Scheduling

Project Tasks

Module 4
MGMT192: Advanced managing technical projects
Presented by Alwyn Appiah
PROJECT SCHEDULE
• In project management, a schedule is a listing
of a project milestone activities, and
deliverables, usually intended start and
finish dates.
• In many industries such as engineering and
construction the development and
maintenance of project schedule is a
responsibility of a full time schedule or team
of schedulers depending on the size of the
project.
Scheduling the Work
1. Iterations
• Sprint Lengths
2. Level of accuracy
• Go from rough, to good, to
detailed
• Also called “Rolling Wave”
planning
3. Hours Vs Days
• Resources for the work Package
SCHEDULING FOR OUR
APPLIED PROJECT
1. Define Activities – identifying the
specific actions to be performed
(Identify Work and Attributes)
2. Sequencing Activities – identifying and
documenting relationships among the
project activities.
3. Estimate Activity Resources –
estimating the type and quantities of
material, people, equipment needed
SCHEDULING FOR OUR
APPLIED PROJECT
4. Estimate Activity Duration –
approximating the number of work
periods needed.
5. Develop Schedule – analyzing activity
sequences to create the project schedule.
6. Control Schedule – monitoring the status
of the project to update project progress
and managing changes to the schedule
baseline.
Causes of Duration Variation

1. Varying skill levels

2. Unexpected events
3. Efficiency of work time
4. Mistakes and misunderstandings
5. Variation within the capability of the
system
6. Common cause variation
 WBS:
Create a
New Toy

• https://www.projectinsight.net/project-management-basics/project-management-schedule
 • Activity name

Defining Activities • Identifier

• Brief description

Activity
List • Leads/lags
• Predecessors /
Schedule Successors
• Logical
Management Plan relationships

Defining
Activities Activity
Scope Baseline Attributes
(Scope Statement
and WBS and •0 duration
WBS Dictionary) •Marker Milestone list
•Monitoring Tool
•Takes work to complete
Sequencing Activities

• Types of Dependencies
• Mandatory
• Hard logic
• Discretionary
• Team defined
• External Dependencies
• Relationship btw project and non project activities
Sequencing Activities
1. Predecessor & Successor Activity
2. Leads (Overlap +Ve Time)
3. Lags (Wait –Ve Time)
4. Activity Relationship Sequence
 Finish-to-Start: Until the predecessor activity is complete, the
successor activity cannot start.
E.g. User Training after Software installed

Finish-to-Finish: The successor activity can't be completed until

the point that a predecessor activity is complete. Task B cannot
finish unless task A finishes.

Quality control cannot finish unless production finishes. (the

two are performed at the same time.

Activity Relationship Sequence

 Start to Start: Task B cannot start until Task A is starts
All activities that must happen when a new system goes
live. A & B start at the same time. Both activities can
happen at the same time.

Start to Finish: Activity A must start so that B can end.

A
This is the most unusual and least used relationship type.
This relationship is primarily used with just-in-time
B manufacturing, just-in-time scheduling, and inventory
management systems.

Activity Relationship Sequence

 Defining Activity
Sequence
• Network Diagram
• Schematic Display of the
logical relationships among
project activities
• Gantt Chart – MS Project
• We will explore this in great
detail in our Labs Starting
next week Mod 6
Network-
based
Scheduling –
Gantt Charts
Purpose of the Network Diagram

1. Illustrates Logical relationships between activities

2. Network diagrams help us visualize how the project
will proceed
3. Consists of boxes representing activities/tasks and
linked together to show a sequence and logical
relationships called AON (Activity on Node) process.
4. It communicates the order that activities and events
need to take during the implementation of your
project by defining ‘critical activities’.
5. Can appear congested and complicated, if it gets too
large so keep things simple
 1. First develop an accurate network
diagram
2. Add the duration estimates for all
Steps to activities on each path through the
Calculating network diagram
the Critical 3. The longest path is the critical path
Path 4. If one or more of the activities on the
critical path takes longer than planned,
the whole project schedule will slip
unless the project manager takes
corrective action
16
 1. Free slack or free float is the amount
of time an activity can be delayed
without delaying the early start of
any immediately following activities
Using Critical 2. Total slack or total float is the
Path Analysis amount of time an activity may be
delayed from its early start without
to Make delaying the planned project finish
Schedule date
3. A forward pass through the network
Trade-offs diagram determines the early start
and finish dates
4. A backward pass determines the late
start and finish dates
17
 • Total Slack
• Time that a task can be delayed
without impacting the early

Slack Time schedule of the project.

