Week 3 – Project Scheduling

3.1. Introduction
This week's emphasis is on scheduling, a key component of project management (PM) along with
planning. The second phase of project management includes scheduling as part of planning, which
includes establishing the project's goals and requirements, as well as estimating costs, scheduling
the activities, and determining the deliverables. Project scheduling fundamentals include critical
path analysis and precedence network analysis.

3.2. Learning Outcomes

Upon the completion of this week of study you will be able to:

LO 1. Develop a critical awareness of the scheduling of a project:

- Recognize critical path and precedence network analysis and use it in project scheduling
- Plan project deliverables using the proper methodology.
- Take into mind the diversity of the team and factors specific to multinational initiatives
while organizing the project.

3.3. Project Scheduling

A project's delivery deadline can be met if it is scheduled in advance. The PERT and CPM
systems were the most widely used project scheduling techniques in the 1950s. Over the years,
two additional techniques were created. The networks in question are activity-on-arrow (AOA)
and activity-on-node (AON). The AON technique is the most often used since it is easier to draw
than its predecessors. Another name for the AON technique is the precedence diagramming
method (PDM).
After the WBS is finished, the project's initial schedule is written. The PMI lists seven tasks
that makeup project scheduling: define activities, sequence activities, estimate resources for

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 activities, estimate durations for activities, schedule preparation, and schedule control. A project
schedule needs to include the series of tasks in a logical order, their durations, the resources that
will be needed, as well as dates, deadlines, and cash flow.

The work packages of the WBS produce activities (lowest level). In small projects activities are
typically established at the same time as the WBS. A work package is a deliverable that takes more
than one activity to produce it, which is how it differs from an activity.

3.4. Critical Path Analysis

Source: Lock (2014)

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 • Each and every network diagram is created from left to right.
• Every circle shows a project event, such as the conclusion of an activity.
• The event is identified by a number inside each circle.
• The arrow separating two events denotes a process or action that must happen before the
second event is finished. As a result, activities 1-2 represent the arrow from events 1 to 2. The
dotted arrow in the diagram represents a dummy variable.
• A dummy activity does not reflect actual activity, but rather a restriction or line of reliance
between various occurrences. Activities 4-7 must be finished before activities 7-9 can begin,
and activities 2-5 must also be finished before activities 7-9 can begin. As an alternative, action
7-9 begins after events 5 and 7 are finished.
• The diagram's logical relevance is that no event can be said to be completed until all of the
activities that make up that event are accomplished.

The following are examples of the most typical logical dependence activities:

1. Finish-to-start (FS), i.e., “a logical relationship in which a successor activity cannot start
until a predecessor activity has finished”.
2. Finish-to-finish (FF), i.e., “a logical relationship in which a successor activity cannot finish
until a predecessor activity has finished”.
3. Start-to-start (SS), i.e., “a logical relationship in which a successor activity cannot start until
a predecessor activity has started”.
4. Start-to-finish (SF), i.e., “a logical relationship in which a successor activity cannot finish
until a predecessor activity has started”.

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3.5. Precedence network analysis
The precedence network analysis differs from the critical network analysis
The initial activity is the predecessor activity, i.e., “an activity that logically comes before a
dependent activity in a schedule”. The subsequent activity is the successor activity, which is “a
dependent activity that logically comes after another activity in a schedule”. (PMBOK)

Each node box in the schedule has the notations ES (Early Start), LS (Late Start), EF (Early
Finish), LF (Late Finish), and DU (DUration of the task). Float is calculated by the equation
Float = Late start – Early start (Float = LS – ES). Total float is the amount of time an activity can
be delayed without delaying the overall project, whereas free float refers to the amount of time an
activity can be delayed without delaying its successor activity(ies).

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Exercise
For the network below, calculate the early and late times as well as the float available on non-
critical activities. Which activities form the critical path?

Source: Heagney (2012, p. 91)

Solution

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 For more examples, please, see Heagney (2011), Chapter 7.

Case Study on Geebold Manufacturing

Five months ago, the board of directors of Geebold Manufacturing approved the building of a
new facility to manufacture a new line of clothing. The company has already selected the project
manager and the project team. Ann, the project manager, has spent the past five months planning
the project. She carefully defined the project in terms of cost, time, and scope, and obtained the
approval of the board of directors on the statement of work. Working diligently, she created a
work breakdown structure to the best of her knowledge. The diagram contains over one hundred
boxes in eight levels. Some of the work packages represent two to three hours of work and a few
represent 150 hours work. She then estimated each of the activities using an analogous approach,
drawing on plans she discovered of a similar facility the company planned three years ago but
never completed. Ann then drew a graphical network diagram including each oft the work
packages from the work breakdown structure. The dia gram showed the sequence of activities
and their interrelationships. Ann is now ready to select the project team and get the project
rolling.
What has Ann done correctly? If you were the project manager, what would you do
differently?
Case Study: Richman, (2002, p. 259)

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References
A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge. 7th Edition, (2021). PMI
Institute.
Heagney, J. (2011). Fundamentals of Project Management, AMACOM.
Lewis, J. Project Planning, Scheduling, and Control. 5th Edition, (2011). McGraw Hill.
Lock, D. (2014). The Essentials of Project Management. Taylor & Francis.
Richman, L. (2002). Project Management: Step-by-Step. AMACOM, 2002.

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