Float in Project Management: A Quick Guide

如何通过计算浮点数优化你的项目管理?

2020-06-25 03:30 project manager

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Projects are made up of a large number of tasks, and keeping track of those tasks is a primary role of a project manager. Sometimes, the tasks in a project all run smoothly and independently of each other, and there are no complexities. Other times, however, there will be a large chain of dependent tasks that make things more complicated. What happens if a task needs to be completed today, but the person responsible for it is waiting on another task that hasn’t been completed yet? Delay happens. If you want to avoid delays in your projects, then it’s time to familiarize yourself with project float. What is Float in Project Management? In project management, float, sometimes also referred to as “slack,” is a number that indicates the amount of time a task can be delayed without impacting subsequent tasks or the project’s overall completion. It’s important to track when you are maintaining your project schedule. There are two types of float in project management, free float (FF) and total float (TF). Free float is the amount of time that a task can be delayed without impacting the subsequent task. Total float is the amount of time a task or a project can be delayed without impacting the overall project completion time. Float is a key piece of the critical path method (CPM), a system used by project managers to efficiently schedule project activities. What is the Critical Path? The critical path is a sequence of dependent tasks that determines the duration of a project. Tasks on the critical path need to happen for the project to finish, and they need to be done in a specific order. Tasks on the critical path will have a float of zero, meaning there are no delays in the sequence. There is no extra time to spare on these tasks, and if one is delayed, then the project is delayed too. When a task has a positive float number, it is considered part of the non-critical path, meaning that it has some flexibility to be moved or delayed from its planned start date without impacting the project completion. How To Calculate Float There are several different ways to calculate float. The technical calculations that are part of the critical path method will be confusing if you aren’t up to speed on CPM and network diagrams, so we’ll explain how to do these calculations in layman’s terms. It’s important to note that most project managers don’t even do float calculations by hand because it would be extremely time-consuming, not to mention the project plan is always changing. Therefore, the best way to get float numbers and other valuable calculations in real-time is to use professional project management software that automatically does the number crunching for you. ProjectManager.com’s Gantt charts, dashboards and project reports will automatically calculate everything you need to track float, slippage, critical paths and more. However, if you want to do the calculations manually, just follow the steps below. Total Float Calculation Total float can apply to the project as a whole, or to an individual task. A project’s total float is the difference between the finish date of the last task on the critical path and the project completion date. This will tell you how much total time the critical tasks can be delayed before the entire project misses its completion target. To calculate a task’s total float, simply take the difference between the finish date of the last task on the critical path and the planned finish date of the task you are calculating for. Related: 6 Tips for Better Schedule Management Free Float Calculation As you recall, free float is a number that shows how long a particular task can be delayed before it impacts the next sequential task. Therefore, to calculate the free float of a task, simply take the difference between the next task’s planned start date, and