Project and Technology Consulting Office
Project Management Effort Estimator: How much time will it take to manage this project?
The answer depends on the project’s complexity. Lower complexity endeavors, for example, projects involving only one department, with few dependencies, a proven technology, or an established vendor relationship, will require far less involvement than more complex projects.
The chart below outlines common Project Manager responsibilities and provides an estimate, by task, of the time needed for low, medium and high complexity projects. These estimates are guidelines and may be adjusted as appropriate for your project.
It is important to note that these estimates do not include administrative time (training, email, responding to adhoc requests), non-productive time, or contingency (usually expressed in a percent of the total cost to account for unforeseen circumstances).
1 / Initiation: Meet with the Sponsor, and then work with the functional and technical leads to create the Initiation Plan / 2-4 hrs / 10-12 hrs / 15-20 hrs
2 / Plan and facilitate a project kick-off meeting / 1-2 hrs / 2-4 hrs / 2-4 hrs
3 / Develop the project schedule / 2-4 hrs / 4-8 hrs / 25-40 hrs
4 / Update the project schedule as plans change and to show regular progress / 1 hr/wk / 1-2 hrs/wk / 2-4 hrs/wk
5 / Schedule, prepare and conduct regular project team working meetings, including issue management and sponsor escalation. / 1 hr/wk / 2-4 hrs/wk / 4-6 hrs/wk
6 / Participate in requirements gathering sessions to gain an understanding of the complete scope and deliverables. / 2-4 hrs / 4-6 hrs / 8-10 hrs
7 / Review requirements and design documents with UX Team for usability recommendations. / 1 hr / 2-4 hrs / 8-10 hrs
8 / Review and approve all project deliverables for thoroughness (Initiation Plan, Detailed schedule, Test Plan etc.) / 1 hr / 2-4 hrs / 8-10 hrs
9 / Request a project team site from PATCO. Customize as needed and update weekly. / 1 hr/wk / 1-2 hr/wk / 2-3 hr/wk
10 / Measure the performance of the project against milestones, time frames, deliverables, budget and resources. / 1 hr/wk / 1-2 hrs/wk / 3-4 hrs/wk
11 / Report project status to the project Sponsor as agreed to in the initiation plan / 1 hr/mo / 1 hr/mo / 2 hrs/mo
12 / Report project status to other key groups and individuals at appropriate time intervals (i.e., Steering Committee) / 1 hr/mo / 1 hr/mo / 2 hrs/mo
13 / Gain buy-in from key stakeholders and appropriately engage them throughout the project. / 1 hr/mo / 1 hr/mo / 1-2 hrs/mo
14 / Ensure business and functional decisions are made in a timely fashion to ensure technical development progress and completion. / 1 hr/wk / 1-2 hr/wk / 2-4 hrs/wk
15 / Work with Project or Change Manager to develop Campus Readiness plan and related deliverables. / 4 hrs / 4-8 hrs / 10-20 hrs
16 / Conduct campus readiness and communication activities. / 4 hrs / 5-10 hrs / 20+ hrs
17 / Manage test plans, scheduling, setup, test execution, issue reporting/resolution. / 2 hrs / 6-10 hrs / 4-6 hrs/wk
18 / Manage the vendor SOW, performance, and justify/approve invoices. / 1 hr/wk / 1 hr/wk / 2-4 hrs/wk
TOTAL: / 19-26 hrs + 7 hrs/wk / 39-66 hrs +
8-14hrs/wk / 96-134+ hrs +
21-33hrs/wk
The Project and Technology Consulting Office (PATCO) is available to consult with departments who have questions about projects. Contact for additional information.
Last Updated 4/12/2017
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