Editor’s note: In this second installment of a series covering project management, author Busby discusses the importance of time management.
 

Project managers can learn something from Abbott and Costello’s famous “Who’s on first?” sketch from the 1930s.

Remember Abbott’s line? “I say ‘Who’s on first, What’s on second, I Don’t Know’s on third.’”

If you answer Abbott’s questions correctly, you can begin to identify what’s needed, when it is needed and for how long.

In the first installment of this series (see Newspapers & Technology, March 2008), we addressed scope, the first step of project management.

 

Once a project’s scope is defined and agreed to, time management is the next step. It requires you to detail all of the activities needed to accomplish the project, define what order they go in and estimate what is needed to stay on schedule.

Begin with the activities your stakeholders identified during the scope development process. Then define these activities at the finest level of detail so they can be controlled, reported on and communicated throughout the project to produce the project’s deliverables.

Once you know all of the activities, you can identify and document their sequence.
 

Certain order

Each activity needs to occur in a certain order and some might rely on others to be concluded before they themselves can begin. Knowing the dependencies will complete this step.

The next stage requires you to estimate resources and duration. What and who are needed to accomplish the activities and for how long? Time management is like building a puzzle. Once you have your activities, sequences, resources and durations documented, you can develop the schedule.

Remember, no phase of project management is complete without the ability to control it. With the project schedule and resources documented, you now have a baseline from which to communicate, plan, execute and manage.

And don’t forget to mind the gap. If you have ever taken the London Underground subway system, you’re familiar with this phrase. The gap between the train and the platform can sometimes be quite large and potentially dangerous, so passengers are warned to be careful. While there are no such warning systems in project management, heed the counsel all the same. As the first schedule is fleshed out, you are likely to encounter some or all of the following gaps:

•The internal resources identified to be part of the project team are really only available after hours or by working overtime.

•The new hardware and equipment is scheduled to be installed weeks after the old equipment is removed.

•The target date for completion is months past the goal.
 

Address the gaps

All of these scheduling challenges, or gaps, can be addressed. In fact, confronting these challenges means you’re doing a great job planning.

Often, internal resources need to have schedules and duties reviewed, so they can be dedicated as needed to the project. Outside resources are always available to supplement the team, in the form of temporary labor, as well as professional consultants if the team members are busy attending their day-to-day responsibilities.

Identifying the gaps early allows you to have control over your project’s quality, cost and schedule. There are always areas to compress a schedule or to hire temporary help to augment the internal talent pool.

If you take the time to carefully plot your project’s timeline, that work will pay off.

Time management is helping executives and managers at the Reading (Pa.) Eagle as they prepare to convert the paper to a Berliner format as part of a new press project to be completed next year.

Managers have documented and sequenced all the activities needed to integrate new and pre-owned equipment throughout their business processes, aligned their resources, and developed the project schedule.

In other words, they planned the work and they are now working the plan.

Abbott and Costello would have been able to learn from the Eagle’s project management team. They not only know who’s on first and what’s happening next, but they can also let everyone know what’s happening as they work to curtail the unknown.

Next up: Cost management. With the time frames established, activities identified and resources assigned, you can now address the cost of the resources needed to complete the project. Do you need to hire temporary staff, contractors, pay overtime or shift responsibilities? And finally, what are the cost requirements to bring your project across the finish line?
 

Judy Oliver Busby, a certified project management professional, is principal of The Busby Group. She can be reached at 847.342.9001 or jobusby@thebusbygroup.biz.