PMI Table:
Core Planning Processes
- predecessor activity: comes before a dependent activity in a schedule.
- A successor activity: comes after another activity in a schedule.
- PDM includes four types of dependencies or logical relationships:
• Finish-to-start (FS): logical relationship in which a successor activity cannot start until a predecessor activity
has finished. (most used)
• Finish-to-finish (FF). a successor cannot finish until a predecessor has finished.
• Start-to-start (SS). a successor activity cannot start until a predecessor has started.
• Start-to-finish (SF). a successor activity cannot finish until a predecessor has started.(rarely used)
(slide 115: exercise)
Leads and Lags:
- A lead: is the amount of time whereby a successor activity can be advanced with respect to a predecessor.
- example, on a project to construct a new office building, the landscaping could be scheduled to start
two weeks prior to the scheduled punch list completion. This would be shown as a finish-to-start with a two-
week lead.
- Lead is often represented as a negative value for lag in scheduling software.
Diverging-Converging Activities:
- Diverging Activities: Single predecessor with multiple successors
- Converging Activities: Multiple predecessors with single successor
Key Scheduling Definitions:◼ Network ◼ Network techniques ◼ Path ◼ Node ◼ Arc ◼ Event ◼ Activity
Slack vs Float:
- provide flexibility in the project schedule.
- represents a period of time a task might be delayed without impacting the project schedule or its successor
task and changes over the course of the project implementation.
- Any activity which have slack=0 : it is on critical path
Critical Path Methodology:
- PMBOK® Definition: Generally, but not always, the sequence of schedule activities that determine the
duration of the project. It is the longest path through the project.
- Practical Definition: The longest paths of tasks through the project plan with zero float or zero slack.
- On the critical path, there is no slack or float. No task or activity can be delayed without impacting its
immediate successors or the project
>> Think of critical path in project management as a project modeling technique:
- Longest sequence of activities in a project plan which must be completed on time for the project to complete
on due date.
- An activity on the critical path cannot be started until its predecessor activity is complete;
- if it is delayed for a day, the entire project will be delayed for a day unless the activity following the delayed
activity is completed a day earlier.
Critical Path (CPM):
- is an algorithm for scheduling a set of project activities. It is an important tool for effective project
management.
- The essential technique for using CPM is to construct a model of the project that includes the following:
❑ A list of all activities required to complete the project (typically categorized within a work breakdown
structure),
❑ The time (duration) that each activity will take to complete,
❑ The dependencies between the activities and,
❑ Logical end points such as milestones or deliverable items.
- An additional parallel path through the network with the total durations shorter than the critical path is called
a sub-critical or non-critical path.
Forward Pass Definitions:
- Early Start Date (ES): Earliest possible point in time an activity can start, based on the network logic and any
schedule constraints
- Duration (DU): Number of work periods, excluding holidays or other nonworking periods, required to
complete the activity; expressed as workdays or workweeks.
- Early Finish Date (EF): Earliest possible time the activity can finish
- Forward Pass: Starting at the beginning (left) of the network develop early start and early finish dates for each
task, progressing to end (right-most box) of the network.
- EF = ES + DU – 1
(slide 133 exp)
Backward Pass Definitions:
- Late Start Date (LS): Latest point in time that an activity may begin without delaying that activity’s successor
If the activity is on the critical path, the project end date will be affected
- Float or Slack: Latest point in time a task may be delayed from its earliest start date without delaying the
project finish date
- Late Finish (LF): Latest point in time a task may be completed without delaying that activity’s successor
If the activity is on the critical path, the project end date will be affected
- Backward Pass: Calculate late start and late finish dates by starting at project completion, using finish times
and working backwards
- Latest Start = Latest Finish – Duration +1 (example slide 135/137)
Check resume slide : 139-146
Types of Float: The different types of float are :
1. Total Float or Float 2. Free Float 3. Project Float 4. Interfering Float (INTF) 5. Independent Float (INDF)
• Total Float = Float : is about flexibility at the project level. It is about the flexibility that an activity has in its
execution without delaying the Project finish date.(example : slide 158/159)
Total Float or Float = LS – ES or LF – EF
• Free Float:
PMBOK : “The amount of time that a schedule activity can be delayed without delaying the early start date of
any successor or violating a schedule constraint”
So, Free Float is about flexibility at the activity level. It is about the flexibility that an activity has in its
execution without delaying its successor activity. (example : slide 161/162)
Free Float = ES (of successor) – EF (of current)
>> Total Float vs Free float: While Total Float is how much an activity can be delayed without affecting the project
Finish date, Free Float is about how much an activity can be delayed without affecting its successor activity.
• Interfering Float (INTF):
- is the amount of time a schedule activity can be delayed or extended from its early start date without
delaying the project finish date.
- However, it should be understood that delaying an activity into interfering float will delay the start of one or
more following non-critical activities. If an activity is delayed for the amount of the Free and Interfering Float,
then its successor activities are critical. (example : slide 166)
Interfering Float = Total Float – Free Float
INTF = LF Current – EF Current – ES Successor + EF Current
INTF = LF Current – ES Successor
• Independent Float (INDF): Independent Float is the maximum amount of time an activity can be delayed
without delaying the early start of the succeeding activities and without being affected by the allowable delay
of any predecessor activity. (example : slide 169/170)
Independent Float (INDF) = Earliest Successors’ Early Start – Earliest Predecessors’ Late Finish – Activity’s
duration
>> when the INDF is a negative value, we set the value to zero.
INDF = Late finish predecessor - Early Start of the current
• Project Float
-This type of Float is not mentioned in the PMBOK
- It is the amount of time a Project can be delayed without delaying the externally imposed project finish date
by the customer, or the project finish date previously committed to by the Project Manager.
