LECTURE 6

Scheduling Techniques

Introduction

An important part of project planning is determining the

logical workflow of the various activities you identified
in the WBS.

Network diagrams are used that represent a graphical

flow plan of activities that must be accomplished to
complete the project.

The diagram illustrates which activities must be

performed in sequence.

It also shows the planned sequence of steps, with all

dependencies.

Project management software will automatically

prepare network diagrams and bar charts.

Scheduling techniques
Gantt or bar charts
Milestone charts
Line of balance
Networks
Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT)
Arrow Diagram Method (ADM) [Sometimes called
the Critical Path Method (CPM)]
Precedence Diagram Method (PDM)
Graphical Evaluation and Review Technique (GERT)

Advantages of Scheduling techniques

Basis for planning and predicting and how to
use the resources
Provide visibility to control
Help management evaluate alternatives
Basis for obtaining facts for decision making
Utilize time network analysis
Basic structure for reporting information
Reveal interdependencies of activities
Identify the longest path or critical path
Aid in scheduling risk analysis

interdependencies of activities

Advantages of Scheduling techniques

Basis for planning and predicting and how to
use the resources
Provide visibility to control
Help management evaluate alternatives
Basis for obtaining facts for decision making
Utilize time network analysis
Basic structure for reporting information
Reveal interdependencies of activities
Identify the longest path or critical path
Aid in scheduling risk analysis

GANTT Chart

A Gantt chart is a type of bar chart, illustrate the start

and finish dates of the terminal tasks and summary
tasks of a project

A Gantt chart is eveloped by Karol Adamiecki in

1896, and independently by Henry Gantt in the 1910s

A Gantt chart is one of the most popular and useful

tool of showing activities (tasks or events) displayed
against time

Gantt Chart Example

Job

Day
1

Day
2

Day
3

Day
4

Day
5

Day
6

Day
7

Day
8

Start of an
activity
End of an
activity

Scheduled
activity time
allowed

Maintenance

Actual work
progress
Nonproduction
time

C
Now

Point in time
when chart
is reviewed
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Milestone schedules

A tool used to mark specific points along a project

timeline. They focus on major progress points that
must be reached to achieve success.

Project milestone schedules contains information:

Project start date

Project end date
Other milestones (review meetings or testing)
Data items (deliverables or reports)

Milestones are a good means to determine if your

project is on schedule and a useful tool for reporting
to management
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Milestone schedules

10

Network analyis

The major disadvantage of GANTT and milestone is

the inability to show the interdependencies between
events and activities

Network analysis can provide valuable information for

planning, integration of plans, time studies, scheduling
and resource management.

Network are composed of events and acivities

There are two different format diagram

AON: Activities on the node (AIB- Activities in the box)
AOA: Activities on the arrow
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AON: Activities On the Node

