TIME Knowledge Area by Process Group (PMP) Lesson 3



Inputs
Tools & Techniques
Outputs
12
Define Activities: The process of identifying the specific actions to be performed to produce the project deliverables.
# Rolling wave planning: Let you plan as you go. # Planning Package (placeholder put between control accounts and work packages)
PLANNING
1. Scope Baseline
1. Decomposition
1. Activity List
2. Enterprise Environmental Factors
2. Rolling Wave Planning
2. Activity Attributes
3. Organizational Process Assets
3. Templates
3. Milestone list

4. Expert Judgment

13
Sequence Activities: The process of identifying and documenting relationships among the project activities.
# Mandatory Predecessors (Hard logic), Discretionary Predecessors (Preferred logic, Soft logic), and External Predecessors.
PLANNING
1. Activity List
1. PDM (Precedence Diagramming Method)
1. Project Schedule Network Diagrams
2. Activity Attributes
2. Dependency Determination
2. Project Document Updates
3. Milestone List
3. Applying Leads and Lags

4. Project Scope Statement
4. Schedule Network Templates

5. Organizational Process Assets


14
Estimating Activity Resource: The process of estimating the type and quantities of material, people, equipment, or supplies required to perform each activity.
# Resource Calendars specify WHEN and HOW LONG identified project resource will be available during the project.
PLANNING
1. Activity list
1. Alternatives Analysis
1. Activity Resource Requirements
2. Activity Attributes
2. Bottom-up Estimating
2. Resource Breakdown Structure
3. Resource Calendars
3. Published Estimating Data
3. Project Document Updates
4. Enterprise Environmental Factors
4. Project Management Software

5. Organizational Process Assets
5. Expert Judgment

15
Estimating Activity Duration: The process of approximating the number of work periods needed to complete individual activities with estimted resources.
# Analogous (top down): is when you look at activities from previous similar activities. The degree of similarity affects accuracy. This technique should be used early in the estimating cycle when there is not much detail known about the activity. It uses Historical information and expert judgement. It is less costly, less time consuming than others, and less accurate. It can be applied to a total project or to segments of a project and may be used in conjunction with other estimating methods.
# Parametric/Quantitately-Based Estimating: It uses a statistical relationsip between HISTORICAL DATA and OTHER VARIABLES (Ex: Square footage in construction) to calculate an estimate for activity parameters, such as cost, budget, and duration. It can be applied to a total project or to segments of a project and may be used in conjunction with other estimating methods. Cost = Qty in units X Unit Rate.
# Three-Point Estimate or Triangular Distribution: Come up with three points, Optimistic, Pessimistic, and Most Likely (Realistic) = (P+R+O)/3
# PERT (Program Evaluation and Review Technique)/Beta/Weighted Three-Point Estimate = (P+4R+O)/6          # Standard Deviation σ = (P-O)/6
Effort: The number of labour units required to complete a schedule activity or WBS component. Usually expressed as staff hours, staff days, or staff weeks. (Requirements for effort estimation: The Expert Judgement, Task Complexity, Sill Level, and Expectations).
Duration: The total number of work periods (not including holidays and non-working periods) required to complete a schedule activity or WBS component. Usually expressed as workdays or workweeks. (Requirements for Duration estimation: Resource Availability and Resource Capability). Elapsed Time: Waiting periods.
PLANNING
1. Activity List
1. Analogous Estimating
1. Activity Duration Estimates
2. Activity Attributes
2. Parametric Estimating
(It doesn't include LAGS. It may include some indication of the range of possible results.)
3. Activity Resource Requirements
3. Three-point Estimates
4. Resource Calendars
4. Reserve Analysis (As more precise information about the project becomes available, the contingency reserve may be Used, Reduced, or Eliminated).
2. Project Document Updates
5. Project Scope Statement

6. Enterprise Environmental Factors

7. Organizational Process Assets
5. Expert Judgment

16
Develop Schedule: The process of analyzing activity sequences, durations, resource requirements, and schedule constraints to create the project schedule. It determines the planned start and finish dates for project activities and milestones.
# Critical Path Method: It calculates the theoretical Early Start and Finish Dates, and Late Start and Finish Dates, for all activities without regard for any resource limitations, by performing a Forward and Backward pass analysis through the schedule network. Critical paths have either ZERO or NEGATIVE Total Float.
# Critical Chain Method: The resource-constrained critical path is known as the Critical Chain. The longest sequence of resource-leveled tasks is the critical chain. It tries to adjust for problems in estimating and managing tasks that result from 1. poor multi-tasking, 2. estimates with too much contingency for uncertainty, 3. work that expands to fill the available time, 4. waiting until the latest possible time to start and 5. lack of prioritization. Critical Chain Method focuses on managing remaining buffer durations against the remaining durations of task chains. In CCM; buffers are two types: 1. Project Buffer (Protects the target finish date from slippage along the Critical Chain), and 2. Feed Buffer (Protects the Critical Chain from slippage along the Feeding Chains). # Float/Slak/Total Float: amount of time an activity can slip before it causes delay in project. * Float for activities on CP is 0. CP- next longest path= float. # LEAD: Task can be started before completion of the predecessor (Ex: Start writing the Training Material before completion of the Testing). # LAG: Finish to Finish - The successor cannot be started before finishing the predecessor (Ex: Pouring Concrete).
# Schedule Compression: includes Fast-tracking and crashing. # Crashing almost always increases cost. Over Time is considered as Crashing. Cheapest Task has to be crashed first. # Heuristics: Rules for which no formula exists. Usually derived through trial and error. # Free Float: how much time an activity can be delayed without affecting the early start date of subsequent dependent activities. # Resource Leveling: can be used when shared or critical required resources are only available at certain times, are only available in limited quantities, or to keep resource usage at a constant level. It can often cause the original critical path to change.
PLANNING
1. Activity List
1. Critical Path Method
1. Project Schedule (Formats 1. Milestone Charts, 2. Bar Charts, and 3. Project Schedule Network Diagrams)
2. Activity Attributes
2. Critical Chain Method
3. Activity Resource Requirements
3. Resource Leveling
2. Schedule Baseline
4. Activity Duration Estimates
4. What-if Scenario Analysis
3. Schedule Data
5. Project Schedule Network Diagrams
5. Applying Leads and Lags
4. Project Document Updates
6. Resource Calendars
6. Schedule Compression

7. Project Scope Statement
7. Scheduling Tool

8. Enterprise Environmental Factors
8. Schedule Network Analysis

9. Organizational Process Assets


17
Control Schedule: The process of monitoring the status of the project to update project progress and managing changes to the schedule baseline.
# Schedule Baseline is updated, whenever the Customer requests a significant change and when original estimates were wrong.
M & C
1. Project Management Plan
1. Performance Reviews
1. Work Performance Measurements (SV & SPI values)
2. Project Schedule
2. Variance Analysis (SV/SPI)
2. Change Requests
3. Work Performance Information
3. Resource Leveling
3. Project Management Plan Updates
4. Organizational Process Assets
4. What-if Scenario Analysis
4. Project Document Updates

5. Adjusting Leads and Lags
5. Organizational Process Assets Updates

6. Schedule Compression


7. Scheduling Tool


8. Project Management Software





# HAMMOCK Activity: For control and mangement communication, the broader, more comprehensive summary activity.
# Path Convergence: The merging or joining parallel schedule network paths into the same node in a project schedule network diagram. Path convergence is characterized by a schedule activity with more than one predecessor activity. # Path Divergence: Extending or generating parallel schedule network paths from the same node in a project shedule network diagram. Path devergence is characterized by a schedule activity with more than one successor activity.