CHAPTER 7

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

SOLUTIONS TO DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

7-1. PERT and CPM can answer a number of questions about a project or the activities within a project.
These techniques can determine the earliest start, earliest finish, latest start, and the latest finish times for
all activities within a network. Furthermore, these techniques can be used to determine the project
completion data for the entire project, the slack for all activities, and those activities that are along the
critical path of the network.

7-2. There are several major differences between PERT and CPM. With PERT, three estimates of activity
time and completion are made. These are the optimistic, most likely, and pessimistic time estimates. From
these estimates, the expected completion time and completion variance can be determined. CPM allows
the use of crashing. This technique allows a manager to reduce the total project completion time by
expending additional resources on activities within the network. CPM is used in determining the least-
cost method of crashing a project or network.

7-3. An activity is a task that requires a fixed amount of time and resources to complete. An immediate
predecessor is an activity that must be completely finished before another activity can be started.

7-4. Expected activity times and variances can be computed by making the assumption that activity times
follow a beta distribution. Three time estimates are used to determine the expected activity time and
variance for each activity.

7-5. The critical path consists of those activities that will cause a delay in the entire project if they
themselves are delayed. These critical path activities have zero slack. If they are delayed, the entire
project is delayed. Critical path analysis is a way of determining the activities along the critical path and
the earliest start time, earliest finish time, latest start time, and the latest finish time for every activity. It is
important to identify these activities because if they are delayed, the entire project will be delayed.

7-6. The earliest activity start time is the earliest time that an activity can be started after all predecessor
activities are completely finished. The earliest activity start times are determined using a forward pass
through the project network. The latest activity start time represents the latest time that an activity can be
started without delaying the entire project. Latest activity start times are determined by making a
backward pass through the network.

7-7. Slack is the amount of time that an activity can be delayed without delaying the entire project. If the
slack is zero, the activity cannot be delayed at all without delaying the entire project. For any activity,
slack can be determined by subtracting the earliest start from the latest start time, or by subtracting the
earliest finish from the latest finish time.

7-8. We can determine the probability that a project will be completed by a certain date by knowing the
expected project completion time and variance. The expected project completion time can be determined
by adding the activity times for those activities along the critical path. The total project variance can be
determined by adding the variance of those activities along the critical path. In most cases, we make the
assumption that the project completion times follow a normal distribution. When this is done, we can use
a standard normal table in computing the probability that a project will be completed by a certain date.

7-9. This can be done by making a budget for the entire project using the activity cost estimates and by
monitoring the budget as the project takes place. Using this approach we can determine the extent to
which a project is incurring a cost overrun or a cost underrun. In addition, we can use the same technique
to determine the extent to which a project is ahead of schedule or behind schedule.

7-10. Crashing is the process of reducing the total time it takes to complete a project by expending
additional resources. In performing crashing by hand, it is necessary to identify those activities along the
critical path and then to reduce those activities that cost the least to reduce or crash. This is continued
until the project is crashed to the desired completion date. In doing this, however, two or more critical
paths can develop in the same network.

7-11. Linear programming is very useful in CPM crashing because it is a commonly used technique and
many computer programs exist that can be easily used to crash a network. In addition, there are many
sensitivity and ranging techniques that are available with linear programming.

SOLUTIONS TO PROBLEMS

7-12. See file P7-12.XLS.

(a)

B D

E
Start
A G

F
C

(b)
Activity Time EST EFT LST LFT Slack Critical?
A 2 0 2 13 15 13 N
B 5 0 5 0 5 0 Y
C 1 0 1 11 12 11 N
D 10 5 15 5 15 0 Y
E 3 15 18 15 18 0 Y
F 6 1 7 12 18 11 N
G 8 18 26 18 26 0 Y
Critical path = B-D-E-G
Project length = 26 days
7-13. See file P7-13.XLS.
(a)

A D
G

C End
Start

H
B E

(b)
Activity Time EST EFT LST LFT Slack Critical?
A 3 0 3 0 3 0 Y
B 5 0 5 2 7 2 N
C 7 3 10 3 10 0 Y
D 5 3 8 9 14 6 N
E 4 10 14 10 14 0 Y
F 6 5 11 7 13 2 N
G 2 14 16 14 16 0 Y
H 3 11 14 13 16 2 N
Critical path = A-C-E-G
Project length = 16 weeks
7-14. See file P7-14.XLS.
(a)

C
G
A
End
D
Start
H

E
B

(b)
Activity Time EST EFT LST LFT Slack Critical?
A 6 0 6 0 6 0 Y
B 5 0 5 0 5 0 Y
C 3 6 9 6 9 0 Y
D 2 6 8 10 12 4 N
E 4 5 9 5 9 0 Y
F 6 5 11 6 12 1 N
G 10 9 19 9 19 0 Y
H 7 11 18 12 19 1 N
Critical paths = A-C-G & B-E-G
Project length = 19 weeks
7-15. See file P7-15.XLS.
(a)

C End
I

A B
E

J
D
F

(b)
Activity Time EST EFT LST LFT Slack Crit?
A 4 0 4 0 4 0 Y
B 6 4 10 4 10 0 Y
C 12 10 22 10 22 0 Y
D 11 10 21 13 24 3 N
E 9 21 30 25 34 4 N
F 8 21 29 26 34 5 N
G 10 21 31 24 34 3 N
H 5 22 27 24 29 2 N
I 7 22 29 22 29 0 Y
J 4 31 35 34 38 3 N
K 9 29 38 29 38 0 Y
Critical path = A-B-C-I-K
Project length = 38 days
7-16. See file P7-16.XLS.
(a)
B E

