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Scheduling Network by Critical Path Method

Article · August 2022

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Science, Technology and Development ISSN : 0950-0707

Scheduling Network by Critical Path Method

V.T.Lakshmi

Department of Mathematics, Vinayaka Mission’s Kirupananda Variyar Engineering College,

Vinayaka Mission’s Research Foundation (Deemed to be University), Salem, Tamil Nadu,

India

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Abstract- CPM is a project management tool that is used to schedule, organise, and coordinate tasks
within a project. It is a strategy for analysing the tasks involved in completing a project, particularly the
time required to perform each task, and determining the shortest time required to finish the entire
project. This study describes the implementation of the CPM algorithm for finding the critical path and
different types of floats in a project network and analysing the project complete time.

Keywords- Project, Network Activity, Floats, Critical Path

Introduction

A project is a collection of tasks that must be accomplished in order to achieve a specific

objective or result. These activities may be simple or complex, depending on the project's
size and scope, but all projects may be broken down into objectives and what needs to be
done to fulfil them. The administration of project activities using knowledge, skills, tools, and
strategies to achieve project requirements is known as project management. Project
management is an important aspect of any project's success. Under project management,
project scheduling is equally significant in project planning. The three managerial functions
of any project are planning, scheduling, and controlling. A project schedule network diagram
is one tool for aiding with project scheduling challenges. Many techniques and tools have
been developed to aid project planning, such as the Gantt chart, Critical Path Method (CPM),
and Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT), which are heavily used by the
majority of project managers to identify critical activities and calculate the minimum time
required for project completion. PERT and CPM are the most widely used diagramming
methods in project management. The network-based procedures of PERT and CPM are well-
known and widely used to assist managers in planning and controlling both large and small
projects of all types, including construction, research, IT, manufacturing, defence,
development, and many others, and these two techniques provide significant benefit. CPM
calculates activity metrics such as the earliest start time, the latest start time, the earliest
finish time, the latest finish time, the maximum available time, and the slack time. The most
significant advantage of the CPM deterministic assumption may be that it makes it easier to
employ optimization models for balancing time, cost, and sequencing. This paper shows a
way of solving the critical path method to find the shortest route.

Network and Fundamental Terminologies

A network is a visual representation of a project's operations that includes all of the tasks and
activities that must be carried out in order to achieve the project's end goal. The network also

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Science, Technology and Development ISSN : 0950-0707

demonstrates the dependencies and relationships between the various tasks and activities, as
well as the planning sequence for each one.

An event is a particular intellectual or physical achievement in a programme or project plan.

It can be identified as a specific moment in time and doesn't take up any time or resources.
On the network, an event is typically represented by a circle, rectangle, hexagon, or other
geometric shape.
An activity is a task or piece of work that requires time, effort, money, or other resources. It
lies between two events, called the "preceding" and "following" ones.

Activity (i-j)
i j

Preceding Activity Succeeding Activity

B A

A
C

C B

Dummy activity

Identify the parts of a project that require resources and time (man, materials, money). The
action is represented by an arrow, with the tail indicating the start and the head indicating the
end. A dummy activity is one that uses no money or resources but is used to logically connect
the network. The activity's endpoints are referred to as events.

Construction of a Network

When it comes to handling project network events and activities, there are a few basic
principles to follow:
No event can happen until all activities leading up to it have been finished.
 A subsequent activity cannot begin before the preceding event has taken place.
 An event cannot take place twice, meaning that no route of actions can create a loop
that circles around to an action that has already been completed.
 As a result, no event can rely on the success of an earlier event to complete itself.
 Every action must begin at and end at an event.
 From left to right, time moves.
 An action must be finished in order to go to the end-event.
 Only introduce dummy activities if they are really necessary.

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Science, Technology and Development ISSN : 0950-0707

Numbering the events

Each event is given a number after the network is drawn in a logical order. The number
sequence must be chosen so that it accurately depicts the network's flow. The guidelines for
event numbering are:

 Event numbers must be distinct.

 The ordering of events should be done sequentially, from left to right.
 The initial event is either numbered 0 or 1, and it has just outgoing arrows and no
incoming ones.
 The number on an arrow's head should always be higher than the number on the
arrow's tail.
 Spaces between each event number should be allowed for the eventual incorporation
of more activities.

