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Scheduling Methods (Lec 4)

The document discusses scheduling methods used in project management, focusing on the critical path method (CPM). It provides an overview of CPM, including that it involves constructing a model of the project with activities, durations, dependencies, and logical endpoints. CPM then calculates the longest path of activities, or critical path, and determines which activities have total float. The document includes an example CPM chart and discusses network construction and computing critical path drag. It then provides an example problem of constructing an activity-on-arrow and precedence network based on given activity descriptions.

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Gaylan Barwari
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18 views

Scheduling Methods (Lec 4)

The document discusses scheduling methods used in project management, focusing on the critical path method (CPM). It provides an overview of CPM, including that it involves constructing a model of the project with activities, durations, dependencies, and logical endpoints. CPM then calculates the longest path of activities, or critical path, and determines which activities have total float. The document includes an example CPM chart and discusses network construction and computing critical path drag. It then provides an example problem of constructing an activity-on-arrow and precedence network based on given activity descriptions.

Uploaded by

Gaylan Barwari
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Engineering Management & Economy

[HE 304]
Lecture 4
Scheduling Methods

There are many types of time scheduling, the most commonly used methods
are:

1- Critical Path Method

2- The Gantt Charts

4-1 Critical Path Method

The critical path method (CPM) is a project modelling technique developed in


the late 1950s by Morgan R. Walker and James E. Kelley. This technique is
commonly used with all forms of projects, including construction, software
development, research projects, product development, engineering, and plant
maintenance. Any project with interdependent activities can apply this method
of mathematical analysis. The term CPM is generally applied to any approach
used to analyze a project network logic diagram.

4-1-1 Basic Technique


The essential technique for using CPM is to construct a model of the project that
includes the following:

1- A list of all activities required to complete the project (typically categorized


within a work breakdown structure),

2- The time (duration) that each activity will take to complete,

3- The dependencies between the activities and,

4- Logical end points such as milestones or deliverable items.

Using these values, CPM calculates the longest path of planned activities to
logical end points or to the end of the project, and the earliest and latest that
each activity can start and finish without making the project longer. This
process determines which activities are "critical" (i.e., on the longest path) and
which have "total float" (i.e., can be delayed without making the project longer).
In project management, a critical path is the sequence of project network
activities which add up to the longest overall duration, regardless if that longest
duration has float or not. This determines the shortest time possible to complete
the project. There can be 'total float' (unused time) within the critical path. In
other words, individual tasks on the critical path prior to the constraint might be
able to be delayed without elongating the critical path; this is the 'total float' of
that task. However, the time added to the project duration by the constraint
is actually critical path drag, the amount by which the project's duration is
extended by each critical path activity and constraint.

For Example; CPM chart for a project with five milestones (10 through 50) and
six activities (A through F). The project has two critical paths: activities B and
C, or A, D, and F – giving a minimum project time of 7 months with fast
tracking. Activity E is sub-critical, and has a float of 1 month.

Figure 4-1 CPM Chart (Arrow Diagram)

4-1-2 Network Construction


CPM analysis tools allow a user to select a logical end point in a project and
quickly identify its longest series of dependent activities (its longest path).
These tools can display the critical path (and near critical path activities if
desired) as a cascading waterfall that flows from the project's start (or current
status date) to the selected logical end point. Although the "Activity-on-arrow"
diagram (PERT Chart) is still used in a few places, it has generally been
superseded by the activity-on-node diagram, where each activity is shown as a
box or node and the arrows represent the logical relationships going from
predecessor to successor as shown here in the "Activity-on-node diagram".
Figure 4-2 Activity-on-node diagram

In Figure 4-2, Activities A, B, C, D, and E comprise the critical or longest path,


while Activities F, G, and H are off the critical path with floats of 15 days, 5
days, and 20 days respectively. Whereas activities that are off the critical path
have float and are therefore not delaying completion of the project, those on the
critical path will usually have critical path drag, i.e., they delay project
completion. The drag of a critical path activity can be computed using the
following formula:
If a critical path activity has nothing in parallel, its drag is equal to its duration.
Thus A and E have drags of 10 days and 20 days respectively.
If a critical path activity has another activity in parallel, its drag is equal to
whichever is less: its duration or the total float of the parallel activity with the
least total float. Thus since B and C are both parallel to F (float of 15) and H
(float of 20), B has a duration of 20 and drag of 15 (equal to F's float), while C
has a duration of only 5 days and thus drag of only 5. Activity D, with a
duration of 10 days, is parallel to G (float of 5) and H (float of 20) and therefore
its drag is equal to 5, the float of G.
These results, including the drag computations, allow managers to prioritize
activities for the effective management of project completion, and to shorten the
planned critical path of a project by pruning critical path activities, by "fast
tracking" (i.e., performing more activities in parallel), and/or by "crashing the
critical path" (i.e., shortening the durations of critical path activities by adding
resources).
Problem 4.1

a) Construct an activity on arrow network based on the activity descriptions


below. Show all your work. Label activities in the network by their activity
letters and node numbers. Remove any redundant dependencies and label
dummy activities DUMMY1, DUMMY2, etc.

b) Construct a precedence network based on the same activity descriptions


below. Show all your work. Label activities in the network by their activity
letters and node numbers. Remove all redundant dependencies and arrange
activities in proper sequence steps.

• Activities H, R2, T1 start the project.


• Activity T2 can start when Activities H, E1 and S are completed.
• Activity E1 also depends on Activity R2.
• Activity X follows Activity H and precedes Activity L.
• Activity E is preceded by Activities T2 and P1.
• The predecessors to Activity G are Activities L, T2 and P1.
• The successors to Activity T1 are Activities E1, S, W and D2.
• Activity P1 cannot begin until Activity W is finished.
• Activity P2 and F follow Activities W and D2, and precede Activities E and
R1.
• Activity O2 depends on T2 and P1, and precedes Activity L.

Solution Problem 4-1 a


Solution Problem 4-1 b

H.W

a) Construct a precedence network based on the same activity descriptions


below. Show all your work. Label activities in the network by their activity
letters and node numbers. Remove all redundant dependencies and arrange
activities in proper sequence steps.

The predecessors to Activity Z2 are Activities L, C and R.


The successors to Activity B are Activities E1, S, W and D2.
Activity E1 also depends on Activity M.
Activity U and F follow Activities W and D2, and precede Activities E and R1.
Activity Y follows Activities C and R, and followed by Activity L.
Activities D, M, and B start the project.
Activity C can start when Activities D, E1 and S are completed.
Activity R cannot begin until Activity W is finished.
Activity I follows Activity D and precedes Activity L.
Activity E follows Activities C and R.

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