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Project Management

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24 views5 pages

Project Management

Uploaded by

tbosorio
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Critical Path Method

 The critical path method (CPM) is a technique where you identify tasks that are
necessary for project completion and determine scheduling flexibilities. A critical path in
project management is the longest sequence of activities that must be finished on time in
order for the entire project to be complete. Any delays in critical tasks will delay the rest
of the project.
 CPM revolves around discovering the most important tasks in the project timeline,
identifying task dependencies, and calculating task durations.
 CPM was developed in the late 1950s as a method to resolve the issue of increased
costs due to inefficient scheduling. Since then, CPM has become popular for planning
projects and prioritizing tasks. It helps you break down complex projects into individual
tasks and gain a better understanding of the project’s flexibility.
Why use the critical path method?
 CPM can provide valuable insight on how to plan projects, allocate resources, and
schedule tasks.
Here are some reasons why you should use this method:
 Improves future planning: CPM can be used to compare expectations with actual
progress. The data used from current projects can inform future project plans.
 Facilitates more effective resource management: CPM helps project managers prioritize
tasks, giving them a better idea of how and where to deploy resources.
 Helps avoid bottlenecks: Bottlenecks in projects can result in lost valuable time. Plotting
out project dependencies using a network diagram, will give you a better idea of which
activities can and can’t run in parallel, allowing you to schedule accordingly.
Example

Activity A B C D E F G
Immediate
Predecessor A A,B D C,E E
Expected Time
(weeks) 7 9 12 8 9 6 5

 Construct a project network


 Perform FORWARD and BACKWARD passes
 Determine project completion time
 Calculate slack values
 State the critical path

Node Convention found in Quantitative Methods Business by Anderson, Sweeny and Williams

A ES EF
t LS LF

A ES EF (ES + t)
t LS (LF – t) LF

A= activity being described


t=represents the expected activity duration
ES= the earliest time the activity can start
EF=the earliest finish time
LS=latest start
LF=latest finish time without extending the minimum completion
EXAMPLE

Activity A B C D E F G
Immediate Predecessor A A,B D C,E E
Expected Time
(weeks) 7 9 12 8 9 6 5

 Activity A and B has no predecessors, so they can begin as START


 Activity C needs A to be completed before it can start
 D needs both A and B to be completed
 E needs D to be completed before it can start
 F needs C and E to be completed before it can start
 F and G has succesors, so they can go to FINISH

Network with the activity nodes, displaying the letters and time
A ES EF (ES + t)
t LS (LF – t) LF

FORWARD PASS

ACTIVITY T ES EF
A 7 0 0-NO PREDECESSOR 7 0+7=7
B 9 0 0-NO PREDECESSOR 9 0+9=9
C 12 7 EARLIEST FINISH OF A=7 19 7+12=19
D 8 9 HIGHEST EARLIEST FINISH BETWEEN A AND B=9 17 9+8=17
E 9 17 EARLIEST FINISH OF D=17 26 17+9=26
F 6 26 HIGHEST EARLIEST FINISH BETWEEN C AND E=26 32 26+6=32
G 5 26 EARLIEST FINISH OF E=26 31 26+5=31
FINISH=HIGHEST EARLIEST FINISH BETWEEN F AND G 32

BACKWARD PASS

ACTIVIT
Y T LS (LS-T) LF
3
G 5 27 32-5 2
3
F 6 26 32-6 2
2
E 9 17 26-9 6 MINIMUM LATEST START BETWEEN F AND G
1
D 8 9 17-8 7
2
C 12 14 26-12 6 LATEST START OF F
B 9 0 9-9 9 LATEST START OF D
A 7 2 9-7 9 MINIMUM LATEST START BETWEEN C, D
SLACK VALUES
 How long the activity can be delayed
Slack = LS- ES or LF- EF

A 2 0 2 9 7 2
B 0 0 0 9 9 0 CANNOT BE DELAYED
CAN BEGIN BETWEEN WEEK 7 &
C 14 7 7 26 19 7 14, AND CAN FINISH ANYTIME
BETWEEN WEEK 19& 26
D 9 9 0 17 17 0 CANNOT BE DELAYED
E 17 17 0 26 26 0 CANNOT BE DELAYED
F 26 26 0 32 32 0 CANNOT BE DELAYED
G 27 26 1 32 31 1

B
D
SLACK=0, CRITICAL PATH
E
F

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