Which of the following are the main processes of project time management project scheduling?

Introduction

Time is a terrible resource to waste. This is the most valuable resource in a project.

Every delivery that you are supposed to make is time-bound. Therefore, without proper time management, a project can head towards a disaster.

When it comes to project time management, it is not just the time of the project manager, but it is the time management of the project team.

Scheduling is the easiest way of managing project time. In this approach, the activities of the project are estimated and the durations are determined based on the resource utilization for each activity.

In addition to the estimate and resource allocation, cost always plays a vital role in time management. This is due to the fact that schedule over-runs are quite expensive.

The Steps of the Time Management Process

Following are the main steps in the project time management process. Each addresses a distinct area of time management in a project.

1. Defining Activities

When it comes to a project, there are a few levels for identifying activities. First of all, the high-level requirements are broken down into high-level tasks or deliverables.

Then, based on the task granularity, the high-level tasks/deliverables are broken down into activities and presented in the form of WBS (Work Breakdown Structure).

2. Sequencing Activities

In order to manage the project time, it is critical to identify the activity sequence. The activities identified in the previous step should be sequenced based on the execution order.

When sequencing, the activity interdependencies should be considered.

3. Resource Estimating for Activities

The estimation of amount and the types of resources required for activities is done in this step. Depending on the number of resources allocated for an activity, its duration varies.

Therefore, the project management team should have a clear understanding about the resources allocation in order to accurately manage the project time.

4. Duration and Effort Estimation

This is one of the key steps in the project planning process. Since estimates are all about the time (duration), this step should be completed with a higher accuracy.

For this step, there are many estimation mechanisms in place, so your project should select an appropriate one.

Most of the companies follow either WBS based estimating or Function Points based estimates in this step.

Once the activity estimates are completed, critical path of the project should be identified in order to determine the total project duration. This is one of the key inputs for the project time management.

5. Development of the Schedule

In order to create an accurate schedule, a few parameters from the previous steps are required.

Activity sequence, duration of each activity and the resource requirements/allocation for each activity are the most important factors.

In case if you perform this step manually, you may end up wasting a lot of valuable project planning time. There are many software packages, such as Microsoft Project, that will assist you to develop reliable and accurate project schedule.

As part of the schedule, you will develop a Gantt chart in order to visually monitor the activities and the milestones.

6. Schedule Control

No project in the practical world can be executed without changes to the original schedule. Therefore, it is essential for you to update your project schedule with ongoing changes.

Conclusion

Time management is a key responsibility of a project manager. The project manager should equip with a strong skill and sense for time management.

There are a number of time management techniques that have been integrated into the management theories and best practices.

As an example, Agile/Scrum project management style has its own techniques for time management.

In addition, if you are keen on learning time management into greater depths, you can always get into a training course of one of the reputed and respected time management trainers.

What is Time Management in Project Management?

Time management is the management of the time spent, and progress made, on project tasks and activities. Excellent time management requires the planning, scheduling, monitoring, and controlling of all project activities. Time management is one of the six major functions of project management, according to the Project Management Institute. When some people refer to project time management, they’re also referring to the tools and techniques used for managing time. 

Why is time management important in project management?

A project, by definition, has an official end date. In order to meet this date, every project needs a schedule and to manage their own time and the team’s time to ensure that the schedule is met. Imagine you decide to renovate a bathroom in your house. You figure you’ll do it in your spare time, so you don’t give yourself an end date or create a project schedule. You also don’t do anything to make sure you regularly have time to work on the renovation.

What happens? If you’re like most people, the answer is that years go by and your ‘project’ never gets finished.

Likely it is faced with constant delays, and you may run into the following issues:

• You felt too busy to work on it, so you pushed it to the back of your to-do list
• You didn’t order the new tiles in time and had to wait for them to come in
• You weren’t able to find a plumber and couldn’t install the sink or toilet after they were delivered
• You found out too late that inspections need to be booked months in advance
• And so on

That’s why time management is so critical. Without it, projects won’t get done on time, and may not get done at all.

The seven main processes in project time management

1. Plan schedule management: Many resources don’t mention this process when discussing time management. But, before you can complete the other steps, you need to plan how you will manage your schedule. Some questions you should answer are: What software or tool will you use? Who will be responsible for using the software? How often will the schedule be reviewed? What controls will be put in place to ensure everyone stays on schedule?
2. Define activities: Once you have your time management plan, you can identify and define your project activities. Often a work breakdown structure (WBS) is used to help define activities and tasks within a project. Major milestones should also be determined.
3. Sequence activities: Now that you know all of the tasks that must be completed, you can start sequencing them in the proper order with a network diagram.
4. Estimate resources: In project management, the term ‘resources’ often refers to people. However, you also need to identify which tools, materials, systems, budget, and other resources you will need for each task to be completed.
5. Estimate durations: Once you know which tasks must be completed and what you need to accomplish them, it’s time to estimate how long it will take to complete each activity. Some project managers use PERT (Program Evaluation Review Technique) to come up with their durations, especially if there’s a lot of unknown factors at play.
6. Develop the project schedule: This can be done by inputting your activities, durations, start and end dates, sequencing, and relationships into a scheduling software.
7. Control the schedule: Once your schedule is created, it needs to be monitored and controlled. Progress needs to be reviewed and updated on a regular basis so you can compare your actual work completed against the plan. This allows you to see if there are areas you’re falling behind schedule.

Further reading:

• Project Management Basics: 6 Steps to a Foolproof Project Plan
• How 5 PM Experts Create a Fail-Safe Project Management Plan
• How to Keep Employees on Track with a Time Management Calendar
• 4 Tips to Improve Your Time Management this Holiday Season
• Stress-Free Reporting with Scheduled Report Reminders

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