Chapter 4&

5
Scheduling
projects
Class slides

Study in conjunction with Chapter 4 and 5 in the

textbook

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otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
Define Activities
Use WBS with deliverables only

“What work
activities must be
completed to create
each of the project
deliverables?”
4
Creation of Project Schedules

 Identify all activities

 Determine logical order
 Estimate time required for that activity
 Assign resources to each activity
 Compare schedule with imposed dates
 Consider project budget and cash flow, quality
demands, and risk factors

© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or
otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
Sequence Activities

What activity or Successor activity – an activity

that logically follows another
activities can be
activity or activities
started right away
and do not depend
on any others?
What activity or
activities can we
Predecessor activity – activity
that logically precedes another start next?
activity or activities
Sequence
Activities
• Network diagram
• Defines the sequence of
activities and relationships
• Tool for arranging order
• Common techniques
• PERT
• CPM
• PDM
PERT – Program evaluation and review
technique

￮ Estimate most likely time needed to complete a project

￮ Estimate level of confidence in completing a project in a
particular time
￮ Useful in (R&D) projects
Sequence Activities

￮ Place a successor activity after its predecessor

￮ Draw arrow to show the relationship
￮ Continue until all activities have been placed on the work surface
￮ Dependencies can be mandatory or discretionary

Mandatory dependency – logical Discretionary dependency – a preferred

relationship that must be followed logical relationship, based on best
(generally due to physical or practices and judgment
contractual demands)
Network principles

• Activities
• Represented by a box
• Consume time
• Described by verb
• Relationships
• Linked in serial sequence
• Complete concurrently
Laddering
• Set of repeating activities
• Serial sequence
• One work
• Two wait

• Can be performed at same

time
• Would need triple resources

• Ladder activities
• Allow for shortest
possible time for
completion
• Best use of the three
workers and experts
 Estimate Activity
Durations
￮ Duration must be the total elapsed
time
￮ Time for the work to be done plus
any associated waiting time
Scheduling
Activity Activity Number of
preceded by: days
Assemble wood parts (A) - 3
Cut glass (B) - 5
Install class (C) A and B 4

Use a frame for START and FINISH, sequence the activities by drawing the
proposed sequence for this project 13
Activity ￮ In the example, label which
activities are predecessors and
which activities are successors

Place a successor activity after its

predecessor
Draw arrow to show the relationship
Continue until all activities have been
placed on the work surface
Dependencies can be mandatory( logical
relationship that must be followed)
or
discretionary (a preferred logical
relationship, based on best practices and
judgment)
A and B are predecessors while C is a successor 14
 Activity A

1 3

START

Activity C
FINISH
Activity B 3 4

2 5

Activity Activity Number of

preceded by: days
Assemble wood parts (A) - 3
Cut glass (B) - 5
15
Install class (C) A and B 4
 Earliest start and finish
times
￮ Earliest start time (ES) ES EF
￮ Earliest time at which a specific
activity can begin
￮ Earliest finish time (EF) Activity name
￮ Earliest time by which a specific
activity can be completed Activity number Duration
￮ EF = ES + Estimated duration LS LF
￮ Calculate forward through the network
diagram
 Earliest start and
finish times calculation

￮ Why is the ES for 'Dress rehearsal’ 10?

 0 3

Activity A

1 3

START 5 9 9

0 5 Activity C
FINISH
Activity B 3 4

2 5

Activity Activity Number of

preceded by: days
Assemble wood parts (A) - 3
Cut glass (B) - 5
18
Install class (C) A and B 4
19
 6 8

0 6 11 16
AR
3 2
BW PW

0 1 6 7 11 6 5 21

START HP FINISH

4 4

0 13 21
7
7 13

RW TE

2 7 IF 7 8

5 6
20
Second or Backward Pass

How late can each activity be finished and

started?

Backward pass – “the calculation of late finish date and late start
dates for the uncompleted portions of all schedule activities.
Determined by working backward through the schedule network
logic from the project’s end date. Practice Standard for
Scheduling (PMI)
Latest start and
finish times ES EF
￮ Latest start time (LS)
￮ Latest time by which a specific
activity must be started Activity name
￮ Latest finish time (LF)
￮ Latest time by which a specific Activity number Duration
activity must be completed LS LF
￮ LS = LF – Estimated duration
￮ Calculate backward through the
network diagram
Latest start and
finish times
calculation
￮ Why is the LF for 'Print posters & brochures' 20?
 0 3

Activity A

1 3

5
2

START 5 9 9

0 5 Activity C
FINISH
Activity B 3 4

2 5 5 9 9

0 5
Activity Activity Number of
preceded by: days
Assemble wood parts (A) - 3
Cut glass (B) - 5 24
Install class (C) A and B 4
Required completion = 21 days
25
 6 8

