68 PROJECT PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT AND CPM

4.6.5
Example
The construction of a single-story steel-framed office building is used to illustrate the CPM. The work for
the project is divided into 15 tasks linked by 20 logic relationships. The description of tasks and their
durations are given in Table 4.1 while the logic relationships are defined in Table 4.2 The activity-on-node
diagram for the project is shown in Figure 4.13. To model concurrent operation of two tasks a combination
of start-to-start and finish-to-finish relationships is used between them. For example, an SS and FF
relationship with lag times of 1 day is used between task 3 (Place formwork and reinforcement) and task 4
(Pour concrete) to simulate parallel execution. The time lag of 1 day ensures that formwork and
reinforcement are in place before concreting takes place. Finish-to-start relationships are used to model non-
overlapping operations. For example, an FS relationship is specified between task 6 (Backfill and

Table 4.1 Description and duration of tasks for the steel building project
Task # Description Duration (days)
1 Clear site 3
2 Excavate for footings 6
3 Place formwork and reinforcement 3
4 Pour concrete 3
5 Remove formwork 1
6 Backfill and compact 5
7 Fabricate steel frame 10
8 Secure steel frame 8
9 Secure prefabricated roofing 5
10 Lay flooring 5
11 Erect masonry fill-in 8
12 Attach doors and windows 3
13 Electrical work 5
14 Plumbing 5
15 Finish interior 12

compact) and task 10 (Lay flooring) to simulate the natural ordering of these tasks.
The results of the CPM analysis are shown in Figure 4.13. The displayed information includes the task
times, task total floats, the project critical path, and the project minimum duration. The minimum project
duration found by CPM analysis is 66 days. As can be seen from the network diagram, most tasks in this
project are critical and therefore must be completed on schedule to avoid a delay in the projects completion.
Task 7 (Fabricate steel frame), for example, is not critical and has a total float of 18 days. This means that
the execution of this task can be delayed by up to 18 days, and provided that the task ends before the 28th
day the project will not be

Table 4.2 Definition of logic relationships in the steel building project

Relationship # Type Preceding task # Following task # Lag (days)
1 FS 1 2 0