic time= 8 days
most likely time = 10 days
pessimistic time = 24 days
Therefore, you’d use 12 days on the network diagram instead of 10 when
using PERT for the above example.
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Management, Fourth Edition
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Perform reality checks on
schedules

Allow for contingencies.

Don’t plan for everyone to work at 100 percent
capacity all the time.

Hold progress meetings with stakeholders and
be clear and honest in communicating
schedule issues.

If you know the project completion date will slip,
negotiate with the project sponsor.
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Management, Fourth Edition
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Words of Caution on Using
Project Management Software

Many people misuse project management
software because they don’t understand important
concepts and have not had training.

You must enter dependencies to have dates
adjust automatically and to determine the critical
path.

You must enter actual schedule information to
compare planned and actual progress.
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Management, Fourth Edition
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You try it …
From your textbook
Chapter 6, page 241, #4
Look at the tasks and as a class,
we’ll develop Duration Estimates to use
for the homework
 Complete #3, Using MS Project, with a
partner

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Management, Fourth Edition
17
For Tuesday, March 13
Complete Chapter 6
 Complete Assignment #7
 Begin Assignment #8

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Management, Fourth Edition
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