4E1 Management For Engineers: Project Management - Lecture 3 Leo Harmon

4E1 Management for Engineers
Project Management - Lecture 3

Leo Harmon
4E1 Project Management Lecture 3
Objective of Lecture
From WBS to Network
Differences between them
Network to Gantt
Worked examples from Gray Larson
Concept of Critical Path
Concepts of Float/Slack and lag
Additional learning material
Chapter 6 Gray & Larson
WBS to Network
WBS
Independently specified - task, resources, costs
No analysis of sequence
Network
Sequence of tasks
Interdependency & scheduling
Maximise the overlap in the people that do

WBS and Network Planning
Common understanding of WBS terminology
Network Rules
Flow is Left to Right
An activity cannot begin until the preceding tasks
are completed
Arrows indicate precedence and flow (can cross
over each other)
Each activity should have a unique ID
Looping is NOT ALLOWED
Conditional statements are NOT ALLOWED
Project should have a common start and end
node
In Class Exercise 1
From the Following WBS draw network
Solution to Task 1
Project Networks
Project networks have some specific characteristics:
Arrows/links
At least one path from

start to completion
represent a task or activity

and its duration - hence
Activity on Arrow (AOA) No circuits or loops
conventionally run left-right
One and only one
starting node
completion node
link between each pair of
nodes (why?)
May be
multiple paths from start to

completion
special activities, and thus

links, with zero duration
Project Network Features

Critical path
Free float
If all tasks on a path from start to

Activities that can start late or
completion have zero slack, the
finish early have free float
path is on the critical path
Interfering float
Time delay risk of the project!
An activity that can only be
Sub-critical activities
delayed in its float at the
Activities with a small free float
expense of some other
are sub-critical activities
activitys float has an
interfering float
Slack
Typical task has earliest start
and latest completion times
Slack = LC - ES
Why Critical Path?

Minimise
Total project time
Total project cost
Cost for a given time
Time for a given cost
Idle resources
CPA methods used as:

planning tools
control tools
Many software packages
can calculate the path
May be > 1 critical path
10
Critical Path Method (CPM)

To find the critical path three
steps are required
Requires care and thought
Easy to make a mistake
1.Forward pass
Traverse network from start,
calculating earliest possible
completion time of each task.
This will give you a total time
for the project.
2.Backward pass
Working backwards from end,
calculate latest completion
time needed to complete each
activitys preceding task.
3.Identify critical path
Nodes where the forward
earliest completion time
equals the backward latest
completion lie on the critical
path.
11
Forward Pass
How soon can an activity
start?
Earliest Start (ES)
How soon can an activity

Finish?
ES
ID
EF
Description
Duration
Earliest finish (EF)
Goal: Project Completion

Time
12
Task A: Project Kick off

Task B: Dig Foundations
Task C: Order concrete
Task D: Pour Concrete
ES
EF
ES
EF
1
5
1
1
ES
EF
Description
Description
Description
Duratio
n
Duratio
n
Duratio
n
ES
EF
Description
Duratio
n
13
Durations
0
ES
1
5
1
1
D
Kickoff
Dig foundations
Pour Concrete
EF
Description
Order
Concrete
Duration
14
Exercise 2 Complete Forward Pass
15
Solution to Forward Pass
16
Backward Pass
How Late can an activity
start?
ES
Latest Start (LS)
How Late can an activity

Finish?
ID
EF
Description
LS
Duration LF
Latest finish (LF)
17
Backward Pass
0
ES
EF
SL
Description
LS
Duration
LF
Pour Concrete
Dig foundations
Kickoff
0
1
5
1
1
Order
Concrete
5
18
Exercise 3 Complete Backward Pass
19
Solution to Backward Pass
20
Slack/Float and the Critical Path

How Long can an activity
be delayed?
Slack or Float (SL)
LS-ES=SL or LF-EF=SL
Critical Path are those

tasks with zero Slack
ES
ID
EF
SL
Description
LS
Duration LF
21
Slack
Kickoff
ES
EF
SL
Description
LS
Duration
LF
1
5
1
1
Dig foundations
Pour Concrete
Order
Concrete
22
Calculate Slack and Identify CP on

Koll case
23
Solution to Koll
24
Complications
Complications can arise
when computing the
critical path:
Different precedence
relations
Multiple projects
Resource constraints
Tradeoffs
Overtime
Additional resources
Extension of duration
Cost
Resource sharing
Availability constraints
Politics
25
Critical Path
Put best people on CP
Put most effort into Risk Assessment on CP
When short of time - focus on the CP and
Practice MBWA
Know where you can lend resources safely
Know where extra effort will pay big dividends
26
Different Precedence Relations

Four important types:
Finish to start
Start to start
Start to finish
Finish to finish
27
Lag
Delay between the end of task and start of the
next
Transport
Approvals and signoff
Etc.
Add to the ES or subtract from EF of

successor task depending on the precedence
relation
28
Example using Lag
29
Critical Path
Probably the most important tool in project
management
Sensitivity Analysis
Multiple Critical Paths
then assign resources
30

4E1 Management For Engineers: Project Management - Lecture 3 Leo Harmon

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4E1 Management for Engineers

Project Management - Lecture 3

4E1 Project Management Lecture 3

Maximise the overlap in the people that do

4E1 Project Management Lecture 3

4E1 Project Management Lecture 3

4E1 Project Management Lecture 3

At least one path from

represent a task or activity

One and only one

multiple paths from start to

special activities, and thus

4E1 Project Management Lecture 3

Project Network Features

If all tasks on a path from start to

Why Critical Path?

CPA methods used as:

May be > 1 critical path

4E1 Project Management Lecture 3

Critical Path Method (CPM)

4E1 Project Management Lecture 3

How soon can an activity

Earliest finish (EF)

Goal: Project Completion

Task A: Project Kick off

4E1 Project Management Lecture 3

Exercise 2 Complete Forward Pass

4E1 Project Management Lecture 3

Solution to Forward Pass

4E1 Project Management Lecture 3

Latest Start (LS)

How Late can an activity

Latest finish (LF)

4E1 Project Management Lecture 3

4E1 Project Management Lecture 3

Exercise 3 Complete Backward Pass

4E1 Project Management Lecture 3

Solution to Backward Pass

4E1 Project Management Lecture 3

Slack/Float and the Critical Path

Critical Path are those

4E1 Project Management Lecture 3

4E1 Project Management Lecture 3

Calculate Slack and Identify CP on

4E1 Project Management Lecture 3

4E1 Project Management Lecture 3

4E1 Project Management Lecture 3

Different Precedence Relations

Add to the ES or subtract from EF of

4E1 Project Management Lecture 3

Example using Lag

4E1 Project Management Lecture 3

4E1 Project Management Lecture 3

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