Time DynamicsChronograph delivers coordinated time planning, time tracking and task delegation by agreement, for engineers and scientists everywhere or anywhere on earth Every user is able to enter their own time zone with their own Daylight Saving Time rules and see all dates and times in the system translated to local datas and times, so people anywhere on earth can easily synchronise their work. .
Evolving plans are to be expected in research & development projects. Chronograph supports adaptation of plans to changing circumstances while containing the consequences.
With the ability to use the disciplines and deadlines (typical of
CPM
Critical Path Method (CPM) is a formal, mathematical approach to scheduling and optimising project timelines, in 1957 revolutionising how industries managed complex projects.
DuPont needed a systematic way to plan plant maintenance and construction projects, where delays in key tasks could hold up the entire project.
CPM was designed to identify the longest sequence of dependent tasks (the critical path) that determines the project’s minimum completion time and to identify float, helping managers see which tasks can be delayed without affecting the final deadline.
CPM was developed by James E. Kelley Jr. of Remington Rand and Morgan R. Walker of DuPont and first used in 1957.
) or the freedom and flexibility (typical of
Agile
Agile project management prioritises adaptability, collaboration, and customer value over rigid planning - reshaping how software and many industries manage projects.
It was developed in 2001 as a response to rigid, project management methods like CPM, which cannot easily handle tasks where duration cannot easily be determined and where new discoveries can easily disrupt the project plan and lead to unclear and evolving customer requirements.
The software industry needed faster, more adaptive approaches.
In February 2001, the group met at a ski resort in Utah and drafted the Manifesto for Agile Software Development, which emphasized:
• Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
• Working software over comprehensive documentation
• Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
• Responding to change over following a plan
) on a task by task basis in the same project, Chronograph helps humans from concept to completion.
It is possible to compose task hierarchies of unlimited hieght and resolve task structures to unlimited depth (limited by storage). Hierarchies can reflect the organisations management structure and also extend downwards as the work break down is more clearly resolved.
From simple time sheets, to organisation wide aims, programs and interdependent projects, Chronograph accommodates
Human Factors
The concept of 'Human Factors' arose from the recognition that machines and systems must be designed around human strengths and weaknesses, not just technical requirements - a lesson made dramatically clear by WWII experience.
Military equipment (like aircraft and radar) had become complex, and many failures were traced not to hardware malfunctions but to human errors that could be avoided by improvements in the human machine interface.
The field expanded into aviation, space, healthcare, and consumer products and formally becoming known as human factors engineering.
Psychologists, engineers, and physiologists were brought in to improve cockpit layouts, control systems, and interfaces to reduce pilot and operator errors.
, understanding the important difference between people, facilities and resources!
Time Dynamics can help you today to evolve your project management methodologies towards tomorrow.
Time Tracker - Clear time line and flexible time sheet. Two clicks to log time against a task. One click to log a break. Export mode to cut and past your data and output into spreadsheets or text documents.
Time Planner - Worked time and planned time displayed together on the same Gantt Chart for clear progress comparisons.
Task Tree - Supports task hierarchies so Work Breakdown Structure is already clear on the Gantt Chart.
Time Team - Task delegation only with clear agreement between delegator and delegatee makes responsibilities crystal clear.
Task Links - Connects a task to a file or directory on your own computer, the LAN a VPN or can link to a URL on the web.
Task Template - Task replication, re-scheduling, re-assignment and re-use of past plans based on actual worked time.
Cash Planner - Supports cash flow planning for projects.
Cash Tracker - Under development.
Because worked time and planned time can be shown directly on the Gantt chart for each task, for each calander column, reviews are made easy much easier than when the Gantt diagram and the worded and planned time are presented seperately.
Chronograph requires an agreed plan between the delegator (the manager) and the delegatee (the performer) of a task before it's execution so responsibilities become crystal clear.
The plan can be reviewed as required by agreement and if there is any necessary re-planning is likely to take minutes rather than days. There are clear warnings of possible consequences.
In research and development projects, new subtasks may emerge and tasks may take more or less time than expected. Yet this reality is often overlooked or badly handled. The plan needs to adapt to this rather than fall apart.
Delegation by agreement, supports thoughtful adaptation to changing circumstances, with well understood carefully contained consequences.
With Chronograph it is easy to switch pre-prepared contingency plans, in or out, of a larger plan, as required.
Time Dynamics isn't drawn into to fads and fashions in the project management world, but would rather learn from history carefully selecting
real achievements like
NASA's Apollo program
The Apollo program’s project management (1960s–1970s) was one of the most complex management efforts in history and pioneered several key practices:
• Systems management approach -
NASA used systems engineering and systems management to coordinate thousands of contractors, subsystems, and components, ensuring all parts worked together smoothly.
• Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) -
NASA formally adopted WBS, breaking the enormous program into hierarchical tasks, making it easier to assign responsibilities, track progress, and manage costs.
• Configuration management -
With constant design changes, NASA set up formal configuration control processes to document, approve, and communicate changes across all teams.
• Integrated schedules and milestones -
Project plans included critical milestones, master schedules, and interlinked contractor timelines, all tracked centrally.
• Earned Value Management (EVM) -
NASA used early forms of EVM to measure cost and schedule performance against planned objectives, detecting problems early.
• Risk management -
Apollo teams systematically identified technical and programmatic risks and developed mitigation plans (e.g., redundancy, parallel development).
• Strong centralized oversight -
NASA’s program office had clear authority over major contractors and subsystems, with disciplined reporting, regular reviews, and decisive leadership.
