Certificate IV Project Management: Activity Duration Estimating (Inputs)

Learn about Activity Duration Estimating (Inputs) in the Certificate IV Project Management qualification. Enterprise Environmental Factors. One or more of the organisations involved in the project may maintain duration estimating databases and other historical reference data. This type of reference information is also available commercially. These databases tend to be especially useful when activity durations are not driven by the actual work content (e.g., how long it takes concrete to cure or how long a government agency usually takes to respond to certain types of requests). Organisational Process Assets. Historical information on the likely durations of many categories of activities is often available. One or more of the organisations involved in the project may maintain records of previous project results that are detailed enough to aid in developing duration estimates. Historical information can come from several sources, including project files from other projects, commercial duration estimating databases, project team members, and other such sources. Project Scope Statement. The constraints and assumptions from the project scope statement are considered when estimating the schedule activity durations. An example of an assumption would be the length of the reporting periods for the project that could dictate maximum schedule activity durations. An example of a constraint would be document submittals, reviews, and similar non-deliverable schedule activities that often have frequency and durations specified by contract or within the performing organisations policies. Activity List. Activity lists are the work elements necessary to create the deliverables. Activity Attributes. Effort is the amount of labour applied to a task. Duration, on the other hand, is how long the task is expected to take with the given amount of labour. For example, a task to unload a freight truck may take eight hours with two people assigned to the task. If the effort is increased by adding more labour to the task (in this instance, more people), then the duration of the task is decreased. Some activities, however, have a fixed duration and are not affected by the amount of labour assigned to the task. For example, to install a piece of software on a computer will take the same amount of time if one computer administrator is completing the work or if two computer administrators are doing it. Activity Resource Requirements. Activity resource requirements define the resources that are needed to complete a particular activity. For example, a project to build a home will require lots of different resources: plumbers, electricians, architects, framers, and landscapers. The project manager would not, however, assign all of the different resources to every task, but only to the tasks that the resource was qualified to complete.

However, as additional resources are added or lower skilled resources are applied to some schedule activities, projects can experience a reduction in efficiency. This inefficiency, in turn, could result in a work production increase of less than the equivalent percentage increase in resources applied. Resource Calendar. The composite resource calendar, developed as part of the Activity Resource Estimating process, includes the availability, capabilities, and skills of human resources. The type, quantity, availability, and capability, when applicable, of both equipment and materiel resources that could significantly influence the duration of schedule activities are also considered. For example, if a senior and junior staff member are assigned full time, a senior staff member can generally be expected to complete a given schedule activity in less time than a junior staff member. Project Management Plan. The project management plan contains the risk register and project cost estimates. Risk Register. The risk register has information on identified project risks that the project team considers when producing estimates of activity durations and adjusting those durations for risks. The project team considers the extent to which the effects of risks are included in the baseline duration estimate for each schedule activity, in particular those risks with ratings of high probability or high impact. Activity Cost Estimates. The project activity cost estimates, if already completed, can be developed in sufficient detail to provide estimated resource quantities for each schedule activity in the project activity list. LMITs Diploma in Project Management is Now Endorsed by AIPM Get Your Diploma of PM and Youll Also Receive a Certificate from AIPM. LMIT provides online training courses for the Cert IV Project Management BSB41507, the Certificate IV of Project Management and the Diploma of Project Management BSB51407 in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide and Canberra.