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Cambridge Senior Further Mathematics AC/VCE Units 3 & 4

Chapter 15 Flow, matching and scheduling problems: Skillsheet 15E

Altering completion times

1 An activity network for a particular project is shown in the diagram on the right. The
forwards and backwards scanning processes have been completed. The critical path for
this activity network is B – D. All durations are in hours.

a What is the minimum time required to complete the project?

The project manager can reduce the overall completion time of the project by reducing
the duration of each of the activities in the project by a maximum of one hour each.
b i Explain why reducing the duration of activities A, C and D would not
achieve this goal.
ii If the durations of activities B and D were reduced by one hour, what is
the new completion time for the project?

2 An activity network for a particular project is shown in the diagram on the right. The
forwards and backwards scanning processes have been completed. All activity
durations are in days.

a What is the critical path for this activity network?

The project manager can reduce the overall completion time of the project by reducing
the duration of each of the activities in the project by a maximum of two days each.

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Cambridge Senior Further Mathematics AC/VCE Units 3 & 4

Chapter 15 Flow, matching and scheduling problems: Skillsheet 15E

b i Which activities should have their completion times reduced?

ii If the durations for these activities were reduced, what is the new
completion time for the project?

Crashing with cost

3 An activity network for a particular project is shown in the diagram on the right. The
forwards and backwards scanning processes have been completed. All activity
durations are in weeks.

a What is the critical path for this activity network?

The project manager is able to reduce the duration of activities A, C, D and G. The
maximum reduction in duration for each activity is three weeks.
b Explain why the manager should only consider reducing the duration of
activities A and D.
c What would happen to the critical path if the manager reduced the duration of
activities A and D by three weeks each?

The maximum reduction in duration for activities A and D combined is four weeks. It
will cost $1500 per week to reduce the duration of activity A and it will cost $1350 per
week to reduce the duration of activity D.
d i Write down three different ways that the project manager could reduce the
duration of activities A and D so that the total reduction in completion
time for the project is five weeks.
ii Calculate the cost of each of these reductions.
e What is the minimum cost to reduce the overall completion time of the project
by the maximum amount?

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Cambridge Senior Further Mathematics AC/VCE Units 3 & 4

Chapter 15 Flow, matching and scheduling problems: Skillsheet 15E

4 An activity network for a particular project is shown in the diagram below.

The forwards and backwards scanning processes have been completed. All activity
durations are in days.
a What is the critical path for this activity network?

The project manager is able to reduce the duration of activities C, E, and F so that the
duration for any activity is a minimum of 1 day. It will cost $250 to reduce the duration
of activities C and E by one day, and $300 to reduce the duration of activity F by one
day.
b Explain why the manager should only consider reducing the duration of
activities E and F.
c Explain why activity F has a minimum reduced duration of 2 days.
d Complete the following table to record the possible reductions in the duration of
activities E and F.

Reduction in Reduction in Reduction in Cost of reducing

duration of E duration of F completion time completion time
of project
0 1 1 $300
0
1 0
1
1 2
2
1
2 2

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Cambridge Senior Further Mathematics AC/VCE Units 3 & 4

Chapter 15 Flow, matching and scheduling problems: Skillsheet 15E

e The project manager needs to reduce the overall completion time of the project
by two days.
i What is the minimum additional cost of reducing the completion time of the
project by two days?
ii Which activities should be reduced in duration, and by how many days?

5 An activity network for a particular project is shown in the diagram below. The
duration of all activities is in days.

a Determine the shortest time in which this project can be completed.

b Write down the critical path for this project.
c The time it takes to complete activity G can be reduced by one day at a cost of
$180. Explain why this will not affect the completion time of this project.
d Activity B can be reduced in duration at a cost of $320 per day. Activity D can
be reduced in duration at a cost of $260 per day. The minimum duration for
activity B and D is one day.
i What is the maximum possible reduction in the completion time of the
project?
ii What is the minimum cost of reducing the completion time of the project by
the maximum amount?

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Cambridge Senior Further Mathematics AC/VCE Units 3 & 4

Chapter 15 Flow, matching and scheduling problems: Skillsheet 15E

6 An activity network for a particular project is shown in the diagram below. The
duration of all activities is in weeks.

a Determine the shortest time in which this project can be completed.

b Write down the critical path for this project.
c The time it takes to complete activity E can be reduced by one week at a cost of
$2700. Explain why this will not affect the completion time of this project.

Activity A can be reduced in duration at a cost of $1900 per week. Activity D can be
reduced in duration at a cost of $2400 per week. Activity F can be reduced in duration
at a cost of $2100 per week. The maximum reduction in duration for any individual
activity is two weeks.
d i What is the maximum possible reduction in the completion time of the
project?
ii What is the minimum cost of reducing the completion time of the project by
the maximum amount?

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Cambridge Senior Further Mathematics AC/VCE Units 3 & 4

Chapter 15 Flow, matching and scheduling problems: Skillsheet 15E

Answers to Chapter 15 Skillsheet 15E

1 a 11 hrs
b i These activities are not on the critical path and already have slack time.
ii 9 hours
2 a A–D
b i A or D
ii 12 days
3 a A–D–E–F
b These activities are on the critical path.
c The critical path would change to B – F.
d i reduce A by 1 week and D by 3 weeks, reduce A by 2 weeks and D by 2
week, reduce A by 3 weeks and D by 1 week.
ii $5550, $5700, $5850
e $5550
4 a A–B–E–F–H
b These activities are on the critical path.
c Reducing F by more than two days will change the critical path to include G – I.
d
Reduction in Reduction in Reduction in Cost of
duration of E duration of F completion reducing
time of project completion
time
0 1 1 $300
0 2 2 $600
1 0 1 $250
1 1 2 $550
1 2 3 $850
2 0 2 $500
2 1 3 $800
2 2 4 $1100

e i $500
ii Reduce E by two days. No other reductions are necessary.

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Cambridge Senior Further Mathematics AC/VCE Units 3 & 4

Chapter 15 Flow, matching and scheduling problems: Skillsheet 15E

5 a 11 days
b B–D–F
c It is not on the critical path.
d i 5 days
ii $1420 (reduce B by 2 days and D by 3 days)
6 a 16 weeks
b A–D–F–G
c It is not on the critical path.
d i 5 weeks
ii $10 700 (reduce A by 2 weeks, D by 2 weeks and F by 1 week)

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