the current task’s end date. An Example of Float So far, we’ve defined what float is, but it will be much easier to understand what it is and why it’s important once we look at an example. Let’s assume you’re building your new kitchen, and you have 90 days to complete the process because you have a big party planned in three months. In order to complete the kitchen renovation project, the following things must happen in order: Drywall installation Cabinet installation Plumbing/Electric Floor installation These activities make up the critical path and have zero float. Then there are additional tasks like painting and decorating that need to happen, but they have much more flexibility as to when they can be done. These tasks make up the non-critical path. Painting can be done any time after the drywall is installed, so it has a high float. Decorating can be done any time after the painting is done, so decorating has some float too. Why Float Matters It might seem that float is just a technical number used in network diagrams, but it is actually a very powerful tool that can help teams learn more about their work and help improve the productivity of projects. It Keeps Projects on Track To start, monitoring a project’s total float (TF) is crucial to ensuring that the overall project is going to be delivered on time. If you notice that a project’s TF is getting close to zero, it’s now crunch time to make sure the final remaining tasks are finished efficiently. You may even need to add extra resources to help the project team finish the final tasks faster than originally planned. If the project isn’t going to finish on time, then it’s time to have a chat with your client or stakeholders to let them know that they should expect a delay. It Improves Prioritization Free float (FF) is also a helpful number to monitor because it gives you a way to decide which tasks need to be prioritized and which can be pushed back to a later date. If a task has zero float or a low float number, then it should go to the top of the priority list so the project team can knock it out. Conversely, any tasks with high FF numbers can be pushed to the bottom of the priority list, because there is no rush to get them finished up. It Boosts Team Morale Finally, free float can be used to help you keep different project teams happy and efficient. Let’s say that task A is moving towards a very low free float number, meaning it is at risk of delaying task B. In this case, you can give the team working on Task A some extra resources to help them finish their work. You could also let the team who will be working on task B know that they should prepare for a delay in their work. By monitoring FF, you can catch problems early and make sure that teams don’t get frustrated by sudden delays. If team B knows to expect delays, then they can fill their time by working on something else. Project Management Tools for Monitoring Work Calculating float on your tasks and projects can be extremely valuable, but doing the calculations by hand is out of the question for most people. If you would rather have a project management tool do all of the complex calculations for you, then ProjectManager.com has a suite of PM tools perfect for the job. Gantt Charts For Critical Path ProjectManager.com’s Gantt chart is one of the most powerful tools on the market for scheduling work. Here, you can add tasks, create project milestones and automatically calculate the critical path of your project. Save hours of drawing network diagrams and making calculations, and instead let the Gantt chart software do all of the work for you. Real-Time Project Dashboards ProjectManager.com’s real-time project dashboard is a helpful way to stay on top of your projects at all times. Once you’ve assigned out tasks to your team, the project dashboard will begin to collect data automatically. When team members update their progress on tasks, the data is reflected in the dashboard’s