What is Project Time Management? Steps, Tools & Processes

Objectives of Time Management in Project Management

Project time management is crucial for project success. Here are the key objectives of time management in project management:

• Helps meet project deadlines.
• Increases efficiency.
• Identifies potential delays.
• Enables effective resource allocation.
• Facilitates communication.

Importance of Project Time Management

Project time management is a cornerstone of effective project management for several reasons. Some of them are:

1. Efficiency.
2. Controlled Cost Management in Projects.
3. Quality Management in Projects.
4. Stakeholder Satisfaction.
5. Risk Management.
6. Productivity Enhancement.
7. Stress Reduction.
8. Learning and Improvement.

Key Characteristics of Effective Time Managers

Project manager roles and responsibilities include having the following characteristics to manage project timelines efficiently:

• Strong project initiation and planning Skills.
• Prioritize tasks based on their importance and urgency.
• The delegation is, understanding the team’s skills and capabilities and assigning tasks accordingly.
• Flexible and should be able to adapt to change management in project management.
• Problem-Solving Skills.

These characteristics are not inherent but can be developed through practice and experience.

Tools for Project Time Management

To effectively manage project time, the right tools and processes must be used. Different projects may require different tools and processes for project time management, depending on various factors, such as project size, complexity, and industry. The commonly used tools and processes for project time management are as follows:

• Gantt charts.
• Critical Path Method (CPM).
• Schedule Network Analysis.
• Resource Leveling.
• Timeboxing.
• Schedule Compression.

Steps for the Project Time Management

The following project time management steps are likely used for successful project management:

• STEP-1. Plan from start to finish.
• STEP-2. Set clear goals and milestones.
• STEP-3. Establish a meeting schedule with deadlines established in advance.
• STEP-4. Involve everyone at every stage in the process, from beginning to end.

Importance of Earning Project Management Qualification

All the skills mentioned above can be developed through formal project management qualifications. AIMS project management academy offers online qualifications, which develop the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in today’s dynamic project management industry:

• Online project management PhD is best suited for academia or high-strategy roles.
• A Master’s degree in project management refines the ability to manage intricate project schedules and timelines

. For those preferring a shorter educational commitment:

• Our online diploma in project management and project management online courses cover the practical application of tools and techniques.
• PMP training and exam preparation equip you excellently for the exam and a successful project management career.

Project Time Management Processes

Here is an introduction to the Project Time Management processes:

• Define Activities: Process of identifying and documenting the specific actions.
• Sequence Activities: Process of identifying and documenting relationships.
• Estimate Activity Resources: Process of estimating the type and quantities of material, human resources, equipment, or supplies.
• Estimate Activity Durations: Process of estimating the number of work periods.
• Develop Schedule: Process of analyzing activity sequences, durations, resource requirements, and schedule constraints.
• Control Schedule: Process of monitoring the status of project activities.

1st Process: Define Activities

It is the project time management process of identifying and documenting the specific actions to be performed to produce the project deliverables. It breaks down work packages into activities that provide a basis for estimating, scheduling, executing, monitoring, and controlling the project work.

Inputs for Define Activities are

• Scope Baseline;
• Enterprise Environmental Factors; and;
• Organizational Process Assets.

The Tools and Techniques used are

• Decomposition;
• Rolling Wave Planning; and;
• Expert Judgment;

And its Outputs are

• Activity List;
• Activity Attributes; and;
• Milestone List.

Now, we will review each of them in detail:

Define Activities Inputs

a. Scope Baseline

Project WBS, deliverables, constraints, and assumptions, documented in the scope baseline, are considered explicitly while defining activities.

b. Enterprise Environmental Factors

Key factors that influence the Define Activities process are:

• Organizational cultures and structure;
• Published commercial information from commercial databases; and;
• Project management information system.

c. Organizational Process Assets

These are the assets that can influence the Define Activities process, and they include:

• Lessons learned knowledge base: It contains historical information regarding activity lists used by previous similar projects;
• Standardized processes: They are the templates that contain a standard activity list or a portion of an activity list from a previous project;

Existing formal and informal activities include planning-related policies, procedures, and guidelines.

Tools and Techniques to Define Activities

a. Decomposition

It involves breaking the work packages into smaller and more manageable units of work, which are called “activities”. Activities represent the effort needed to complete a work package.

b. Rolling Wave Planning

It is a form of progressive elaboration, and it may be defined as: “An iterative planning technique in which the work to be accomplished in the near term is planned in detail, while the work in the future is planned at a higher level”.

c. Expert Judgment

According to this technique: “Project team members or other experts, who are experienced and skilled in developing detailed project scope statements, WBS, and project schedules; can provide expertise in defining activities.”

Outputs for Define activities

a. Activity List

It may be defined as a “Comprehensive list that includes all scheduled activities required on the project.” To ensure that project team members understand what work is required to be completed, the activity list must include an activity identifier and the scope of work for each activity in sufficient detail.

b. Activity Attributes

They extend the description of the activity by identifying the multiple components associated with each activity. Activity attributes can be used to:

• Identify the person responsible for executing the work;
• Geographic area or place where the work has to be performed; and;
• The project calendar is the activity assigned to and the activity type.

