Overview

The goal of project time management is the completion of the project on or before a specific date. The processes comprised in this knowledge area usually take place once in each project life-cycle phase. In addition, although some of these processes are often viewed as one, they are defined and explained separately.

This workshop provides participants with a clear six-step process for managing project time:

• Plan Schedule Management
• Define Activities
• Sequence Activities
• Estimate Activity Resources
• Estimate Activity Duration
• Develop Schedule
• Control Schedule

Participants learn practical techniques for each of these steps.  Throughout the course the role of the Project Manager in the project time management is examined.

Learning Objectives

Participants will learn how to:

• Identify specific schedule activities
• Identify and document dependencies among schedule activities
• Estimate the type and quantities of resources required to perform each activity
• Estimate the number of work periods that will be needed to complete individual schedule activities
• Analyze activity sequences, durations, resource requirements, and schedule constraints to create the project schedule
• Control changes to the schedule

Instructional Strategies

This workshop utilizes short lecture, guided discussion, and hands-on application activities in small teams. Team activities are debriefed by the instructor through occasional team presentations.

Audience

Current and aspiring project managers, sub-team leaders, and team members.  Project clients, sponsors, and other stakeholders may also benefit.

Prerequisites

None, although a course in project management basics is recommended.

Content Outline

MODULE 1: INTRODUCTION

• PMI Perspective Overview
• Purpose of Time Management
• SPM Approach
• Time Management Definitions
• Time Management Concepts

MODULE 2: DEFINE ACTIVITIES

• Work Package Worksheet
• Identify Specific Activities
• Create Activity Attributes

MODULE 3: SEQUENCE ACTIVITIES

• Successor and Dependency Types
• Network Diagram
• Precedence Relationships
• Leads and Lags

MODULE 4: ESTIMATE ACTIVITY RESOURCES

• Coordinating with Cost Estimating
• Definitions
• Skills and Resource Analysis
• Generating Quantity Estimates

MODULE 5: ESTIMATE ACTIVITY DURATIONS

• Duration vs. Work Effort
• Analogous Estimating
• Parametric Estimating

MODULE 6: BUILD A PROJECT SCHEDULE

• Schedule Development
• Critical Path Analysis
• Milestones
• Preliminary Schedule
• Resource Optimization
• Finalize Schedule
• Obtain Approval

MODULE 7: EXECUTE AND CONTROL SCHEDULE

• Schedule Control
• Performance Measurement
• Variance Analysis
• Schedule Comparison Bar Charts

MODULE 8: RECAP

• Review of Key Points