Critical Path Calculation

The term "critical path" refers to a network's essential operations that form a continuous path
that runs the length of the network from beginning to end (or) the longest path for completing
all actions and connecting crucial activities.

A critical task is one that has no slack time and where LFT=EST, or latest finish time equals
earliest start time, applies.
The critical route is determined by the following four factors:
For forward and backward calculation:
 Early start time (ES): the earliest time at which the activity can begin, taking into
account the completion of all preceding activities.
 Early finish time (EF): equal to the activity's earliest start time plus the time required
to complete it.
 Late Finish Time (LF): the shortest amount of time that an activity can be completed
without producing a delay in the overall project schedule.
 Late start time (LS): equal to the pessimistic finish time minus the average time it
takes to complete the task.
Floats calculation
There are many tasks where the total amount of time you have is greater than what is needed
to finish the task. The "Total Float available for the activity" is the term used to describe the
difference between the two.
There are, in general, three types of floats, namely, total float, free float, and independent
float.
 Total Floats (TF): The total amount of time that a task can be postponed without
changing the project's due date.
Total float of an activity (i-j) = (Latest finish of an activity)i,j – (Earliest finish of an
activity)i,j
(or) = (Latest start of an activity)i,j-( Earliest start of an activity)i,j

 Free Floats (FF): The amount of time an activity can be postponed without affecting
other tasks along the way.
Free float of an activity (i-j) = Total float of an activity (i-j)- slack of the head event j

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Science, Technology and Development ISSN : 0950-0707

 Independent floats (IF): The independent float of an activity is the amount of time by
which the activity can be rescheduled without affecting the preceding or succeeding
activities of those activities.
Independent float of an activity (i-j) = Free float of an activity (i-j) – slack of the tail
event i
In the following example, the project manager knows the succession of the project activities
and different types of floats for the following activities
Activity Duration(Weeks)
1-2 8
1-3 7
1-5 12
2-3 4
2-4 10
3-4 3
3-5 5
3-6 10
4-6 7
5-6 4
The associated network flow is

The earliest start time (ES), earliest finish time (EF), latest start time (LS) and latest finish
time (LF), Total Float (TF), Free float (FF), and Independent float (IF) for each activity are
calculated in the following table.
A Duration ES EF LS LF TF FF IF
ctivity (Weeks)
1-2 8 0 8 0 8 0 0 0
1-3 7 0 7 8 15 8 5 5
1-5 12 0 12 9 21 9 5 5
2-3 4 8 12 11 15 3 0 0
2-4 10 8 18 8 18 0 0 0
3-4 3 12 15 15 18 3 3 0
3-5 5 12 17 16 21 4 0 -3
3-6 10 12 22 15 25 3 3 0
4-6 7 18 25 18 25 0 0 0
5-6 4 17 21 21 25 4 4 0

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Science, Technology and Development ISSN : 0950-0707

Conclusion
CPM is a powerful and adaptable tool that can be used at various stages of project
management, from initial planning or analysing alternative programmes to scheduling and
controlling project activities. The project graph aids the foreman in comprehending the order
of tasks and the necessity of advancing those that are crucial. CPM enables him to measure
progress against plans and to take appropriate action quickly when needed. In the above
example, the critical path of the project network is 1-2-4-6, and it is also noted that the total
float, free float, and independent float in some of the activities are positive floats, negative
floats, and zero floats. It indicates that we can postpone an activity without affecting the
project completion date or an activity constraint date for positive floats. The amount of time
that needs to be saved in order to complete the project on schedule is called negative float.
There is no extra time between the activities, and these activities are critical for zero floats.
Follow these floats to avoid the stress of slipping schedules and disastrous delays and
complete the project on time.

REFERENCES

[1] Ala H. Elaiwi, Efficiency of critical path method (CPM) and pert technique for yacht
Construction, International Journal of Mechanical Engineering and Technology, Volume
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[2] Amit Adate, Arpan Goel, Sundaramali G, Analysis Of Project Planning Using CPM and
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[3] Paritosh Tamrakar, Analysis and Improvement by the Application of Network Analysis
(PERT/CPM), The International Journal of Engineering And Science (IJES) ISBN: 2319
– 1805
[4] Paing Hein Soe1, Thein Min Htike1 , Critical path analysis programming method
Without network diagram, MATEC Web of Conferences
[5] Project management with CPM and PERT by Joseph J. Moder, Cecil R. Philips
[6] Operations Research, Handy A. Taha
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