SCHEDULING

BY
DEBRAJ CHATTERJEE
 Scheduling

1. Scheduling a software project involves identifying all the activities necessary to complete the
project.

2. Once a schedule has been worked out, the project manager monitors the timely completion of
the tasks and takes necessary action.

3. A software project manager needs to do the following:

 Identify all the major activities that need to be carried out to complete the project.
 Break down each activity into tasks.
 Determine the dependency among different tasks.
 Establish the estimates for the time durations necessary to complete the tasks.
 Represent the information in the form of an activity network.
 Determine task starting and ending dates from the information represented in the activity
network.
 Determine the critical path. A critical path is a chain of tasks that determines the duration of
the project.
 Allocate resources to tasks.
 Work Breakdown Structure
To make a complex project simple and easy to handle, Work Breakdown Structure comes into use.
OR
Work breakdown structure (WBS) is used to recursively decompose a given set of activities into smaller activities.

This methodology can be used for any type of project management.

Once project activities have been decomposed into a set of tasks, each activity is to be performed is to be
determined by a given time frame
 Activity Networks

An activity network shows the different activities making up a project, their estimated durations, and their
interdependencies.

Activity on Node (AoN)

In this representation, each activity is represented

by a rectangular (some use circular) node and the
duration of the activity is shown alongside each
task in the node. The inter-task dependencies are
shown using directional edges

Activity on Edge (AoE)

In this representation tasks are associated with

the edges. The edges are also annotated with the
task duration. The nodes in the graph represent
project milestones. Activity networks were
originally represented using activity on edge
(AoE) representation.
 Determine the Activity network representation for the MIS development project. Assume that the manager has determined
the tasks to be represented from the work breakdown structure and has determined the durations and dependencies for
each task.

Project Parameters Computed from Activity Network

Task Task Duration Dependant on
Number Task

T1 Specificatio 15 ---------
n
T2 Design 45 T1
Database
T3 Design GUI 30 T1
T4 Code 105 T2
Database
T5 Code GUI 45 T3
part
T6 Integrate & 120 T4 & T5
Test
T7 Write User 60 T1
manual
 Critical Path Method (CPM)
A critical path consists of a set of dependent tasks that need to be performed in a sequence and which together take the
longest time to complete.

CPM is an algorithmic approach to determine the critical paths for tasks not on the critical paths involves calculating the
following quantities:

Minimum time (MT): It is the minimum time required to complete the project. It is computed by determining the maximum
of all paths from start to finish.
Earliest start (ES): It is the time of a task is the maximum of all paths from the start to this task. The ES for a task is the ES of
the previous task plus the duration of the preceding task.
Latest start time (LST): It is the difference between MT and the maximum of all paths from this task to the finish. The LST
can be computed by subtracting the duration of the subsequent task from the LST of the subsequent task.
Earliest finish time (EF): The EF for a task is the sum of the earliest start time of the task and the duration of the task.
Latest finish (LF): LF indicates the latest time by which a task can finish without affecting the final completion time of the
project. A task completing beyond its LF would cause project delay. LF of a task can be obtained by subtracting maximum of
all paths from this task to finish from MT.
Slack time (ST): The slack time (or float time) is the total time that a task may be delayed before it will affect the end time of
the project. The slack time indicates the ”flexibility” in starting and completion of tasks. ST for a task is LS-ES and can
equivalently be written as LF-EF.
Use the Activity network to determine the LS and LF for every task for the MIS problem

The project parameters for different tasks for the MIS problem can be computed as follows:
1. Compute ES and EF for each task. Use the rule: ES is equal to the largest EF the immediate
predecessors
2. Compute LS and LF for each task. Use the rule: LF is equal to the smallest LS of the immediate
successors
3. Compute ST for each task. Use the rule: ST=LF-EF
 Gantt Charts
 Gantt chart has been named after its developer Henry Gantt.

 A Gantt chart is a form of bar chart.

 The vertical axis lists all the tasks to be performed.

 The bars are drawn along the y-axis, one for each task.

 Gantt charts used in software project management are an enhanced version of the standard
Gantt charts.

 In the Gantt charts used for software project management, each bar consists of an unshaded
part and a shaded part.

 The shaded part of the bar shows the length of time each task is estimated to take. The
unshaded part shows the slack time or lax time.

 The lax time represents the leeway or flexibility available in meeting the latest time by which a
task must be finished.

 Gantt chart is a type of a bar chart that is used for illustrating project schedules. Eg: EXCEL
 A Gantt chart is a special type
of bar chart where each bar
represents an activity. The
G bars are drawn along a
A
N timeline. The length of each
T bar is proportional to the
T duration of time planned for
C
H
the corresponding activity.
A
R
T

M
I
S
 PERT Charts

 Project evaluation and review technique (PERT) charts are a more sophisticated form of activity chart.

 Project managers know that there is considerable uncertainty about how much time a task would exactly take to
complete.

 PERT charts like activity networks consist of a network of boxes and arrows.

 The boxes represent activities and the arrows represent task dependencies.

 A PERT chart represents the statistical variations in the project estimates assuming these to be normal distribution.

 PERT allows for some randomness in task completion times.

 Provides the capability to determine the probability for achieving project milestones based on the probability of
completing each task along the path to that milestone.


Each task is annotated with three estimates:

Optimistic (O): It is the minimum possible time required to complete the task anticipating that
every event has
occurred better than usually expected.

Most likely estimate (M): The actual and the best time required to complete the task assuming
everything
goes in a usual way.

Worst case (W): This means the maximum possible time required to complete the given task,
expecting or
assuming everything goes wrong except the main catastrophes.
 The activity durations computed using an activity network are only estimated duration.

 It is therefore not possible to estimate the worst case (pessimistic) and best case (optimistic)
estimations using an activity diagram.

 Since, the actual durations might vary from the estimated durations, the utility of the activity
network diagrams are limited.

 The CPM can be used to determine the duration of a project but does not provide any indication of
the probability of meeting that schedule.
 How Do PERT Charts Work?

 A PERT chart uses circles or rectangles called nodes to represent project events or milestones.
 These nodes are linked by vectors or lines that represent various tasks.

 Dependent tasks are items that must be performed in a specific manner.

 For example, if an arrow is drawn from Task No. 1 to Task No. 2 on a PERT chart, Task No. 1 must be completed before
work on Task No. 2 begins.

 Items at the same stage of production but on different task lines within a project are referred to as parallel tasks.

 They're independent of each other, but they're planned to occur at the same time.

 The purpose of the PERT chart is to find out how much time will be required to finish each task in the project.

 This leads to figuring out the minimum time needed to complete the whole project.

 This model helps to reduce the patient’s hospital stay by judging beforehand the actual care time, manpower, money
and the material required.
 Therefore, following this model helps to prevent waste of time, money and material, benefiting the patient and the
hospital management.