Project Time Management

The following table addresses the important issues of managing schedules, schedule estimating, critical path management, and schedule tracking.

 
Priority
Area
4
Informal schedule goals, simple dependencies, low management interest, familiar project tasks.
3
Definite schedule goal, numerous dependencies, some project visibility, some unknowns.
2
Important schedule goal, significant dependencies, high project visibility, moderate unknowns.
1
Critical schedule goal, complex dependencies, high interest project, significant unknowns.
Project Schedules
Establish project target date with immediate milestones, prepare project Gantt schedule and circulate to team members; obtain team buy-in on project schedule goals.
Prepare top-level Gantt schedule and sub-team rollups; identify major and intermediate milestones; scrutinize dependencies; maintain baseline stability between major milestones or formal replans.
Publish schedules and keep updates visible; maintain schedule baseline discipline and traceability; document milestone exit criteria; report and track schedule variances and performance indexes.
Use comprehensive automated scheduling system; document procedures for schedule baseline management and data collection; swarm problem areas with micro-schedules and daily status meetings.
Schedule Estimating
Estimate schedule durations based on judgment, staff-months, and duration analogies to previous work; identify schedule dependencies, assess schedule risk areas.
Document schedule estimates based on historical data and estimates of work and staffing; keep work packages smaller than two weeks; assess schedule risk and apply contingencies.
Document schedule assumptions and estimating methodology; evaluate and elevate schedule uncertainties; obtain independent expert assessment of schedule realism.
Use documented schedule estimating methodology; apply historical data, analogies, and expert judgements; obtain team ownership of schedules; quantify risks and apply contingencies.
Critical Path Analysis
Identify critical path identified informally on Gantt schedule; keep team members mindful of critical path; have PM consider ways to shorten critical path.
Identify schedule dependencies and design hand-offs clearly; use a CPM graphic to compute and display the critical path; report status periodically, and look for ways to shorten the path.
Conduct risk assessment along the critical path; manage the critical path to tighten and identify workarounds; rethink dependencies to accelerate overall schedule.
Conduct statistical assessment of schedule risks (PERT); examine opportunities for streamlining, crashing, and concurrencies; watch for near-critical paths and assess risks.
Schedule Tracking
Update project schedules to show actual progress and revisions compared to baseline plan; keep original schedule goals visible until formally replanned by PM.
Collect data for percent completions and planning revisions periodically; report status against traceable schedule baseline; document approaches to assessing earned value.
Track schedule progress against formal baseline for all tasks; identify level of effort tasks; use repeatable procedures for data gathering, earned value assessment, and status reporting.
Document procedures for baseline management, schedule data collection and flow, data analysis and reporting. (see C/SCS in Cost section)
Version 1.2
© Copyright 1997, James R. Chapman

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