Managing time
Order Instructions:
Managing Time
As delineated by A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide), the knowledge area of project time management includes an array of processes that interact with each other within their respective phase of the project life cycle, as well as with processes that occur within other knowledge areas. The bulk of a project’s time management work takes place as part of its planning process group, including defining and sequencing activities, estimating activity resources and durations, and developing the project schedule.
To prepare for this Discussion, read the case study “St. Dismas Assisted Living Facility Project Action Plan—3,” which is in your course text Project Management in Practice on pages 189–193.
Then, using either the trial edition of Microsoft Project 2010 that is included with the course text or OpenProj 1.4 (which is available as a free download at http://openproj.org/) create a Gantt chart for the construction phase of the project. Your Gantt chart should include all of the data that is detailed in the action plan for facility construction on page 192.
Note: If you need guidance in using either the Microsoft Project or OpenProj project management tools, please review the software-specific tutorials and other user resources that were provided for your reference as part of this week’s Optional Resources.
By Day 4, post a comprehensive response to the following:
Based on the project schedule that you have generated in the Gantt chart, when do you estimate that the project will be completed if construction starts in November, as the Board has requested? When do you estimate that the project will be completed if construction starts in March, as the construction project manager has recommended? In support of your estimation, post the file of your Gantt chart along with your Discussion response.
Based on your estimations for completion, do you think it will be possible for the construction team to meet the scheduling constraints set by the Board? Why or why not? Explain your recommendation in the context of PMBOK-defined time management principles and practices.
What is your recommendation for addressing the scheduling discrepancy between the time frame that the Board wants and what the construction team says it can deliver? When would the project be completed based on your recommendation and what does the construction team need to do to meet this milestone? Again, be sure to explain your recommendation in the context of PMBOK-defined time management principles and practices.
Resources:
Course Text: A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide)
Chapter 6, “Project Time Management” (Read pp. 136-160, Sections 6.2 through 6.5.)
This reading selection delineates key components of the project time management process, including the definition and sequencing of activities, the estimation of activity resources and durations, and the development of the project schedule.
Chapter 9, “Project Human Resource Management” (Read pp. 229-242, Sections 9.3 and 9.4.)
This reading selection discusses the development and management of the project team.
Course Text: Project Management in Practice
Chapter 5, “Scheduling the Project” (Read pp. 151-185, Sections 5.1 through 5.5.)
This chapter describes tools, processes, and methods used for project scheduling, including the Program Evaluation Review Technique (PERT), the Critical Path Method (CPM), the Gantt chart, the calculation of project uncertainty, and the use of simulation analysis.
Chapter 6, “Allocating Resources to the Project” (Read pp. 196-222, Sections 6.1 through 6.5.)
This reading selection details various aspects of project resource allocation, including expediting a project, loading and leveling resources, and allocating constrained resources to a single project or to multiple projects.
Case, “St. Dismas Assisted Living Facility Project Action Plan—3” (pp. 189-193)
This case study about a hypothetical health care organization’s project scheduling efforts will be the focus of the Week 4 Discussion.
Article: Bower, D. C., & Walker, D. H. T. (2007). Planning knowledge for phased rollout projects. Project Management Journal, 38(3), 45-60. Retrieved from http://auth.waldenulibrary.org/ezpws.exe?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=27338307&site=ehost-live&scope=site
This article examines knowledge-based project planning and the capability maturity model for phased project rollout.
Article: Herroelen, W. (2005). Project scheduling—theory and practice. Production and Operations Management, 14(4), 413-432. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/ehost/detail?sid=6af79a86-deb0-4313-93cc-d8c4b525c20f%40sessionmgr104&vid=1&hid=127&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#db=bth&AN=22404148
This article provides an overview and analysis of project scheduling theories versus actual scheduling practices.
The following web links feature tutorials for OpenProj:
http://leftbrainedgeeks.com/gitc/pm/pm04aAssignEng.pdf
http://sourceforge.net/projects/openproj/
http://brunnen.shh.fi/portals/studymaterial/2007-2008/helsingfors/informationsbehandling/2536/material/exercises/PMexercise_1.pdf
