Project Scheduling

Models

1
 5.1 Introduction
• A project is a collection of tasks that must be
completed in minimum time or at minimal cost.
• Objectives of Project Scheduling
– Completing the project as early as possible by determining the earliest
start and finish of each activity.
– Finding the minimum cost schedule needed to complete the project by
a certain date.
– Investigating the results of possible delays in activity’s completion
time.
– Progress control.
– Smoothing out resource allocation over the duration of the project.
2
 Task Designate
• Tasks are called “activities.”
– Estimated completion time (and sometimes costs)
are associated with each activity.
– Activity completion time is related to the amount of
resources committed to it.

3
5.2 Identifying the Activities of a Project

• To determine optimal schedules we need to

– Identify all the project’s activities.
– Determine the precedence relations among activities.
• Based on this information we can develop managerial
tools for project control.

4
 Identifying Activities, Example

KLONE COMPUTERS, INC.

• KLONE Computers manufactures personal computers.

• It is about to design, manufacture, and market the

Klonepalm 2000 palmbook computer.

5
 KLONE COMPUTERS, INC

• There are three major tasks to perform:

– Manufacture the new computer.
– Train staff and vendor representatives.
– Advertise the new computer.
• KLONE needs to develop a precedence relations
chart.
• The chart gives a concise set of tasks and their
immediate predecessors.
6
 KLONE COMPUTERS, INC
Activity
Activity Description
Description
AA Prototype
Prototypemodel
modeldesign
design
BB Purchase
Purchaseofofmaterials
materials
Manufacturing
Manufacturing CC Manufacture
Manufactureofofprototype
prototypemodel
model
activities
activities DD Revision
Revisionofofdesign
design
EE Initial
Initialproduction
productionrun
run
FF Staff
Stafftraining
training
Training
Trainingactivities
activities GG Staff
Staffinput
inputononprototype
prototypemodels
models
HH Sales
Salestraining
training
Advertising
Advertisingactivities
activities II Pre-production
Pre-productionadvertising
advertising
campaign
campaign
JJ Post-redesign
Post-redesignadvertising
advertising
7
 KLONE COMPUTERS, INC

From the activity description chart, we

can determine immediate predecessors
for each activity.

Activity A is an immediate predecessor

A B of activity B, because it must be competed
just prior to the commencement of B.

8
KLONE COMPUTERS, INC

Precedence Relationships Chart

Immediate Estimated
Activity Predecessor Completion Time
A None 90
B A 15
C B 5
D G 20
E D 21
F A 25
G C,F 14
H D 28
I A 30
J D,I 45
9
 5.3 The PERT/CPM Approach for
Project Scheduling
• The PERT/CPM approach to project scheduling
uses network presentation of the project to
– Reflect activity precedence relations
– Activity completion time
• PERT/CPM is used for scheduling activities such
that the project’s completion time is minimized.

10
 KLONE COMPUTERS, INC. - Continued
• Management at KLONE would like to schedule the activities
so that the project is completed in minimal time.
• Management wishes to know:
– The earliest and latest start times for each activity which will not
alter the earliest completion time of the project.
– The earliest finish times for each activity which will not alter this
date.
– Activities with rigid schedule and activities that have slack in their
schedules.
11
Earliest Start Time / Earliest Finish Time
• Make a forward pass through the network as follows:

– Evaluate all the activities which have no immediate predecessors.

• The earliest start for such an activity is zero ES = 0.
• The earliest finish is the activity duration EF = Activity duration.

– Evaluate the ES of all the nodes for which EF of all the

immediate predecessor has been determined.
• ES = Max EF of all its immediate predecessors.
• EF = ES + Activity duration.

– Repeat this process until all nodes have been evaluated

• EF of the finish node is the earliest finish time of the project.
12
 Earliest Start / Earliest Finish –
Forward Pass
90,105 105,110 170
149,170
BB C
C EE
15 5 21

110,124
0,90 90,115 115,129 129,149 177
149,177
A
A FF G
G D
D HH 194
90 25 14 20 28
EARLIEST FINISH
120,165
90,120 194
149,194

II JJ
30 45
13
 Latest start time / Latest finish time
• Make a backward pass through the network as follows:

– Evaluate all the activities that immediately precede the finish

node.
• The latest finish for such an activity is LF = minimal project completion
time.
• The latest start for such an activity is LS = LF - activity duration.
– Evaluate the LF of all the nodes for which LS of all the immediate
successors has been determined.
• LF = Min LS of all its immediate successors.
• LS = LF - Activity duration.
– Repeat this process backward until all nodes have been
evaluated.
14
 Latest Start / Latest Finish –
Backward Pass
149,170
105,110 173,194
90,105
B C 110,115 E
95,110 B C E
15 5 21

90,115 115,129 129,149 149,177

90, 115 129,149
115,129 129,149
153,173 166,194
5,95 0,90
F 129,149 146,166 H
A 0,90 F
G 129,149 D D H
A G 129,149 20 194
90 25 14 129,149 28
129,149
129,149
29,119
149,194
90,120
149,194
119,149
I J
I J
45
30
15
 Slack Times

• Activity start time and completion time may be

delayed by planned reasons as well as by
unforeseen reasons.
• Some of these delays may affect the overall
completion date.
• To learn about the effects of these delays, we
calculate the slack time, and form the critical path.

