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Joebert Duran

Professor Arch. Desquitado

Specialization 3

17 April 2020

Comment: Sample of PERT CPM diagram with arrows and nodes

Example # 1

A simple example of a network, or “arrow diagram,” used in developing an electronic

component for a complex system, is shown in thefigure. Each circle on the diagram represents

a task or well-defined activity that is part of the project. The number in each circle represents the

expected time required to complete the task.

Network diagram for the Critical Path Method problem. Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.

Task A requires two weeks to complete and might, for example, represent the

development of general specifications for an electronic unit in question. Tasks B and E might

represent two related parts of the design of the unit’s power supply, C and F the design of the
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main functional circuits, and D and G the design of the control circuitry. Arrows indicate

the precedence of relationships and depict which tasks must be completed before subsequent

tasks can begin. In this example, tasks B, C, and D cannot be started until A has been

completed (that is, no one can design specific component items before the general

specifications are agreed upon).

Task H requires two weeks to complete but cannot be started until the designs of the

power supply and the functional and control circuits have been completed. This task might

represent the design of the unit’s case or cover, and the case cannot be made final until all of

the component designs are completed.

The arrow diagram is an invaluable planning aid for determining how long a project

will take to complete. Adding all of the task times together in the example indicates that there

are 24 weeks of work to be completed. Note, however, that several tasks can be done

simultaneously. For example, once task A has been completed, B, C, and D can be started and

worked on concurrently. Thus, the earliest completion date can be determined by looking at all

possible “paths” through the network and choosing the longest one, or the one with tasks

requiring the most total time. In this example the longest, or “critical,” path is A–C–F–H,

requiring a total time of 11 weeks.

The arrow diagram yields additional information to the project planner. The earliest

possible time that task H can be started is nine weeks after the start of the project (that is, after

tasks A, C, and F have been completed). When task A is completed at the end of week 2, tasks

B and E do not have to be started immediately in order to complete the project in the minimum

possible time; B and E each have three weeks of “slack.” The diagram shows that if activity B is

started three weeks later than its earliest possible start time (at week 5), it would be completed
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at the end of week 5; E would then start at the beginning of week 6 and be completed in time for

H to begin at its earliest time, the beginning of week 10.

The notion of slack in a project network is a powerful concept that allows planners to

schedule scarce resources efficiently and manage people and equipment so that critical

activities are kept on schedule and slack activities are delayed without placing the project in

jeopardy.

This simple example is based on CPM logic; it uses single-point task time estimates

and assumes that the completion time for the project is the simple sum of the task times along

the critical path. PERT logic assumes probabilistic estimates for each task time, with

pessimistic, realistic, and optimistic estimates for the completion times of each task.

In actual projects the relationships among the required tasks are often complex, and

the arrow diagram for the project might cover the entire wall of an office. Even though it is a

time-consuming job to work out arrow diagrams, precedence relationships, task time estimates,

and so on for large projects, CPM or PERT is an invaluable aid to planning and control. The

proliferation of computer programs that handle critical path and slack time calculations and the

development of computer systems capable of handling cost estimates, budget control, resource

allocation, and time scheduling promise to make CPM and PERT even more valuable than in

the past (William K. Holstein).

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Example # 2

Immediate Estimated
Activity Activity Description Predecessors Duration

A Excavate — 2 weeks
B Lay the foundation A 4 weeks
C Put up the rough wall B 10 weeks
D Put up the roof C 6 weeks
E Install the exterior plumbing C 4 weeks
F Install the interior plumbing E 5 weeks
G Put up the exterior siding D 7 weeks
H Do the exterior painting E, G 9 weeks
I Do the electrical work C 7 weeks
J Put up the wallboard F, I 8 weeks
K Install the flooring J 4 weeks
L Do the interior painting J 5 weeks
M Install the exterior fixtures H 2 weeks
N Install the interior fixtures K, L 6 weeks

START 0 Activity Code

A. Excavate
B. Foundation
A 2
C. Rough wall
D. Roof
E. Exterior plumbing
B 4 F. Interior plumbing
G. Exterior siding
H. Exterior painting
C 10 I. Electrical work
J. Wallboard
K. Flooring
L. Interior painting
D 6 E 4 I 7
M. Exterior fixtures
N. Interior fixtures

G 7 F 5

J 8
H 9
K 4 L 5
M 2
N 6
F IG U R E 1 0 .1
The p r o j e c t n e t w o r k for t h e
Reliable C o n s t r u c t i o n C o .
p ro je c t. FINISH 0
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Comment: When do you relieve the personnel using the Pert and CPM?

The critical path method (CPM) is a staple of construction schedulers. Owners often

require a critical path analysis. Construction management programs have taught CPM for

decades, and courts use critical path schedules as evidence in construction disputes. 

However, CPM intimidates many people because they find it complex and time

consuming. Some construction superintendents and foremen view critical path as a theoretical

abstraction that is irrelevant to their work. They believe that construction realities in the field

should drive the schedule — with this approach, however, efficiency generally suffers (Diana

Ramos).

A PERT chart makes planning large projects easier; it answers three key questions

about each activity that help managers identify relationships between tasks and task

dependencies. These questions involve how long it will take to complete an activity, and which

other activities must occur immediately before and immediately after this activity for effective

project completion. PERT is a good way of making these relationships visible in a diagram

(Ibrahim Hussein Mayaleh).

The critical path includes all activities that cannot be delayed without affecting the

project completion date. PERT makes the critical path visible. All tasks not on the critical path

can have some slack time without affecting project completion time. When the project manager

must delay one task to allocate more time to another, the critical path makes clear which tasks

cannot be delayed (Ibrahim Hussein Mayaleh).

Pert and CPM is controlling projects that contain unknown and unpredictable factors.

When the projects are not complex, bar charts can be used to plan and control project activities.

These charts divide the project into discrete activities or tasks and analyze each task
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individually to indicate weekly manpower requirements. As the work goes forward, progress is

charted and estimates are made on the effects of any delays or difficulties encountered during

the completion of the project (William K. Holstein).

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Works Cited

Holstein., Distinguished Service Professor of Business, State University of New York at Albany.

Coauthor of Production Planning and Control and

others.https://www.britannica.com/topic/research-and-development/PERT-and-CPM

Diana Ramos. November 2017.https://www.smartsheet.com/construction-critical-path?

fbclid=IwAR307LVARPv1HNx1FuW8zdF4nmt2EyQ8KVVn3hjkqtUN5M7taU6CR6AkwXQ

Ibrahim Hussein Mayaleh, 2015. https://specialties.bayt.com/en/specialties/q/165979/what-are-

pert-advantages-and-disadvantage/?

fbclid=IwAR3qWDZb0uPTTI5n7efLn4hWekE_1VQuBZGrIdA4EaPUEnjjvC4WFT6g93c