Overview

Project Time Management includes the processes required to accomplish timely completion of the project. Figure 6-1 provides an overview of the Project Time Management processes and Figure 6-2 provides a process flow diagram of those processes and their inputs, outputs, and other related Knowledge Area processes. The Project Time Management processes include the following:

6.1 Activity Definition – identifying the specific schedule activities that need to be performed to produce the various project deliverables.

6.2 Activity Sequencing – identifying and documenting dependencies among schedule activities.

6.3 Activity Resource Estimating – estimating the type and quantities of resources required to perform each schedule activity.

6.4 Activity Duration Estimating – estimating the number of work periods that will be needed to complete individual schedule activities.

6.5 Schedule Development – analyzing activity sequences, durations, resource requirements, and schedule constraints to create the project schedule.

6.6 Schedule Control – controlling changes to the project schedule. These processes interact with each other and with processes in the other Knowledge Areas as well. Each process can involve effort from one or more persons or groups of persons, based on the needs of the project. Each process occurs at least once in every project and occurs in one or more project phases, if the project is divided into phases. Although the processes are presented here as discrete components with well-defined interfaces, in practice they can overlap and interact in ways not detailed here. Process interactions are discussed in detail in Chapter 3.

Although not shown here as a discrete process, the work involved in performing the six processes of Project Time Management is preceded by a planning effort by the project management team. This planning effort is part of the Develop Project Management Plan process (Section 4.3), which produces a schedule management plan that sets the format and establishes criteria for developing and controlling the project schedule. The project time management processes, and their associated tools and techniques, vary by application area, are usually defined as part of the project life cycle (Section 2.1), and are documented in the schedule management plan. The schedule management plan is contained in, or is a subsidiary plan of, the project management plan (introduction to Section 4.3), and may be formal or informal, highly detailed or broadly framed, based upon the needs of the project.

Figure 6-1. Project Time Management Overview

Note

Note: Not all process interactions and data flow among the processes are shown. Figure 6-2. Project Time Management Process Flow Diagram