I
End
A C F

D G J

(b)
Activity Time EST EFT LST LST Slack Crit?
A 5 0 5 0 5 0 Y
B 6 5 11 6 12 1 N
C 2 5 7 16 18 11 N
D 9 5 14 5 14 0 Y
E 9 11 20 12 21 1 N
F 3 14 17 18 21 4 N
G 7 14 21 14 21 0 Y
H 4 14 18 18 22 4 N
I 6 21 27 21 27 0 Y
J 5 18 23 22 27 4 N
Critical path = A-D-G-I
Project length = 27 days
7-17. See file P7-17.XLS.
(a)
F H
A

I
Start B G

E End

J
C D

(b & c)
Act a m b Exp t Var SD EST EFT LST LFT Slack Crit?
A 3 6 8 5.83 0.69 0.83 0.00 5.83 7.17 13.00 7.17 N
B 2 4 4 3.67 0.11 0.33 0.00 3.67 5.33 9.00 5.33 N
C 1 2 3 2.00 0.11 0.33 0.00 2.00 0.00 2.00 0.00 Y
D 6 7 8 7.00 0.11 0.33 2.00 9.00 2.00 9.00 0.00 Y
E 2 4 6 4.00 0.44 0.67 9.00 13.00 9.00 13.00 0.00 Y
F 6 10 14 10.00 1.78 1.33 13.00 23.00 13.00 23.00 0.00 Y
G 1 2 4 2.17 0.25 0.50 13.00 15.17 15.83 18.00 2.83 N
H 3 6 9 6.00 1.00 1.00 23.00 29.00 23.00 29.00 0.00 Y
I 10 11 12 11.00 0.11 0.33 15.17 26.17 18.00 29.00 2.83 N
J 14 16 20 16.33 1.00 1.00 15.17 31.50 20.00 36.33 4.83 N
K 2 8 10 7.33 1.78 1.33 29.00 36.33 29.00 36.33 0.00 Y

Critical path = C-D-E-F-H-K

Project length = 36.33 days
Project variance = 5.22
Project std deviation = 2.29 days

(d) P(Finish <= 40 days) = 0.9457

7-18. See file P7-18.XLS.
(a)

E
I
B

A
D
F

C
H

(b and c)
Act Pred a m b Exp t Var SD EST EFT LST LFT Slack Crit?
A - 3 6 8 5.83 0.69 0.83 0.00 5.83 0.00 5.83 0.00 Y
B A 5 8 10 7.83 0.69 0.83 5.83 13.67 5.83 13.67 0.00 Y
C A 5 6 8 6.17 0.25 0.50 5.83 12.00 7.50 13.67 1.67 N
D B, C 1 2 4 2.17 0.25 0.50 13.67 15.83 13.67 15.83 0.00 Y
E D 7 11 17 11.33 2.78 1.67 15.83 27.17 18.00 29.33 2.17 N
F D 7 9 12 9.17 0.69 0.83 15.83 25.00 15.83 25.00 0.00 Y
G D 6 8 9 7.83 0.25 0.50 15.83 23.67 17.17 25.00 1.33 N
H F, G 3 4 7 4.33 0.44 0.67 25.00 29.33 25.00 29.33 0.00 Y
I E, F, H 3 5 7 5.00 0.44 0.67 29.33 34.33 29.33 34.33 0.00 Y

Critical path = A-B-D-F-H-I

Project length = 34.33 days
Project variance = 3.22
Project std deviation = 1.80 days

(d and e) P(Finish <= 34 days) = 0.4263; P(Finish >= 29 days) = 0.9985

7-19. See file P7-19.XLS.
(a)

I
K
A D
F

H J
End
Start B

L
C E G

(b and c)
Act Pred a m b Exp t Var SD EST EFT LST LFT Slack Crit?
A - 8 10 12 10.00 0.44 0.67 0.00 10.00 0.00 10.00 0.00 Y
B - 6 7 9 7.17 0.25 0.50 0.00 7.17 22.83 30.00 22.83 N
C - 3 3 4 3.17 0.03 0.17 0.00 3.17 19.83 23.00 19.83 N
D A 10 20 30 20.00 11.11 3.33 10.00 30.00 10.00 30.00 0.00 Y
E C 6 7 8 7.00 0.11 0.33 3.17 10.17 23.00 30.00 19.83 N
F B, D, E 9 10 11 10.00 0.11 0.33 30.00 40.00 30.00 40.00 0.00 Y
G B, D, E 6 7 10 7.33 0.44 0.67 30.00 37.33 47.67 55.00 17.67 N
H F 14 15 16 15.00 0.11 0.33 40.00 55.00 40.00 55.00 0.00 Y
I F 10 11 13 11.17 0.25 0.50 40.00 51.17 50.83 62.00 10.83 N
J G, H 6 7 8 7.00 0.11 0.33 55.00 62.00 55.00 62.00 0.00 Y
K I, J 4 7 8 6.67 0.44 0.67 62.00 68.67 62.00 68.67 0.00 Y
L G, H 1 2 4 2.17 0.25 0.50 55.00 57.17 66.50 68.67 11.50 N

