Page 167 - DCAP304_DCAP515_SOFTWARE_PROJECT_MANAGEMENT

Unit 8: Network Planning Model

them 24 hours to complete, but they know the work will probably only take 16 hours to complete, Notes
it’ll magically take 24 hours. Really, it’s no magic. When people overestimate their time to
account for expected troubles, just-in-case scenarios, and other time-munching issues, they rarely
take advantage of the time they’ve created for themselves. They’ll find other work to complete
or simply wait until the time they’ve reserved for issues has passed and then hop into the work
and hope for perfection.
Think of your own experiences. How many times have you had some small task to complete but
spent hours cleaning your desk, organizing your materials, and researching the best mode of
attack rather than just hopping in and completing the assignment? But how do you work on the
day before your vacation? You are able to complete considerably more work on that particular
day because the tasks must be completed before you’re able to escape.

The same experience will be transferred to your team if you allow them two generous weeks for
a task that should typically only require one. Your team will quickly discover that it will take
every moment of the two weeks to complete the task you’ve assigned them.
Instead, what you should do is use management reserve. Management reserve is an artificial task
that is added at the end of the project. The time allotted to the reserve is typically 10 to 15 per cent
of the total amount of time to complete all the tasks in a project. When a task runs over its
allotted time, the overrun is applied to the management reserve at the end of the critical path
rather than on each lagging task. Figure 8.10 demonstrates the benefit of using management
reserve.

Figure 8.10: Management Reserve Accounts for Task Overruns

Management reserve allows a project manager to use percentages to see how the overall project
is coming along.

Example: If the project is only 40 per cent complete but the management reserve is 65 per
cent used, then the project is in trouble if the remaining tasks follow the trend of the project thus
far.

8.5 Time Dimension

As a manager, you have to regulate the pressure and work load which is imposed upon your
team; you must protect them from the unreasonable demands of the rest of the company. Once
you have arrived at what you consider to be a realistic schedule, fight for it. Never let the outside
world deflect you from what you know to be practical. If they impose a deadline upon you
which is impossible, clearly state this and give your reasons. You will need to give some room
for compromise, however, since a flat NO will be seen as obstructive. Since you want to help the
company, you should look for alternative positions.

You could offer a prototype service or product at an earlier date. This might, in some cases, be
sufficient for the customer to start the next stage of his/her own project on the understanding
that your project would be completed at a later date and the final version would then replace the
prototype.

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