Project Management

Project Management Chapter 7 Project Manager’s Toolkit for Time Management

Project Managers Tool-kit for time management • Work-breakdown structures (WBS) • Gantt chart • Programme evaluation and review technique (PERT) • Critical Path Method (CPM)

The project is the overall project under development 1.0 1.2 1.3 1.4 Deliverables are major project components 1.3.1 1.2.1 1.3.2 1.2.2 Subdeliverables are supporting deliverables 1.2.3 1.2.3.1 Work Packages are individual project activities 1.2.3.2 Work Breakdown Structure WBS = breaking down the project into a cohesive set of synchronous and specific tasks

Work Breakdown Structure • Breaks the project down into pieces and then to arrange the pieces in a logical way. • This helps to: • indicate how schedules and costs will be managed • give visibility to important or risky work efforts • allow mapping of requirements and deliverables • foster ownership • provide performance standards • make sense to all role players and stake holders

GANTT chart • Typically show the task name and start and finish date for each task • They will have to change with time but are useful starting points

Examples of GANTT charts GANTT charts are created in packages such as Microsoft Project But GANTT charts can also be created in Excel or in MS Word

Programme Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) chart • Network techniques • Used for displaying project schedules that depict tasks and the dependencies between tasks.

Programme Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) chart • Network techniques • Widely used for displaying project schedules that depict tasks and the dependencies between tasks. • Can be made up of: • events (circles) • activities (arrows) • non-activities (dotted lines)

Programme evaluation and review technique (PERT) chart • PERT is useful for determining how much time a project needs for completion • Each activity is assigned a best, worst, and most probable completion time estimate, from which an average can be calculated • This average is then used to find the critical path.

Programme Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) chart Time you estimate the activity will take

Critical Path Method or Analysis Can you remember when you were involved in a project and asked to give a completion time? How easy was it? Most people seriously underestimate the time it takes for projects, they often don’t know what to prioritise Critical Path Analysis is very useful tool here

Critical Path Method This technique is a modelling process used to predict project duration by analysing which sequence of activities has the least amount of scheduling flexibility Flexibility known as ‘slack’ or ‘float’ Latest finish – earliest start – duration = float If float equals zero, this item is on the critical path

Critical Path Method Example: Doing your assignment When is the earliest start date? When is the latest finish date? How long is the duration? How much float do you have? Is it on the critical path for achieving your degree?

Critical Path Method Example: Writing your research project When is the earliest start date? When is the latest finish date? How long is the duration? How much float do you have? Is it on the critical path for achieving your degree? Research project: XXXXXXXXX Xxxxxx

Critical Path Analysis Helps calculate minimum length of time in which a project can be completed and which activities should be prioritised to complete by that date Helps you focus on the critical activities Based on an assumption that some activities are dependent on other activities being completed first (sequential). If activities are not dependent, then they can be done at any time or ‘parallel’ to other tasks.

Exercise putting these techniques into practice • Completing your project management course • Break down into WBS – what are all the • activities you need to think of in getting you • through this • Let’s put together a schedule for this • What about interdependencies? • How long do we think things might take? • Critical path analysis ?

Project Management