Critical path = A-D-F-H-J-K

Project length = 68.67 days
Project variance = 12.33
Project std deviation = 3.51 days

(d and e) P(Finish <= 70 days) = 0.6479; P(Finish >= 75 days) = 0.0357

7-20. See file P7-20.XLS.
(a)
C G
I

H
A B D F

(b and c)
Act Pred a m b Exp t Var SD EST EFT LST LFT Slack Crit?
A - 4 8 13 8.17 2.25 1.50 0.00 8.17 0.00 8.17 0.00 Y
B A 4 10 15 9.83 3.36 1.83 8.17 18.00 8.17 18.00 0.00 Y
C B 7 14 20 13.83 4.69 2.17 18.00 31.83 23.33 37.17 5.33 N
D B 9 16 19 15.33 2.78 1.67 18.00 33.33 18.00 33.33 0.00 Y
E B 6 9 11 8.83 0.69 0.83 18.00 26.83 24.50 33.33 6.50 N
F D, E 2 4 5 3.83 0.25 0.50 33.33 37.17 33.33 37.17 0.00 Y
G C, F 4 7 11 7.17 1.36 1.17 37.17 44.33 37.17 44.33 0.00 Y
H G 3 5 9 5.33 1.00 1.00 44.33 49.67 44.33 49.67 0.00 Y
I G, H 2 3 4 3.00 0.11 0.33 49.67 52.67 49.67 52.67 0.00 Y

Critical path = A-B-D-F-G-H-I

Project length = 52.67 days
Project variance = 11.11
Project std deviation = 3.33 days

(d and e) P(Finish <= 57 days) = 0.9032; P(Finish >= 50 days) = 0.7881

7-21. See file P7-21.XLS.
(a)
H
D
A

I
Start C

E J
B

G
F

(b and c)
Act Pred a m b Exp t Var SD EST EFT LST LFT Slack Crit?
A - 3 7 13 7.33 2.78 1.67 0.00 7.33 3.00 10.33 3.00 N
B - 5 10 17 10.33 4.00 2.00 0.00 10.33 0.00 10.33 0.00 Y
C A, B 3 5 8 5.17 0.69 0.83 10.33 15.50 10.33 15.50 0.00 Y
D C 5 12 14 11.17 2.25 1.50 15.50 26.67 15.50 26.67 0.00 Y
E C 2 5 9 5.17 1.36 1.17 15.50 20.67 21.33 26.50 5.83 N
F E 2 5 15 6.17 4.69 2.17 20.67 26.83 26.50 32.67 5.83 N
G F 5 8 12 8.17 1.36 1.17 26.83 35.00 32.67 40.83 5.83 N
H D 6 10 12 9.67 1.00 1.00 26.67 36.33 26.67 36.33 0.00 Y
I F, H 3 4 8 4.50 0.69 0.83 36.33 40.83 36.33 40.83 0.00 Y
J G, I 4 7 10 7.00 1.00 1.00 40.83 47.83 40.83 47.83 0.00 Y

Critical path = B-C-D-H-I-J

Project length = 47.83 days
Project variance = 9.64
Project std deviation = 3.10 days

(d and e) P(Finish <= 49 days) = 0.6465; P(Finish >= 54 days) = 0.0235

7-22. See file P7-22.XLS.

(a) P(need >= 17 months) = 0.9772
(b) P(need <= 20 months) = 0.3085
(c) P(need >= 23 months) = 0.1587
(d) P(need <= 25 months) = 0.9772
7-23. See file P7-23.XLS.
(a) P(need <= 30 weeks) = 0.8944
(b) P(need <= 22 weeks) = 0.2266
(c) 99% completion time = 34.31
(d) 85% completion time = 29.15

7-24. See file P7-24.XLS.

Budgeted % Value of work Actual Difference
Activity cost ($) complete completed cost ($) ($)
A $22,000 100% $22,000 $20,000 -$2,000
B $30,000 100% $30,000 $36,000 $6,000
C $26,000 100% $26,000 $26,000 $0
D $48,000 100% $48,000 $44,000 -$4,000
E $56,000 50% $28,000 $25,000 -$3,000
F $30,000 60% $18,000 $15,000 -$3,000
G $80,000 10% $8,000 $5,000 -$3,000
H $16,000 10% $1,600 $1,000 -$600
Total $181,600 $172,000 -$9,600
Underrun

7-25. See file P7-25.XLS for the full chart. The first 10 months are shown here.
Using EST:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
A $1,667 $1,667 $1,667 $1,667 $1,667 $1,667
B $7,000 $7,000
C $714 $714 $714 $714 $714 $714 $714
D $2,000 $2,000 $2,000
E $1,400 $1,400 $1,400 $1,400
F
G
H
Per day = $1,667 $8,667 $8,667 $2,381 $4,381 $4,381 $4,114 $2,114 $2,114 $2,114
Cumulative = $1,667 $10,333 $19,000 $21,381 $25,762 $30,143 $34,257 $36,371 $38,486 $40,600

