Assignment 1 - Solutions

PART I
1. In developing a work breakdown structure what is the 100% Rule? (5 points)

The WBS includes 100% of the work defined by the project scope and captures ALL
deliverables—internal, external, and interim—in terms of work to be completed.”
The sum of child elements equals to the parent element.

2. Develop a three level Work Breakdown Structure consisting of at least 12 WBS elements
for a construction project of your choice. (10 points)

There is no unique answer for this problem but all the Work Breakdown Structures
should meet 100% rule requirements and follow the rules mentioned in the text book.
One suggested and general WBS is as follows:

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Part II (15 points)
1. Why is it important to know the critical path?

The critical path plays a vital role in project planning and control. Management uses
critical path information to determine which activities need strict enforcement of
deadlines to avoid delays for the entire project. The critical path also shows which
activities (noncritical) can be delayed; this is important since scarce resources often
prevent activities from being started at their earliest dates. The critical path also indicates
which activities need to be shortened if the project duration has to be reduced.

2. What is the difference between total and free float?

Total float is the maximum allowable delay that can occur for noncritical activities
without delaying the project. On any sub path, it is the combined scheduling flexibility of
all the activities on that sub path. When activities are in sequence, delaying one activity
can cause all subsequent activities to be delayed. Free float is how much time an activity
can be delayed without effecting the early start time of any successor activity. Free float
is important because arrangements are often made for resources to start as early as
possible and delaying an activity more than the available free float causes disruption in
the diaries of people who scheduled work to start on the early start times and in the
bookings of other resources such as venues and equipment that could have cost
implications.

3. Explain the difference between EST, EFT, LST, and LFT.

ES (early start), EF (early finish), LS (late start), and LF (late finish) are specific start and
finish times, respectively, for each activity. ES and EF represent the earliest an activity
can occur subject to the early completion of its immediate predecessors. LS and LF
define the latest an activity can occur and still permit the project to be finished by its
target completion date. Note, however, that an activity that starts at the LF time is in fact
critical and any further delay of such an activity will delay the project.

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Part III (10 points)
1.Draw the activity-on-node (AON) network diagrams for the following project:
Project 1
Activity Immediate Predecessor

A -
B -
C -
D C
E A
F B
G E
H F, G, J
I A
J D, I

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Part IV
1.For each of the following predecessor tables: (40 points)
 Draw a corresponding AON network.
 Compute EST and EFT for each activity.
 Compute LST and LFT for each activity. Find the critical path.
 Determine the total float and free float.

a.
Activity Immediate Predecessor Duration

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

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b.
Activity Immediate Predecessor Duration

A - 10
B A, E 9
C B, N 15
D C 7
E - 5
F A, E 6
G K, F 7
H G 12
J - 12
K E, J 4
L K, F 11
M L 8
N E, J 7

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2. The activities of a small building project and their dependencies are given in the table below.
Perform a CPM forward and backward pass analysis for the project network. Show EST, EFT,
LST, and LFT for each activity using the notation illustrated below. Also determine the total
float for each activity, and indicate the critical path(s) (with a heavy black line). (20 points)

3. For each of the following predecessor tables: (15 points)

 Draw a corresponding AON network.
 Compute EST and EFT for each activity.
 Compute LST and LFT for each activity. Find the critical path.

Activity Duration Predecessor

A 8 -
B 5 A

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C 6 B, H
D 8 C
E 9 D, F
F 3 C, I
G 7 -
H 8 G
I 9 H
J 5 I
K 2 J
L 3 J