Successful transport decision-making - Osmose

Vol 2 - Table of Contents Next
Time management: long-term and short-term
SHORT-TERM
Plan the milestones Work out how long Monitor progress of With good contact Manage project
for your project. each task is likely each task. If there between project meetings carefully,
Identify any time to take. Remember is a delay, acting partners, minor to make sure all
constraints and key to include any early can reduce issues can be
essential business
tasks.
waiting time
the impact on the quickly resolved and is covered and time
between tasks. project.
delays avoided. is used efficiently.
LONG-TERM
Timing constraints
Think about external timing constraints. This could include the
How late is ‘late’?
dates of council sessions, the length of any statutory processes
You need to be clear from the outset what represents a delay or constraints on expenditure in one financial year. When
for each task. Sometimes, a delay of a day, a week or a month
planning the timing of implementation, you should consider
will have little effect on the progress of the project. Identify
when disruption can be minimised. Check when traffic on a
route is likely to be particularly high (e.g. for a special event)
which tasks are on the ‘critical path’ - this means tasks that, if
and avoid these times, if possible. Also think about when
delayed, will delay the whole project. Give these deadlines
construction can be carried out most efficiently. This may
priority and make extra effort to ensure that they start and finish
depend on local weather conditions. Some activities could be
on time.
arranged to take place overnight when traffic levels are lower
in order to minimise construction, but this is likely to incur
Timing checklist: projects
additional costs.
Has your project timing been developed in collaboration
with all the partners?
Timing checklist: engagement
Have you checked that any advisors or consultants will
be available to do the work when you need it to be done? Do participants know what they can expect (short or longterm
commitment) and when?
Have you agreed what will happen if you need to delay
their contribution to the project, or if they do not complete Are engagement events timed to fit stakeholder
their work at the agreed time?
schedules, for example, after business hours, or outside
of public or cultural/religious holidays?
YEARS
MONTHS
WEEKS
Do contractors have a real incentive to finish the work on
time and to a high standard? Have you agreed in
advance what the penalties will be if work is not
completed to schedule?
Have you identified the key deadlines and noted which
tasks are critical for the timing of the whole project?
Have you identified the level of delay that would be
acceptable for each task, and when it would become
necessary to take remedial action to get the project back
on track? Do you know what this action would be?
DAYS
HOURS
Is there enough time allowed to design the engagement
activity correctly, to collect and analyse responses and to
provide feedback to the decision-making process, before
key project decisions are taken?
Have you allowed time for people to learn about the
project, before they are expected to give an opinion?
Have you publicised events well in advance?
Have you given sufficient time for people to respond?
Practical information
Who participates and how?
A good time management strategy for your project will
be led by the project manager or the project
management team, but must be developed in
collaboration with all the key partners in the process.
This will avoid simple but costly mistakes.
How much does it cost?
The primary costs associated with time management
are the staff hours committed to project management.
Good management can save time and money for the
project.
What skills are required?
Managing the timing of a project requires good
forward-planning skills and a strong ability to
negotiate effectively with other contributors to the
project.
How is it used with other techniques?
The timing of a project must be planned alongside the
allocation of resources and the identification of
necessary skills, as the three factors are strongly
linked. All three must be considered in the work plan
and engagement strategy. For example, the time,
skills and resource required to complete an
engagement activity effectively will depend on the
technique chosen.
What are the drawbacks?
A badly planned project can be unworkable from the
start and leave the project without a clear structure. It
is essential that the time allocated to each task is
realistic.
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