Chapter Three

Project Time Management

By: Esubalew A.@2026

 Outline
 Project Time Management Process
 Define Activities,
 Sequence Activities,
 Estimate Activity Resources,
 Estimate Activity Durations,
 Develop Schedule,
 Control Schedule
 Project Time Management Process
 Project Time Management is a project management knowledge area that focuses
on planning, scheduling, and controlling the time required to complete a project
successfully.
 Its main goal is to ensure that the project is finished within the planned
schedule.
• Key Processes of Project Time Management
 Define Activities
– Identifying what activities must be completed to produce the project
scope deliverables.
 Sequence Activities
– Determining whether activities can be completed sequentially or in
parallel and any dependencies that may exist among them.
 Cont’d……..
 Estimate Activity Resources
– Identifying the type of resources (people, technology, facilities, etc.)
and the quantity of resources needed to carry out project activities.
 4. Estimate Activity Durations
– Estimating the time to complete each activity.
 5. Develop Schedule
– Based on the availability of resources, the activities, their sequence,
and time estimates, a schedule for the entire budget can be developed.
 6. Control Schedule
– Ensuring that proper processes and procedures are in place in order
to control changes to the project schedule.
  Define Activities
 Define Activities is the process of identifying and documenting the specific
actions (activities) that must be performed to produce the project
deliverables.
 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.
 Cont’d…..
• 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.
 Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

 Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is a project management tool used

to divide a large project into smaller, manageable tasks or
components.
 It helps teams organize work, assign responsibilities, estimate costs, and
monitor project progress.

 The WBS represents a logical decomposition of the work to be performed

and focuses on how the product, service, or result is naturally subdivided.

 It is an outline of what work is to be performed.

 Provides a link between the project’s scope and detailed project plan.

 Once the activities are defined, the next step is to estimate the duration of
each activity

– Estimation is not an exact science but the estimates improve as more details
about the project are uncovered.
 Work Package

 The WBS subdivides the project into smaller components and more
manageable units of work called work packages.

• Enables the development of a project plan schedule, budget and

subsequent monitoring of the project’s progress.

 Each phase should provide at least one specific deliverable (a tangible

and verifiable piece of work)

• Activities or tasks are identified in order to produce the project’s

delive vcrable.
 Deliverables Versus Milestones
• Deliverables
– Tangible, verifiable work products.
• Reports, presentations, prototypes, etc.
 Milestones
– Significant events or achievements that provides
evidence that the deliverable has been completed or
that a phase is formally over.
– Focuses on the achievement, not the deliverable.
• Deliverable – prototype
• Milestone – stakeholder’s formal acceptance of the user
interface
– Smaller, shorter term deliverables keep the team
focused.
– Quality control
• No user acceptance, no moving forward.
• The deliverable must be done right.
 Developing the WBS
• A work package is developed for each of the phases and
deliverables defined in the Deliverable Structure Chart (DSC).
• Focus on Testing box with deliverable of Test Plan and Test
Results.
  Example
 Deliverable: Test Results Report
• Logical Activities to produce the test results document:

1. Review the test plan with the client so that key stakeholders are clear as to
what will be tested, how the tests will be conducted, and when the tests will be
carried out.

2. Carry out the tests as outlined in the plan.

3. Once the test results are collected, we need to analyze them.

4. The results should be summarized in the form of a report and presentation to

the client.

5. If all goes well, the client will sign-off or approve the test results and then we
can move on to the implementation phase of the project.

• If not, then we need to address and fix any problems.

Work Breakdown Schedule
The WBS Should Follow the Work Package Concept
  WBS…
• Should be deliverable oriented.

• Should support the project’s Mission, Objective, Vision.

• The level of detail should support planning and control.

– WBS is bridge between scope and schedule/budget

• Should involve those who will be doing the work.

– The experience and expertise of those involved will ensure that the level of
detail will be appropriate.

• Learning cycles and lessons learned can support the development of a WBS.

– Focus on what they know (facts), what they think they know (assumptions) and
what they need to find out (research) in order to develop a more useful WBS.

– Lessons learned help keep the project plan realistic and complete.
  Sequence Activities
• Involves reviewing activities and determining
dependencies.
• A dependency or relationship relates to the
sequencing of project activities or tasks.
• You must determine dependencies in order to
use critical path analysis.
Three Types of Dependencies
1. Mandatory dependencies: Inherent in the nature of the
work being performed on a project; sometimes referred to as
hard logic.

