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Lecture 5: Project Scheduling: Networks, Duration Estimation, and Critical Path

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Lecture 5: Project Scheduling: Networks, Duration Estimation, and Critical Path

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Al Al
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LECTURE 5: PROJECT SCHEDULING:

NETWORKS, DURATION ESTIMATION, AND


CRITICAL PATH

Lecture 3: NCS-413 Dr. Fakhra Jabeen


Chapter 9
Learning Objectives
9-2

After completing this chapter, you should be able to:


1.Understand and apply key scheduling terminology.
2.Apply the logic used to create activity networks,

including predecessor and successor tasks.


3.Develop an activity network using Activity-on-Node

(AON) techniques.
4.Perform activity duration estimation based on the use of

probabilistic estimating techniques.

Copyright ©2016 Pearson Education, Ltd.


Chapter 9
Learning Objectives
9-3

After completing this chapter, you should be able to:


5.Construct the critical path for a project schedule network
using forward and backward passes.
6.Identify activity float and the manner in which it is
determined.
7.Understand the steps that can be employed to reduce the

critical path.

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Project Schedule – schedule of activities and milestones, ideally in MS Project.
Alternatively, a more informal schedule can be established within the action item list.

Copyright ©2016 Pearson Education, Ltd.


Project Scheduling
9-5

Project scheduling requires us to follow some carefully


laid-out steps, in order, for the schedule to take shape. PMBoK
states, “an output of a schedule model that presents linked
activities with planned dates, durations, milestones, and
resources.”
Project planning, as it relates to the scheduling process, has been
defined by the PMBoK as:

The identification of the project objectives and the ordered


activity necessary to complete the project including the
identification of resource types and quantities required to
carry out each activity or task.

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Serial Activities
(figure 9.5)

9-6

Serial activities are those that flow from one to


the next, in sequence.

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Concurrent activities
(figure 9.6)

When the nature of the work allows for more than one
activity to be accomplished at the same time, these activities
are called concurrent, and parallel project paths are
constructed through the network.

 
Copyright ©2016 Pearson Education, Ltd. 9-15
NETWORK DIAGRAM – SERIAL
SEQUENTIAL LOGIC
9-8 (FIGURE 9.2A)

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NETWORK DIAGRAM – NONSERIAL
SEQUENTIAL LOGIC
9-9 (FIGURE 9.2B)

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PMBOK Core Concepts
10-4

Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) covered in this


chapter includes:
6.Estimate Activity Resources (PMBoK 6.4)

7.Estimate Activity Durations (PMBoK 6.5)

8.Develop Schedule (PMBoK 6.6)

9.Schedule Compression (PMBoK 6.6.2.7)

10.Control Schedule (PMBoK 6.7)

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Project Scheduling Terms
9-11

 Project Network Diagram: Any schematic display of the logical


relationships of project activities.
 Path: A sequence of activities defined by the project network
logic.
 Event: A point when an activity is either started or completed.
 Node: One of the defining points of a network; a junction point
joined to some or all of the other dependency lines (paths).

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Copyright ©2016 Pearson Education, Ltd.
Project Scheduling Terms
9-13

 Predecessors: Those activities that must be completed prior to


initiation of a later activity in the network.
 Successors: Activities that cannot be started until previous
activities have been completed. These activities follow
predecessor tasks.
 Early start (ES) date: The earliest possible date the uncompleted
portions of an activity can start.
 Late start (LS) date: The latest possible date that an activity may
begin without delaying a specified milestone.

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Node Labels
(figure 9.3)
9-15

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AOA Versus AON
9-12

The same mini-project is shown with activities on


arc…
D E
B F
C

…and activities on node.


D E
B F

C
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Project Scheduling Terms
9-17

 Forward pass: Network calculations to determine earliest


start/earliest finish for an activity through working forward
through each activity in network.
 Backward pass: Network calculations to determine late start/late
finish for uncompleted tasks through working backward through
each activity in network.
 Merge activity: An activity with two or more immediate
predecessors.
 Burst activity: An activity with two or more immediate successors.

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Forward pass / backward pass

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Merge Activity
(figure 9.7)

Copyright ©2016 Pearson Education, Ltd. 9-19


Burst Activity
(figure 9.8)
9-20

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Project Scheduling Terms
9-21

 Float: Float, sometimes called slack, is the amount of time an activity, network path,
or project can be delayed from the early start without changing the completion date of
the project.
 Critical path: The path through project network with the longest
duration.
 Critical Path Method: The Critical Path Method is defined in
the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) as follows:
“The Critical Path Method is the sequence of scheduled activities that
determines the duration of the project.” These scheduled activities must be
performed if the project is to be considered a success
 Resource-limited schedule: Start and finish dates reflect expected
resource availability.

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Float tells you about the flexibility you have as a project manager to deal with delays in activities
that are not on the critical path without delaying the whole project

Copyright ©2016 Pearson Education, Ltd.


Copyright ©2016 Pearson Education, Ltd.
Activity Duration and Variance
(table 9.2)
9-22

Name: Project Delta

Durations are listed in weeks

Activity Description Optimistic Likely Pessimistic

A Contract signing 3 4 11

B Questionnaire design 2 5 8

C Target market ID 3 6 9

D Survey sample 8 12 20

E Develop presentation 3 5 12

F Analyze results 2 4 7

G Demographic analysis 6 9 14

H Presentation to client 1 2 4

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PROJECT NETWORK WITH ACTIVITY SLACK AND
CRITICAL PATH
(FIGURE 9.20)

Copyright ©2016 Pearson Education, Ltd. 9-27


Example of a Hammock Activity
(figure 9.25)
9-26

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Options for Reducing the Critical Path
9-27

1. Eliminate tasks on the critical path.


2. Replan serial paths to be in parallel.
3. Overlap sequential tasks.
4. Shorten the duration on critical path tasks.
5. Shorten early tasks.
6. Shorten longest tasks.
7. Shorten easiest tasks.
8. Shorten tasks that cost the least to speed up.

Copyright ©2016 Pearson Education, Ltd.


Summary
9-28

1. Understand and apply key scheduling terminology.


2. Apply the logic used to create activity networks,
including predecessor and successor tasks.
3. Develop an activity network using Activity-on-Node
(AON) techniques.
4. Perform activity duration estimation based on the
use of probabilistic estimating techniques.

Copyright ©2016 Pearson Education, Ltd.


Summary
9-29

5. Construct the critical path for a project schedule


network using forward and backward passes.
6. Identify activity float and the manner in which it is
determined.
7. Calculate the probability of a project finishing on
time under PERT estimates.
8. Understand the steps that can be employed to reduce
the critical path.

Copyright ©2016 Pearson Education, Ltd.


References

 Chapter 9: Text Book

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