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Critical Path Analysis CURRICULUM TOPICS

at Network Rail • Stakeholders

• Resources and assistance
for a business
• Planning, controlling and
Introduction reporting
• Methods of production
Planning a major project is an exciting and challenging activity. This case study focuses on the
planning that went into repairing Network Rail’s Leven Viaduct situated in Cumbria.

Any major engineering project requires planning for:

• the activities that need to be completed
• the sequencing of these activities GLOSSARY
• the timing of the start and completion of these activities
• budgeting of costs involved. Operations: the
integration of processes
Built in 1857, the Leven Viaduct on the Cumbrian coast has been a vital rail link between the within a business, in order
North and South. At almost 500 metres long the viaduct was a major engineering project when to deliver and satisfy
first built. Even today its reconstruction presented Network Rail with a huge challenge. Through customer needs.
careful planning the project was completed in 16 weeks – half the time originally anticipated.
Budget: planning for the
future using numbers. These
The project was required because heavy seas, corrosive salt water and heavy use meant that the
numbers relate to such
viaduct was wearing out and would become unsafe. There were two main options: totals as expected costs.
1. repair the viaduct The budgeted figures are
2. close down the line and re-route all traffic on to an alternative line. related to specific time
periods.
At the heart of the decision-making was the need to look at the costs of the two alternatives.
• Option 1 was costly – estimated at £20 million, plus the ongoing cost of maintaining the line. Critical success factors:
• Option 2 would however overload the West Coast main line. This would lead to delays on a the essential areas of activity
very important route – from Glasgow to London. that must be performed well
if you are to achieve the
mission, objectives or goals
It therefore made sense to repair the viaduct.
for your business or project.

Operations planning Procurement: the

process of acquiring
A plan of operations is required to see a project through from start to finish. An important
supplies of raw materials,
starting point is to set out your objectives so that you know where you are going. Key objectives parts or products.
for the Leven Viaduct project were to develop and implement a solution that would:
• require no major maintenance for 25 years
• remove any risk of line closure due to structural problems.

Engineers had to work out what was possible within a given budget and time constraints. For
example, they had to consider the types of materials and fittings to use. They had to liaise with
users of the rail line. This involved discussions with passengers and with companies which used
the line to send freight. It also involved talking to the local community and environmental groups.

In creating the plan a number of critical success factors were identified. These were:
• to deliver the project within a given budget
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• to have no accidents or incidents during viaduct construction

• to establish good relationships with the community and to respect the local environment
• to ensure the efficient procurement of the steel that was essential to the project to minimise
disruption to passengers and freight.

If Network Rail did not achieve one or more of these factors, it could have resulted in negative
publicity and cost in production time or even legal action.

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The project involved huge tasks. The existing brickwork of the piers, or columns, which support
the viaduct had to be repaired. The existing rails and decking needed to be taken up and
replaced. This was a £14 million investment requiring:
• the use of 3,500 tonnes of steelwork - this took nearly six months to produce
• the replacement of 1,100 metres of track - if all the steel units and rails were laid end-to-end,
it would stretch for nearly five kilometres
• 2,000 m2 of brickwork repairs to the piers - similar to the size of a football pitch.

A number of key issues and risks had to be considered in creating plans, such as delays resulting
from bad weather and environmental considerations.

1.Weather 2.Health and Safety

Bad weather, such as strong If workers fell off the
winds could cause delays. viaduct a hovercraft
High winds could blow would be needed to
workers off the viaduct. rescue them.

5.Steel procurement Key issues and risks 3.Environmental

The steel had to be made
to order rather than buying
existing stocks of steel.
Steel procurement was
40% of all costs.
in creating the plan There were a range of
factors to consider such
as conservation areas,
and wildlife habitat such
as birds nesting.

4.Passenger disruption
It was necessary to minimise
the time the line was closed.

Roles within the organisation

Network Rail owns and operates Britain’s rail infrastructure. The company strives to provide Britain
with a safe, reliable and efficient railway fit for the 21st century. The company provides an
excellent career structure with interesting work as shown by the Leven Viaduct project. A number
of different roles were involved in planning and carrying out the project. Some of these were
internal to Network Rail. Other roles involved bringing in external specialists.

Internal roles

Project managers are responsible for managing the project from start to
finish. They co-ordinate the work of the other specialists.

Project planners interpret the cost and programme information from other
team members and produce the programme.

Commercial programme controllers are responsible for the commercial arrangements between
Network Rail and suppliers.

Project engineers have the technical expertise. They are able to identify the
best ways of constructing the viaduct and rail line. They
know about the properties of materials and what
equipment is best for each job.

Construction management work on site during the construction project. They work
with contractors to make sure that everything is being
done as planned and is safe.

External roles

Civil/design engineers carry out studies into what is feasible. They look at
alternative solutions and draft the tender documents.

Design/build contractors develop a final design and specification of the work to be

carried out. This is approved by Network Rail. The
contractors then carry out the work of re-furbishing the
viaduct.

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Co-ordinating people via Critical Path Analysis

Major construction projects involve a lot of separate steps. For example, in constructing the
viaduct, the 96 pre-fabricated metal decks which made up the main structure of the viaduct were
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specially made off-site and transported by rail from Ulverston.

