Project Management guide · Scheduling and time
Project Time Management: Processes, Techniques and Tips
Project time management is the set of processes that make sure a project finishes on time: planning how the schedule will be managed, defining and sequencing activities, estimating durations, building the schedule and controlling it. Recent editions of the PMBOK Guide call this area schedule management.
Key takeaways
- Project time (schedule) management covers planning, building and controlling the schedule.
- The classic six processes run from planning the approach to controlling the schedule.
- Use earned value and the critical path together to judge schedule health.
- Good personal time habits help the project manager stay on top of the schedule.
The schedule management processes
The PMBOK Guide sixth edition renamed Project Time Management to Project Schedule Management and describes it as six processes:
| Process | What happens | Main output |
|---|---|---|
| Plan schedule management | Decide methods, tools, units and rules | Schedule management plan |
| Define activities | Break work packages into activities | Activity list and milestones |
| Sequence activities | Identify dependencies | Network diagram |
| Estimate activity durations | Estimate working time for each activity | Duration estimates |
| Develop schedule | Calculate dates, critical path and resource fit | Schedule baseline |
| Control schedule | Track progress and manage changes | Forecasts and change requests |
The seventh edition takes a principles-based approach and covers scheduling within its performance domains, but these steps remain a practical way to build a schedule.
Key techniques
- Decomposition from the work breakdown structure.
- Analogous, parametric and three-point estimating.
- Critical path method and critical chain.
- Resource levelling and smoothing.
- Schedule compression: crashing and fast tracking.
- Rolling wave planning: detail the near term, keep later work high level.
- Earned value measures such as schedule variance for control.
Worked example: controlling the schedule
A 20-week project has a planned value at week 8 of $80,000 and an earned value of $68,000.
- Schedule variance (SV) = EV - PV = $68,000 - $80,000 = -$12,000, so less work is done than planned.
- Schedule performance index (SPI) = EV / PV = 68,000 / 80,000 = 0.85.
- A rough time forecast is 20 / 0.85 = about 23.5 weeks, if performance continues at the same rate.
- The project manager checks the critical path: if the lost work is on non-critical activities with float, the finish may still be safe.
Personal time management for project managers
- Block time each week for schedule updates and risk review.
- Keep meetings short with clear agendas and decisions.
- Delegate task-level tracking to team leads and focus on the critical path.
- Use a single tool for tasks rather than scattered lists; see project management software.
- Protect focus time for planning and stakeholder work.
Common causes of delay
- Unclear scope and late requirement changes; see scope creep.
- Optimistic estimates without contingency.
- Shared resources pulled onto other work.
- Supplier and approval delays.
- Schedules that are not updated, so problems surface late.
Free templates for this topic
Frequently asked questions
What is project time management?
The processes used to plan, schedule and control the timing of a project so it finishes on time.
What is the difference between project time management and schedule management?
They describe the same area. The PMBOK Guide sixth edition renamed Project Time Management to Project Schedule Management.
What are the processes of project time management?
Plan schedule management, define activities, sequence activities, estimate durations, develop the schedule and control the schedule.
What tools help with project time management?
Gantt charts, network diagrams, scheduling software, and progress measures such as earned value.
What is rolling wave planning in project time management?
Planning near-term work in detail while keeping later work at a higher level, then adding detail as it gets closer.
How do you control the schedule in project time management?
Update progress regularly, compare against the baseline, forecast the finish, and act on variances through change control.
What is schedule variance in project time management?
Earned value minus planned value. A negative figure means the project is behind; see schedule variance.
Why do projects run late despite project time management?
Common reasons include optimistic estimates, scope changes, resource conflicts, external delays and poor tracking.
Is project time management a key project manager skill?
Yes. Both scheduling the project and managing your own time are core project management skills.
Where can I learn project time management properly?
Our Baseline course on scope, schedule and cost covers scheduling in depth; it also counts toward building the knowledge needed for project management certification.