Network-Planning Models

• The two best known network-planning models are:

• Critical Path Method (CPM)
• Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT)
 CPM
• It is based on the assumption that the project activity times can be
estimated accurately and that they do not vary.
• The critical path of activities in a project is the sequence of activities
that form the longest chain in terms of their time to complete.
• If any one of the activities on the critical path is delayed, then the
entire project is delayed. It is possible and it often happens that there
are multiple paths of the same length through the network so there
are multiple critical paths.
 PERT
• PERT was developed to handle uncertain time estimates.
 CPM
• Immediate predecessor:
• Activities that need to be completed immediately before another
activity.
• A project has been defined to contain the following list of activities, along with their required times for
completion:

Activity Time (Days) Immediate Predecessors

A 1 -
B 4 A
C 3 A
D 7 A
E 6 B
F 2 C, D
G 7 E, F
H 9 D
I 4 G, H
• Draw the critical path diagram
• Show the early start and early finish, late start and late finish times
• Show the critical path
• What would happen if activity F was revised to take 4 days instead of
2.
• Compute the length of each path.
Path Length (Days)
A-B-E-G-I 22
A-C-F-G-I 17
A-D-F-G-I 21
A-D-H-I 21
Path Length (Days)
A-B-E-G-I 22 (critical path)
A-C-F-G-I 17
A-D-F-G-I 21
A-D-H-I 21
ES EF

LS LF
• Early Start and Early Finish times are the earliest times that that the
activity can start and be finished.
• Late Start and Late Finish times are the latest times the activities can
start and finish without delaying the project.
• Slack Time is the time that an activity can be delayed without delaying
the entire project. It is the difference between the Late Start and Early
Start times of an activity.
• Early Start schedule is one that list all of the activities by their Early
start times.
• Late Start schedule is one that lists all activities by their late start
times. This schedule may create savings by postponing purchases of
material and other costs associated with the project.