Time estimation moves from guesswork to science in this chapter. Portny explains how to sequence activities using dependency logic (finish-to-start, start-to-start, etc.) and build a network diagram. The crown jewel is the Critical Path Method (CPM) —identifying the longest string of dependent tasks that dictates the project's minimum finish date. You learn to calculate early/late start and finish times, discover where slack (float) exists, and prioritize your attention on path-critical activities. This chapter hands you the mathematical confidence to set realistic deadlines and push back against unrealistic executive demands.
Chapter 8: Establishing Whom You Need, How Much of Their Time, and When
People
are your most expensive resource, and this chapter forces rigorous
estimation of human effort. It breaks down how to translate task
durations into actual staff-hours, accounting for availability,
holidays, and part-time allocations. Portny introduces resource leveling and smoothing—techniques
to resolve overallocation conflicts without compromising the critical
path. You learn to create resource histograms and responsibility
matrices that visualize who is working on what, preventing the
all-too-common scenario of a single superstar burning out while others
sit idle.
Chapter 9: Planning for Other Resources and Developing the Budget
Beyond
salaries, projects consume materials, equipment, software, travel, and
facilities. This chapter expands your budget to include every direct and
indirect cost. Portny teaches bottom-up estimating—aggregating costs
from individual work packages—and compares it to top-down approaches.
Crucially, it addresses the art of adding contingency reserves
for known-unknowns (like price fluctuations) without inflating
estimates dishonestly. You finish with a complete cost baseline,
learning how to present your budget to finance committees with
transparent justifications that build trust rather than suspicion.
Chapter 10: Venturing into the Unknown – Dealing with Risk
Risk is reframed as an opportunity, not a threat. Portny walks through a formal four-step risk management process: Identification (brainstorming using checklists and SWOT analysis), Assessment (qualitative ranking by probability and impact), Response Planning (strategies to avoid, transfer, mitigate, or accept), and Monitoring
(tracking trigger conditions). You learn to build a risk register that
assigns ownership and action dates. This chapter empowers you to have
honest conversations about worst-case scenarios, transforming anxiety
into proactive preparation so that surprises become manageable
inconveniences rather than project-killers.
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