Activity attributes are used in various ways within reports, for:

• Schedule development; and;
• Selecting, ordering, and sorting the planned schedule activities.

c. Milestone List

“Milestone is a significant point or event in a project.” A milestone list is a list that identifies all project milestones and indicates whether the milestone is:

• Mandatory – those required by contract; or;
• Optional – those based upon historical information.

2nd Process: Sequence Activities

Sequence activities in project time management is defined as: “Process of identifying and documenting relationships among the project activities”. It defines the logical sequence of work, for better activity throughout the project.

Inputs for Sequence Activities are:

• Activity List;
• Activity Attributes;
• Milestone List; and
• Project Scope Statement.

The Tools and Techniques used are

• Dependency Determination;
• Precedence Diagramming Method (or PDM); and;
• Leads and Lags.

And its Outputs are

• Project Schedule Network Diagrams; and;
• Project Document Updates.

We have already discussed the inputs to this process in “Define Activities.”

Tools and Techniques for Sequence Activities

a. Dependencies Determination

Dependencies are relationships between the activities in a way that:

• One activity is dependent on another to complete an action or;
• An activity is dependent on another to start an action before it can proceed.

Types of Dependencies

To define this sequence among activities, three types of dependencies are used:

• Mandatory dependencies;
• Discretionary dependencies; and;
• External dependencies.

i. Mandatory Dependencies

They are legally or contractually required or inherent in the nature of the work. They often involve physical limitations:

For example

• In a Construction Project: Where it is impossible to erect the superstructure until the foundation has been built or;
• In an Electronics Project: Where a prototype has to be built before it can be tested.

Mandatory dependencies are also sometimes referred to as hard logic or hard dependencies.

ii. Discretionary Dependencies

• These are usually process or procedure-driven, or best practice techniques, based on past experience.
• They are defined by the project team, and they are also known as: Preferred logic, Soft logic, or Preferential logic.

iii. External Dependencies

They involve a relationship between project activities and non-project activities. These dependencies are usually outside the project teams’ control.

For Example

Consider that your project is to “Research and Market a New Drug”:

• Before your company can market your drug, the Food and Drug Administration must approve the drug. Although it is not a project activity, but the project cannot move forward before the approval.
• So, in other words, “For your project, FDA approval is an external dependency”.

b. Precedence Diagramming Method (PDM)

Let us first understand the “Predecessor Activity” and “Successor Activity”:

• Predecessor Activity is an activity that logically comes before a dependent activity in a schedule, and;
• Successor Activity is a dependent activity that logically comes after another activity in a schedule.

The Precedence Diagramming Method includes four types of dependencies or logical relationships:

• Finish to start;
• Finish to finish;
• Start to start; and;
• Start to finish.

i. Finish to Start

The initiation of the work of the successor depends upon the completion of the predecessor’s work. In Other Words, Activity “A” must finish before Activity “B” can start.

For Example

The awards ceremony cannot start until the race has finished.

ii. Finish to Finish

Completion of the work of the successor depends upon the completion of the predecessor’s work. In Other Words, Activity “A” must finish before Activity “B” can finish.

For Example

Writing a document is required to finish before editing the document can finish.

iii. Start to Start

Initiation of the work of the successor, depends upon the initiation of the work of the predecessor. In Other Words, Activity “A” must start before Activity “B” can start.

For Example

Level concrete cannot begin until the pouring the foundation begins.

iv. Start to Finish

Completion of the successor depends upon the initiation of the predecessor. In Other Words, Activity “A” must start before Activity “B” can finish.

For Example

The shift of the first security guard cannot finish until the shift of the second security guard starts.

c. Leads and Lags

They should be considered when determining dependencies.

i. Leads

An activity can start before the predecessor activity is completed.

For Example

Coding might be able to start five days before the final design is finished.

“Lead Time” is the overlap between the first and second activities.

ii. Lag

It is a waiting time inserted between activities.

For Example

• We need to wait three days after pouring concrete before constructing the frame for the house.
• “Lag Time” is the delay between the first and second activities.

Outputs for Sequence Activities

a. Project Schedule Network Diagrams

It is a graphical representation of the logical relationships, also referred to as dependencies, among the project schedule activities. Here is a sample project schedule network diagram for project time management.

• The diagram can include full project details or have one or more summary activities and
• It can be produced manually or by using project management software.

b. Project Document Update

Documents that may be updated include:

• Activity Lists;
• Activity Attributes;
• Milestone List; and;
• Risk Register.

The above educational material on project time management is a small part of online project management qualification offered by AIMS – a UK accredited and globally recognized online institution.

Conclusion

• Successful project time management requires an in-depth understanding of several processes, including defining activities, sequencing them, estimating activity durations and resources, and developing and controlling the schedule.
• Various tools and techniques at each stage allow managers to estimate the project timeline more accurately.
• Using project time management tools enhances the ability of time management in project management.