Time Mgmt Processes

Question 1

Define Activities

Answer 1

(6.1 PLAN) Identifying actions to be performed to produce product deliverables.

Okay, in the last planning process for the previous knowledge area, 5.3 Create WBS, the process of work to produce deliverables was broken down to the level of the work package.

Question 2

Sequence Activities

Answer 2

(6.2 PLAN) Identifying and documenting relationships among the project activities.

Okay, you have a WBS which is now broken down into activities. In what order to you do them? Do you have to do them all one after another (series relationship) or can you do some of them simultaneously (parallel relationship)? By the time you are done, you know WHAT needs to be done and in WHAT ORDER.

Question 3

Estimate Activities Resources

Answer 3

(6.3 PLAN) Estimating type and quantities of resources (human and material) required to perform each activity.

But how long will the project take? To get that answer, you need to find out WHAT RESOURCES you have to do the project, both human and material resources. For example, this process will result in telling you that you have 5 staff members, each of whom can work only ½ day or 4 hours on the project.

Question 4

Estimate Activity Durations

Answer 4

(6.4 PLAN) Approximating the number of work periods needed to complete individual activities with estimated resources.

Let’s continue with the example from the previous paragraph. If the result of 6.2 Sequence Activities is that the project will take 100 man-hours from start to finish, and you have 8 staff members who work half-time on the project, you can tell that the project will take 100 man-hours / (5 staff members x 4 hours/day) or 5 days.

Question 5

Develop Schedule

Answer 5

(6.5 PLAN) Analyzing activity sequences, durations, resources requirements, and schedule constraints to create product schedule.
This is the finalization of the schedule, the end result of the process that started in 6.1 Define Activities. This becomes the schedule baseline of the project. If you picture what these processes DO, then you can see how the order they are listed in is quite logical.

Question 6

Control Schedule

Answer 6

(6.6 M&C) Monitoring the status of the project to update project progress and manage changes to schedule baseline.

Now switching to the Monitoring & Controlling process group, Control Schedule tells you whether you are proceeding according to schedule, ahead of schedule or behind schedule. If there are changes to the project which require a change in schedule, those changes are managed here.