2. Discretionary dependencies: Defined by the project team;

sometimes referred to as soft logic and should be used with
care because they may limit later scheduling options.

3. External dependencies: Involve relationships between

project and non-project activities.
 Network Diagrams

• Network diagrams are the preferred technique for

showing activity sequencing.

• A network diagram is a schematic display of the

logical relationships among, or sequencing of,
project activities.

• Two main formats are :

1. Arrow and

2. Precedence diagramming methods.

 Arrow Diagramming Method (ADM)

• Also called Activity-On-Arrow (AOA) network

diagram.

• Activities are represented by arrows.

• Nodes or circles are the starting and ending points

of activities.

• Can only show finish-to-start dependencies.

 2. Precedence Diagramming Method (PDM)

• Activities are represented by boxes.

• Arrows show relationships between activities.

• More popular than ADM method and used by

project management software.

• Better at showing different types of dependencies.

  3. Estimate Activity Resources
• 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?

Estimation Techniques
• Most difficult and critical activity in project management
– Time to complete an activity impacts cost due to
resource(s) needed – the project budget is thus impacted.
• The most widely estimation techniques includes:
1. Guesstimating
2. Delphi Technique
3. Time Boxing
4. Top-Down
5. Bottom-Up
6. Analogous Estimates (Past experiences)
7. Parametric Modeling (Statistical)
 1. Guesstimating

 Estimation by guessing or just picking numbers out of the air is not

the best way to derive a project’s schedule and budget.

 Unfortunately, many inexperienced project managers tend to

guesstimate, or guess at the estimates, because it is quick and easy.

 When put on the spot to give an estimate, give a range of time and cost
and say that more research will enable a more confident estimate.
 2. Delphi Technique

• Involves multiple, anonymous experts.

• Each expert makes an estimate.

• Estimates compared
– If close, can be averaged

– If not, do another iteration until consensus is reached

• Can take longer than most other estimation methods, but can be
very effective and provide reasonable assurance.
 3. Time Boxing
• A “box” of time is allocated for a specific activity,
task, or deliverable.
– May be based on a requirement that can’t be changed.

• Can focus a team if used effectively.

• Can demoralize a team if not used effectively.

– May result in long hours and pressure

– May not succeed

4. Top-Down

• Mandate from above has predetermined the time and cost

of the project (competitor, satisfy client).

• Top and middle managers determine overall project schedule

and/or cost.

• Lower level managers are expected to breakdown

schedule/budget estimates into specific activities (WBS).
– Previous project experience can help in allocating time to activities.
 4. Bottom-Up

• Schedules and budgets are constructed from WBS.

• Starts with people who will be doing the work.

• Schedules and budgets are the aggregate of detailed

activities and costs.
5. Analogous Estimation
• use information from previous, similar
projects as a basis for estimation
– BUT – is everything else the same?
6. Parametric Modeling
• Use project characteristics (parameters) in a
mathematical model to estimate the time.

• Example: $50/ LOC based on:

– Programming language

– Level of expertise

– Size and complexity

• To sum up, estimates are made for each activity in the
WBS.
– 6.2 Test Results Report
– 6.2.1 Review test plan with client 1 day
– 6.2.2 Carry out test plan 5 days
– 6.2.3 Analyze results 2 days
– 6.2.4 Prepare test results report and presentation 3 days
– 6.2.5 Present test results to client 1 day
– 6.2.6 Address any software issues or problems 5 days

• How did we come up with these estimates? Using a

technique, or combination of techniques, with the exception
of guestimating!
  4. Estimate Activity Durations
 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.
Three-Point Estimates
 Instead of providing activity estimates as a discrete number,
such as four weeks, it’s often helpful to create a three-point
estimate:

 An estimate that includes an optimistic, most likely, and

pessimistic estimate, such as three weeks for the optimistic,
four weeks for the most likely, and five weeks for the
pessimistic estimate.

 Three-point estimates are needed for PERT estimates and

Monte Carlo simulations.
  5. Develop Schedule
 Uses results of the other time management processes to determine
the start and end dates of the project.

 Ultimate goal is to create a realistic project schedule that provides

a basis for monitoring project progress for the time dimension of
the project.

