Name: Shubhan Kadam

UID: 2020300026

Exp. No: 7

App Name: Crunch It – An Instant Food Delivery App

AIM: Determine project completion time and critical path using CPM

THEORY: WHAT IS THE CRITICAL PATH METHOD (CPM)?

The critical path method (CPM) is a project management technique that’s
used by project managers to create an accurate project schedule. The CPM
method, also known as critical path analysis (CPA), consists in using the CPM
formula and a network diagram to visually represent the task sequences of a
project. Once these task sequences or paths are defined, their duration is
calculated to identify the critical path.

WHEN SHOULD YOU USE CRITICAL PATH ANALYSIS?

Critical path analysis is another way of referring to the critical path method.
As noted, it’s used by industries with complex projects, such as aerospace,
defense, construction and product development.
Therefore, critical path analysis is a crucial first step in developing a project
schedule. It’s done early in the life cycle of a project, usually in the planning
phase, but it’s not unheard of to have CPM as part of a project proposal before
the project has been approved.
By understanding which are the critical tasks in a project you can focus on
getting those done if time, resources and costs are an issue. Knowing this in
advance of executing a project will help you deliver that project successfully.

CRITICAL PATH METHOD (CPM) FORMULA:

Before we learn how to use the CPM formula, we need to understand some
key CPM concepts.

Earliest start time (ES): This is simply the earliest time that a task can be
started in your project. You cannot determine this without first knowing if
there are any task dependencies
Latest start time (LS): This is the very last minute in which you can start a
task before it threatens to delay your project timeline
Earliest finish time (EF): The earliest an activity can be completed, based on
its duration and its earliest start time
Latest finish time (LF): The latest an activity can be completed, based on its
duration and its latest start time
Forward Pass In Cpm:
Use the CPM diagram and the estimated duration of each activity to determine
their earliest start (ES) and earliest finish (EF). The ES of an activity is equal
to the EF of its predecessor, and its EF is determined by the CPM formula EF
= ES + t (t is the activity duration). The EF of the last activity identifies the
expected time required to complete the entire project.

Backward Pass In Cpm:

Begins by assigning the last activity’s earliest finish as its latest finish. Then
the CPM formula to find the LS is LS = LF – t (t is the activity duration). For
the previous activities, the LF is the smallest of the start times for the activity
that immediately follows.

ACTIVITIES:

Activities Acronym Predecessor Duration(days)

UI Design UI - 7

Frontend Development FD UI 14

Database Selection DS - 1

Database Setup DBS DS 2

API Formation API DS 8

External API Integrations EXI DS 7

Frontend Testing FT FD 3

Backend Testing BT DBS API 3

EXI

Frontend Backend Integration I FT BT 5

Unit Testing UT I 2

Hosting Final Version HFV UT 2

AON:

CPM: UI:

0 7 7

UI

0 0 7

DS:

0 1 1

DS

12 12 13

FD:

7 14 21

FD

7 0 21

API:

1 8 9

API

13 12 21

EXI:
 1 7 8

EXI

14 13 21

DBS:

1 2 3

DBS

19 18 21

FT:

21 3 24

FT

21 0 24

BT:

9 3 12

BT

21 12 24

I:

24 5 29

24 5 29

UT:
 29 2 31

UT

29 0 31

HFV:

31 2 33

HFV

31 0 33

Therefore by analyzing our CPM tables and including the activities with slack
time 0 in the critical path, the critical path comes out to be:
UI -> FD -> FT -> I -> UT -> HFV

The total number of days required to complete the technical work as per the
CPM analysis comes out to be 33 days.

CONCLUSION: The experiment demonstrated that the Critical Path Method (CPM) offers a
structured and systematic approach to project planning and scheduling. By
identifying the critical path, project managers can allocate resources
efficiently and reduce the risk of delays.