• Free Slack
• Time a task can be delayed
without impacting the early
schedule of its successor tasks.

Do Not Plan to Use Slack 18

to Bail Out the Project!

Basic Network Diagram
Boxes:
Start node Activity
(diamond) Nodes

End node
(diamond)

Relationship
Arrows
Lets do a simple Example

Assume all durations are in days

A (5)

Start C (7) End

B (10)

Path 1: Start-A-C-End Length = 5 + 7 = 12 days

Path 2: Start-B-C-End Length = 10 + 7 = 17 days Critical Path
Critical Path Method
Assume all durations are in days

A (1) D (4)

E (5) H (6)
Start B (2)

F (4) J (3) End

C (3) G (6) I (2)

Path 1: Start-A-D-H-J-End Length = 1 + 4 + 6 + 3 = 14 days

Path 2: Start-B-E-H-J-End Length = 2 + 5 + 6 + 3 = 16 days Critical Path
Path 3: Start-B-F-J-End Length = 2 + 4 + 3 = 9 days
Path 4: Start-C-G-I-J-End Length = 3 + 6 + 2 + 3 = 14 days
Critical Path Method – Calculating Float
Understanding the paths through the Network

ES – EARLY START ES EF
• The Forward Pass – Early Schedule
EF – EARLY FINISH
LS – LATE START
NODE • Left to right (start to finish)
LF – LATE FINISH LS LF • Determines Early Start and Early Finish
• ES + duration – 1 = EF
Critical Path Method – Forward Pass
Assume all durations are in days

1 5 ES EF
ES – EARLY START
A (5) EF – EARLY FINISH
LS – LATE START
17 LF – LATE FINISH LS LF
11

Start C (7) End

1 10

B (10)

Forward Pass Rules

• Day 1 is the FIRST day of Work for the first Task
• ES + duration – 1 = EF
• Choose the larger EF in forward pass calculations in Successor activity with two connectors
Critical Path Method – Calculating Float
Understanding the paths through the Network

ES – EARLY START
EF – EARLY FINISH
ES EF
• Backward Pass – Late Schedule
NODE
LS – LATE START • Right to left (finish to start)
LF – LATE FINISH LS LF • Determines Late Start and Late Finish
• LF - duration + 1 = LS
Critical Path Method – Backward Pass
Assume all durations are in days

ES – EARLY START ES EF
EF – EARLY FINISH
1 5
LS – LATE START
A (5) LF – LATE FINISH LS LF

6 10 11 17

Start C (7) End

11 17
1 10

B (10)

1 10
Backward Pass Rules
• LF - duration + 1 = LS
• Choose the smaller LS in backward pass calculations in Predecessor activity with two connectors
Calculate Float
Assume all durations are in days

(5)
1 5

A (5)
6 10 (0)
11 17
Start
C (7) End

11 17
1 (0) 10

B (10)

1 10
1. The float for activity A is 5 (LS – ES) and (EF – LF)
2. The float for activity B is 0 (LS – ES) and (EF – LF)
3. The float for activity C is 0 (LS – ES) and (EF – LF)
The Critical Path
Assume all durations are in days

(5)
1 5

A (5)
6 10 (0)
11 17
Start
C (7) End

11 17
1 (0) 10

B (10)

1 10
1. The float for all activities on the Critical Path is 0 (Start-B-C-End)
2. Notice how the ES and EF are equal to LS and LF on the critical path
3. Activity A has a float of 5 and is therefore not on the critical path
Let’s Practice in Class
• Let’s practice calculating the
Critical Path for the following
Activities
• Download the Word Document in
Seminar Module 5
• Submit to Dropbox – “S5 Network
Diagram”

Individual Work
1. Identify all different paths
2. Do a Forward & Backward Pass
3. Calculate Float on each Node
4. Define is the critical path
5. How long will the project take?
 Activity Activity Activity Duration

Group Exercise B – Gather requirements

Predecessor
5
• Construct a Network M – Develop wireframe B 4
Diagram for the
following Activities N – Develop table and database structures B 9
• Submit to Dropbox – “S5
Network Diagram” Q – Develop Graphics interface B 15

A - Select tools to use M, N 1

IN PROJECT TEAM F – Develop all data entry screens N, Q 4
1. How long will the X Test user experience Q 9
project take
C – build website Q 9
2. Identify the different
paths Y Develop beta version A, F, X 9

3. What is the critical S – link screens to database F 6

path? J – Do something X, F 5
4. Upload Network T – Do something else C 10
Diagram to Dropbox
V – test beta Y, S 5
U – Release Final V, T, J 10