Find out more about activity duration estimating and learn how to earn a project management diploma.

1. Project Management Diploma

2. Learn about the Activity Duration
Estimating in the Project Management
Diploma qualification.

3. The answer to the question ―How long will it take?
depends on the accuracy of the estimates, the consistency
of the work, and other variables within the project.
The best a project manager can do is create honest
estimates based on the information he’s been provided.
Until the schedule is finalised, no one will know the
duration of the project.

4. The tasks are first identified, the sequencing of the
activities takes place, resources are defined and then
durations are estimated. These activities are required to
complete the project schedule and the estimated project
duration. These four activities are iterated as more
information comes available. If the proposed schedule is
acceptable, the project can move forward.
If the proposed schedule takes too long, the scheduler
can use a few strategies to compress the project. We’ll
discuss the art of scheduling in a few moments. Activity
duration estimates, like the activity list and the WBS, don’t
come from the project manager—they come from the
people completing the work. They may also undergo
progressive elaboration.

5. The process of estimating schedule activity durations uses
information on schedule activity scope of work, required
resource types, estimated resource quantities, and
resource calendars with resource availabilities.
The inputs for the estimates of schedule activity duration
originate from the person or group on the project team
who is most familiar with the nature of the work content in
the specific schedule activity. The duration estimate is
progressively elaborated, and the process considers the
quality and availability of the input data.

6. For example, as the project engineering and
design work evolves, more detailed and precise data is
available, and the accuracy of the duration estimates
improves. Thus, the duration estimate can be assumed to
be progressively more accurate and of better quality.
The Activity Duration Estimating process requires that the
amount of work effort required to complete the schedule
activity is estimated, the assumed amount of resources to
be applied to complete the schedule activity is estimated,
and the number of work periods needed to complete the
schedule activity is determined.

7. All data and assumptions that support duration estimating
are documented for each activity duration estimate.
Estimating the number of work periods required to
complete a schedule activity can require consideration of
elapsed time as a requirement related to a specific type of
work.
Most project management software for scheduling will
handle this situation by using a project calendar and
alternative work-period resource calendars that are
usually identified by the resources that require specific
work periods.

8. The schedule activities will be worked according to the
project calendar, and the schedule activities to which the
resources are assigned will also be worked according to
the appropriate resource calendars. Overall project
duration is calculated as an output of the Schedule
Development process.
LMIT’s Diploma in Project Management is Now
Endorsed by AIPM – Get Your Diploma of PM and
You’ll Also Receive a Certificate from AIPM.

9. 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.