Time scheduling in project management

Introduction

Project delay refers to incidents that lead to an extension in time needed for the part or all of a give project to be completed. It involves a time overrun, before the date of project completion as required in the contract as or further than the contract time extended, where more time has been given. The reasons for project delay include design errors, faulty management, improper procurement, complexity due to project size and slow close-out. Analysis of client’s needs help in improving the project planning since it influences project decisions. The project management software in simplifies the various stages in project management. The integration of PERT and Gantt techniques and web-based tools helps in storage and sharing of knowledge and lessons learnt in past projects for the purpose of future project.  Design variation greatly affects project scheduling since it influences all the stages of project management.

Reasons for delayed projects

Design errors is one of the main factor that leads to time overrun, since the right representation of requirements and blue print of the client  as key to the achievement of  proper technical input in the execution of the project are mapped out at this stage (De Meyer, Loch & Pich, 2002).  When the design has errors, it means that project deliverables will be insufficiently represented which in turn will lead to inappropriate techniques application in achieving the results. At the execution of the project, an attempt to correct the errors will result in delay. A change in the scope of the project, which is set at the first stage, can lead to delay in the project completion.  Al the plans, schedule, estimation, the set base or quality lines at the initial stage will have to be reviewed including having a new time schedule and budget.  If the change is due to poor management, it can result in dispute that may require more time to arbitrate or litigate for what the parties involved believe they are entitled to (De Meyer, Loch & Pich, 2002).

Another reason for delay is inadequate or wrong procurement and faulty management system for the contract. Since the contract highlights the business related terms of the project, lack of highlighting the whole project scenario can bring about dispute (Mydin et al. 2014). This may lead to various arbitrations or negotiations due to change in work orders and need for a revised contractual agreement with new scheduling. This will lead to more delay in the completion of the project.  Project complexity can also contribute to time overrun. Complexity due to project size, relates to rather long time for implementation and this may require long negotiation chains that bring about delays. If enough required care is not observed, there is a possibility of omitting some aspect of the plan or estimation could be necessary which in turn call for change in orders (Pich, Loch & Meyer, 2002).  This results in delay. Another factor leading to project delay can be seen at the execution phase of a project. In a multi-project environment, a slow closeout can drag different handover activities due to issues such as unsolved disputes related procurement, client acceptance and contacts (Pich, Loch & Meyer, 2002).  Slow acceptance by client or failure to close the related work order can result in unanticipated delays.

Importance of client’s needs assessment

Project planning involves decision making so that the client’s needs and objectives can be reached.  During the project planning it is important to analyze the needs so that the various decisions made in the process can be justified. The improved decision making will particularly help in defining the goals of the project and emphasizing on the need for the project to meet the needs of the project.  In the planning of the project, needs assessment helps the management to be proactive in identification of the aspects that defines the needs, prioritization of the client’s requirements, a criteria for performance that will help in assessing the possible interventions and the information required in justifying the selection of  some activities so as to enhance performance (Watkins, Meiers  & Visser, 2012).Needs analysis can help project managers to identify various difficulties that may be encountered in the development and implementation of the project. They include issues that may results to delayed completion of the project and finding ways of solving them.  Needs analysis provides a platform for understanding the client needs and how the execution of the project will observe the standard practice. In the planning stage, the needs will be necessary in focusing the project towards the specific set goals that have been set.   An important aspect in project planning includes creation of specifications and other documents like blueprint and framework documents. They are important in helping the clients to create their realistic specifications and the alignment of such specifications to existing standards (Watkins, Meiers  & Visser, 2012).

Use of project management software

Initiation phase

At this phase of project life cycle, project management software enhances the measurement of the project’s value. This will help in the justifying why the project is needed and including any estimate of the expected financial benefits.  The tool can also help in evaluating the goal of the project, the set timeline and the associated cost to assess whether the execution of the project is feasible.  After this, the project requirements can be balanced with the available resources and thus, determine whether the project make financial sense (Kerzner & Kerzner, 2017).

