Chapter 8 - Instructors Resource Guide to

Project Management: A Managerial Approach, seventh edition

Problem 1:

Prob. #8.10

a) The critical path is AC CB BE EF.

b) The only event with slack is D at 3 days.
c) If D were the final event in the network, then the critical path would be AC CB
BD.
d) The following spreadsheet excerpt illustrates the calculation of the probability of
completion in 14 days:
Task

Expected

Variance

Std Dev.

AB

6.0

1.00

1.00

AC

4.0

1.00

1.00

CB

3.0

1.00

1.00

CD

3.0

0.00

0.00

CE

3.0

1.00

1.00

BD

1.0

1.00

1.00

BE

5.0

1.00

1.00

DF

10

5.0

1.00

1.00

DE

1.0

0.00

0.00

EF

4.0

1.00

1.00

Rev: Aug, 2008

Revised: Dwayne Whitten

Page 1 of 7

Chapter 8 - Instructors Resource Guide to

Project Management: A Managerial Approach, seventh edition

Sum of
Expected Variances
Critical
Desired Project
Duration Duration
Path
14

16.0

4.00

Probability

-1

15.9%

e) If CD slips to six days the critical path is unchanged but slack on D is reduced. If
CD slips to seven days then there are two critical paths: AC CB BE EF and AC
CD DF. If CD slips to eight days then the critical path shifts to AC CD DF and
the project duration extends to 17 days.

Rev: Aug, 2008

Revised: Dwayne Whitten

Page 2 of 7

Chapter 8 - Instructors Resource Guide to

Project Management: A Managerial Approach, seventh edition

Problem 2:

8.27

Figure 8.27a shows the PDM network for problem 27.

The critical path in the above figure is 1, 4, 6, 8, 12, 15 with a duration of 52 days.
Please see note about network depiction preceding Problem 1
b)

See Figure 8.27a for the critical path and its early completion time.

c)

See the following table for the probabilities:

Task

0.44

0.67

0.00

0.00

0.44

0.67

10

13

10

1.00

1.00

11

12

13

12

0.11

0.33

0.11

0.33

10

11

10

0.11

0.33

0.44

0.67

11

0.44

0.67

Rev: Aug, 2008

Expected Variance Std Dev.

Revised: Dwayne Whitten

Page 3 of 7

Chapter 8 - Instructors Resource Guide to

Project Management: A Managerial Approach, seventh edition

Task

Expected Variance Std Dev.

10

0.00

0.00

11

15

17

19

17

0.44

0.67

12

10

0.44

0.67

13

15

1.78

1.33

14

12

14

16

14

0.44

0.67

15

16

17

18

17

0.11

0.33

Probability

Desired
Expected
Sum of Variances
Duration Project Duration
Critical Path
53.35

52.0

2.56

0.84

80.1%

51.6

52.0

2.56

-0.25

40.1%

d)
Since the play is supporting an Independence Day event, a one day delay would
be severe.

Rev: Aug, 2008

Revised: Dwayne Whitten

Page 4 of 7

Chapter 8 - Instructors Resource Guide to

Project Management: A Managerial Approach, seventh edition
Problem 3:
Problem 4:

8.32

The Pert Entry Form in Microsoft Project is used to enter the three durations. After
they are in the Calculate Pert button is clicked to populate the Duration field with the
expected durations. Note that MSP uses the non-standard terminology Expected in lieu
of Most Likely.

Using the calculated durations, the Gantt chart looks like this:
ID
1

Task Name
Start

Duration
0 days

Start
Sun 12/11/05

Finish
Sun 12/11/05

2
3

Predecessors

7.5 days

Mon 12/12/05

Wed 12/21/05

8 days

Mon 12/12/05

Wed 12/21/05

6 days

Wed 12/21/05

Thu 12/29/05

14.5 days

Thu 12/22/05

Wed 1/11/06

2,3

7 days

Wed 1/11/06

11.5 days

Fri 1/20/06

Mon 2/6/06

8 days

Tue 2/7/06

Thu 2/16/06

End

0 days

Thu 2/16/06

Thu 2/16/06

Dec '05
Jan '06
4 11 18 25 1
8
12/11

15 22

Feb '06
29 5 12 19

Fri 1/20/06 4,5

3,6

2/16

The figure shows the default Gantt chart view of the problem, with a project start day of
Sunday December 11, 2005. Note that MSP moves the beginning of the first task to the
first workday of Monday the 12th. This display shows the default calendar of 5 day 40 hr.
weeks with no holidays. A Start and End milestone have been inserted to insure that
all activities have at least one predecessor and successor.
The tracking Gantt view can be used to display the critical path:

Rev: Aug, 2008

Revised: Dwayne Whitten

Page 5 of 7

26

Chapter 8 - Instructors Resource Guide to

Project Management: A Managerial Approach, seventh edition
Dec '05
Duration
4 11 18
0 days
12/11

ID
1

Task Name
Start

7.5 days

0%

8 days

0%

6 days

14.5 days

7 days

11.5 days

8 days

End

0 days

25

Jan '06
1
8

15 22

Feb '06
29 5 12

19

26

0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
2/16

The network diagram can be displayed directly from MSP using the Network Diagram
view. A portion of it with the default format settings looks like this:
a

Start
Milestone Date: Sun 12/11/05
ID: 1

Start: 12/12/05

ID: 2

Finish: 12/21/05

Dur: 7.5 days

Res:

b
Start: 12/12/05

ID: 3

Finish: 12/21/05

Dur: 8 days

Res:

The slack values are automatically calculated by MSP. They can be revealed in a number
of different views:

Rev: Aug, 2008

Revised: Dwayne Whitten

Page 6 of 7

Chapter 8 - Instructors Resource Guide to

Project Management: A Managerial Approach, seventh edition
Nov '05
Dec '05
Total Slack
27 4 11
0 days

ID
1

Task Name
Start

Start
Sun 12/11/05

Finish
Sun 12/11/05

Late Start
Mon 12/12/05

Late Finish
Mon 12/12/05

Free Slack
0 days

Mon 12/12/05

Wed 12/21/05

Mon 12/12/05

Wed 12/21/05

0 days

0.5 days

Mon 12/12/05

Wed 12/21/05

Mon 12/12/05

Wed 12/21/05

0 days

0 days

Wed 12/21/05

Thu 12/29/05

Tue 1/3/06

Wed 1/11/06

9 days

9 days

Thu 12/22/05

Wed 1/11/06

Thu 12/22/05

Wed 1/11/06

0 days

0 days

Wed 1/11/06

Fri 1/20/06

Wed 1/11/06

Fri 1/20/06

0 days

0 days

Fri 1/20/06

Mon 2/6/06

Fri 1/20/06

Mon 2/6/06

0 days

0 days

Tue 2/7/06

Thu 2/16/06

Tue 2/7/06

Thu 2/16/06

0 days

0 days

End

Thu 2/16/06

Thu 2/16/06

Thu 2/16/06

Thu 2/16/06

0 days

0 days

18 25

Jan '06
1
8

Feb '06
15 22 29 5 12 19

Mar '06
26 5 12

19 26

9 days

This view shows the View Detail Gantt combined with the Schedule Table. Note
that the Gantt chart also displays the slack as a green line.

Rev: Aug, 2008

Revised: Dwayne Whitten

Page 7 of 7

Apr '06
2
9

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