A5: CH 5--PROJECT MGT-Nawaf Basudan https://xlitemprod.pearsoncmg.

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Instructor: John Bing

Student: Nawaf Basudan Assignment: A5: CH 5--PROJECT
Course: BUA 345--Operations & Supply
Date: 07/05/19 MGT
Chain Management

Consider the following data for a project to install a new server at the Northland Pines High School:

Activity Activity Time (days) Immediate Predecessor(s)

A 1 −
B 6 A
C 2 A
D 7 B
E 1 B
F 7 B, C
G 5 D, E
H 4 F
I 2 F
J 3 G, H, I

a. Draw the network diagram.

A network diagram is a network planning method, designed to depict the relationships between activities, that consists of
nodes (circles) and arcs (arrows). Nodes represent activities and arcs represent the precedence relationships between
them. If activity X is a predecessor of activity Y, then activity Y cannot start until activity X has been completed, and we
indicate this with an arrow that goes from X to Y on the network diagram.

Use the given information to draw the network diagram. Note that the Immediate Predecessor(s) column indicates the
precedence relationships. Also, each activity is marked with its activity time in the corresponding node. The network
diagram of the project is shown below.

b. Calculate the critical path for this project.

The critical path is the sequence of activities between a project's start and finish that takes the longest time to complete.
Thus, the activities along the critical path determine the completion time of the project.

Look at each path from start to finish and determine the time it takes to complete the path.

Path Estimated Time (days)

ABDGJ 22
ABEGJ 16
ABFHJ 21
ABFIJ 19
ACFHJ 17
ACFIJ 15

Now specify the critical path(s) and determine the project's duration. Note that there is only one path that has the longest
completion time.

The critical path is A B D G J and the project duration is 22 days.

c. How much slack is in each of the activities G, H, and I?

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The maximum length of time that an activity can be delayed without delaying the entire project is called activity slack.
Consequently, activities on the critical path have zero slack. Activity slack can be calculated in one of two ways for any
activity:

S = LS − ES or 
 S = LF − EF,

where S represents the slack, LS is the activity's latest start time, ES is the activity's earliest start time, LF is the activity's
latest finish time, and EF is the activity's earliest finish time.

The earliest start and earliest finish times are obtained as follows:

1. The earliest finish time (EF) of an activity equals its earliest start time plus its estimated duration, t, or EF = ES + t.

2. The earliest start time (ES) for an activity is the earliest finish time of the immediately preceding activity. For activities with
more than one preceding activity, ES is the maximum of the earliest finish times of the preceding activities.

To obtain the latest start and latest finish times, we must work backward from the finish node. We start by setting the latest
finish time of the project equal to the earliest finish time of the last activity on the critical path.

1. The latest finish time (LF) for an activity is the latest start time of the activity that immediately follows. For activities with
more than one activity that immediately follow, LF is the minimum of the latest start times of those activities.

2. The latest start time (LS) for an activity equals its latest finish time minus its estimated duration, t, or LS = LF − t.

To compute the early start and early finish times, begin at the
start node at time zero. Because activity A has no
predecessors, the earliest start time for this activity is zero. To
find the earliest finish time for activity A, add the activity time to
its earliest start:

EFA = 0 + 1 = 1

Because the earliest start time for activities B and C is the earliest finish time of activity A, ESB = 1 and ESC = 1. Compute
EF for these activities.

EFB = 1 + 6 = 7 and EFC = 1 + 2 = 3

Continue this same process to find ES and EF for the rest of the activities. Note that if there is more than one preceding activity
(F, G, and J on the diagram), ES is the maximum of EF times of the preceding activities.
Activity Time Earliest Start Earliest Finish
Activity
(days) (days) (days)
A 1 0 1
B 6 1 7
C 2 1 3
D 7 7 14
E 1 7 8
F 7 7 14
G 5 14 19
H 4 14 18
I 2 14 16
J 3 19 22

To obtain the latest start and latest finish times, we must work backward from the finish node. Start by setting the latest
finish time of the project equal to the earliest finish time of the last activity on the critical path. So, the latest finish time of
activity J is the earliest finish time of this activity, which is 22 days. Compute the latest start time for this activity.

LSJ = 22 − 3 = 19

The LF time for each of the activities G, H, and I is the LS time of J, which is the only activity that follows them.

LFI = LFH = LFG = LSJ = 19

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Find the LS times for each of the activities G, H, and I.

LSI = 19 − 2 = 17, LSH = 19 − 4 = 15, and LSG = 19 − 5 = 14

All the needed information is shown in the table below. Use the equation S = LS − ES or S = LF − EF to find the slack time for
each of the activities G, H, and I. Recall that A B D G J has turned out to be the critical path and the activities on the critical
path have zero slack.

Earliest Latest
Activity Earliest Latest Start On critical Slack
Activity Finish Finish
Time (days) Start (days) (days) path? (days)
(days) (days)
G 5 14 14 19 19 Yes 0
H 4 14 15 18 19 No 1
I 2 14 17 16 19 No 3

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