Project Management
Project Management
■ A dummy activity shows a precedence AON Network for House Building Project using
relationship but reflects no passage of time. QM for Windows
B E G
4 1 3
Start A F H J Finish
2 8 5 7
C I
5 4
Example 2 - Solution
Solved Problem 2
What is the probability of completing the project in
23 weeks?
LS, LF Network
See slide
Adding LS and LF to Network
Using probabilistic time estimates offers the The expected completion time
advantage of predicting the probability of Its variance
project completion dates
You can calculate the probability of
We have already calculated the expected completing the project in “X” weeks with
time for each activity by making three time the following formula:
estimates
specified time path expected time DT EFP
z
Now we need to calculate the variance for path standard time σP 2
each activity
Where DT = the specified completion date
The variance of the beta probability
distribution is: EFPath = the expected completion time of
the path
σPath2 variance of path
Need to put resources on a new Crash activity I from 3 weeks to 2 weeks $1000
project Crash activity J from 4 weeks to 2 weeks $2400
Promised completion dates Crash activity D from 6 weeks to 4 weeks $4000
Reduced project completion time is Recommend Crash Cost $7400
“crashing”
Question: Will crashing 5 weeks return
Crashing a project needs to balance more in benefits than it costs?
Shorten a project duration Crashed Network Diagram
Cost to shorten the project duration
Crashing a project requires you to know
Crash time of each activity
Crash cost of each activity
Crash cost/duration = (crash cost-normal
cost)/(normal time – crash time)
time and cost of a project. The project
manager reviews this information to ensure
that adequate resources exist and that the
expected completion time is reasonable.
Project Management OM Across the Organization
Accounting uses project management (PM)
information to provide a time line for major
expenditures
Marketing use PM information to monitor
the progress to provide updates to the
customer
Adding Feeder Buffers to Critical Chains Information systems develop and maintain
software that supports projects
The theory of constraints, the basis for
critical chains, focuses on keeping Operations use PM to information to
bottlenecks busy. monitor activity progress both on and off
critical path to manage resource
Time buffers can be put between requirements
bottlenecks in the critical path
Chapter 16 Highlights
These feeder buffers protect the critical
path from delays in non-critical paths A project is a unique, one time event of
some duration that consumes resources and
is designed to achieve an objective in a
given time period.
Each project goes through a five-phase life
cycle: concept, feasibility study, planning,
execution, and termination.
Two network planning techniques are PERT
and CPM. Pert uses probabilistic time
estimates. CPM uses deterministic time
estimates.
Project Management within OM: How it all fits
together Pert and CPM determine the critical path of
the project and the estimated completion
Project management techniques provide a
time. On large projects, software programs
structure for the project manager to track the
are available to identify the critical path.
progress of different activities required to
complete the project. Particular concern is Pert uses probabilistic time estimates to
given to critical path (the longest connected determine the probability that a project will
path through the project network) activities. be done by a specific time.
Any delay to a critical path activity affects To reduce the length of the project
the project completion time. These (crashing), we need to know the critical path
techniques indicate the expected completion of the project and the cost of reducing
individual activity times. Crashing activities
that are not on the critical path typically do
not reduce project completion time.
The critical chain approach removes excess
safety time from individual activities and
creates a project buffer at the end of the
critical path.
A C E F
START F IN IS H
See slide
B D
Project Crashing and Time-Cost Trade-Off
General Relationship of Time and Cost
■ Project crashing costs and indirect costs
have an inverse relationship.
■ Crashing costs are highest when the project
is shortened.
■ Indirect costs increase as the project
duration increases.
■ The optimal project time is at the minimum
point on the total cost curve.
NEW
PERT/CPM
Key Terms
Critical Path: The longest time path through the
task network. The series of tasks (or even a single
task) that dictates the calculated finish date of the
project (That is, when the last task in the critical path
is completed, the project is completed) The
"longest" path (in terms of time) to the completion
of a project. If shortened, it would shorten the time
it takes to complete the project. Activities off the
critical path would not affect completion time even
if they were done more quickly.
Slack Time
The amount of time a task can be delayed before the
project finish date is delayed. Total slack can be
positive or negative. If total slack is a positive it
indicates the amount of time that the task can be
delayed without delaying the project finish date. If
negative, it indicates the amount of time that must
be saved so that the project finish date is not delayed.