Using LST:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
A $1,667 $1,667 $1,667 $1,667 $1,667 $1,667
B $7,000 $7,000
C $714 $714 $714 $714 $714 $714 $714
D $2,000
E $1,400 $1,400 $1,400 $1,400
F
G
H
Per month = $1,667 $1,667 $1,667 $2,381 $9,381 $9,381 $2,114 $2,114 $2,114 $4,114
Cumulative = $1,667 $3,333 $5,000 $7,381 $16,762 $26,143 $28,257 $30,371 $32,486 $36,600
7-26. See file P7-26.XLS.
Budgeted % Value of work Actual Difference
Activity cost ($) complete completed cost ($) ($)
A $10,000 100% $10,000 $13,000 $3,000
B $14,000 100% $14,000 $12,000 -$2,000
C $5,000 100% $5,000 $6,000 $1,000
D $6,000 100% $6,000 $6,000 $0
E $14,000 80% $11,200 $12,000 $800
F $13,000 13% $1,690 $1,000 -$690
G $4,000 100% $4,000 $4,500 $500
H $6,000 20% $1,200 $500 -$700
I $18,000 0% $0 $0 $0
J $12,000 0% $0 $0 $0
K $10,000 0% $0 $0 $0
L $16,000 0% $0 $0 $0
M $18,000 0% $0 $0 $0
Total $53,090 $55,000 $1,910
Overrun

7-27. See file P7-27.XLS for the full chart. The first 10 weeks are shown here.
Using EST:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
A $700 $700
B $1,600 $1,600 $1,600
C $1,000 $1,000 $1,000 $1,000
D $1,400 $1,400
E $800 $800 $800
F $500
Per day = $700 $700 $2,600 $2,600 $2,600 $1,000 $2,200 $2,200 $800 $500
Cumulative = $700 $1,400 $4,000 $6,600 $9,200 $10,200 $12,400 $14,600 $15,400 $15,900

Using LST:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
A $700 $700
B $1,600 $1,600 $1,600
C $1,000 $1,000 $1,000 $1,000
D $1,400 $1,400
E $800 $800 $800
F $500
Per month = $700 $700 $1,000 $1,000 $2,600 $2,600 $2,400 $2,200 $2,200 $500
Cumulative = $700 $1,400 $2,400 $3,400 $6,000 $8,600 $11,000 $13,200 $15,400 $15,900
7-28. See file P7-28.XLS.
Budgeted % Value of work Actual Difference
Activity cost ($) complete completed cost ($) ($)
A $1,400 100% $1,400 $1,500 $100
B $4,800 100% $4,800 $4,500 -$300
C $4,000 100% $4,000 $4,000 $0
D $2,800 70% $1,960 $2,800 $840
E $2,400 70% $1,680 $2,000 $320
F $1,500 0% $0 $0 $0
Total $13,840 $14,800 $960
Overrun

7-29. Project crashing by hand. The current critical path is A–C–E–G–H. Total time is 15 weeks.
1. Activity A is the cheapest critical activity to crash. Reduce activity A by 1 week at a cost of $750.
There are now two critical paths: A–C–E–G–H and B–D–G–H.
2. Reduce activity G by 1 week at a cost of $1,500. The total completion time is now 13 weeks.
3. Since activity G can be reduced all the way down to 2 weeks, we continue to reduce it by 2 more weeks
(down to a duration of 2 weeks) at a cost of $1,500 per week. The project completion time is now 11
weeks and the total crash cost is $750 + $1,500*3 = $5,250. Note: Path A–D–G–H also becomes critical
when the project is crashed to 14 weeks. However, all activities on this path are also included in the two
critical paths we considered: A–C–E–G–H and B–D–G–H.
Note: The Excel solution is shown in file P7-29.XLS.

7-30. Let Xi be the start time of activity i and Yi be the amount of time reduced for activity i, where i = A,
B, C, D, E, F, and G. Let XEnd = project completion time.

Objective: Minimize crashing cost = $600YA + $700YB + $0YC + $75YD + $50YE + $1,000YF + $250YG

Subject to:
YA ≤ 1 X D ≥ XA + 3 - YA
YB ≤ 1 X E ≥ XB + 2 - Y B
YC ≤ 0 X F ≥ XC + 1 - Y C
YD ≤ 4 X G ≥ XD + 7 - YD
YE ≤ 3 X G ≥ XE + 6 - Y E
YF ≤ 1 XEnd ≥ XF + 2 - YF
YG ≤ 2 XEnd ≥ XG + 4 - YG
XEnd ≤ 10 All Xi, Yi ≥ 0

Solution: See file P7-30.XLS for the Excel setup and solution of this LP model. The optimal solution is to
crash activity D by 4 weeks and activity E by 2 weeks. The total crashing cost is $400.

7-31. See file P7-31.XLS for the Excel setup and solution of this LP model.
Crash A Crash B Crash C Crash D Crash E Crash F Crash G Crash H
Solution 2.0 0.0 0.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 0.0 1.0
Crash cost $300 $800 $300 $600 $500 $700 $650 $500 $2,900
7-32. See file P7-32.XLS for the Excel setup and solution of this LP model.
Crash A Crash B Crash C Crash D Crash E Crash F Crash G Crash H
Solution 2.0 2.0 1.0 0.0 1.0 1.0 2.0 1.0
Crash cost $750 $850 $300 $500 $700 $800 $900 $1,200 $8,000

7-33. See file P7-33.XLS. The project network for Team A is as follows.

The expected time, variance, EST, EFT, LST, LFT, and slack for each activity are as follows.

