1 Selected Topics on Project Management The Critical

2 Dependency Diagrams n n Project Schedule Network Diagrams n Provide a quick and

3 Example Network Diagram D=4 A=1 E=5 H=6 J=3 B=2 F=4 I=2 C=3 G=6

4 Critical Path – What is it n n n A critical path for

5 Critical Path Analysis n n n Critical Path analysis is the process of

6 Example D=4 A=1 E=5 H=6 J=3 B=2 F=4 I=2 C=3 G=6 n Path

7 Example D=4 A=1 E=5 H=6 J=3 B=2 F=4 I=2 C=3 G=6 n Path

8 Example D=4 A=1 E=5 H=6 J=3 B=2 F=4 I=2 C=3 G=6 n Path

9 Example D=4 A=1 E=5 H=6 J=3 B=2 F=4 I=2 C=3 G=6 n Path

10 Example Summary n There are four paths: n A - D – H

11 Properties of the Critical Path Summary n n The critical path shows the

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1 Selected Topics on Project Management The Critical Path Dr Marc Conrad http: //perisic. com/stpm Marc Conrad 1

2 Dependency Diagrams n n Project Schedule Network Diagrams n Provide a quick and easy way to see snapshot of tasks and their dependencies. n Either Activity on Node (AON) or Activity on Arrow (AOA). n Let’s focus on AOA diagrams here. Project Management software often allows to produce network diagrams from Gantt charts. Marc Conrad 2

3 Example Network Diagram D=4 A=1 E=5 H=6 J=3 B=2 F=4 I=2 C=3 G=6 n A, B, C, … are activities. Activity A needs 1 day, activity B needs 2 days, etc. Marc Conrad 3

4 Critical Path – What is it n n n A critical path for a project is the series of activities that determine the earliest time by which the project can be completed. It is the longest path through a network diagram and has the least amount of slack or float. Slack (or float) – amount of time an activity may be delayed without delaying a succeeding activity or project finish date. Marc Conrad 4

5 Critical Path Analysis n n n Critical Path analysis is the process of identifying the critical path for a project. Use the critical path to keep an eye on how things are progressing, and can use this as a benchmark. Without knowing what the critical path is we cannot (necessarily) know how we are doing, or what the earliest finish date is. Allows to make so-called schedule trade-offs (more later) Calculating the critical path involves adding the durations of all activities on each path through the network. The longest path is the critical path Marc Conrad 5

6 Example D=4 A=1 E=5 H=6 J=3 B=2 F=4 I=2 C=3 G=6 n Path 1: A-D-H-J: 1 + 4 + 6 + 3 = 14 days Marc Conrad 6

7 Example D=4 A=1 E=5 H=6 J=3 B=2 F=4 I=2 C=3 G=6 n Path 2: B-E-H-J: 2 + 5 + 6 + 3 = 16 days Marc Conrad 7

8 Example D=4 A=1 E=5 H=6 J=3 B=2 F=4 I=2 C=3 G=6 n Path 3: B-F-I-J: 2 + 4 + 2 + 3 = 11 days Marc Conrad 8

9 Example D=4 A=1 E=5 H=6 J=3 B=2 F=4 I=2 C=3 G=6 n Path 4: C-G-I-J: 3 + 6 + 2 + 3 = 14 days Marc Conrad 9

10 Example Summary n There are four paths: n A - D – H - J = 1 + 4 + 6 + 3 = 14 days n B – E – H – J = 2 + 5 + 6 + 3 = 16 days n B – F – I – J = 2 + 4 + 2 + 3 = 11 days n C – G – I – J = 3 + 6 + 2 + 3 = 14 days n The path B-E-H-J is the longest, and is therefore the critical path ! Marc Conrad 10

11 Properties of the Critical Path Summary n n The critical path shows the shortest time in which a project can be completed. If one or more activities on the critical path takes longer than predicted, the whole project schedule will slip. We can only reduce the time a project will take if we reduce the duration of tasks on the critical path. There can be more than one critical path. Marc Conrad 11