Planned Working Time in Project Management – Definition and Meaning
Planned working time refers to the contractually or operationally defined regular working hours of a person or resource per unit of time (e.g. per day, week, or month). It serves as the basis for capacity and resource planning in project management. It is used to define a resource’s general availability and to set expectations for the number of working hours to be provided before specific project assignments or absences are taken into account.
Example, best practice, and further information
For full-time employees, the planned working time is often 8 hours per day or 40 hours per week. A fundamental requirement for realistic planning is to know the correct planned working time of each resource and to record it in the resource calendars (see PMBOK Guide). This enables accurate capacity planning for project work, taking into account absences and line responsibilities – also relevant in agile contexts. It helps avoid unrealistic plans and resulting overloads, ensuring productivity.