THE ULTIMATE CIVIL PE

REVIEW COURSE
PROJECT SCHEDULES
PROJECT SCHEDULES
PR O J ECT SCH ED ULES

Project Networks
▪ This subject will merge with the next topic of Activity Identification and Sequencing.
▪ A project schedule is the tool that is used to organize who is doing the work and the
timeframes involved. You are linking activities to durations to determine the project
schedule.
▪ WBS (work breakdown structure) breaks down each activity of a project in a hierarchy.
▪ Check the PERH in the Construction>Scheduling section for equations and reference
material. If using the CERM check Ch. 86 which covers Scheduling.
PR O J ECT SCH ED ULES

Project Networks
▪ Finish to Start = predecessor must finish before the successor can start, e.g., land
must be bought before the house is built.
▪ Start to Start = predecessor must start before successor can start, e.g., framing must
start before roofing can start.
▪ Finish to Finish = predecessor must finish before successor can finish, e.g., framing
must be finished before shingles can be finished.
▪ Start to Finish = predecessor must start before successor can finish, e.g., post hole
digging must start before fence posts can be placed.
PR O J ECT SCH ED ULES

Project Networks
▪ A lead is when the successor task begins before the predecessor task is complete.

A
B

▪ A lag is when a successor task does not start immediately upon the completion of the
predecessor task.

A
B
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Project Networks
▪ Graphic representation of dependencies
▪ P = predecessor Finish to Start
▪ S = successor Start to Start

Finish to Finish

Start to Finish

1.0
New Toy for 5–9-year-olds
▪ Graphical representation of WBS:

1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4

Product Product Production 1.5
Market
Design Development Planning Marketing
Research

1.1.1 Focus
groups

1.1.2
Surveys
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Project Networks
▪ Information shared comes in a variety of ways and can be represented in different formats.
▪ Precedence Table
▪ Matrix or Gantt Chart
▪ Activity on Node Networks (AON)
▪ Activity on Arrow (AOA)

Precedence Table Matrix/Gantt Chart Activity on Node Network

Activity on Arrow Network

PR O J ECT SCH ED ULES

Project Networks
▪ The most common networks you’ll see are the precedence tables, the AON network and
the AOA network.
▪ The AOA network is the simplest scheduling format as all activities are finish to start
relationships.
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Critical Path
▪ A task can have information presented different ways. You can use the following to interpret
it. You’ll learn the terminology and learn to pick up what they are presenting no matter how
it’s represented. See PERH, Construction>Scheduling section or Ch. 86 of the CERM.

ES DUR EF
ACTIVITY ES EF
TASK NAME
ES DUR LS
LS FLOAT LF EF FF TF LF LS LF

ES = early start DUR = duration

EF = early finish (ES+DUR) FF = free float (ESB – EFA)
LS = late start (LF-DUR) TF = total float (LS-ES or LF-EF or LF-ES-D)
LF = late finish
 PR O J ECT SCH ED ULES

Critical Path
▪ Longest path for the project. Each activity is broken up into ES, EF, LS, LF. You can determine these by
taking a forward pass and then a backward pass. Once this has been accomplished you can find
the critical path (longest path).
▪ See example:
3
Activity (what is the duration of these looking at ES and EF?) D 1
7 F
Critical Path (longest duration) B 7 10
16 17
13 16 H
0 7 16 17
0 9 Finish 17
A 0 7 E days
ES EF
7 16 17 17
0 0 4
LS LF 6 7 16 17 17
0 0 C G
0 6 6 10
Note: Float/Slack = LS-ES or LF-EF or LF-ES-D 1 7 13 17
Also, the critical activity has zero total float
Forward pass add duration
Back pass subtract duration
PR O J ECT SCH ED ULES

Free Float vs Total Float

▪ You might be asked the difference or to find the total float or the free float.
▪ Free Float: the amount of time that a schedule activity can be delayed without delaying
the early start date of any immediately following activities.
▪ ESB-EFA
▪ Total Float: the total amount of time that a schedule activity may be delayed from its
early start date without delaying the project finish date.
▪ LS-ES or LF-EF
▪ What does this mean? Let’s look at an example.
PR O J ECT SCH ED ULES

Example
▪ What’s the free float and total float of activity F?

ACTIVITY TF=LS-ES or LF-EF = 12-12 = 0

ES DUR LS FF=ESH – EFF = 12-12 = 0
EF FF TF LF
PR O J ECT SCH ED ULES

Dummy Activities
▪ Activity-on-Arrow diagram or the Activity on Node diagram may require dummy activities
to maintain proper logic. If 2 activities have the same start and ending a dummy node is
required to give an activity a uniquely completion event.
▪ A dummy is treated as an activity but drawn as a dashed/dotted line. It is assigned no
duration. It is simply there to keep the logic.

ACTIVITY
ES DUR LS
EF FF TF LF
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Dummy Activates
▪ When finding the critical path, you take the larger EF date and move it to the next activities ES
location.
▪ A dummy activity links logic together but not activities. If two activities have the same
starting and ending events, a dummy activity shows a dependency. It provides logic in the
network.

ACTIVITY
ES DUR LS
EF FF TF LF
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Other Schedule Items

▪ Crashing a schedule: shortening the durations of critical path activities by adding resources.
▪ Critical path drag/lag: activities that delay the project completion. You add the time.
▪ Resource leveling: technique where start and finish dates are adjusted based on resource
constraints with the goal of balancing demand & supply of resources.
▪ These are great theory question candidates. Refer to CERM for help as well as the PERH.
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Duration
▪ If you ever need to calculate duration you can use this equation:

ScopeofWork
Duration =
Productivty (CrewSize )

▪ Scope of work = size of project or thing you are building (usually a ft²)
▪ Productivity = how much the crews can install or do in a day
▪ Crew Size = the size of your crew!
EX AMPLE #1

Duration
▪ A concrete contractor typically can place formwork at a rate of 1100 ft²/man-day. If your crew size is
4, how many days would it take to complete 150,000 ft² of formwork?

ScopeofWork
Duration =
Productivity (CrewSize )

Solution:

Scope of work = 150,000 ft²

Crew = 4
Productivity = 1100 ft²/man-d

150, 000ft ²
Duration = =
 ft ²  men
1100  (4 )
 man − d  crew

= 34.09 days, so round up to 35 days

EX AMPLE #2

Critical Path
▪ Determine the critical path for the AOA network diagram given.

D
3 6
B 3 G
8 4 H
A 7 8
1 2 8
5 C F
4 E 9
4 5
2

Solution:
Note: you can have more
than one critical path.
Write out the different pathways and their durations
ABDGH = 5+8+3+4+8 =28
AB-FH = 5+8+9+8 =30
ACEFH = 5+4+2+9+8=28

Critical path is AB-FH at 30 days

CO MI N G UP

On the Docket
▪ Example problems on project planning
▪ Activity Identification and Sequencing!