charts. All of the calculations are done automatically, so you can see progress in real-time. On the dashboard you will see the project’s planned vs. actual progress as a percentage—this is our own way of showing you the total project float. You can also, at-a-glance, see how many tasks are done and how many are still needing to be executed. The dashboard is the central command center for any project, giving you the information you need to keep all of your projects on track. Take a free 30-day trial of ProjectManager.com today to see how easy it is to calculate float and plan, monitor and report on your projects. ProjectManager.com offers powerful PM tools, but it’s easy to get you and your team up and running quickly with no training required. The software stores all of your work in the cloud, so your team can stay synced no matter where they are. Try ProjectManager.com today. Project Integration Management – A Quick Guide Project Design in Project Management: A Quick Guide Project Cycle Management – A Quick Guide Project Controls: A Quick Guide
项目由大量的任务组成,跟踪这些任务是项目经理的主要角色。 有时,一个项目中的任务都运行得很顺利,彼此独立,没有什么复杂之处。 然而,有些时候将会有一系列的相互依赖的任务,使事情变得复杂。 如果一项任务需要在今天完成,但负责该任务的人正在等待另一项尚未完成的任务,会发生什么情况? 项目延迟就会发生。 如果您想避免项目中的延迟,那么是时候熟悉项目浮动了。 什么是项目管理中的浮动? 在项目管理中,浮动(float)(有时也称为“slack”)是一个数字,表示在不影响后续任务或项目整体完成的情况下,任务可以延迟的时间量。 跟踪项目时间表的时间是很重要的。 在项目管理中有两种类型的浮动,自由浮动(FF)和总浮动(TF)。 自由浮动是指在不影响后续任务的情况下,任务可以延迟的时间量。 总浮动是在不影响整个项目完成时间的情况下,任务或项目可以延迟的时间量。 浮动是关键路径法(CPM)的一个关键部分,关键路径法是项目经理用来有效地安排项目活动的系统。 什么是关键路径? 关键路径是决定项目持续时间的一系列相互联系的任务。 关键路径上的任务需要执行才能最终完成项目,并且需要按照特定的顺序完成。 关键路径上的任务的浮点数为零,这意味着序列中没有延迟。 没有多余的时间来完成这些任务,如果一个任务被延迟了,那么整个项目也就被延迟了。 当任务具有正浮点数时,它被认为是非关键路径的一部分,这意味着它具有一定的灵活性,可以从其计划的开始日期移动或延迟,而不会影响项目的完成。 如何计算浮点数? 计算浮点数有几种不同的方法。 如果您不了解关键路径法和网络图示,对于关键路径方法中的技术计算,您可能会感到困惑,因此我们将用浅显易懂地方式向您解释如何进行这些计算。 需要注意的是,大多数项目经理都不会手工计算浮点数,因为这会非常耗时,更不用说是面对的是一个一直在变的项目计划了。 因此,实时获得浮动数和其他有价值的计算的最好方法是使用专业的项目管理软件,自动为你做数字计算。ProjectManager.com的甘特图、仪表盘和项目报告将自动计算出您所需要的一切,以跟踪浮动、滑点、关键路径等。 但是,如果您想手动进行计算,只需按照下面的步骤操作即可。 总浮点数的计算方法 总浮点数可以应用于整个项目,也可以应用于单个任务。 项目的总浮点数是关键路径上最后一个任务的完成日期与项目完成日期之间的差值。 总浮点数表明的是,在整个项目未达到完成目标之前,关键任务可以延迟的时间。 若要计算任务的总浮点数,只需取关键路径上最后一个任务的完成日期与计划完成日期之间的差值即可。 相关:六个帮助你更好地完成日程管理的技巧 自由浮点数的计算 如前文提到的,自由浮点数是一个数字,它表明一个特定任务在影响下一个顺序任务之前可以延迟的时间。 因此,要计算任务的自由浮点数,只需取下一个任务的计划开始日期和当前任务的结束日期之间的差即可。 浮点数计算案例 到目前为止,我们已经了解了浮点数是什么,通过一个案例解析,你将能更加理解它的定义和重要性。 让我们假设你正在建造一个新的厨房,你有90天的时间来完成这个项目,因为你计划在三个月内举办一个大型聚会。 为了完成厨房改造工程,你必须按顺序执行以下任务: 石膏板安装 机柜安装 管道/电气安装 地板安装 这些活动构成关键路径,并具有零浮点数。 然后还有一些额外的任务,如油漆和装修,但他们在完成时间上有更多的灵活性。 这些任务就构成了非关键路径。 油漆可以在石膏板安装后的任何时间进行,因此它有一个很高的浮点数。装修也可以在油漆完成后的任何时间进行,所以它也具有很高的浮点数。 为什么计算浮点数很重要? 虽然看起来,浮点数只是网络图示中使用的一个技术数字,但实际上它是一个非常强大的工具,可以帮助团队更多地了解他们的工作,提高项目的工作效率。 浮点数能够保证项目按计划进行 首先,跟踪项目的总浮点数(TF)对于确保整个项目按时交付至关重要。 如果您注意到一个项目的总浮点数接近于零,那么现在是确保有效完成最后剩余任务的关键时刻了。 您甚至可能需要添加额外的资源,以帮助项目团队提前完成最终任务。 如果项目不能按时完成,那么是时候和你的客户或利益相关者聊聊了,让他们做好项目延迟的准备。 浮点数能改进优先级划分 自由浮点数(FF)也是一个值得跟踪的有用数字,因为它能够帮助你觉得决定哪些任务需要优先处理,哪些任务可以推迟进行。 如果一个任务有零浮点数或低浮点数,那么它应该排在优先级列表的前面,这样项目团队就优先执行该任务。 相反,任何具有高浮点数的任务都可以被推到优先级列表的后面,因为它们并不着急完成。 浮点数能鼓舞团队士气 最后,自由浮点数可以用来帮助你让不同的项目团队保持愉快和高效。 假设任务A正朝着一个非常低的自由浮点数发展,意味着它有延迟任务B的风险。在这种情况下,您可以给处理任务A的团队一些额外的资源来帮助他们完成工作。 您还可以通知即将要处理任务B的团队,他们要为工作的延迟做好准备。 通过监控自由浮点数,您可以及早发现问题,并确保团队不会因为突然的延迟而感到士气低落。 如果B团队知道需要延迟,那么他们就可以通过做其他事情来缩短总项目的延迟时间。 用于监测工作的项目管理工具 计算任务和项目的浮点数是非常有价值的,但是对大多数人来说,手工计算不太可能。 如果您更愿意让项目管理工具为您完成所有复杂的计算,那么ProjectManager.com有一套完美的PM工具来完成这项工作。 关键路径的甘特图 ProjectManager.com的甘特图是市场上用于安排工作的最强大的工具之一。 在这里,您可以添加任务,创建项目里程碑以及自动计算您项目的关键路径。 省去绘制网络图和进行计算的时间,这款甘特图软件能协助你完成所有的工作。 实时项目仪表板 ProjectManager.com的实时项目仪表板是一种帮助您随时了解项目的方法。 一旦您将任务分配给您的团队,项目仪表板将开始自动收集数据。 当团队成员更新任务进度时,数据就会反映在仪表板的图表中。 所有的计算都是自动完成的,所以你可以实时看到进度。 在仪表板上,您将看到项目的计划进度与实际进度的百分比,这样一来,项目的总浮动数便能一目了然。 您还可以一目了然地看到完成了多少任务,还有多少任务需要执行。 仪表板是任何项目的中央指挥中心,为您提供使所有项目正常运行所需的信息。 现在您可以免费试用ProjectManager.com 30天,来体验计算浮点数,计划,监控和报告项目是多么的容易吧。 ProjectManager.com提供了功能强大的项目管理工具,它易于让您和您的团队快速上手并投入使用,且不需要培训。 该软件将您的所有工作存储在云端,因此您的团队无论在哪里都可以保持同步。 现在就试试ProjectManager.com吧。 项目集成管理的快速指南 项目管理中的项目设计的快速指南 项目周期管理的快速指南 项目控制的快速指南

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