Elements of Time Management

According to the Project Management Institute (PMI), project time management includes the following elements:

• Define activities
• Sequence activities
• Estimate activity resources
• Estimate activity durations
• Develop schedule
• Control schedule

The list of activities, their relationship to each other, and estimates of durations and required resources comprise the work breakdown structure (WBS). The project WBS is a hierarchical – classified according to criteria into successive levels – listing and grouping of the project activities required to produce the deliverables of the project. The WBS represents a breakdown of the project into components that encompass the entire scope of the project. Each level of the WBS hierarchy represents a more detailed description of the project work so that the highest level represents broad categories, and the lower levels represent increasing amounts of detail.

Larger and more complex projects often require a larger WBS. The size of the WBS is directly related to the amount of work on the project and how that work is divided into work packages. The WBS can be developed around the project phases or the project units or functions that will be performing the work. A WBS organized around the project phases facilitates the understanding of the amount of work required for each phase of the project. A WBS developed around the project units or functions of the project facilitates the understanding of the amount of work required for each function.

The following example, named John's move, has a low level of complexity compared to a larger project. Normally, this project would not receive the amount of detailed planning described in the following examples, but the authors chose to use a basic project that is familiar to most students to help them focus on learning the new concepts.

Source: The University of Minnesota
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