Timeboxing

Timeboxing in Project Management

Timeboxing allows to plan projects even if the content and scope cannot be specified exactly and/or the environment of the project is dynamic.

In timeboxing, the time schedule is divided into timeboxes. A timebox is a defined time frame for a process within the project, after which a goal is reached, e.g. the completion of one or more results that form a solution increment. In a timebox, the content and scope is realized that is possible in the planned time. All tasks that could not be realized are moved to new timeboxes.

The duration of a timebox depends on the complexity of the process: it must be short enough to create productivity and long enough to ensure the best quality of the results. In agile project management, the optimal duration of a timebox is between two and four weeks.

Timeboxing in agile Project Management

In contrast to traditional planning where the order of tasks is planned, timeboxing plans the order of work packages. In the traditional approach, the time frame can shift; in timeboxing, the planned contents of the work packages can be altered. Timeboxing is therefore used for iterative software development.

In Scrum projects, timeboxing is used to work through the user stories set in the backlog. User stories are processed in sprints with a fixed length (usually 20 working days). In sprint planning, the team selects the user stories that it wants to process in the current timebox.

Timeboxing in hybrid Project Management

In cplace, traditional time scheduling and timeboxing can be combined by integrating planning-relevant product and process data into your project scheduling in real time. This way, you can also plan projects in a traditional approach that include processes whose content and scope cannot be precisely estimated at the start of planning or where changes are to be expected.

cplace Gantt Timebox connects the project world with the process and product world and thus offers a 360° view of all information in a common project plan. For example, component information, maturity levels, user stories and much more can be integrated with real-time data into the hybrid project schedule. The Gantt Timebox is part of cplace Enterprise Scheduling.

Related terms: Agile Project Management, Scrum, Sprint