NATIONAL ACADEMY OF CONSTRUCTION

Post Graduate in Construction Management

TermI, July 2008

Each Question carries 25 Marks

Question 1

1. Explain the given key words and calculate the critical path based on the given
precedence diagram.

Note: Assume suitable start date and durations of 1-5 days and assume only
FS relationship

a) Early Start b) Early Finish c) Late Start d) Late Finish e) Total Float
f) Free Float g) Critical Path

(Bit a-g carries 3 marks each and 4 marks for calculation of values)

Answer : The student has to get identify atleast 1 critical path

a) Early Start: The earliest start date of an activity at which it can start.

b) Early Finish: The earliest finish date of an activity at which it can finish.

c & d) Late Start & Late Finish: The latest dates an activity can start without delaying
the finish date of the project and finish without delaying the completion of the project.

e) Total Float: It is the number of days we can delay the start of an activity without
starting at ES but without delaying the whole project.

TF = LF - EF

f) Free Float: The amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying the early
start of any immediately succeeding activity

FF = ES of the Successor EF of the current activity - 1

g) Critical Path. The path of critical activities (including dummy critical activities) linking
critical events connecting start event with end event is called critical path. The critical
path is usually defined as those activities with float less than or equal to a specified
value, mostly it is taken as zero. In other words, it is the path of activities having zero
float and events having zero slack.

The critical-path computation procedure involves determination of the Earliest Event

Time, calculation of the Latest Event Times, identification of the critical events and
activities, and, finally, evaluation of the project duration by summing up the duration of
critical activities along a path connecting the start and the end events. Note that:

a) Critical path is the longest path in the network. There can be one or more critical
paths in a network. The sum of durations of critical activities along the critical path
determines the duration of the project.

b) Critical path is the most sensitive path; any delay in the critical activities along the
critical path is bound to affect the duration of the project.

c) By isolating critical path, the higher management can exercise Management by

Exception, thereby focussing their attention on critical activities.

Question 2

A. Explain about Activity Codes, WBS in Primavera and its advantage

B. Explain in detail about different views in Primavera
C. Explain about Layouts, Reports and Filters

Bit A. Explain about Activity Codes, WBS in Primavera

Activity Codes: (The student has to write the final meaning of the entire paragraphs
for both Activity Codes and WBS)

P3 provides a set of standard activity codes for every new project, including
responsibility, area/department, milestone, item name, location, and step. Activity codes
enable you to group, sort, select, and summarize activities. Use the Activity Codes
Dictionary to define additional codes for your project, such as manager, priority, and
type of work.

Define activity codes. Choose Data, Activity Codes, then click the Activity Codes tab.
To add a new activity code to the end of the list, scroll to the first available row and click
in the Name column. You can insert a new activity code between existing ones by
selecting a code and clicking. Enter a four-character name to define the code.

The length of an activity code cannot exceed 10 characters, and the total number
of characters for all 20 codes cannot exceed 64.

B. WBS: Work Breakdown Structure is a generic term that includes family of breakdown
structuring techniques used for presenting information for planning, organizing,
codifying and controlling projects.

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS). A work breakdown structure is an organized

hierarchical grouping of project elements that define the total scope of the project: The
work breakdown structuring process involves breaking down of the project work
into manageable deliverable elements arranged in a hierarchical descending
order till the desired level of details is reached. Each descending level represents an
increasingly detailed description of the project elements.

The breaking down of a project into its constituent elements requires a study of the
methodology of execution. In construction projects, this execution methodology,
generally known by the term method statement, is evolved by the concerned planning
engineer using his construction experience and through discussions with the respective
functional managers and project engineers.

The work breakdown levels are broadly classified into five levels. These levels,
arranged in a descending hierarchical order are:

Subproject or project phases or task groups level.

Task level.
Work-package level.
Activity level.
Operations level.

Define up to 20 levels, the total number of characters for all levels cannot exceed
48.

