The Project Group, LLC Newsletter
Advancing Project Management	December 2002

in this issue Check Out Our Updated Website The Three Estimating Paradoxes Effort, Duration, and Calendar Time Are Not The Same Estimating Types Task Duration Is Affected By Resources Estimating Secrets Final Estimating Thoughts Check Out Our Updated Website We have just completed an overhaul of our website www.theproject group.biz Besides the new look we have added a search engine that will search not only the website site, but also our Newsletter Archives. The Nuts & Bolts of Project Management We specialize in assisting corporate and government clients in learning to improve their productivity while planning and executing projects. Our three-phase approach yields faster more efficient project initiation, planning and execution results. We also offer a one-day class on Microsoft Project 2002TM for users wanting to improve their productivity in using the software. We offer this monthly newsletter free to all who are interested. To subscribe, click on the link below. Click Here To Subscribe

Greetings, Each month our newsletter will delve into a specific step in the phases of Initiation, Planning and Execution of projects. Our methodology is applicable to any project in any industry. Our systematic approach to Project Management is designed to help your company's projects gain traction quickly, communicate clearly to all parties and keep them on track to reach a successful conclusion. This newsletter focuses on Process 5: Estimating Task Duration within the Planning phase. The Three Estimating Paradoxes    An estimate is a guess... you are required to commit to as fact. Work is not compressible... yet somehow, work gets compressed. Estimating can be done only when you clearly understand the work to be done... but you must make estimates before you fully understand the work. Effort, Duration, and Calendar Time Are Not The Same    Effort Time it takes to complete a task assuming the work is without breaks Duration Effort plus gaps of non-work Calendar Time Duration plus statutory non-work periods (nights, week-ends, holidays) Effort "Pure effort" is only possible on short tasks Is hard to ascertain because work is prone to interruption Is usually measured in hours Duration Is usually the response to "How long will it take?" May be hard to ascertain amidst all other job responsibilities Is usually measured in days Calendar Time Needs to be verified for particular project environment: "Will we work week-ends?" Is aided by scheduling software Estimating Types    As you begin estimating your tasks, we suggest you charaterize them as either Strategic, Planning or Tactical. Strategic Estimates Are used to give a 'go/no go' decision on investigation of a project Accuracy is plus or minus 100% Answers the question, Is this task a mouse or an elephant? Planning Estimates Are given to task owners to refine Accuracy is plus or minus 25% Tactical Estimates Are what task owners can commit to Accuracy is plus or minus 5% Task Duration Is Affected By Resources    Resource-Driven Tasks Duration decreases as more resources are added Often "blue collar" or clerical tasks Might increase in duration with multiple resources "Fixed" Duration Tasks Duration is not dependent on resources "Information Work" is usually in this category Can be affected by hidden waits and delays Beware! Popular project management software often defaults to the Resource- Driven task type. This mathematically shortens a task duration as resources are added. Estimating Secrets    Make sure you know what the task involves Use some methodology that justifies the estimate Cut your estimating time in half by doing Planning Level estimating now and refine your estimates later when you know which tasks could delay your project (Critical Path). Final Estimating Thoughts    An estimate should contain data to determine what will happen, not what we would like to happen. Click Here To View Previous Newsletters

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