Project Scheduling

Steps
Define activities
Sequence
activities
Estimate time
Develop
schedule

Copyright 2006 John

Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Techniques
Gantt chart
CPM
PERT
DSM

Gantt Chart
Graph or bar chart with a bar for
each project activity that shows
passage of time
Provides visual display of project
schedule
Slack
amount of time an activity can be
delayed without delaying the project
Copyright 2006 John
Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Example of Gantt Chart

0

Month
4

Activity
Design house
and obtain
financing
Lay foundation
Order and
receive
materials
Build house
Select paint
Select carpet
Finish work

5
Month

Copyright 2006 John

Wiley & Sons, Inc.

10

CPM/PERT
Critical Path Method (CPM)
DuPont & Remington-Rand (1956)
Deterministic task times
Activity-on-node network construction

Project Evaluation and Review Technique

(PERT)
US Navy, Booz, Allen & Hamilton
Multiple task time estimates
Activity-on-arrow network construction

Copyright 2006 John

Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Project Network
Activity-on-node (AON)
nodes represent
activities, and arrows
show precedence
relationships

Activity-on-arrow
(AOA)
arrows represent
activities and nodes are
events for points in
time

Event
completion or
beginning of an activity
in a project
Copyright 2006 John
Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Node
A

Branch

AOA Project Network for

a House

Lay
foundation
A

3
Design
house and
obtain
financing

Copyright 2006 John

Wiley & Sons, Inc.

C
2

Dummy
0

Build
house
3

Order
1 Select
and
Select 1
receive
paint
carpet
materials
E

Finish
work
1

Concurrent Activities
Lay foundation

Order material

(a) Incorrect precedence

relationship

Copyright 2006 John

Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Lay
foundation

C
Dummy
2

0
1

Order material
(b) Correct precedence
relationship

AON Network for House Building

Project
Lay foundations

Build house

D
3

B
2
Start

G
1

A
3

Design house
and obtain
financing

C
1

E
1

Order and receive

Select paint
materials

Copyright 2006 John

Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Finish work

F
1
Select carpet

Critical Path
D
3

B
2
Start

A
3
C
1

1:
2:
3:
4:

A-B-D-G
3 + 2 + 3 + 1 = 9 months
A-B-E-F-G
3 + 2 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 8 months
A-C-D-G
3 + 1 + 3 + 1 = 8 months
A-C-E-F-G
3 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 7 months

Copyright 2006 John

Wiley & Sons, Inc.

G
1
F
1

E
1

Critical path

Longest path
through a network
Minimum project
completion time

Activity Start Times

Start at 5 months

D
3

B
2
Start

Finish at 9 months

G
1

A
3
C
1
Start at 3 months

Copyright 2006 John

Wiley & Sons, Inc.

E
1

F
1
Start at 6 months

Finish

Mode Configuration
Activity number
Earliest start
Slack

ES

ID

SL
LS

EF
SL

DUR

LF

Latest start
Activity duration

Copyright 2006 John

Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Earliest finish
Slack
Latest finish

Forward Pass
Start at the beginning of CPM/PERT network
to determine the earliest activity times
Earliest Start Time (ES)
earliest time an activity can start
ES = maximum EF of immediate predecessors

Earliest finish time (EF)

earliest time an activity can finish
earliest start time plus activity time

EF= ES + t

Copyright 2006 John

Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Earliest Activity Start and Finish

Times

A
Start

3
C

Copyright 2006 John

Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Finish

F
E
1
1

Earliest Activity Start and Finish

Times

8 G 9

0 A 3
Start

5 D 8

Finish

2
1

3
3 C 4

Copyright 2006 John

Wiley & Sons, Inc.

6 F 7
5 E 6
1
1

Backward Pass
Determines latest activity times by
starting at the end of CPM/PERT network
and working forward
Latest Start Time (LS)
Latest time an activity can start without
delaying critical path time

LS= LF - t

Latest finish time (LF)

latest time an activity can be completed

without delaying critical path time
LS = minimum LS of immediate predecessors

Copyright 2006 John

Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Latest Activity Start and Finish

Times

0 A 3

5 D 8
8 G 9

5 3 8

Finish

3 2 5

Start

8 1 9

0 3 3
3 C 4
4 1 5

Copyright 2006 John

Wiley & Sons, Inc.

6 F 7
5 E 6
7 1 8
6 1 7

Slack or float
3

Start

0 A 3

3 2 5

5 D 8

5 3 8

8 1 9

0 3 3
3 C 4
1

4 1 5

Copyright 2006 John

Wiley & Sons, Inc.

8 G 9

6 F 7
5 E 6

7 1 8

6 1 7

Finish

Example 1

Finish to Start Dependency

Start to Start Dependency

Start to Start Dependency

0

Start to Start Dependency

0

4
Lag 2

10

10

Finish to Finish Dependency

Finish to Finish Dependency

0

Finish to Finish Dependency

0

Lag 2
4

Start to Finish Dependency

Start to Finish Dependency

5

Start to Finish Dependency

5

9
Lag 2
5