Project Time Management

The project time management includes the necessary processes to finish the project on time.

Following processes are:

1: Activity definition

2: Activity schedule 

3: Duration estimating

4: Schedule development 

5: Schedule control

All of these processes interact with each other and with processes in the other organisational competence. 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 accours in one or more project phases, if the project is divided into phases. Although th eprocesses are described as individual items with clearly defined interfaces, in practice they may overlap each other and correlate in interactions.

Activity Definition:

The essential basis of project time management is the definition of operations. The activity definition is essential and used consistently as the basis for all further steps in project time management. The definition of operations includes the determination and documentation of their respective operations, therefore transactions are structured and defined in individual work packages/tasks. Each operations identifies a fixed deffered activity. Th execution requires time and effort. The operations must be accomplished to work breakdown structure so that the specified and partial delivery items can be developed. This process imperatively implies the need for defining the processes so that the project objectives can be achieved.

Activity Schedule:

The determination of an operation sequence enfolds the determination and the documentation of the relationship between the operations. The process flow must exactly be defined, so that a realistic and practicable time plan can be put into action later. That may be determined manaually or with the help of special computer software. if few details are known, manaual processes are often better suited for smaller projects and in the earl stages of larger projects. Manuals and automatic procedures can also be use in combination. 

Estimating Schedule Activity Durations:

This process use information on schedule activity scope of work, required types, estimated resources quantities and resource calenders with resource availabilities. The input for the estimates of schedule activity duration originate from the person or group on the project team who is most familiar with the nature of the work content in the specific schedule activity. The duration estimating is progressively elaborated upon. and the process considers the quality and availability of the input data. The activity duration estimating process requires that the amount of work effort required, the assumed amount of resources tobe applied to complete the schedule activity is estimated and the number of work periods to complete the schedule activity os determined.  All data and assumptions that support duration estimating are documents for each activity duration estimating.

Schedule Development:

It is the instruction regarding the start and finish data for a project activity. If the start and the finish dates are not realisable, the project will probably not be finished on time. The time schedule development process must be often repeated before the project time schedule will be finished.

Schedule Control:

It is concerned with:

(a) Influencing the factors that creat schedule changes, determining the current status of the project schedule.

(b) Determining hat the project schedule has changed.

(c) Managing the actual changes as they occur.

Schedule control must basically be connected with the other control procedures.

Some projects, especially ones of a smaller scope, activity sequencing, activity duration estimating, and schedule development are so tightly linked that they are viewed as a single process that can be performed by a person over a relatively short period of time. These processes are presented as distinct processes because the tools and techniques for each are different.

What Kind Of Business Problems Might Need A Research Study?

Most work in business organisations, in what ever sector or ownership, will require research activities. Business research  is likely to involve some theory or concept as well as purely practical questions such as "how does the product range compare in terms of contribution to profit?" Or "which method of training has produced more output-coaching or a group training course?" Both these questions have potential for  theory applications as well as simple numerical survey, but some research problems are more obniously underpinned by theoretical ideas. Forexample, those which seeks to generalise or to compare one organisation with another."what are the most effective ways of introducing a new employee to the organisation?" or "how so marketing strategies differ in the aerospace industry?"

When choosing an area for research , we usually start either with a broad area of management, which particularly interest us e.g. marketing or operations management, or we start with a very practical question like those in the last paragraph, which need answers to help with managerial decision making. Refining from this point to a researchable question or objective is not easy.

We need to do number of things:

>Choose a topic context where we can find some access to practioners if possible.

>Narrow down the study topic to one, which are both interested in and have the time to investigate thoroughly.

>Identify relevant theory or domains of knowledge around the question for reading and background understanding.

>Write and re-write the question or working title, checking thoroughly the implications of each phrase or word to check assumptions and ensure we really mean what we write. This is often best done with other people to help us check assumptions and see the topic more clearly.

>Use published literature and discussion with others to help us narrow down firmly to an angle or gap in the business literature, which will be worthwhile to explore.

>Identify both the possible outcomes from this research topic, both the theoretical and practical. If they are not clear, can we refine the topic so that they become clear?