Order
Pipe

Deliver
Pipe

D
Start

Finish

Lay
Pipe

B
Dig
Trench

Precedence Diagram Method

12

AOA: Activities On the Arrow

ACTIVIT
Y

3 WEEKS

COMPLETE TESTING
REPORT

3
COMPLETE FINAL

LEGEND
EVENT
ACTIVITY

Standard PERT Nomenclature

13

AOA: Terminology

Event: equivalent to a milestone indicating when activity

starts or finish

Activity: Element of work must be accomplished

Duration: Total time required to complete the activity

Critical path: The longest path thru the network

and determines the duration of the project

Dummy activity: showing the precedential relationships

between activities and consuming zero time

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Dependencies

31

31
18

26

26

18
7
BURST POINT

7
SINK
15

Dependencies

a
a
b

b
1

e
c

Activity c must not precede activity e Which one is

correct?
WRONG

RIGHT

16

Simplified PERT Network

3
1

4
LEGEND: (TIME =
WEEKS) EVENT
ACTIVITY
CRITICAL PATH ACTIVITY
17

Dummy Activities
D
A

PRECEDIN
ACTIVITY G
ACTIVITY

DUMM
Y
B
C

C
D

B
A,B

18

Dependencies
a

c
b precede d

d
a and b precede c

a and b precede d

b
c

a,b, and c precede e

19

Dependencies
a

d depends on a and b
c depends only on a
d

d
d depends on a and b
e depends on b and c

b
c

e depends only on b

e
20

Constructing the Network

a
b

1
e

WRONG

b
RIGHT
c

2
a,b,c must precede d, but only a,b precede e
3
d
1
WRONG
a precede
d

a and b
precede d
b and c
precede
d

d
1
c
b
2

e
4

f
3
RIGH21T

Estimating Activity Time

PERT (Program evaluation and review technique):

A method to analyze the involved tasks in completing a
given project, especially the time needed to complete each
task, and to identify the minimum time needed to complete
the total project.
Optimistic time (a): the minimum possible time
required to accomplish a task
Pessimistic time (b): the maximum possible time
required to accomplish a task,
Most likely time (M): the best estimate of the time
required to accomplish a task
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Estimating Activity Time

Expected time (TE): The best estimate of the time

required to accomplish a task
TE = (a + 4M + b) / 6

Standard deviations of each activities

=(b-a)/6

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Crashing the Schedule

If the schedule you develop does not allow the project

to complete when desired, you might have to take
action to decrease the total project duration.

This is known as crashing the schedule.

You need to look at options in areas such as:

Resources
Activities
Project Objectives.

Look for options that give the greatest compression at

the lowest costs.
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Schedule Compression
Elimination of some parts of the project
Addition of more resources
Substitution of less time-consuming
components or activities
Parallelization of activities
Shortening critical path activities
Shortening early activities
Shortening longest activities
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Schedule Compression
(Continued)
Shortening easiest activities
Shortening activities that are least costly to
speed up
Shortening activities for which you have more
resources
Increasing the number of work hours per day

26

Resource Leveling
Resource leveling is an attempt to eliminate the
manpower peaks and valleys by smoothing out
the period-to-period resource requirements.
The ideal situation is to do this without changing
the end date. However, in reality, the end date
moves out and additional costs are incurred.

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Resource Allocation
Resource allocation (or resource limited
planning) is an attempt to find the shortest
possible critical path based upon the available
or fixed resources.
The problem with this approach is that the
employees may not be qualified technically to
perform work on more than one activity in a
network.

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Activity to Construct a Pump Station

Activity
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18

Activity description
Start
Mobilise
Survey
Grade site
Trench footings
Form and pour concrete
Cure concrete
Concrete and material design
Spec prefab metal building
Plumbing materials, pump
Electrical materials, lights, panel
Install pump
Erect structural steel
Install roofing and siding
Install lights and panels
Test Pump
Paint
End

Duration ,days
0
2
1
2
5
5
8
5
4
5
5
7
4
5
3
2
3
0

Immediate
Predecessors
1
2
2
3,4
5,8
6
1
1
1
1
7,9,10
7,9,10
13
11,14
12
15
16, 17

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Classroom Activity 6a
Draw a network diagram using the details in
the previous slide.

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Precedence Network
The interrelationships on bar
charts
MONTHS AFTER GOAHEAD TASKS
5
1
2
3
4

31

Types Of Precedence Charts

FINISH
FINISH-TO-START

ACTIVITY
1

START

ACTIVITY 2

START
START-TO-START

ACTIVITY
1

START

ACTIVITY 2

32

Types Of Precedence Charts

FINISH
FINISH-TO-FINISH

FINISH

ACTIVITY 1
ACTIVITY 2

PERCENT
COMPLETE

ACTIVITY 1
50 %
20 %

ACTIVITY 2

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ACTIVITY INFORMATION

EARLY START
01/06/97

ACTIVITY 4

LATE START
15/06/97

TIME DURATION
2 WORK-WEEKS
TOTAL
SLACK(TS)
FREE SLACK
(FS)
COST/PROFIT
CENTER 2810

EARLY FINISH
14/06/97

$250,000

LATE FINISH
28/06/97
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Questions?

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