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Developing The Schedule

The document discusses various techniques for developing project schedules using critical path method (CPM). CPM finds the longest stretch of related activities that determine the critical path - the longest path through the network diagram with the least amount of slack. It is important to track the critical path over the project life so the project manager can make trade-offs if behind schedule by reallocating resources or renegotiating schedules. To shorten schedules, techniques like crashing, fast tracking, and reducing activity durations while considering cost and resource trade-offs can be used while keeping track of the updated critical path. Critical chain scheduling also considers limited resources and uses buffers differently to improve finish dates.

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zakaria dermish
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28 views

Developing The Schedule

The document discusses various techniques for developing project schedules using critical path method (CPM). CPM finds the longest stretch of related activities that determine the critical path - the longest path through the network diagram with the least amount of slack. It is important to track the critical path over the project life so the project manager can make trade-offs if behind schedule by reallocating resources or renegotiating schedules. To shorten schedules, techniques like crashing, fast tracking, and reducing activity durations while considering cost and resource trade-offs can be used while keeping track of the updated critical path. Critical chain scheduling also considers limited resources and uses buffers differently to improve finish dates.

Uploaded by

zakaria dermish
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Developing the schedule

Critical Path Method:


• The critical path method (CPM), or sometimes called critical path
analysis, is an algorithm for scheduling a set of project activities.
• it is determined by finding the longest stretch of related activities and
measuring the time it takes to finish them.
• Alternatively, The longest path through the network diagram that has
the least amount of Slack or Float.
Misconceptions about the critical path:
• Some people think the critical path includes the most critical activities
in a project.
• Some think that the critical path is the shortest path through the
network diagram.
• other misconceptions include: could there be more than one critical
path?
• could the critical path change?
Using critical path analysis to schedule trade-
offs:
• Keeping track of the critical path through out the life of a project is
important, so the product manager could make trade-offs.
• if the project is behind schedule, the project manager should know
what to do.
• should the schedule be renegotiated?
• should resources be allocated to other tasks to make up for time?
• Here is where Slack or Float comes into play.
• Project managers calculate free and total slack by doing a forward and
backward pass through a network diagram.
Using the critical path to shorten the
schedule:
• It is common for stakeholders to want to shorten a project schedule
estimate.
• the project manager can use several duration compression
techniques to shorten the project schedule.
• one technique is to reduce an activity's duration.
• Crashing is a technique for making cost and schedule trade-offs.
• Fast tracking involves doing activities in parallel that you would
normally do in sequence.
• It is imortent to keep track of and update the critical path.
Critical Chain Scheduling:
• Another technique that addresses the challenge of meeting or
beating project finish dates.
• it is an application of the Theory of Constraints.
• Critical chain scheduling is a method of scheduling that considers
limited resources when creating a project schedule.
• An important concept in critical chain scheduling is the availability of
scarce resources.
How Multitasking affects Projects:
• Multitasking occurs when a resource works on more than one task at
a time.
• This situation occurs frequently on projects.
How to improve project finish dates with
critical chaining:
• An essential concept to improving project finish dates with critical
chain scheduling is to change the way people make task estimates.
• Many people add a safety or buffer.
• Critical chain scheduling removes buffers from individual tasks and
instead creates a project buffer.
• tasks on the critical chain are protected from being delayed by using
feeding buffers.
• Not having task buffers should mean less occurrence of Parkinson’s
Law.

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