Crashing the “Irrigation Canal System” Sub-Project

The Deputy Manager (Planning), in charge of the irrigation canal system sub
project, was contacted by the Project Manager. The Project Manager told the
Deputy Manager (Planning) that the irrigation canal system sub project must be
completed within ten weeks. The Deputy Manager (Planning) assigned his group
to estimate the cost-time relationship for each activity. The group’s estimates are
given below:

Activity Dependence Normal Additional cost/ Minimum

Duration Week’s reduction ( ’000) Duration
A -- 2 200 1
B A 2 -- 2
C A 12 150 4
D A 3 60 2
E -- 1 -- 1
F B 4 120 3
G D 2 200 1
H E 4 25 2
I C,F 5 100 3
J G,H 3 40 2
K J 2 20 1
L I,K 1 -- 1

Decide the activities to be crashed to complete the sub project in 10 weeks’ duration so as
to minimize the total additional cost (i.e. cost of crashing the project).

The Project Manager has conveyed that if the sub project is not completed in 10 weeks,
every additional week’s delay (beyond 10 weeks) would amount to a cost of 150000 to
the organization.

Decide whether the project should be crashed to 10 weeks or not.