CHAPTER-3
MANAGEMENT TOOLS
Construction planning is essential to complete
any activity in efficient and economical way.
Different Phases of Project
1. Planning phase
2. Organizing phase
3. Scheduling phase
4. Controlling & Monitoring phase
5. Evaluating Phase
Different Management tools
• Gantt bar chart
• Modified Gantt bar chart
• CPM (Critical Path Method)
• PERT ( Programme Evaluation Review Technique)
Gantt Bar Chart
• It is also known as Gantt chart, after Henry Gantt
who developed this technique in 1910 to meet
requirements of US Navy
• A bar chart consists of two coordinate axes, one
showing the time and other showing jobs or activities
• Each job is depicted in the form of a horizontal line
and the length of a bar indicates duration of the job
or activity
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 Layout and excavate
2 Place mud-mat
(lean concrete)
3 Fabricate Shuttering
4 Cut and band
Reinforcement
5 Fix Reinforcement
6 Fix shuttering
7 Pour concrete
TIME (DAYS)
Modified Gantt Bar Chart
• The up to date progress of various works completed
can be shown by modifying Gantt bar chart
• The completed works are shown by filling the blocks
allotted to each of the activities
• It has control over work progress
Limitations of bar charts
• The bar chart does not show clearly the
interdependencies among the various activities in a
construction project
• The bar chart does not indicate the quantities of
work
• It does not indicate critical activities requiring careful
attention of the construction team
• No cost optimization and resource levelling
• No reflection of uncertainties over time
• Suitable only for small and simple jobs
Critical Path Method(CPM)
• In India, CPM is being increasingly used for project
management by a number of private and public
organizations.
• CPM is a powerful tool for planning, scheduling and
controlling all types of projects.
• We can know the completion time of project. If there is a
delay in one activity, it shows by how much time the entire
project will be delayed.
• It schedules material deliveries so as to have materials when
needed but avoid costly storage for long periods
• Application of CPM results in better decisions and a saving in
the over –all project cost.
Programme Evaluation Review Technique(PERT)
• The main function of management is decision making under
uncertain conditions and balancing the risks related to
problem
• To show this uncertainty PERT is used.
• It shows the uncertainty by three estimates of activity
• Optimistic time estimation ta : Minimum time required for an
activity if nothing exceptionally goes wrong
• Pessimistic time estimate tb : Maximum time required for an
activity if nothing exceptionally goes wrong
• The most likely time tm : Time required if the activity is
repeated number of times
Advantages of CPM:
• Easier for management control
• Tracking of critical activities
• Visual presentation of project
• Identifies most critical elements for more attention
Advantages of PERT :
• Provides the most economical schedule for fixed project
duration
• Incorporates risk analysis in project network
• Determines critical activities and identifies the critical path
Activity: Performance of a specific task , job or function
which consumes time and resources and has a definite beginning
and end is called as activity. It is indicated by arrow.
For example excavate foundation, lay brick work, back fill trench,
fix shuttering, fix reinforcement, concrete wall etc. are all
activities.
Event: An instantaneous point in time, marking the beginning or
end of one or more activities is called an event. An event
consumes no time resources.
For example excavation completed, brick work laid, shuttering
fixed, wall concreted etc. Are all events
Dummy Activity : Activity which does not use any resources or
Time for completion. Denoted by dotted line with zero time
Duration.
Earliest Start Time (EST) : The earliest possible time at which an
activity may start without changing the sequence of activities
Earliest Finish Time (EFT): EST + Duration of an activity
Late Start Time (LST) : The latest time by which the activity can
be started without delaying the date of the project.
Late Finish Time (LFT): The latest time by which an activity can
be completed without delaying the date of the project
Total Float (TF) : Duration of time by which the activity can be
started late without disturbing the project schedule
TF = LST – EST = LFT – EFT
Free Float : Duration of time by which completion time of an
activity can be delayed without affecting the start of
succeeding activities FF = EFT
Interfering Float : TF - FF
Critical Path : The events which have no float are the critical
events and the path joining critical events is known as Critical
path
Network: A network is the diagrammatic representation of a
work plan showing the activities, step-by-step, leading to the
established goal. It depicts the inter-dependence between the
various activities, i.e. which activities can be done together and
which activities and which must precede or succeed others.
NETWORK REPRESENTATION
The following two systems of network representation are used for
development and analysis of network in CPM.
• Activity-on-Arrow ( A-O-A) system
• Activity – on Node ( A-O-N) system
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(a) Activity-on-Arrow (A-O-A) system: In this system an
activity is graphically represented by an arrow drawn from left
to right. The description of the activity is written above the
arrow and the time taken to complete the activity is written
below it (Fig.7.1).
The length of the arrow bears on relationship
to the duration of the activity that it represents
Fix shuttering
4(Days)
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An event is graphically represented by a number
enclosed in a circle. The beginning of an activity is
marked by a ‘tail event’ or preceding event and the
end by a ‘head event’ or succeeding event (Fig.7.2)
pour concrete
1 2
Tail Event 2(Days) Head Event
(Preceding Event) (Succeeding Event)
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An example of the graphical representation of a network on the A-O-A
system is shown in Fig.7.3
1 3 4
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(b) Activity–on-node (A-O-N) system:
In this system activities are represented on the nodes,
and arrows are used to show the dependency relationships
between the activity nodes. The time required to complete an
activity is also indicated in the node.
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Rule 1:
No activity can commence until all preceding activities have been
completed
Ex: plastering of wall is completed after building the wall
1 2 3
5 7 8
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Rule 2:
A dummy activity to show dependency or to avoid duplicate
numbering
1 3 4
Ex: concrete pier and pre cast beams are completed after erect
beams 2-3 is a dummy activity
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Rule 3:
logical placement of an activity in the network governed by
(a) precedence – which activity must be
completed before this activity can commence
(b) concurrence – which activities can be carried
out along with this activity
(c) subsequence – which activities cannot
commence until this activity is completed
2
0
1 3 4 5
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Rule 4:
There must not be any looping
1 2
Ex: Cure concrete cannot commence until place concrete is
completed and test concrete cannot begin until cure
concrete
is completed
However, place concrete cannot start until test concrete is
completed
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Rule 5:
There must be only one start and one finish in any network
1 2 4
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