 Managing the TBT project
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A time
for everything
YOUR PROJECT
PLAN is a long way from complete. Before you can tell whether you have any chance of
delivery within a sensible timetable, you need to apply time estimates to each task. You
can obtain assistance in developing time estimates from the following:
- people who will be carrying out the tasks (and you are
unlikely to get their commitment to a schedule on which they have not been consulted)
- records of past, similar projects
- from your own experience as a project manager
- from objective, industry experts
- by conducting tests with sample work
The following rules will help you in developing estimates:
- determine the number of resources you are likely to apply to
the task, as this will be a major factor in the time required
- be realistic and remember that projects never go entirely to
plan
- do not plan for overtime – overtime is a natural
contingency; if you allocate it from the start, you will have less options in an emergency
- allow for holidays, sickness, training and any re-work that
may be necessary on other, supposedly ‘completed’ projects
- do not over-pad schedules – contingencies are for the
unexpected and the forgotten
- allow for delays caused by the client, including slow
approvals and changes in requirements
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