0 6 11 16
AR
3 2
BW PW
14 16
0 1 6 7 11 6 5 21
6 12 16 21
START HP FINISH

4 4

0 12 16 13 21
0 7 21

7 13

RW TE

2 7 IF 7 8

5 6 13 21
0 7
26
7 13
'Prepare report'
• Required completion = 130
• LF = Complete date = 130
• Duration = 10
• LS = 130 – 10 = 120
Required completion = 25 days 28
 6 8

0 6 11 16
AR
3 2
BW PW
18 20
0 1 6 7 11 6 5 21
10 16 20 25
START HP FINISH

4 4
4 16 20 13 25
0 7 21

7 13

RW TE

2 7 IF 7 8

5 6 17 25
4 11
29
11 17
Required completion = 18 days 30
 6 8

0 6 11 16
AR
3 2
BW PW
11 13
0 1 6 7 11 6 5 21
3 9 13 18
START HP FINISH

4 4

-3 9 13 13 18
0 7 21

7 13

RW TE

2 7 IF 7 8

5 6 10 18
-3 4
31
4 10
 Total slack = LF-EF
Total slack OR
Total slack =LS-ES
• Sometimes called float
• The difference between EF time of last activity and the
project required completion time
• Negative slack
o Lack of slack over the entire project
o Amount of time an activity must be accelerated
• Positive slack
o Maximum amount of time that the activities on a
particular path can be delayed without jeopardising on-
time completion
 6 8 Total slack = LF-EF
OR
0 6 12 11 16 Total slack =LS-ES
AR
9
3 2
10 BW PW
18 20
0 1 6 7 11 6 5 21
10 16 20 25
9
START HP 4 FINISH

4 4
4 16 20 13 25
0 7 21

7 13 4
RW TE
4 4
2 7 IF 7 8 Total slack/float
17 25 of project
4 11 5 6
Last activity -LF-
33
11 17 LS= 25-21=4
Critical path
• Longest path in the overall network
diagram
• Find which activities have the least
amount of slack
Required completion = 25 days 35
 6 8 Total slack = LF-EF
OR
0 6 12 11 16 Total slack =LS-ES
AR
9
3 2
10 BW PW
18 20
0 1 6 7 11 6 5 21
10 16 20 25
9
START HP 4 FINISH

4 4
4 16 20 13 25
0 7 21

7 13 4
RW TE
4 4
2 7 IF 7 8

5 6 17 25
4 11
36
11 17
Critical Path= RW, IF and TE

37
Activity Preceding activity Duration (Days)
A — 6
B — 4
C — 10
D A 6
E B 5
F B 16
G C 13
H C 10
I D, E 14
J F, G 12
K H 10
L I, J, K 4
Required completion 39 days
1. Use the two-pass method and draw a PERTH diagram
2. State the total float of the project
3. State the total float of Activity E and Activity J
4. State the critical path
5. State the ES of Activity H
 6 12
Forward 0 6 9 D 12 26
pass = ES +
Duration 0 6 4 6
A
9 15 21 9 11 16
11 6 I
4 9
0 9 15
E 9 14
12 35 39 39
0 4 5 5 21 35
11
START 16 21
B L Finish
4 20 0
3
2 4 3 F 23 35
12 4
0 6 16 J
3 7 0 35 39 39
7 23
10 12
0 10 10 23
G 23 35
0 7 13
13
0 C 20 30
10 23
7 10 20
5 K
3 10 8
H
0 10 5 11 10
39
8 10 25 35
15 25
Activity Preceding activity Duration (Days)
A — 6
B — 4
C — 10
D A 6
E B 5
F B 16
G C 13
H C 10
I D, E 14
J F, G 12
K H 10
L I, J, K 4
Required completion 39 days
1. Use the two-pass method and draw a PERTH diagram
2. State the total float of the project 0 days
3. State the total float of Activity E and Activity J Activity E= 12 days; Activity J = 0 days
4. State the critical path C,G,J and L
5. State the ES of Activity H day 10
Summary
￮ The planning process is based on the project objective, which establishes what is to be achieved.
￮ The project scope defines what needs to be done.
￮ The project scope document usually contains the customer requirements, statement of work,
deliverables, acceptance criteria, and a work breakdown structure.
￮ The quality plan must include or reference the specifications, industry or government standards, and
codes that must be used and met during the performance of the project work.
￮ The work breakdown structure establishes the framework for how the work will get done to produce
the project deliverables.
￮ A responsibility assignment matrix defines who will be responsible for the work.
￮ Activities define more specifically how the work will get done.
￮ A network diagram defines the sequence of how and when the activities will be performed.
￮ Project planning is a critical activity in developing an information system (IS).
￮ A project management planning tool or methodology, called the systems development life cycle
(SDLC), is often used to help plan, execute, and control IS development projects.
￮ Numerous project management information systems are available to help project managers plan,
track, and control projects in a completely interactive way.