Notes5

IS 372 Winter 2006 Lecture 05 ©2006 N. Sutcliffe, O. Adelakun, ITPM, 4e

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Week 5

Project Time Management Term Group Project

IS 372 Winter 2006 Lecture 05 ©2006 N. Sutcliffe, O. Adelakun, ITPM, 4e 2

Agenda

Review Homework Client Interview Next Week’s team assignment

The Scope and

Risk Management Overview


Exercise

Each team spends a few minutes coming up with a list of 3 things they would do differently when meeting with a client.

Then tell how it will be handled next time.


ImportanceImportance of Project Schedules delivering projects on time -- one of biggest challenges.

50% IT projects were challenged in 2003 CHAOS study, average time overrun now 82% from a low of 63% in 2000.*

Scheduling issues -- main reason for conflicts on projects, especially during the 2nd 2nd half of projects.

Time -- least amount of flexibility; Time passes no matter what happens on a project.

*The Standish Group, “Latest Standish Group CHAOS Report Shows Project Success Rates Have Improved by 50%,” (www.standishgroup.com) (March 25, 2003).


Project Time Management Processes

: 1. Activity Definition: Identify specific activities that the team and stakeholders must perform to produce deliverables

2. Activity Sequencing: Identify and document the relationship between project activities

3. Activity Resource Estimating: Estimate how many resources team should use to perform pjt. Activities

4. Activity Duration Estimating: Estimate work periods needed to complete individual activities.

5. Schedule Development:Analyze activity sequences, resource estimates, duration estimates to create project schedule

6. Schedule Control:Control and manage changes to project schedule


1. Activity Specifics

Definition: An activity or task is an element of work normally found on the WBS that has an expected duration, cost, and resource requirements.

Project Schedules – come from project charter, scope statements, and WBS.

Activity List – tabulation of activities on schedule – includes activity name, activity identifier, description

Activity Attributes – include for each activity:predecessors, successors, logical relationships, leads and lags, resource requirements, constraints, imposed dates, and assumptions


Milestones

Definition: a significant event that normally has NO duration

Often takes several activities and a lot of work to complete a milestone

Are useful tools for setting schedule goals and monitoring progress

Examples: Completion and customer sign-off on key

documents Completion of specific products


2. Activity Sequencing

Involves: Reviewing activities Determining dependencies (relationships) Input to Critical Path Analysis

Dependency Types: Mandatory: inherent in the nature of work

(aka hard logic) Discretionary: defined by team (aka soft logic) – used

with care, can limit options External: relationships between project and non-

project activities


Network Diagrams

a schematic display of logical relationships among, or sequencing of, project activities

Preferred technique for showing activity sequencing

2 main formats: Arrow:

Activity on Arrow aka AOA or Arrow Diagramming Method aka ADM

Precedence Diagramming Method aka PDM or Activity on Node aka AON


Comparison of

ADM or AOA Arrows represent Activities

Nodes or circles are the start/end points

Can only show finish-to-start dependencies

PDM or AON Boxes represent Activities

Arrows show relationships between activities

More popular than ADM

Used by PM software

Better at showing different types of dependencies e.g.,mandatorydiscretionaryexternal


Comparison of PDM and ADM

ADM or AOA example

PDM or AON example

Each box has:• identifier • start date• end date• duration• resources

Each arrow has:• identifier• duration


3. Activity Resource* Estimating

Before estimating durations, must get for each activity’s resources : the quantity needed type (skills) needed

Important issues in estimating resources: How difficult will it be to complete specific activities? What is organization’s history on similar activities? Are the required resources available?

* Assume Human Resources


4. Activity Duration Estimating

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.

An expert should review estimates.

3-Point Estimates

Substitute Optimistic, Most Likely and Pessimistic for discrete number.

Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks for four weeks.

Needed for PERT estimates and Monte Carlo simulations.


5. Schedule Development

Use results from other time management processes to determine project: Start date End date

Goal: realistic project schedule for monitoring project progress on time dimension

Tools and techniques: Gantt Charts Critical Path Analysis Critical Chain Scheduling PERT analysis


Gantt Charts

Note: In Project 2003 darker bars are red to represent critical tasks

provide a standard format for displaying project schedule information by listing project activities and their corresponding start and finish dates in a calendar format.


Milestones & Gantt Charts

Many like to focus on meeting milestones, especially for large projects.

Milestones emphasize important events or accomplishments in projects.

Can typically create milestone by entering tasks that have a zero duration, or you can mark any task as a milestone.

Smart Criteria for Milestones:

Specific

Measurable

Assignable

Realistic

Time-framed


6.7 Sample Tracking Gantt Chart


Critical Path Method (CPM)

CPM is a network diagramming technique used to predict total project duration.

A critical path for a project is the series of activities that determines the earliest time by which the project can be completed.

The critical path is the longest path through the network diagram and has the least amount of slack or float.

Slack or float is the amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying a succeeding activity or the project finish date.


How to use the CPM

■ Develop a good network diagram (ND)■ Add duration estimates for all activities on each path through ND■ The longest path is the critical path. ■ If any activities on the critical path take longer than planned, the whole project schedule will slip unless PM takes corrective action.


Some thoughts on CPM

Critical path does not necessarily contain all the critical activities; Critical path only accounts for time.

There can be more than one critical path if the lengths of two or more paths are the same.

The critical path can change as the project progresses.


Using CPM to make Schedule Trade-Offs

Free slack or free float --- time an activity c/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 ND determines early start and finish dates. A backward pass determines the late start and finish dates.


Table 6-1. Free and Total Float or Slack for Project X


Importance of Updating Critical Path Data

It is important to update project schedule information to meet time goals for a project.

The critical path may change as you enter actual start and finish dates.

If you know the project completion date will slip, negotiate with the project sponsor.


Buffers and Critical Chain

A buffer is additional time to complete a task. Murphy’s Law states that

if something can go wrong, it will. Parkinson’s Law states that

work expands to fill the time allowed. In traditional estimates,

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.


Schedule Control

Perform reality checks on schedules.

Allow for contingencies.

Do NOT plan for everyone to work at 100 percent capacity all the time. Never, never happens in humans.Never, never happens in humans.

Hold progress meetings with stakeholders and be clear and honest in communicating schedule issues.


Schedule Control

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.

Tools and techniques include: Progress reports. A schedule change control system. PM 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 (see Chapter 7).


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.


Working with People Issues

Strong leadership helps projects succeed more than good PERT charts do.

Project managers should use:

Empowerment

Incentives

Discipline

Negotiation


Using Software 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.


Table 6-2. Project 2003 Features Related to Pjt Time Management


Words of Caution on Using PM 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.


Chapter Summary

Project time management is often cited as the main source of conflict on projects, and most IT projects exceed time estimates.

Main processes include: Activity definition Activity sequencing Activity resource estimating Activity duration estimating Schedule development Schedule control


Midterm Exam

Open book, open notes Duration: 1.5 hours Covers material from

chapters 1-6 and 11. 2 true/false questions (3 points each) 16 multiple choice (3 points each) 2 completion (3 points each) 2 essay questions (20 points each) DL students

register on COL for proctored exam take in class

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