Floats

Types of Floats

• Total Float
• Free Float
• Interfering Float
• Independent Float
 Total Float (TF)

• The total amount of time that a

construction activity “i” starting date
(or finishing date) can be delayed
without affecting the overall
completion time of the construction
project; or delaying the project finish
date.
– TFi = LSi – ESi ; OR
TFi = LFi – EFi
 Free Float (FF)

• The amount of time that an activity

“A” can be delayed without delaying
the early start date of any
immediately following activities
“successors”.
– FFi = MIN(ESi+1) – EFi
 TF vs. FF
• TF Project finish date.
FF early start date of any successor activity.
• Assumption:
– TFA: All predecessors to activity “A” begin as early
as possible (ES) and all its successors begin as late
as possible (LS).
– FFA: All predecessors and successors of Activity “A”
begin as early as possible (ES) and the activity itself
“A” ends as early as possible (EF).
 1 10 10 17 ES EF
B E Activity
9 7 Duration

1 0 10 10 0 17 LS TF LF
0 0 FF
0 1 1 7 7 1
A C F 1 17 18
1 6 4
G
0 0 1 4 3 10 13 6 17
0 1
0 6
1 14 17 0 18
0
D
13
TFi = LSi – ESi
4 3 17
3 FFi = MIN(ESi+1) – EFi
 4 1 1 19 ES EF
1 1
B D Activity
7 8 Duration

4 0 1 1 0 19 LS TF LF
0 1 1 0 FF
0 4 1 16 19 20
1 E G
A
4 5 1
0 0 4 14 3 19 19 0 20
0 3 0
4 9 9 1
1
C F
5 2
TFi = LSi – ESi
9 5 14 17 8 19
8 FFi = MIN(ESi+1) – EFi
0
 2 7 7 13 ES EF
B E Activity
5 6 Duration
15 19
4 2 9 9 2 15 LS TF LF
0 2 H FF
4
0 2 2 1 1 15
1 1 15 0 19
A C F 19 21
0
2 9 4
I
0 0 2 2 0 1 1 0 15 2
0 0 1 1 0
19 0 21
2 5 1 13 0
D 1 G
3 2 TFi = LSi – ESi
14 12 17 17 6 19 FFi = MIN(ESi+1) – EFi
6 6
Independent Float:
• The maximum amount of time an activity can be
delayed without delaying the early start of the
succeeding activities and without being affected by
the allowable delay of the preceding activities…
• IndFi = MIN(ESi+1) – MAX(LFi-1) – Durationi
• IndFy = ?
= 22 – 15 – 6
= 1 day

2 9 9 15 22 27
X Y Z
7 6 5
8 15 21 27 27 32