Act Pred a m b Exp t Var SD EST EFT LST LFT Slack Crit?
1 - 3 4 5 4.00 0.11 0.33 0.00 4.00 0.00 4.00 0.00 Y
2 1 4 5 7 5.17 0.25 0.50 4.00 9.17 6.00 11.17 2.00 N
3 1 6 8 9 7.83 0.25 0.50 4.00 11.83 4.00 11.83 0.00 Y
4 1 2 3 5 3.17 0.25 0.50 4.00 7.17 6.67 9.83 2.67 N
5 1 6 7 9 7.17 0.25 0.50 4.00 11.17 6.83 14.00 2.83 N
6 1 3 4 5 4.00 0.11 0.33 4.00 8.00 6.17 10.17 2.17 N
7 6 2 4 5 3.83 0.25 0.50 8.00 11.83 10.17 14.00 2.17 N
8 4 3 4 6 4.17 0.25 0.50 7.17 11.33 9.83 14.00 2.67 N
9 3 1 2 4 2.17 0.25 0.50 11.83 14.00 11.83 14.00 0.00 Y
10 2 1 3 4 2.83 0.25 0.50 9.17 12.00 11.17 14.00 2.00 N
11 9, 10 3 4 6 4.17 0.25 0.50 14.00 18.17 14.00 18.17 0.00 Y
12 11 4 6 7 5.83 0.25 0.50 18.17 24.00 18.17 24.00 0.00 Y
13 12 6 8 10 8.00 0.44 0.67 24.00 32.00 24.00 32.00 0.00 Y
14 13 3 4 6 4.17 0.25 0.50 32.00 36.17 32.00 36.17 0.00 Y
15 5, 7, 8, 9, 10 3 4 5 4.00 0.11 0.33 14.00 18.00 31.17 35.17 17.17 N
16 15 2 4 6 4.00 0.44 0.67 18.00 22.00 35.17 39.17 17.17 N
17 14 2 3 4 3.00 0.11 0.33 36.17 39.17 36.17 39.17 0.00 Y
18 16, 17 3 5 6 4.83 0.25 0.50 39.17 44.00 39.17 44.00 0.00 Y

Critical path = 1-3-9-11-12-13-14-17-18

Project length = 44 weeks
7-34. See file P7-34.XLS. The project network for Bender Construction Co. is as follows.

The expected time, variance, EST, EFT, LST, LFT, and slack for each activity are as follows.

Act Pred a m b Exp t Var SD EST EFT LST LFT Slack Crit?
1 — 1.0 4.00 5.00 3.67 0.444 0.67 0.00 3.67 9.00 12.67 9.00 N
2 — 2.0 3.00 4.00 3.00 0.111 0.33 0.00 3.00 16.50 19.50 16.50 N
3 — 3.0 4.00 5.00 4.00 0.111 0.33 0.00 4.00 14.50 18.50 14.50 N
4 — 7.0 8.00 9.00 8.00 0.111 0.33 0.00 8.00 3.50 11.50 3.50 N
5 1 4.0 4.00 5.00 4.17 0.028 0.17 3.67 7.83 12.67 16.83 9.00 N
6 3 1.0 2.00 4.00 2.17 0.250 0.50 4.00 6.17 18.50 20.67 14.50 N
7 4 4.0 5.00 6.00 5.00 0.111 0.33 8.00 13.00 11.50 16.50 3.50 N
8 7 1.0 2.00 4.00 2.17 0.250 0.50 13.00 15.17 16.50 18.67 3.50 N
9 5 3.0 4.00 4.00 3.83 0.028 0.17 7.83 11.67 16.83 20.67 9.00 N
10 2 1.0 1.00 2.00 1.17 0.028 0.17 3.00 4.17 19.50 20.67 16.50 N
11 — 18.0 20.00 26.00 20.67 1.778 1.33 0.00 20.67 0.00 20.67 0.00 Y
12 8 1.0 2.00 3.00 2.00 0.111 0.33 15.17 17.17 18.67 20.67 3.50 N
13 6,9,10,11,12 1.0 1.00 2.00 1.17 0.028 0.17 20.67 21.83 20.67 21.83 0.00 Y
14 13 0.1 0.14 0.16 0.14 0.000 0.01 21.83 21.97 21.83 21.97 0.00 Y
15 14 0.2 0.30 0.40 0.30 0.001 0.03 21.97 22.27 24.84 25.14 2.87 N
16 14 1.0 1.00 2.00 1.17 0.028 0.17 21.97 23.14 21.97 23.14 0.00 Y
17 16 1.0 2.00 3.00 2.00 0.111 0.33 23.14 25.14 23.14 25.14 0.00 Y
18 15,17 3.0 5.00 7.00 5.00 0.444 0.67 25.14 30.14 25.14 30.14 0.00 Y
19 18 0.1 0.10 0.20 0.12 0.000 0.02 30.14 30.25 30.14 30.25 0.00 Y
20 19 0.1 0.14 0.16 0.14 0.000 0.01 30.25 30.39 33.33 33.47 3.08 N
21 19 2.0 3.00 6.00 3.33 0.444 0.67 30.25 33.59 30.25 33.59 0.00 Y
22 20 0.1 0.10 0.20 0.12 0.000 0.02 30.39 30.51 33.47 33.59 3.08 N
23 21,22 0.0 0.20 0.20 0.17 0.001 0.03 33.59 33.75 33.59 33.75 0.00 Y