(OR)
Create a work breakdown structure (WBS) to define and organize the project elements
so you can clearly identify the deliverables and report and summarize schedule and
cost data at different levels of detail. Graphically portrayed as a tree, a WBS is created
by establishing a hierarchy of work to be accomplished, beginning with the end-product
at the top and subdividing in successive levels down to individual activity tasks at the
bottom. We can collect data from any level to satisfy the needs of management and
clients.

We use Primavera to create an outline of your project based on its WBS. Using this
outline, you can roll up to a higher (more general) level to summarize data, or expand
down the tree to show more detail. You can also include columns for target data so you
can compare the current schedule to the plan.

Bit B. Explain in detail about different views in Primavera

PERT VIEW: While a PERT layout shows the logical flow of activities. It displays a
pictorial chart of all the activities with a predefined configuration box including the
relationships between activities.

This view enables a user to add, delete, move, copy, paste, link and unlink activities.

BARCHART VIEW: The default Bar chart layout view consists of Activity columns on the
left side and bars on the right side. A Bar chart layout combines an activity-data
spreadsheet (table) with a timescaled Bar chart,

Bit C. Explain about Reports and Filters

REPORTS: P3 provides reports and graphics that enable us to communicate detailed

or summarized information about your projects.

P3 reports are pre-formatted, yet flexible reports, providing detailed or summarized

project data covering schedule, resource, and cost information. P3 graphics include bar
chart, timescaled logic, resource and cost, and pure logic information.

Types of Reports

2. Schedule reports
3. Resource/cost control reports
4. Resource productivity/cost, price, and rates reports
5. Earned value reports
6. Tabular resource/cost reports
7. Resource/cost loading reports
8. Activity matrix reports
9. Resource/cost matrix reports
10. Custom reports

FILTERS: When you want to work with a part of your project, a filter temporarily limits
the activities displayed, based on criteria you specify.

We can also add new filters or copy filters from other projects.
A filter is a set of instructions that determines which activities P3 displays in the layout.

P3 also automatically reorganizes the project any time you apply a filter. You can
transfer one filter or the entire set of filter specifications from another project to the
current project.

Question 3

A. Explain in Detail about Concept of Scheduling.

B. What is a Constraint and List any 2 Types of Constraints
C. Define an Activity and List any 4 Activity types.
D. Define a Global Calendar

Bit A. Concept of Scheduling

We use Schedule command in Primavera to calculate the start and finish dates for each
activity. Hence it will produce the finish date of the project. The purpose of the first
schedule run is to get the initial dates.

In primavera we have two types of scheduling

Automatic

Manual

F9 is the function key used to schedule the project, it will also generate a detailed
scheduling report which includes Constraints, Open Ends, and Activities with out-of-
sequence progress.

If we switch off the automatic scheduling, we have to issue the schedule command
every time we make any changes in the project.

When we issue schedule command P3 will perform both forward pass and backward
pass. Once the user issues Schedule command P3 will calculate six types of values
ES, EF, LS, LF, TF, FF

Bit B. What is a Constraint and List any 2 Types of Constraints

Constraint: When you want to impose restrictions on certain activities to meet external
requirements, P3 makes it easy by providing 10 types of constraints; we can use
constraints to accurately reflect project requirements.

Constraints limit the effect of scheduling on the start and end dates of an activity.

Early Constraints / Late Constraints

1. Start
 2. Finish
3. Start On
4. Mandatory
5. Expected Finish

Float Constraints

1. Zero Total Float

2. Zero Free Float

Bit C : Define an Activity and List any 4 Activity types

Activity: It is an identifiable sub-division of a task or a work package which must be

performed during the course of a project for achieving the project mission. Activities
require time and resources for completion.

An activity consumes time and possibly other resources necessary for its completion.

4 Types of Activities (Student has to write any 4 only)

TASK
INDEPENDENT
MEETING
START MILESTONE
FINISH MILESTONE
START FLAG
FINSIH FLAG
HAMMOCK
WBS

Bit D. Define a Global Calendar

Primavera has a unique calendar called as Global Calendar. This calendar contains
information which will affect the whole project and the other individual calendars. Global
Calendar cannot be assigned to activities. P3 allows us to create 31 individual
calendars which will be assigned to activities. We cannot delete Global Calendar.