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Pavel Aramyan, Project Management Technical Writer“Time is what we want most, but use worst” – William Penn
You have probably caught yourself thinking “I wish I had some more time” far too often. There always seems to be so much work that needs to be completed, but somehow there is always no time for everything.
As a smart project manager, you need to learn just one thing: there is always a way out. If you can truly master this concept, everything else will be easy. Sure, tight deadlines, hundreds of tasks, dozens of clients, unexpected emergencies, and large teams make time management pretty tough, but it‘s possible.
What is Time Management in Project Management?
Time management in project management refers to the strategic planning, organization, and control of tasks within a specified timeframe to achieve project objectives. It involves allocating resources efficiently, setting realistic timelines, and ensuring tasks are completed on schedule.
Effective project management is a multifaceted discipline that encompasses various elements, with time management standing out as a cornerstone for success. In this article, we delve into the essence of time management in project management, exploring why it holds paramount importance.
Why is time management important in project management?
Time management is a critical aspect of project management, ensuring that tasks are completed efficiently and projects stay on schedule. Here’s a detailed exploration of strategies, tips, and tools to enhance time management in project management:
Key Components and Benefits of Time Management in Project Management:
Meeting Project Deadlines: Time management ensures that project milestones and deadlines are met. This is vital for client satisfaction and overall project success.
Resource Optimization: Efficient time management leads to optimal resource utilization. It prevents resource bottlenecks and helps teams work cohesively toward project goals.
Risk Mitigation: Proactive time management allows for the identification and mitigation of potential risks before they escalate, reducing the likelihood of project delays.
Client Satisfaction: Meeting project deadlines enhance client satisfaction. Clients are more likely to be pleased with a project that is delivered on time and within the agreed-upon scope.
Cost Control: Effective time management contributes to cost control. Delays often result in increased costs, making timely project delivery crucial for budget adherence.
Team Morale: Completing tasks on time boosts team morale. It instills a sense of accomplishment and motivates team members to stay committed to project objectives.
Conclusion: In the dynamic realm of project management, time is a precious commodity. Successful projects hinge on the ability to manage time effectively. From meticulous planning to real-time adjustments, time management is the linchpin that keeps projects on course, ensuring they unfold seamlessly and meet or exceed stakeholder expectations. Embracing robust time management practices is not just a project management skill; it is a catalyst for project success.
Assigning specific timeframes to each task in your project enables precise control over the project timeline, ensuring timely delivery.
Birdview PSA is online project management software equipped with project and time management tools to track, control, and manage your team’s work in real-time.
Here are a few solid tips from top managers in the world that, when combined, will help you manage your time most effectively and help you to get some work done, every day, bit by bit.
In this section, we‘ll take a close look at starting and planning a project. We‘ll show you how to gather the information you need, choose the right team, select the appropriate methodology, and get approval from project stakeholders.
The key strategies and benefits in project time management
Top project managers employ various strategies to effectively manage time and ensure the successful completion of projects. Here are key time management strategies embraced by top managers in project management:
Project Planning:
Time management starts with meticulous project planning. This includes defining the project scope, setting objectives, and creating a detailed timeline with milestones.
This step involves creating a project plan, how to gather the necessary information, selecting the right team, selecting the appropriate methodology, and getting approval from the project stakeholders.
Task Prioritization:
Mastering prioritization is the second step you need to take before you can get closer to effective time management.
Prioritizing tasks based on their importance and urgency is fundamental. Top-priority tasks are given precedence to keep the project on track.
Top managers prioritize tasks based on their significance and impact on project goals, ensuring that critical activities receive focused attention.
Resource Allocation:
Efficient allocation of resources, including human resources, budget, and tools, is crucial. This ensures optimal utilization and prevents bottlenecks. Allocate resources wisely, ensuring alignment with task requirements and project timelines. Establish realistic timelines for tasks and project phases to avoid over-commitment.
Setting realistic timelines is a balancing act. It involves considering the complexity of tasks, available resources, and potential challenges to establish achievable deadlines.
Estimating Time:
Precision in estimating time proves to be one of the most challenging aspects of project planning, playing a pivotal role in budget determination. Two key variables come into play: Effort and duration. The effort represents the time the work would consume without interruptions or competing priorities
Time-tracking:
Companies employ various methods to monitor their employees’ work hours. While some perceive time tracking as a means of exerting control, its benefits extend to both employers and employees. Businesses gain insights into ongoing tasks, assess employee productivity, and generate time reports for clients. Simultaneously, employees can evaluate their efficiency and optimize their daily schedules.
Cloud-based resource scheduling software offers real-time time tracking data, allowing a quick assessment of project progress.
With Birdview PSA, each employee can choose their preferred time tracking method–be it single entry, weekly submissions, or utilizing a built-in timer with stopwatch functionality. Time logs are accessible in the Activity Center, My Assignments View, Timesheets, and the mobile app
Effective Communication:
Foster open communication with clients, executives, and the team to keep everyone informed about timelines and deadlines. Connect your teams, executives, and clients for fast and effective collaboration
Regular Monitoring and Adjustments:
Conduct regular reviews of project timelines and make adjustments as needed. Continuous monitoring of project progress against timelines allows for timely adjustments. This proactive approach mitigates risks and prevents deviations from the original schedule.
Training and Support:
Provide training on effective time management techniques to empower the project team.
By incorporating these strategies into their approach, top project managers navigate the complexities of project management with efficiency, ensuring projects are delivered on time and within scope.
“… I highly recommend the implementation of “Path to Success” Program. With everything else we had going on, Birdview PSA Success Coach made getting started much easier.“ Laura Goldstein, Marketing Director
Lastly, remember about another time killer. Finalization. There is a huge difference between “completing a job” and “having the final version ready”. Take writing for example. Writing down an article often takes around 2 hours (plus minus 30 minutes), but editing, proofreading, formatting and mostly polishing it to be ready for publishing takes almost half the writing time. And guess what, that‘s not something you need to be an expert in to do. You just need to be attentive, and focused and dedicate enough time to it.
What I am saying is that when you face such tasks in your projects, consider getting them done by ~90% and delegate the finalization and polishing to other team members. This will free up a lot of space for you and help you get your mind off the given task, allowing you to move on. Time is the most valuable resource we have in our lives.
Every great project manager knows the true value of time and tries to maximize its amount as best as possible. If you are aware of the same problem, then you are on the right track to becoming a truly great manager and this article is your best starting point.
Thank you for taking the time to read it -)
