Chapter 5

Project Scheduling: Networks,

Duration Estimation,
and Critical Path
Project scheduling

• Represents the conversion of project goals into an achievable

methodology for their completion.
• Creat timetable and reveals the network logic that relates the project
activities to each other in a coherent way.
 Project Scheduling Terms
• Successors
• Predecessors
• Network diagram
• Serial activities
• Concurrent activities

A D E F

C
Project Scheduling Terms
• Merge activities
• Burst activities
• Node
• Path
• Critical Path

A D E F

C
 Network Diagrams
Show Help
interdependence schedule
resources
Show
Facilitate start &
communication finish
dates
Determine project Identify
completion critical
activities
Rules

• Determination of precedence ordering

• Networks flow from left to right
• Activities cannot begin until all preceding connected activities have
been completed
• Each activities have a unique indentifier.
• Looping is not allowed.
• With multiple starts, use a common start node and similarly, use a
common end node.
AOA Vs. AON
The same mini-project is shown with activities on arc…

D E
B F
C

…and activities on node.

D E
B F

C
• Serial activities
• Concurrent activities
• Burst activites
• Merge activites
Node Labels
Early ID Early ID Early Early
Start Number Finish Number Start Finish
Activity
Activity Descriptor
Float Activity Late Start Late
Late Activity Late Duration Finish
Start Duration Finish

Basic math
ES + DUR = EF
LF - DUR = LS
LS – ES = AF
Slack (float)

• Slack or float: amount of time an activity can be delayed without

delaying a succeeding activity(next activity) or project finished date.
• Free float: amount of time an activity can be delayed without
delaying the early start date of its successor (next activity)
• Total float: amount of time an activity can be delayed without
delaying the project end date.
• Project float: amount of time an project can be delayed without
delaying the externally imposed project completion date required by
customer, management.
CPM versus PERT

• PERT was developed by US Navy in the 1950s’

• CPM was developed by Remington Rand and DuPont around
the same time.
• Only difference is in durations estimating
• Pert uses 3 cases Most optimistic, most pessimistic and most likely
and determines probability for each
• DoPo + DpOp +DePe = final duration
• CPM use only the most likely duration
Duration Estimation Methods

PERT distribution. A continuous distribution is calculated by

using three discrete variables: optimistic, pessimistic, and most
likely, of which most likely is weighted in calculating the mean.
Duration Estimation Methods

• Past experience
• Expert opinion
• Mathematical derivation – Beta distribution
• Most likely (m)
• Most pessimistic (b)
• Most optimistic (a)
ba
2

Activity Variance = s  
2

 6 
a  4m  b
Activity Duration = TE 
6
1. Sketch the network described in the table.
2. Determine the expected duration and variance of each
activity.

Task Predecessor a b c
Z -- 7 8 15
Y Z 13 16 19
X Z 14 18 22
W Y, X 12 14 16
V W 1 4 13
T W 6 10 14
S T, V 11 14 19
Constructing the Critical Path

• Forward pass – an additive move through the network from start to

finish

• Backward pass – a subtractive move through the network from finish

to start

• Critical path – the longest path from end to end which determines
the shortest project length
Rules for Forward/Backward Pass

Forward Pass Rules (ES & EF)

• ES + Duration = EF
• EF of predecessor = ES of successor
• Largest preceding EF at a merge point becomes ES for successor

Backward Pass Rules (LS & LF)

• LF – Duration = LS
• LS of successor = LF of predecessor
• Smallest succeeding LS at a burst point becomes LF for predecessor
Task Predecessor Time
1. Sketch the network
A -- 4 described in the table.
B A 9
C A 11 2. Determine the ES,
D B 5 LS, EF, LF, and slack
E B 3 of each activity
F C 7
G D, F 3
H E, G 2
K H 1
Laddering Activities
Project ABC can be completed more efficiently if subtasks are used
(sorfware, laying ppeline) linhttm.ho

A(3) B(6) C(9) ABC=18 days

A1(1) A2(1) A3(1)

B1(2) B2(2) B3(2)

Laddered
ABC=12 days C1(3) C2(3) C3(3)
Hammock Activities

Used as summaries for subsets of activities

0 A 5 5 B 15 15 C 18
0 5 5 5 10 15 15 3 18

0 Hammock 18
0 18 18
Useful with a complex
project or one that has
a shared budget
Reducing the Critical Path

• Eliminate tasks on the CP

• Convert serial paths to parallel when possible
• Overlap sequential tasks
• Shorten the duration on critical path tasks
• Shorten
• early tasks
• longest tasks
• easiest tasks
• tasks that cost the least to speed up