Project Scheduling:

Networks, Duration estimation,

and Critical Path
 Project Scheduling Terms
• Successors
• Predecessors
• Network diagram
• Serial activities
• Concurrent activities

A D E F

C
 Project Scheduling Terms
• Merge activities
• Burst activities
• Node
• Path
• Critical Path

A D E F

C
Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 9-3
 Network Diagrams
Show Help
interdependence schedule
resources
Show
Facilitate start &
communication finish
dates
Determine project Identify
completion critical
activities
Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 9-4
 AOA vs. AON
The same mini-project is shown with activities on
arrow…
D E
B F
C

…and activities on node.

D E
B F

C
 Node and activity labels in AoA
diagrams
(NOT following the textbook)
Deadline

EET Duration EET

1 LET Activity identifier

2 LET

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 9-6

 Node Labels in AoN diagrams
(NOT completely following the textbook)

Free float

Early Total Early

Start Float Finish

Activity Descriptor
Late Activity Late
Start Duration Finish
 Duration Estimation Methods
• Past experience
• Expert opinion
• Mathematical derivation – Beta distribution
– Most likely (m)
2
– Most pessimistic (b) ba
– Most optimistic (a)
Activity Variance = s  
2

 6 

a  4m  b
Activity Duration = TE 
6
 Beta distribution

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 9-9

1. Sketch the network described in the table.
2. Determine the expected duration and variance of each
activity.

Task Predecessor a m b TE s2
A -- 7 8 15 9 1.8
B A 13 16 19 16 1.0
C A 14 18 22 18 1.8
D B, C 12 14 16 14 0.4
E D 1 4 13 5 4.0
F D 6 10 14 10 1.8
G F, E 11 14 19 14.3 1.4
 Solution with AoN diagram
2 2

9 2 25 41 5 46

b e

11 16 27 46 5 51
0 0 0

0 0 9 27 0 41 51 0 65

a d g

0 9 9 27 14 41 51 14 65
0 0
9 0 27 41 0 51
c f
9 18 27 41 10 51

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 9-11

 Constructing the Critical Path
• Forward pass – an additive move through the
network from start to finish

• Backward pass – a subtractive move through

the network from finish to start

• Critical path – the longest path from end to end

which determines the shortest project length

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 9-12

 Rules for Forward/Backward Pass
Forward Pass Rules (ES & EF)
– ES + Duration = EF
– EF of predecessor = ES of successor
– Largest preceding EF at a merge point becomes EF
for successor

Backward Pass Rules (LS & LF)

– LF – Duration = LS
– LS of successor = LF of predecessor
– Smallest succeeding LS at a burst point becomes LF
for predecessor
Task Predecessor Time
1. Sketch the network
A -- 4 described in the table.
B A 9
C A 11 2. Determine the ES,
D B 5 LS, EF, LF, and total
E B 3 float of each activity
F C 7
G D, F 3
H E, G 2
K H 1
 Laddering Activities
Project ABC can be completed more efficiently if
subtasks are used
A(3) B(6) C(9) ABC=18 days

A1(1) A2(1) A3(1)

B1(2) B2(2) B3(2)

Laddered
ABC=12 days C1(3) C2(3) C3(3)
 Hammock Activities
Used as summaries for subsets of activities
0 A 5 5 B 15 15 C 18
0 5 5 5 10 15 15 3 18

0 Hammock 18
0 18 18
Useful with a complex
project or one that has
a shared budget
 Reducing the Critical Path
• Eliminate tasks on the CP
• Convert serial paths to parallel when possible
• Overlap sequential tasks
• Shorten the duration on critical path tasks
• Shorten
– early tasks
– longest tasks
– easiest tasks
– tasks that cost the least to speed up
Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 9-17
 Optional HW
• Create the AoA & AoN networks of your project
using the symbols of this class.
• Prize: 15%
• Task list with cost estimation: +5%

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 9-18

Thanks for your attention