Project Time Management SEII - Lecture 5

Project Time ManagementSEII-Lecture 5Dr. Muzafar KhanAssistant ProfessorDepartment of Computer ScienceCIIT, Islamabad.RecapCollecting requirementsDifferent methodsDefining scopeEstimates for all resourcesCreating the WBSDifferent approachesVerifying scopeFormal acceptanceControlling scopeChange control2Importance of Time ManagementOn-time project delivery is a challenging taskSchedule problems are commonTime can be measured easilyComparison of estimated and actual timeTime is least flexible; time always goes onIndividual work styles, cultural differences, work ethicsProject time management3Main ProcessesDefining activitiesSequencing activitiesEstimating activity resourcesEstimating activity durationsDeveloping the scheduleControlling the schedule4Defining Activities [1/2]Start and end dates in project charterMain inputs: scope statement and WBSMain output: activity listActivity listActivity name, identifier, and brief descriptionActivity attributePredecessors, successors, logical relationships, leads and lags, resource requirements, constraints, imposed dates, and the related assumptions5Defining Activities [2/2]MilestoneA significant event with no durationHelps to identify main activitiesAssists to set schedule goals and monitor progressNot necessarily deliverable6Sequencing ActivitiesDetermining the dependenciesEvaluating the reasons for dependenciesDependenciesMandatory / hard logicDiscretionary / soft logic ExternalMain inputs: activity list, scope statement, milestone list7Schedule ToolsNetwork diagramsAlso called project schedule network diagrams or PERT chartsSchematic display of logical relationships and sequencing of activitiesArrow Diagramming Method (ADM) / Activity On Arrow (AOA) approachPrecedence Diagramming Method (PDM)8Example – AOA9Figure source: IT Project Management, K. Schwalbe, 6th ed., p. 218How to Create AOA diagramFind all activities which start at Node 1Draw finish nodesDraw arrow between the nodes and label it with activity name and durationLook for bursts and mergeContinue it from left to right until all activities are includedNo arrows should cross on the diagram10Task Dependencies11Figure source: IT Project Management, K. Schwalbe, 6th ed., p. 219Example – PDM12Figure source: IT Project Management, K. Schwalbe, 6th ed., p. 221Comparison of AOA and PDMPDM is used more frequentlyNo dummy activities in PDMDummy activities are often used in AOANo duration and resources requiredOften needed to show logical relationshipRepresented with dashed arrow lines and zero durationPDM shows different dependencies among tasks whereas AOA uses finish-to-start dependency only13Estimating Activity Resources [1/3]Before estimating the duration, good estimate for other resourcesNature of project and organization affect resource estimationTools: expert judgment, analysis of alternatives, estimating data, project management software Good to have team members having experience of similar projects14Estimating Activity Resources [2/3]Important questions to answerHow difficult will it be to do specific activities?Is there anything unique in project scope that will affect resources?What is the organization’s history in doing similar activities?Does the organization have appropriate resources?Would it make some sense to outsource some of the work?15Estimating Activities Resources [3/3]Main outputs: list of activity resource requirements, resource breakdown structure, project document updatesActivity resources estimate also helps in other knowledge areas of project managementResource breakdown structureHierarchical structure of resourcesIdentify resources categories and typesResources category: programmersResources types: Java and .NET programmers16Estimating Activity Durations [1/2]Estimation of durationsDuration: actual time worked on an activity plus elapsed timeResources assigned to a task also affect the task duration estimateDuration VS effortIf scope changes, duration estimates should be revisedAlways good to review similar projects and seek experts’ advice17Estimating Activity Durations [2/2]Main inputs: activity list, activity resource requirements, resource calendarsTeam should review the accuracy of duration estimates so far on the projectAvailability of human resource is criticalMain output: activity duration estimatesDuration estimates are in the form of discrete number18Three Point EstimateOptimisticBest case scenarioMost likelyMost likely / expected scenarioPessimisticWorst case scenarioRequired for PERT estimatesExpert judgment is good tool19Developing the ScheduleResults from earlier time management processes required for schedule developmentSeveral iterations of processes are required to finalize the scheduleMain objective: realistic project scheduleIt provides basis to monitor project progress for the time dimensionMain output: project scheduleTools: Gantt chart, critical path analysis, critical chain scheduling, PERT analysis20Gantt ChartStandard format to show project scheduleAlso called bar chartsProject activities, start and end dates, milestones, summary task, task dependencies Activities are same as mentioned in WBSDifferent symbols are used21Example – Gantt Chart22Figure source: IT Project Management, K. Schwalbe, 6th ed., p. 225Guidelines for MilestonesSMART criteriaSpecificMeasurableAssignableRealisticTime-framed23Schedule Risk and MilestonesDefine milestone early in the project and include them in Gantt chartKeep milestones small and frequentThe set of milestones must be all-encompassingEach milestone must be binary, either complete or incompleteCarefully monitor the critical path24Recommendations for Software Development ProjectsMonitor the project progress and revise the planBuild on a solid line i.e. with least defects (less than .1 percent defect rate)Assign the right people to right tasks. Put the best developer on the critical tasksStart with high-risk tasks“Don’t boil the ocean”Integrate early and often, and follow practices like the daily build process25SummaryDefining activitiesActivity list containing activity name, identifier, attributes, and brief descriptionSequencing activitiesdetermining the dependencies Mandatory, discretionary, externalevaluating the reasons for dependenciesEstimating activity resourceslist of activity resource requirements, resource breakdown structure, project document updatesEstimating activity durationsDuration VS effort, activity duration estimatesThree point estimatesDeveloping the scheduleProject schedule, Gantt charts26