Project planning

The project management software is also important in the project planning stage. Once the managers have been given the green light, they can use the software in developing a plan that will be a guide to the team. This means that the project team can be kept on time and within the set budget. The software can help in producing a properly written plan which provides guidance to the team in obtaining resources, and in the acquisition of fiancés and procurement of the needed materials.  The team is offered a direction for quality outputs, risk management and communicating the related benefits to relevant parties (Kerzner & Kerzner, 2017).

Project execution/implementation

At this stage, the software is required to assist in the implementation process, which involves building deliverables so as to meet the client needs.  The leaders of the team can use the software in allocation of resources, and ensuring that the team does not deviate from the assigned tasks. The software can ensure that the execution phase aligned with the plan if it has set criteria that determines the limits (Kerzner & Kerzner, 2017).

Project control and monitoring

The software can help project team to link the execution activities with the monitoring and control since the two occur concurrently. This will allow the team to monitor progress as the execution is going on. Using the software the team can monitor various tasks to avert deviation from scope, calculate the major performance indicators and also observe variations from the time and cost that have been set.  This will help maintain constant vigilance and ensuring that the deliverables are in line with specifications (Kerzner & Kerzner, 2017). 

Project closure

The software can store information that will help the project team in the evaluation and documenting the entire project. The information may contain various successes and errors that have been encountered, which will help improving future projects (Kerzner & Kerzner, 2017).

Techniques and tools for future projects

Two techniques that managers can use to ensure the knowledge and lessons learnt in previous projects are shared include Program Evaluation Review Technique and Gant Chart. The PERT computer program can be improved with the capability of storage and sharing capability through a network , so that the information stored in the past project can be derived and used as reference in future project management. Using this technique, the past data on time and cost can be replaced with actual values of future projects so that the new situation is reflected.  Gantt charts can be integrated with web-based systems to offer graphical information that can indicate possible failure points or timeline slippage. There various tools that allows saving and storage of information that can be retrieved or shared by project managers in future. Tools such as Twproject, Ravetree and Celoxis are web-based and allow all the information collected in a given project to be stored and saved especially for the purpose of reporting (Frontrunners, 2018). The data can be used to show possible variations in future project management.

Challenge in project scheduling

 The biggest problem to product scheduling is design variations which can greatly affects the completion of the project. The variation mostly has the ability to impede on the performance of a give project can easily lead to delay.  Variation in design means that the project managers have to start planning all over again so that changes in specifications can be included. Where the project had already started, design variations may require reworking or demolishing of the structure if the adjustments are not possible. This can lead to rescheduling and delay in the entire project.

Conclusion

 The various causes of project delay involve the changes in design and client specifications. The use of project management software can help in dealing with delays especially due to design variations by learning from past solutions to such challenges.

References

Watkins, R., Meiers, M. W., & Visser, Y. (2012). A guide to assessing needs: Essential tools for collecting information, making decisions, and achieving development results. World Bank Publications.

Mydin, M. O., Sani, N. M., Taib, M., & Alias, N. M. (2014). Imperative causes of delays in construction projects from developers’ outlook. In MATEC Web Of Conferences (Vol. 10, p. 06005). EDP Sciences.

 

Ma, Y. F. T., Olifent, A., & Zuo, J. (2010). Towards the minimization of variations in design and build projects.

De Meyer, A., Loch, C. H., & Pich, M. T. (2002). Managing project uncertainty: from variation to chaos. MIT Sloan Management Review, 43(2), 60.

 

Pich, M. T., Loch, C. H., & Meyer, A. D. (2002). On uncertainty, ambiguity, and complexity in project management. Management science, 48(8), 1008-1023.

 

Kerzner, H., & Kerzner, H. R. (2017). Project management: a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling. John Wiley & Sons.

 

Frontrunners, (2018). Project management software