Some activities in a project can be carried out simultaneously - for example, while the metal
decks were being made, the piers supporting the viaduct were repaired at the same time.
GLOSSARY
Other activities need to be carried out in a sequence, for example, you can’t lay the new rail track
Critical Path Analysis:
before the old track has been taken up. We say such activities are ‘dependent’ upon the
a method of analysing the
completion of the previous one. stages and sequence of
activities in a project. The
Critical Path Analysis involves setting out a diagram showing all of the activities involved in a Critical Path involves
particular project and how they relate to each other. The following network diagram shows the activities that must be
main sequence of activities involved in carrying out the project. completed on time.

Latest Finish Time: the

Carry Create Steelwork Prepare Construction latest time that an activity
out survey design fabrication site work
(3 months) (1 month) (4 months) (2 months) (6 months) must finish by if it is not to
delay the next stage in the
1 2 3 4 5 6 project. To find the LFT,
work back from right to left
Start (contract awarded) Finish
across your diagram.
Subtract the time required
It would be too complicated to show all of the steps in the construction of the viaduct because to carry out an activity
there were so many operations involved. However, the process can be illustrated by taking an from the finishing time in
the node to the immediate
example of part of the process. This is shown in more detail below.
right of the activity.
In order to simplify this we shall assume that:
A - This part of the process starts with the fabrication of the steel which is expected to take four
months.
B - This is followed by site preparation which takes two months. This is dependent upon activity A.
C & D - After site preparation the walkways can be built (two months) followed by the decks (two
months). Activity C is dependent upon activity B and activity D is dependent upon activity C.
E - While the walkways and decks are being built the piers can be repaired (which is expected to
take five months).This means that activity E is dependent upon activities A and B.

This is illustrated in a new network diagram below:

• The circles in the diagram are called nodes. They show the start or finish of a task. The nodes
are split into three sections. In the left hand semi-circle the node number is written.
• The number in the top right is the earliest starting time (EST). This shows the earliest time the
next activity can start.
• The number on the bottom right is the latest finishing time (LFT). This is the latest that the
previous task can finish without delaying the next task. Arrows show the order in which activities
take place.

For example, in the diagram the earliest activity B (preparing the site) can take place is after 4
months, when the steel is ready. The earliest that pier repairs can start is after 6 months, when the
site is prepared, etc.

C construct 8 D construct
walkway 4 deck
2 months 9 2 months

A fabrication B prepare site

0 4 6 11
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Start 1 2 3 5 Finish
0 4 6 11
4 months 2 months

E pier repairs
5 months

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The next step is to set out the critical path. Critical activities are those which most urgently need to
be completed on time to ensure the whole project is not delayed.

For example, if the pre-fabricated steel did not arrive on time then this would be a serious
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problem. This shows how important the role of a good Project Manager is.

We can illustrate the critical path by highlighting it in red through the arrows on the diagram.
This joins up the sequence of activities that will take the longest. The critical path can also be
indicated by drawing two parallel lines (shown in blue) across the arrows between nodes.

In this case the critical path is through the activities A, B and E. This is because E takes five
months whereas C and D together are only expected to take four months. Site managers and
contractors must pay particular attention to E (pier repairs) if the whole project is not to fall behind
schedule.

Network Rail’s Leven Viaduct engineers were dealing with a project which involved hundreds of
separate processes. They used spreadsheets and computer models to give them a detailed picture
of all of the stages involved. Every day they kept a close eye on where the project had got to.
This enabled them to put in extra resources whenever there was a delay, particularly along the
critical path.

Advantages and disadvantages of Critical Path Analysis

Critical Path Analysis is a very useful tool for Project Managers. It helps them to focus on the key
activities of a project and how they all fit together. Project Managers and site managers can then
allocate resources to critical activities. These are ones that require extra consideration to make
sure that everything runs smoothly.

The Leven Viaduct planners created a spreadsheet which identified the budgeted costs of each of
the steps involved in their project. As a result they were aware at all times of the cost implications
of each stage of the project, and the importance of getting each step in the sequence finished on
time. Delays can add extra costs to a project and can involve financial penalties for being late.

Critical Path Analysis is a very detailed process. However, the time spent in putting the plan
together was well worth it. Careful planning meant the project ran smoothly which led to cost and
time savings later on. At the same time, Network Rail was able to take on board the highest
safety standards and consideration for the environment. Of course, carrying out such an analysis
does not guarantee success but it certainly helps.

Creating the plan enabled the engineers to identify improvements to ensure the project finished
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on time. For example, at an early planning stage they increased the number of construction
of information, neither the publisher nor the client can be held responsible for errors of omission or commission.

workers required.

Conclusion
The Leven Viaduct project provides a good example of the challenges and excitement of working
for Network Rail. On 16th July 2006, the viaduct was officially re-opened on time and to budget.
Network Rail invested £14 million to remove decking and support girders across all 49 spans of
the viaduct, improving safety standards and guaranteeing the availability of a vital transport link.
In doing so they were able to secure the future of one of the North West’s most historic and
impressive landmarks for another 140 years.

Questions
1. Who was involved in making sure that the Leven Viaduct was completed on time?
2. What is a critical path analysis? How did this tool help the project to be completed on time?
3. What is the relationship between critical path
management and budgeting in a project like the
Leven Viaduct?
4. What sorts of actions could project managers
have taken if the Leven Viaduct had fallen
behind the critical path schedule? www.networkrail.co.uk

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