Critical path = 11-13-14-16-17-18-19-21-23

Project length = 33.75 weeks
7-35. The overall purpose of Problem 7-35 is to have students use a project approach in attempting to
solve a problem that almost all students face. The first step is for students to list all courses that they must
take, including possible electives, to get a degree from their particular college or university. For every
course, students should list all the immediate predecessors. Then students are asked to attempt to develop
a network diagram that shows these courses and their immediate predecessors or prerequisite courses.
This problem can also point out some of the limitations of the use of project management. As
students try to solve this problem, they may run into several difficulties. First, it is difficult to incorporate
a minimum or maximum number of courses that a student can take during a given semester. In addition, it
is difficult to schedule elective courses. Some elective courses have prerequisites, while others may not.
Even so, some of the overall approaches of network analysis can be helpful in terms of laying out the
courses that are required and their prerequisites.
Students can also be asked to think about other quantitative techniques that can be used in solving
this problem. One of the most appropriate approaches would be to use LP to incorporate many of the
constraints, such as minimum and maximum number of credit hours per semester, that are difficult or
impossible to incorporate in a project network.

7-36.
(a) See file P7-36.XLS, sheet (a). The project network is as follows:

The expected time, variance, EST, EFT, LST, LFT, and slack for each activity are as follows.

Act Pred a m b Exp t Var SD EST EFT LST LFT Slack Crit?
A — 1.0 2.0 4.0 2.17 0.25 0.50 0.00 2.17 10.13 12.30 10.13 N
B — 3.0 3.5 4.0 3.50 0.03 0.17 0.00 3.50 11.88 15.38 11.88 N
C — 10.0 12.0 13.0 11.83 0.25 0.50 0.00 11.83 0.00 11.83 0.00 Y
D — 4.0 5.0 7.0 5.17 0.25 0.50 0.00 5.17 14.65 19.82 14.65 N
E — 2.0 4.0 5.0 3.83 0.25 0.50 0.00 3.83 15.98 19.82 15.98 N
F A 6.0 7.0 8.0 7.00 0.11 0.33 2.17 9.17 12.30 19.30 10.13 N
G B 2.0 4.0 5.5 3.92 0.34 0.58 3.50 7.42 15.38 19.30 11.88 N
H C 5.0 7.7 9.0 7.47 0.44 0.67 11.83 19.30 11.83 19.30 0.00 Y
I C 9.9 10.0 12.0 10.32 0.12 0.35 11.83 22.15 14.90 25.22 3.07 N
J C 2.0 4.0 5.0 3.83 0.25 0.50 11.83 15.67 19.98 23.82 8.15 N
K D 2.0 4.0 6.0 4.00 0.44 0.67 5.17 9.17 19.82 23.82 14.65 N
 L E 2.0 4.0 6.0 4.00 0.44 0.67 3.83 7.83 19.82 23.82 15.98 N
M F, G, H 5.0 6.0 6.5 5.92 0.06 0.25 19.30 25.22 19.30 25.22 0.00 Y
N J, K, L 1.0 1.1 2.0 1.23 0.03 0.17 15.67 16.90 23.82 25.05 8.15 N
O I, M 5.0 7.0 8.0 6.83 0.25 0.50 25.22 32.05 25.22 32.05 0.00 Y
P N 5.0 7.0 9.0 7.00 0.44 0.67 16.90 23.90 25.05 32.05 8.15 N

Critical path = C-H-M-O

Project length = 32.05 weeks

(b) If activities I and J are not required, we set their expected times and variances to zero. There is no
change to the critical path or the project completion time, as shown in the following revised solution.

Act Pred a m b Exp t Var SD EST EFT LST LFT Slack Crit?
A — 1.0 2.0 4.0 2.17 0.25 0.50 0.00 2.17 10.13 12.30 10.13 N
B — 3.0 3.5 4.0 3.50 0.03 0.17 0.00 3.50 11.88 15.38 11.88 N
C — 10.0 12.0 13.0 11.83 0.25 0.50 0.00 11.83 0.00 11.83 0.00 Y
D — 4.0 5.0 7.0 5.17 0.25 0.50 0.00 5.17 14.65 19.82 14.65 N
E — 2.0 4.0 5.0 3.83 0.25 0.50 0.00 3.83 15.98 19.82 15.98 N
F A 6.0 7.0 8.0 7.00 0.11 0.33 2.17 9.17 12.30 19.30 10.13 N
G B 2.0 4.0 5.5 3.92 0.34 0.58 3.50 7.42 15.38 19.30 11.88 N
H C 5.0 7.7 9.0 7.47 0.44 0.67 11.83 19.30 11.83 19.30 0.00 Y
I C 9.9 10.0 12.0 0.00 0.00 0.00 11.83 11.83 25.22 25.22 13.38 N
J C 2.0 4.0 5.0 0.00 0.00 0.00 11.83 11.83 23.82 23.82 11.98 N
K D 2.0 4.0 6.0 4.00 0.44 0.67 5.17 9.17 19.82 23.82 14.65 N
L E 2.0 4.0 6.0 4.00 0.44 0.67 3.83 7.83 19.82 23.82 15.98 N
M F, G, H 5.0 6.0 6.5 5.92 0.06 0.25 19.30 25.22 19.30 25.22 0.00 Y
N J, K, L 1.0 1.1 2.0 1.23 0.03 0.17 11.83 13.07 23.82 25.05 11.98 N
O I, M 5.0 7.0 8.0 6.83 0.25 0.50 25.22 32.05 25.22 32.05 0.00 Y
P N 5.0 7.0 9.0 7.00 0.44 0.67 13.07 20.07 25.05 32.05 11.98 N

Critical path = C-H-M-O

Project length = 32.05 weeks
7-37.
(a) See file P7-37.XLS, sheet (a). The project network is as follows:

The expected time, variance, EST, EFT, LST, LFT, and slack for each activity are as follows.