Total Slack = Latest Start - Earliest Start. By default
and by definition, a task with 0 slack is considered a
critical task. If a critical task is delayed, the project
finish date is also delayed. (Also known as float
time)
Crashing
Shifting resources to reduce slack time so the critical
path is as short as possible. Always raises project
costs and is typically disruptive – a project should be
crashed with caution.
Combining both the results, the total crashing cost Gantt Chart: A bar chart. While visually
for the optimal way of meeting the deadline of 47 appealing on a task/duration basis, it is
days is $30,000 + $45,000 = $75,000. limited because it does not show task or
resource relationships well. Strength: easy to
maintain and read.
Network Diagram: A wire diagram, Also Milestone
known as a PERT network diagram. A
A significant task which represents a key
diagram that shows tasks and their
accomplishment within the project. Typically
relationships. Limited because it shows only
requires special attention and control.
task relationships. Strength: easy to read task
relationships. Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
Sample Gantt Chart A detailed, hierarchical (from general to
specific) tree structure of deliverables and
tasks that need to be performed to complete a
project.
Purpose: to identify actual tasks to be done in
a project. Serves as basis for project planning.
An extension to PERT.
Identify the major task categories
Dependencies
Identify sub-tasks, and sub-sub-tasks
Links between project tasks. There are 3 types of
Use verb-noun to imply action to something
dependencies:
Example: Getting up in the morning
Causal, where 1 task must be
completed before another can begin Hit snooze button
(have to bake bread before you can
Hit snooze button again
make a sandwich)
Get outa bed
critical path schedules are based only on causal
dependencies Avoid dog
Resource, where a task is limited by Go to bathroom…
availability of resources (more bread
can be baked by 2 bakers, but only 1 is
available) Create WBS
Discretionary, optional task sequence Decomposition of project deliverables and
preferences that, though not required, activities into smaller, more manageable
may reflect organizational preferences parts
Dummy activity The lowest level in WBS is a Work Package
based on Statement Of Work (SOW)
An imaginary activity with no duration, used to
show either an indirect relationship between 2 tasks Needs to be S.M.A.R.T (Specific,
or to clarify the identities of the tasks . In CPM, each Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely)
activity must be uniquely defined by its beginning
and ending point. When two activities begin and end
at the same time, a dummy activity (an activity
which begins and ends at the same time) is inserted
into the model to distinguish the two activities.
Resources may be shifted to meet
need
Cost and time share a direct
relationship (Cost of each activity is
evenly spread over time)
Time, of itself, has no value
These assumptions make PM controversial
THE PM Concept Assumption
A Critical Path Exists
A small set of activities, which make up the
Picture see slide longest path through the activity network
control the entire project.
WBS Dictionary
If these "critical" activities could be
A companion document to the WBS identified & assigned to responsible persons,
May have detailed content of the components management resources could be optimally
contained in a WBS, including work used by concentrating on the few activities
packages and control accounts which determine the fate of the entire project.
For each WBS component, the WBS Others can be re-planned, rescheduled &
dictionary includes a code of account resources for them can be reallocated,
identifier, a statement of work, responsible without affecting the project.
organization, and a list of schedule Standardized PM Tools
milestones
1917: Henry Gantt introduced standardized
Can include a list of associated schedule PM tools
activities, resources required, and an estimate
of cost Gantt Chart – visual tracking
of tasks and resources
Each WBS component is cross-referenced, as
appropriate, to other WBS components Depiction of relationships
between tasks
Project Management Assumptions
Depiction of constraints
PM makes several key assumptions between tasks
All tasks have distinct begin and end First Widespread acceptance
points of a single technique
All estimates can be mathematically Created out of need and frustration as
derived industrialization became ever more complex
Tasks must be able to be arranged in a PERT & CPM
defined sequence that produces a pre-
defined result PERT (Program Evaluation and Review
Technique) – introduced by US military
(Navy) in 1958
US Navy : control costs &
schedules for Polaris
Submarine construction
CPM (Critical Path Method) – introduced by
US industry in 1958 (DuPont Corporation
and Remington-Rand)
Industry: control costs and
schedules in manufacturing
Common weakness to both: ignores
most dependencies
Considers only completion of a
preceding required task
Both rely on a logical sequence of tasks
Organized visually (Charts), tabular or
simple lists
An Example of a Logical Sequence
Making a simple list of tasksPlanting trees
with flowers and edging around them –
tasks required to complete this project:
1. Mark utilities, 2. Dig Holes, 3. Buy trees, 4.
Buy flowers, 5. Plant trees, 6. Plant flowers, 7.
