Time Management.ppt; Project Planning Voice Over

7/28/2019 Time Management.ppt; Project Planning Voice Over

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The Planning Process

Prof Simon Rowland


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Overview Planning processes

Management of time

Managing your time - its your life

Gantt charts

Planning your project


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Management of time


Gantt charts



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Managing time

The nature of time

We have a limited amount

You can not get it back

You can not store it

It belongs to us as individuals like nothing else

In your PGT project will not need to manage money,

people or resource (you may need to work with them)


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Tools to help you manage your time

Until now your use of time has been driven bytimetables set by others: lectures, labs, courseworkand exams.

You must now do the timetabling. You might use:

to do lists

time plans

prioritisation techniques

We will touch on these


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Key tools to do lists

These take several forms

Use them to capture/rank/organise

Use them as you see fit

A list of things that need doing

A list with target dates in order

A list prioritised by urgent, soon, later or 1, 2, 3

Electronic, hand written, A4, in a log book, palm top


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Key tools - prioritisation

If you have too many things to do all at once, whatshould you do?

Prioritise as below:

URGENCY!

Importance

Done firstDone second

Might get doneNever get

done


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How to Prioritise

URGENCY!

Importance



done

1. Never run up to a dead-lineThen urgency is removed!

Successful planning will make your life easier!


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URGENCY!

Importance


done

1. Never run up to a dead-lineThen urgency is removed!


Time Priority



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URGENCY!

Importance


done

1. Never run up to a dead-line


2. Only do what needs doing

Take off the list things that are

unnecessary or you will never doTime Priority



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URGENCY!

Importance

Might get done


Done first


Take off the list things that are

unnecessary or you will never doTime Priority



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How to Prioritise

URGENCY!

Importance

Might get done


Done first


3. Set time aside for the important thingsTime Priority



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How to Prioritise

URGENCY!

Importance

Might get done


Done first


3. Set time aside for the important thingsTime Priority


4. Time priority set by

- operational deadlines

- strategic importance


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Management of time


Gantt charts



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Key tools time plans

Diary

Calendar

List of target dates

Gantt chart

Project management tool

MS project

Increasingcomplexity


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Key tools time plans

Diary

Calendar

List of target dates

Gantt chart

Project management tool

MS project

For a simple project such

as the MSc Projects, weneed something beyond a

list of activities.

To much complexity in a

plan would not be

worthwhile and might

become a hinderance.


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What is a Gantt chart?

In its minimal form it:

is a list of activities with their start times and durations

expressed as horizontal bars on a time axis

the activities can be linked to show dependencies

key deliverables and deadlines can be indicated

related activities can be grouped

can be used to track activity

It can be used to plan activities and resource levels


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How to generate a Gantt chart?

Select the level of complexity required

Fit the tool you are using to the task (i.e. excel or microsoft project?)

Identify immovable milestonesthese are your boundary conditions

Identify your activities with their durations

Group activities for convenience

Identify dependencies

Start to plan in time (use pencil and paper)

Juggle resource to level the load (on your time)

Add float (spare time) if you have none

Review risks and adjust as necessary


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Generating a Gantt chart

Imposed milestones

Project report deadline

Here are my activities grouped

Experimental development

Develop experimental plan (1 wk)

Order key equipment (1 wk)

Equipment delivery time (3 wks)note

this is included as an activity

Workshop activity (3 wks) Commissioning (1 wk)

Data handling

Investigate software platforms (2 wks)

Select software - milestone

Write software (2 wks)

Experimentation

Perform measurement (1 wk)

Data analysis (1 wk)

Generating Dissertation Write first draft of experimental and

review sections (1 wk)

Finish first 3 chapters (2 wks)

Write final two chapters (1 wk)

Review dissertation (1 wk)

Printing and binding (1 wk)

Identify tasks and durations, and milestones


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Generating a Gantt chart

Imposed milestones

Project report deadline

Here are my activities grouped

Experimental development

Develop experimental plan (1 wk)

Order key equipment (1 wk)

Equipment delivery time (3 wks)note

this is included as an activity

Workshop activity (3 wks) Commissioning (1 wk)

Data handling

Investigate software platforms (2 wks)

Select software - milestone

Write software (2 wks)

Experimentation

Perform measurement (1 wk)

Data analysis (1 wk)

Generating Dissertation Write first draft of experimental and

review sections (1 wk)

Finish first 3 chapters (2 wks)

Write final two chapters (1 wk)

Review dissertation (1 wk)

Printing and binding (1 wk)

Create plan with dependencies and level resource need


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Notes:

I have a week free in week 11: this is known as float. Without float I am likely to have at least

one hitch that leads to late delivery or compression of events at the end of the project (i.e. not

enough writing time).

I have added a couple of milestones at important times.

You may draw arrows showing dependencies, I have chosen not to here.

Your plans should have real dates, and may be for longer or shorter than 12 weeks


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Notes:

I have added some arrows to indicate work flow and dependencies.


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Notes:

We can track progress: the black bars represent work completed


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Notes:

By the end of week 4 writing the software is behind schedule


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Notes:

By the end of week 6 the software is still not written.


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Notes:

At the end of week 8 the project is about 1 week behind schedule. Now the float in

week 11 no longer looks like a luxury


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Notes:

End of week 10, the experimental work is finished, and it looks like the project will

end to plan


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Notes:

Project complete.

If the project deviates significantly from the original plan, it is as well to draft a second

plan, optimising the rest of the activity. On the upside there is more interesting

project management material to report if the project does not go to plan.


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Key issues

Must have float

Otherwise you will be late on something or sacrifice quality

Set time aside for the important things

Recommended reading

Eli Goldratt Critical Chain (ISBN 0-88427-153-6)


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Driven by deadlinesManaging priorities


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Conclusion

Identify what needs to be done

Identify when it needs to be done by

Eliminate the unnecessary

Plan with an appropriate level of complexity

Develop a plan which has float for all outputs using

time priority

Try a few tools and use those which are sustainablefor you


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More information

http://www.humanities.manchester.ac.uk/studyskills/or

ganising/index.html

http://www.careers.manchester.ac.uk/students/employ

able/skills/communication/resources/
http://www.humanities.manchester.ac.uk/studyskills/organising/index.htmlhttp://www.humanities.manchester.ac.uk/studyskills/organising/index.htmlhttp://www.humanities.manchester.ac.uk/studyskills/organising/index.htmlhttp://www.humanities.manchester.ac.uk/studyskills/organising/index.html

Time Management.ppt; Project Planning Voice Over

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