Act Pred a m b Exp t Var SD EST EFT LST LFT Slack Crit?
A - 2 3 4 3.00 0.11 0.33 0.00 3.00 15.50 18.50 15.50 N
B - 5 6 8 6.17 0.25 0.50 0.00 6.17 12.67 18.83 12.67 N
C - 1 1 2 1.17 0.03 0.17 0.00 1.17 32.00 33.17 32.00 N
D - 8 9 11 9.17 0.25 0.50 0.00 9.17 0.00 9.17 0.00 Y
E A 1 1 4 1.50 0.25 0.50 3.00 4.50 18.50 20.00 15.50 N
F B 3 3 4 3.17 0.03 0.17 6.17 9.33 18.83 22.00 12.67 N
G B 1 2 2 1.83 0.03 0.17 6.17 8.00 22.00 23.83 15.83 N
H C 5 5 6 5.17 0.03 0.17 1.17 6.33 33.17 38.33 32.00 N
I D 9 10 11 10.00 0.11 0.33 9.17 19.17 9.17 19.17 0.00 Y
J D 1 2 2 1.83 0.03 0.17 9.17 11.00 26.00 27.83 16.83 N
K E 2 2 3 2.17 0.03 0.17 4.50 6.67 20.00 22.17 15.50 N
L F 3 4 6 4.17 0.25 0.50 9.33 13.50 22.00 26.17 12.67 N
M G 2 2 4 2.33 0.11 0.33 8.00 10.33 23.83 26.17 15.83 N
N I 8 9 11 9.17 0.25 0.50 19.17 28.33 19.17 28.33 0.00 Y
O I 1 1 3 1.33 0.11 0.33 19.17 20.50 30.00 31.33 10.83 N
P J 4 4 8 4.67 0.44 0.67 11.00 15.67 27.83 32.50 16.83 N
Q K 6 6 7 6.17 0.03 0.17 6.67 12.83 22.17 28.33 15.50 N
R L, M 1 2 4 2.17 0.25 0.50 13.50 15.67 26.17 28.33 12.67 N
S N 6 6 7 6.17 0.03 0.17 28.33 34.50 28.33 34.50 0.00 Y
T O 3 3 4 3.17 0.03 0.17 20.50 23.67 31.33 34.50 10.83 N
U P 1 2 3 2.00 0.11 0.33 15.67 17.67 32.50 34.50 16.83 N
V Q, R 9 10 11 10.00 0.11 0.33 15.67 25.67 28.33 38.33 12.67 N

Critical path = D-I-N-S-W

Project length = 38.33 weeks
Project variance = 0.89
Project std deviation = 0.94 weeks

(b) P(Finish <= 40 weeks) = 0.9617

(c) If activities D and I are already completed, we set their expected times and variances to zero. The new
critical path is B–F–L–R–V, and the new project time is 25.67 weeks. The revised solution is as follows
(see file P7-37, sheet (b) for calculation).

Act Pred a m b Exp t Var SD EST EFT LST LFT Slack Crit?
A - 2 3 4 3.00 0.11 0.33 0.00 3.00 2.83 5.83 2.83 N
B - 5 6 8 6.17 0.25 0.50 0.00 6.17 0.00 6.17 0.00 Y
C - 1 1 2 1.17 0.03 0.17 0.00 1.17 19.33 20.50 19.33 N
D - 8 9 11 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 6.50 6.50 6.50 N
E A 1 1 4 1.50 0.25 0.50 3.00 4.50 5.83 7.33 2.83 N
F B 3 3 4 3.17 0.03 0.17 6.17 9.33 6.17 9.33 0.00 Y
G B 1 2 2 1.83 0.03 0.17 6.17 8.00 9.33 11.17 3.17 N
H C 5 5 6 5.17 0.03 0.17 1.17 6.33 20.50 25.67 19.33 N
I D 9 10 11 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 6.50 6.50 6.50 N
J D 1 2 2 1.83 0.03 0.17 0.00 1.83 13.33 15.17 13.33 N
K E 2 2 3 2.17 0.03 0.17 4.50 6.67 7.33 9.50 2.83 N
L F 3 4 6 4.17 0.25 0.50 9.33 13.50 9.33 13.50 0.00 Y
M G 2 2 4 2.33 0.11 0.33 8.00 10.33 11.17 13.50 3.17 N
N I 8 9 11 9.17 0.25 0.50 0.00 9.17 6.50 15.67 6.50 N
O I 1 1 3 1.33 0.11 0.33 0.00 1.33 17.33 18.67 17.33 N
P J 4 4 8 4.67 0.44 0.67 1.83 6.50 15.17 19.83 13.33 N
Q K 6 6 7 6.17 0.03 0.17 6.67 12.83 9.50 15.67 2.83 N
R L, M 1 2 4 2.17 0.25 0.50 13.50 15.67 13.50 15.67 0.00 Y
S N 6 6 7 6.17 0.03 0.17 9.17 15.33 15.67 21.83 6.50 N
T O 3 3 4 3.17 0.03 0.17 1.33 4.50 18.67 21.83 17.33 N
U P 1 2 3 2.00 0.11 0.33 6.50 8.50 19.83 21.83 13.33 N
V Q, R 9 10 11 10.00 0.11 0.33 15.67 25.67 15.67 25.67 0.00 Y

Critical path = B-F-L-R-V

Project length = 25.67 weeks
Project variance = 0.89
Project std deviation = 0.94 weeks
Case: Haygood Brothers Construction Co.