Buy edging, 8. Install edging
Variation in Networks
This list does not reflect time or money
Standards such as BS 6046
This list does not reflect task relationships
Activity on Arrow
This list is a simple sequence of logical
events Activity on Node
This list does not provide an easy project 7
“snapshot” 3
END
1 2 5 6 8
4
MEMORY TRIGGER: if the float of the
activity is zero, the two starts (ES and LS)
and the two finish (EF and LF) are the same.
Hence, If float of activity is zero, ES = LS
and EF = LF.
PM Today – Necessary?
Frustration with cost & schedule overruns
Frustration with reliability of production
estimates
Management challenges exist today:
Only 44% of projects are completed
on time
On average, projects are 189% over-
budget
70% of completed projects do not
perform as expected
30% of projects are canceled before
completion
On average, projects are 222% longer
than expected
PM has been shown to improve this
3 .5 3.5 3 .5 3.5
3 Buy Trees 7 Buy Edging performance
LS Slack LF LS Slack LF
PERT Calculations
Forward and Backward Pass
Step 1: Define tasks
Forward pass is a technique to move forward
through a diagram to calculate activity Step 2: Place Tasks in a logical order, find the
duration. Backward pass is its opposite. critical path
Early Start (ES) and Early Finish (EF) use The longest time path through the task
the forward pass technique. network. The series of tasks (or even a
single task) that dictates the calculated
Late Start (LS) and Late Finish(LF) use the finish date
backward pass technique.
Step 3: Generate estimates
Optimistic, pessimistic, likely and As a general rule, the higher the
PERT- expected standard deviation the greater
the amount of uncertainty
Standard Deviation and variance
Variance (V) reflects the spread of a
Step 4: Determine earliest and latest dates
value over a normal distribution
Step 5:Determine probability of meeting
V=SD2 (Standard deviation
expected date
squared)
Steps 1 and 2 are logic and legwork, not
When doing manual PERT Calculations it is
calculation – these require a clear goal
helpful to construct a table to stay organized
PERT Calculations – Step 3
Consider the sample project– planting trees
Assuming steps 1 and 2 have been completed and flowers, set up using a list
begin calculations – use a table to organize
Rough estimates and no risk analysis
your calculations
No Range, simply rough
Simple calculations to estimate project
estimates - unreliable?
durations
PERT Analysis will better refine
Based on input of 3 estimated durations per
estimates
task
Start by setting up a table to organize data
Most Optimistic (TO) – best case
scenario
Most Likely (TL) “normal” scenario
Most Pessimistic (TP) Worst case
scenario
Formula derives a probability-based
expected duration (TE)
(TO x 1 + TL x 4 + TP x 1) / 6 =
TE
Read this formula as the sum of
(optimistic x 1 + likely x 4 +
pessimistic x 1) divided by 6 =
expected task duration
Complete this calculation for all tasks
Standard deviation and variance
Standard deviation (SD) is the average
deviation from the estimated time
SD=(TP-T0)/6 {read as
(pessimistic-optimistic)/6}
Denote the sum of all expected
durations on the critical path as S
Denote the sum of all variances on the
critical path as V
Select a desired completion time,
denote this as D
COMPUTE: (D-S)/square root (V)
= Z ( the number of std. deviations that
the due date is away from the expected
date))
Enter a standard normal table to find a
probability that corresponds with Z
1
z
1
PZ z exp( Z 2 dZ
2 2
For our project, figure a probability based on
the most likely time, 15 days: (15-
15.51)/square root(2.53) = (15-15.51)/1.59=-
.3207 (Z)
A corresponding probability is 37.7%
(Rounded)
This process can be repeated for any date
desired
Computing probability in Excel using data compiled
in your table
Microsoft Excel has normal distribution
functions built in and can compute PERT
probabilities
By creating a table as a spreadsheet, the
addition of a few simple formulae will do the
rest of the work
Create a table as a template that can be used
over and over again – simply change the input
PERT Step 5 – Probabilities
Manually computing probability using data
compiled in your table
Determine probability of meeting a date by
using the table data