 Important tools and techniques include Gantt charts, critical path

analysis, critical chain scheduling, and PERT analysis.
  Basic Project Management Scheduling Techniques
 Since around 1900, when Henry L. Gantt, a management scientist,
developed a system of bar charts to graphically represent work on a time
scale, project management tools have been used by project managers to
assist with planning, scheduling, forecasting and controlling.

 In order to derive the most benefit from using a project management tool,
it is necessary to define how a tool’s application is adequate to the
project’s needs, its specific character and objective(s).
• There are different types of Scheduling
Techniques.
• Some of the basic ones are:
1. Gantt charts
2. CPM and
3. PERT types.
 1. Gantt Chart
• is the typical method of scheduling construction
projects.
• The primary limitation of this technique is its inability
to direct attention to the interrelationships and
interdependencies among the activities. (+ critical areas
of work)
2. CPM (Critical Path Method)
 is a type based on the Critical Path Method.

 This type looks for the schedule with minimum cost in a

definite period of time in the case where the cost is associated
with each activity.

 Time is a resource and the resource allocation problem is to

allocate time among project tasks.
 3. PERT (Program Evaluation Review Techniques)

• Is a type which is based on the Program Evaluation

Review Techniques.

• looks for the schedule which minimizes the objective

function such as project time (total elapsed time).

• That is, it determines the start and completion times of

each activity.
• Both techniques CPM and PERT use network methods to assist
in project management and to overcome the interrelationship
limitation in Gantt charts.

• Both these techniques PERT/CPM identify a project critical path

whose activities could not be delayed, and also indicate slack
activities that could be somewhat delayed without lengthening
the project completion time.
• The resource allocation problem, that is considered in
these techniques, is to allocate each required resource to
each activity in order to minimize the objective function
under each resource constraint, that is, under limited
availability of each resource at each period.
 PERT/CPM have been found to be useful in project
management to provide efficient resource scheduling.

 In particular, PERT/CPM identify the critical jobs, which

control the project completion date.

 Moreover, the application of these tools reduces the degree of

scheduling errors and, hence, increases the cost savings.
 CPM and PERT have the underlying difference,

 From its origin viewpoint, the CPM technique was developed

for construction projects, while PERT was elaborated for

research and development projects.

• In the construction industry, prior experience with similar
projects can be used to predict time estimates for projects
within a relatively tight range.

• In the CPM method the expected activity time is a single point

estimate that assumes certainty: each activity is considered of
exact fixed length.

• That is, CPM assumes that time is predictable or

deterministic.
• However, with research and development projects, a great deal of
uncertainty is associated with time estimates because no previous
similar experience exists and precise time estimates are not
available.
• PERT assumes the time estimate for an activity lies within the range
of earliest time and latest time.
• PERT uses three time estimates (optimistic, most likely, and
pessimistic) to compute the average or expected time.
• PERT offers a way of dealing with random variation and considers
each activity stochastic in that variability is allowed in each
activity.
• In general, selection of the technique depends on the degree of
uncertainty associated with time and costs estimates.

• PERT has many advantages in use for those projects which

have a high degree of uncertainty associated with their
activities and a high penalty for being wrong.

• However, the PERT technique does not provide much benefit

if the uncertainty of time estimates is relatively small and
unimportant.
 Cont’d…..
CPM PERT
1 Uses network, calculate float or slack,
identify critical path and activities, Same as CPM
guides to monitor and controlling
project
2 Uses one value of activity time Requires 3 estimates of activity time
Calculates mean and variance of time

3 Used where times can be estimated Used where times cannot be estimated
with confidence, familiar activities with confidence.
Unfamiliar or new activities

4 Minimizing cost is more important Meeting time target or estimating

percent completion is more important

5 Example: construction projects, Example: Involving new activities or

building one off machines, ships, etc products, research and development
etc
  6. Control Schedule
• 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.

• 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.
 Control Schedule (Cont’d……)
 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.

 Cont’d……
 Reality Checks on Scheduling
 Review the draft schedule or estimated completion date in the
project charter.

 Prepare a more detailed schedule with the project team.

 Make sure the schedule is realistic and followed.

 Alert top management well in advance if there are schedule

problems.
 Cont’d……
 Using Software to Assist in Time Management
 Software for facilitating communication helps people
exchange schedule-related information.

 Decision support models help analyze trade-offs that

can be made.

 Project management software can help in various time

management areas.
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