See file P7-Haygood.XLS. The project network is as follows:

(1 and 2) The expected time, variance, EST, EFT, LST, LFT, and slack for each activity are as follows.

Act Pred a m b Exp t Var SD EST EFT LST LFT Slack Crit?
A - 4 5 6 5.00 0.11 0.33 0.00 5.00 0.00 5.00 0.00 Y
B A 2 5 8 5.00 1.00 1.00 5.00 10.00 5.00 10.00 0.00 Y
C B 5 7 9 7.00 0.44 0.67 10.00 17.00 10.00 17.00 0.00 Y
D B 4 5 6 5.00 0.11 0.33 10.00 15.00 23.00 28.00 13.00 N
E C 2 4 6 4.00 0.44 0.67 17.00 21.00 17.00 21.00 0.00 Y
F E 3 5 9 5.33 1.00 1.00 21.00 26.33 33.67 39.00 12.67 N
G E 4 5 6 5.00 0.11 0.33 21.00 26.00 34.00 39.00 13.00 N
H E 3 4 7 4.33 0.44 0.67 21.00 25.33 34.67 39.00 13.67 N
I E 5 7 9 7.00 0.44 0.67 21.00 28.00 21.00 28.00 0.00 Y
J D,I 10 11 12 11.00 0.11 0.33 28.00 39.00 28.00 39.00 0.00 Y
K F,G,H,J 4 6 8 6.00 0.44 0.67 39.00 45.00 39.00 45.00 0.00 Y
L F,G,H,J 7 8 9 8.00 0.11 0.33 39.00 47.00 44.33 52.33 5.33 N
M L 4 5 10 5.67 1.00 1.00 47.00 52.67 52.33 58.00 5.33 N
N K 5 7 9 7.00 0.44 0.67 45.00 52.00 45.00 52.00 0.00 Y
O N 5 6 7 6.00 0.11 0.33 52.00 58.00 52.00 58.00 0.00 Y
P M,O 2 3 4 3.00 0.11 0.33 58.00 61.00 58.00 61.00 0.00 Y

Critical path = A-B-C-E-I-J-K-N-O-P

Project length = 61.00 days
Project variance = 3.67
Project std deviation = 1.91 days

(3) P(Finish <= 60 days) = 0.3008.

Case: Family Planning Research Center

This case covers three aspects of project management: (1) critical path scheduling, (2) crashing, and (3)
resource (personnel) leveling or smoothing.

(1) The statement by Mr. Odaga that the project will take 94 days is a red herring. That is the sum of all
the task times that would be the length of the project only if all of the tasks were done serially with none
in parallel. The actual project network is as follows.

A
E

G J K

Start B
F

C H I

The EST, EFT, LST, LFT, and slack for each activity are as follows (see file P7-Family.XLS, sheet (a)
for calculations).

Act Pred Time EST EFT LST LFT Slack Critical?

A — 5 0 5 8 13 8 N
B — 7 0 7 12 19 12 N
C — 5 0 5 0 5 0 Y
D A 3 5 8 19 22 14 N
E A 7 5 12 13 20 8 N
F B, E 2 12 14 20 22 8 N
G A, B 3 7 10 19 22 12 N
H C 10 5 15 5 15 0 Y
I H 7 15 22 15 22 0 Y
J D, F, G, I 15 22 37 22 37 0 Y
K J 30 37 67 37 67 0 Y

Critical path = C-H-I-J-K

Project length = 67 days

(2) Workforce smoothing. The following table shows the staffing requirement with each activity
beginning on its earliest start date [see file P7-Family.XLS, sheet (b)]. There are five days (i.e., days 6 to
10) on which the requirements are for more than 10 workers.
 Activity 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
A 2 2 2 2 2
B 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
C 2 2 2 2 2
D 1 1 1
E 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
F 1 1
G 2 2 2
H 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6
I 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
J
K
Total 7 7 7 7 7 14 14 13 12 12 10 10 7 7 6 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

If we delay some of the non-critical activities (D, E, F, and G), we get the following schedule and
workforce requirements [see file P7-Family.XLS, sheet (b)]. This schedule can be accomplished with the
10 available workers.

Activity 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
A 2 2 2 2 2
B 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
C 2 2 2 2 2
D 1 1 1
E 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
F 1 1
G 2 2 2
H 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6
I 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
J
K
Total 7 7 7 7 7 9 9 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 8 7 6 5 3 3 3 3

(3) See file P7-Family.XLS, sheet (c).

Crash A Crash BCrash CCrash D Crash ECrash FCrash G Crash H Crash I Crash J Crash K
Crash days 0.0 0.0 2.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 5.0 0.0 0.0
Crash cost $100 $150 $50 $250 $150 $1,000 $500 $200 $80 $400 $400 $500