, Lockheed Martin's
Skunk Works
Clarence L. "Kelly" Johnson is the Albert Einstein of aerospace design. Johnson's aircraft programs were so groundbreaking and historically influential, that he and Lockheed's Skunk Works are forever enshrined in humanity's technology hall of fame.
Kelly Johnson, the father of today's Skunk Works, is sometimes cited as the originator of the "keep it simple stupid" (KISS) principle, and his famed "down-to-brass-tacks" management style was summed up by his motto: "Be quick, be quiet, and be on time."
Click here to see Kelly Johnson's had 14 Management Rules.
, or the
Capability Maturity Model (CMM)
The Capability Maturity Model (CMM) was first introduced in 1987 by the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) at Carnegie Mellon University.
It was developed under the leadership of Watts Humphrey to help the U.S. Department of Defense evaluate and improve the software development processes of its contractors.
The original CMM provided a structured, five-level framework to assess how mature an organization’s software development processes were:
1. Initial (chaotic, ad hoc)
2. Repeatable (basic project management)
3. Defined (standard, documented processes)
4. Managed (measured and controlled)
5. Optimizing (continuous improvement)
Click here to see more on the CMM.
used for the Space Shuttle software development program.
Most of the lessons learned are still applicable today.
Choose the tools to suit you. In its very simplest mode of operation you use only Time Tracker viewing your data through Chronograph's Time Line page and Time Chart page for typical time sheets, but you can do far more then this...
Chronograph gives you the numbers like nothing else will, combining past time tracking with future planning, visible for every task in the task hierarchy, for, from any one person to the whole organisation with the ability to copy any task with it's subtasks to form a new plan or become a component in a new plan.
Below are four simple Chronograph Deep Gantt Charts, combined in one image, all giving different perspectives of the same project. One used by the project manager and one perspective for each of the people working for them, on the project. Of course a project might have hundreds of people in multiple departments across the organisation each with their own perspective.
Today we are importing and testing Chronograph on the thousands of tasks and thousands of dependencies of NASA's Moon to Mars Architecture. It is the way we embrace challenge.
Photo NASA
We are still looking for more details on the projects related to the Moon to Mars Architecture and program. so this chart is still just a rough start simply because there is a lot of detailed information we just don't have.
CHART BELOW UNDER CONSTRUCTION
CHART ABOVE UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Chronograph is the trusted tool you need to go from concept to completion, to dynamically adjust low leval plans on the fly, while not disrupting higher level plans when you do it.
Chronograph's Task Tree allows you to fit your task structures to your organisation's structure so that at every level the use of time is clearly appreciated, managed and understood. Projects can be coordinated or independent, sharing people, facilities and resources.
Chronograph supports a new paradigm in time management, combining the discipline and also the freedom people need to smoothly bring concepts into reality.
Photo by Deybson Mallony on Pixabay
It is tempting to ask whether all this information is really necessary, whether we couldn't just switch some of it off. The answer is yes you can.
Chronograph grows with each person by allowing them to tailor their products to suit themselves. Also you can Choose your tools to provide only the functionality you are ready for and really need today while knowing that we've got you covered for tomorrow.
When learning to fly you might start with a glider and work your way up when your ready. Not a bad way to develop a flying career.
Chronograph can start simply and grow with you, and with our Training programs, we are ready to support you whenever you need us.
Photo by Dragoș Grigore on Unsplash
An Airbus A320 cockpit is a lot to take in at first glance. Couldn't you dispense with some of these instruments? Ask a A320 pilot what s/he thinks!
We think you'll get the same answer from an experienced Chronograph user. They won't fly without them!
Just as a pilot is soon familiar with cockpit instruments so also piloting Chronograph becomes second nature.
From start to finish, Chronograph takes you all the way from a simple list of things to be done, to a sophisticated Deep Critical Path Method (DCPM) Gantt chart, but also allows you to use each "instrument" as and when you need genuinely need it.
Photo by John Hudson of Geku Automation
Chronograph was born out of experience.
"I am Tom de Havas director of Time Dynamics Ltd and former technical director of Nexus Alpha Ltd where I directed, managed and actively worked on software and hardware development from 1993 to 2005. Nexus Alpha Ltd continues to supply equipment for transport information which involves developing software and embedded systems."
"(I first programmed in 1978 and have continued to do so. I began noting my use of time on paper in 1988 then at Nexus Alpha Ltd on various in-house applications. I first logged my time on Chronograph's predecessor in 2013. Some of that code was ported from C++ to Ada and so there are echos of it in the Chronograph code today.)"
"At Nexus Alpha in 2003 I developed a method using MS Project Gantt charts, time tracking data and spreadsheets to create detailed project progress reports - but a monthly report took a week to create!"
"One thing I always missed at Nexus Alpha was an integrated set of time management tools, so I could clearly plan and review projects on the fly."
"Looking at more than twenty, time management applications I found almost all focussed on the popular markets or lacked precise yet flexible mechanisms to handle time and so were not suitable for innovative project management, where timescales were not certain at the start. This does not appear to have changed even today!"
"Indeed Agile tools although having many good features didn't really support large projects dependencies, time projection or analysis."
"In considering a new business project, I knew I didn't want to have to work again, without the time management tools I had in my head, so I made it my business to create them!"
"There was nothing for it but to make time management software, the core of the business and create the software I needed."
"Time Dynamics Ltd was born."
