Time Monitoring
General
The time monitoring refers to those processes implemented to collect, compile and analyze the status of project progress with respect to its baseline. The objective of time monitoring is to evaluate any deviation from the estimations made during time planning and its impact on project status. Reports generated through time monitoring analysis serves as a decision-making tool which are then input for project time control.
Timely discharge of all contractual obligations by every project-stakeholder is essential for the success of project. Time schedule for each of these obligations which are indicated as distinct activities in the baseline schedule of time planning shall be monitored. Any variance is appropriately reported for effective contract-administration of the project (see Fig. 3 for
typical time monitoring process).
6.2.2 Activity Tracking and Reporting
Activities identified in the project baseline schedule prepared through time planning shall be tracked by following steps:
a) Compare the current status of activities with respect to their planned status in the baseline schedule.
b) Compilation of deviations in planned sequencing of activities and their impact on overall project schedule.
c) Forecast of project progress based on its past/ current trend.d) Preparation of a new catch-up plan for future
activities to recover delays, if any, to meet the project baseline end date.
e) Monitoring of baseline critical path activities and re-analyzing the current schedule for new critical activities.
Following steps may be adopted for activity tracking:
a) Timeline updating of baseline schedule on periodic basis or whenever there is major deviation in original assumption made for time planning.
b) Performance comparisons while evaluating actual progress against planned progress. Comparisons of rate of performance of activities planned versus actual in the form of charts, etc.
c) Project status through time monitoring is summarized into a project status report to depict the overall project health in the form of graphical charts as detailed in 6.2.5. The project status report is an important component of
management information system (MIS). The report shall contain the following:
a) Progress status of various project activities in terms of planned versus achieved.
b) Analysis of past performance and rate of performance.
c) Status of baseline critical activities and forecast of future activities that may become critical.
d) Status of look-ahead programme prepared after the previous iteration of the process of time control.
The information for project status report preparation is compiled from daily progress reporting which shall be bottom-up. This daily reporting shall cover performance including time and resource deployment details of all on-going activities of the project. It shall also include time progress status of critical path activities along with resource deployment/usage
details.
For effective daily reporting, effective communication of the baseline plan to all the stakeholders at every WBS level of the project shall be maintained. The communication of the plan shall include, a) monthly/weekly planned metrics associated
with every activities of the project along with the resources to be deployed as per the updated plan.
b) minimum productivity level to be achieved and activity sequence to be followed.
c) the list of critical activities of the project for which the progress metrics along with resource details, which needs to get reported separately in the daily progress report.