16
 Slack Times

– Slack time is the amount of time an activity can be delayed

without delaying the project completion date, assuming no
other delays are taking place in the project.

Slack Time = LS - ES = LF - EF

17
Slack time in the Klonepalm 2000 Project
Activity LS - ES Slack
A 0 -0 0
B 95 - 90 5
C 110 - 105 5
D 119 - 119 0 Critical
Criticalactivities
activities
E 173 - 149 24
F 90 - 90 0 must
mustbe
berigidly
rigidly
G 115 - 115 0 scheduled
scheduled
H 166 - 149 17
I 119 - 90 29
J 149 - 149 0
18
 The Critical Path
• The critical path is a set of activities that have no slack,
connecting the START node with the FINISH node.

• The critical activities (activities with 0 slack) form

at least one critical path in the network.

• A critical path is the longest path in the network.

• The sum of the completion times for the activities

on the critical path is the minimal completion time
of the project.
19
 The Critical Path

90,105 105,110 149,170

95,110 B C 110,115 173,194 E
B C E
15 5 21

0,90 90,115 115,129 129,149 149,177

0,90 90, 115 115,129 129,149 166,194
A F G D H
A F G D H
90 25 14 20 28

149,194
90,120
149,194
119,149
I J
I J
45
30 20
 Possible Delays
• We observe two different types of delays:
– Single delays.
– Multiple delays.

• Under certain conditions the overall project

completion time will be delayed.

• The conditions that specify each case are presented

next. 21
 Single delays

• A delay of a certain amount in a critical activity,

causes the entire project to be delayed by the same
amount.

• A delay of a certain amount in a non-critical activity

will delay the project by the amount the delay exceeds
the slack time. When the delay is less than the slack,
the entire project is not delayed.
22
Multiple delays of non critical activities:
Case 1: Activities on different paths
ES=149
DELAYED START=149+15=164
B C LS=173 E
15 5 21

FINISH
A F G D H
90 25 14 20 28
Activity E and I are each delayed 15 days.
THE PROJECT COMPLETION TIME IS NOT DELAYED
I J
ES=90 30 45
DELAYED START=90+15 =105
LS =119 23
 90
105
90
115
A
15 129
B 5 194
149
C 20
D 194
Gantt chart demonstration of 21
E the (no) effects on the project 25 Activity E
F completion time when delaying
14
activity “I” and “E” by 15 days.
G 28
H
30
I Activity I 45
J
24
Multiple delays of non critical activities:
Case 2: Activities are on the same path,
separated by critical activities.
ES=90 ES=149
DELAYED START =94 DELAYED START=149+15 =164
LS =95 LS =173

B C E
15 5 21

FINISH
A F G D H
90 25 14 20 28
Activity B is delayed 4 days, activity E is delayed 15 days
THE PROJECT COMPLETION TIME IS NOT DELAYED
I J
30 45 25
 Multiple delays of non critical activities:
Case 2: Activities are on the same path,
no critical activities separating them.
ES= 90 3 DAYS DELAY
DELAYED START =94 IN THE ENTIRE
DELAYED START= PROJECT
DELAYED FINISH =
109 + 4 =113;
94+15=109
B C LS =110 E
15 5 21

FINISH
A F G D H
90 25 14 20 28
Activity B is delayed 4 days; Activity C is delayed 4 days.

THE PROJECT COMPLETION TIME IS DELAYED 3 DAYS

I J
30 45 26
 5.6 Gantt Charts
• Gantt charts are used as a tool to monitor and control the
project progress.
• A Gantt Chart is a graphical presentation that displays
activities as follows:
– Time is measured on the horizontal axis. A horizontal bar is drawn
proportionately to an activity’ s expected completion time.
– Each activity is listed on the vertical axis.
• In an earliest time Gantt chart each bar begins and ends at
the earliest startfinish the activity can take place.

27
Here‘s how we build
an Earliest Time Gantt Chart
for KLONEPALM 2000

28
 90
105
90 115
A 15 129
B 5 149 194
C 20
D Immediate Estimated
21 194
Activity Predecessor Completion Time
E A None 90 25
F B A 15
C B 5 14
G D G 20 28
H E D 21
F A 25 30
I G C,F 14 45
H D 28
J
I A 30
J D,I 45
29
 Gantt Charts-
Monitoring Project Progress
• Gantt chart can be used as a visual aid for tracking the
progress of project activities.

• Appropriate percentage of a bar is shaded to document the

completed work.

• The manager can easily see if the project is progressing on

schedule (with respect to the earliest possible completion
times).
30
 Monitoring Project Progress
90
A 15
B 5 194
C 20
D
The shaded bars represent
21 194
completed work BY DAY 135.
E 25
F
14
G 28
Do not conclude that the
H
project is behind schedule. 30
I 45
J Activity “I” has a slack and
therefore can be delayed!!!
135 31
 Gantt Charts –
Advantages and Disadvantages
• Advantages.
– Easy to construct
– Gives earliest completion date.
– Provides a schedule of earliest possible start and finish times of
activities.

• Disadvantages
– Gives only one possible schedule (earliest).
– Does not show whether the project is behind schedule.
– Does not demonstrate the effects of delays in any one activity on the
start of another activity, thus on the project completion time.
32