- Free & Total Floats are about the time an activity can be delayed, while Project float is the amount of time a
Project can be delayed.
Benefits of a Realistic Schedule
- Framework for managing critical project activities.
- Determines planned start and completion dates.
- Identifies activity and task precedence relationships.
- Aids project team in defining critical communication content.
- Specifies times when staff must be available.
- No surprises.
Scheduling Techniques: Check slides : 173-175
PERT Technique: Project Evaluation and Review Technique
Key Scheduling Concepts ◼ Master schedule ◼ Crashing ◼ Hanger ◼ Workaround ◼ Schedule variance.
Core Planning Processes:
✓ Resource Planning: Project Human Resource Management includes the processes that organize, manage, and
lead the project team.
Project Quality:
- the totality of characteristics of an entity that bear on its ability to satisfy stated or implied needs. (
International Organization for Standardization)
- Other experts: Conformance to requirements; meeting written specifications. / Fitness for use; ensuring
product can be used as it was intended.
Quality Plan development:
Purpose of QM:
- To Ensure that the Project Will Satisfy the Needs for Which it was Undertaken.
- scope -cost -performance -Meet or exceed customer satisfaction
- The Customer or End User Ultimately Decides if Quality is Acceptable. Period.
PQM Processes:
1. Quality planning: identifying which quality standards are relevant to the project and how to satisfy them
2. Quality assurance: evaluating overall project performance to ensure the project will satisfy the relevant quality
standards
3. Quality control: monitoring specific project results to ensure that they comply with the relevant quality standards
while identifying ways to improve overall Quality
(slide188-190)
Quality Control:
• The main outputs of quality control are: - acceptance decisions - rework - process adjustments
• Some tools and techniques include: - Pareto analysis -statistical sampling -Six Sigma(slide192) -
quality control charts
PROJECT RISK MANAGEMENT
>> includes the processes of conducting risk management planning, identification, analysis, response planning,
and controlling risk on a project.
>> The objectives : to increase the likelihood and impact of positive events, and decrease the likelihood and
impact of negative events in the project.
1 Plan Risk Management: The process of defining how to conduct risk management activities for a project.
2 Identify Risks: The process of determining which risks may affect the project and documenting their
characteristics.
3 Perform Qualitative Risk Analysis: The process of prioritizing risks for further analysis or action by assessing
and combining their probability of occurrence and impact.
4 Perform Quantitative Risk Analysis: The process of numerically analyzing the effect of identified risks on
overall project objectives.
5 Plan Risk Responses: The process of developing options and actions to enhance opportunities and to reduce
threats to project objectives.
6 Control Risks: The process of implementing risk response plans, tracking identified risks, monitoring residual
risks, identifying new risks, and evaluating risk process effectiveness throughout the project.
Understanding Risk:
- The effect of uncertainty on objectives.
- Typically related to one of four areas: 1. Strategy 2. Change management 3. Operations 4. Finance
- Risks can be positive, negative, or neutral.
- Some examples of risks:
+ Business interruptions
+ Changes in business relationships
+ Changing labor market conditions
+ System issues
+ Access to information
+Security conditions
- Quantitative risks are those that can clearly be quantified.
- Qualitative risks are those that cannot easily be clearly quantified.
- You should always strive to make all qualitative risks quantitative, if possible, >> By collecting and
analyzing data.
What is Risk Management?
- Principles and processes that help minimize the negative impacts of risks and maximize the positive
impacts.
- Process should be PACED: Proportionate Aligned Complete Embedded Dynamic
Establishing Your Risk Management Context
• Regulatory or legal environment
• Communications methods
• Size of the organization
• Labor relations
• Structure of the organization
• Culture of the organization with respect to risk tolerance
Risk Management Activities
- Your risk assessment process should be proportionate to your organization.
- You should have a template to track and record all information.
- Information gathering should always be a group activity. Gather hard data whenever possible.
Risk Impact assessment
Responding to Risks:
The Four T’s: Tolerate Treat Transfer Terminate
Responding to Risks – PMBOK (Negative)
Strategies for Negative Risks or Threats:
- Avoid
- Transfer
- Mitigate
- Acceptance
Responding to Risks – PMBOK (Positive)
Strategies for Positive Risks or Opportunities: ➢Exploit ➢Share ➢Enhance ➢Accept
Responding to Risks:
>> Key Considerations:
- Ensure normal business practices are not interrupted.
- Managing the media should be part of your plan.
- Direct communication with stakeholders is critical.
- If there is any chance that people may be injured or worse, you should Include medical support in your
planning.
- You may be required by law to obtain insurance
Resourcing Controls:
>> Possible controls can include:
- Re-allocating existing people or equipment
- Additional people
- New equipment
- Skills and training
- New information
>> Your evaluation should look at:
- Does the control meet laws and regulations?
- How well does each control mitigate the risk?
- What is the cost of the control vs. the implementation benefit?
- What is the sustainability of the control?
- What changes might have to be made to this control?
- What other effects will this control have?
Reaction Planning:
build a contingency plan for each major risk
>> The plan should detail: When Who What Where
Reporting and Monitoring:
- When your organization establishes its risk management framework, a >> reporting hierarchy should also
be established.
- Your reporting structure will differ depending on the complexity of your risk management program.
- Your organization will need to develop a checklist of items that will need to be reported on and
monitored on a regular basis.
>> Items that will need to be reported on include:
- Changes to risks
- Near misses and incidents
- Changes that will affect the risk management program
>> Items that should be monitored include:
- Effectiveness of risk controls
- Cost of controls vs. benefit s achieved
- Laws and legislation
- Industry climate
- Alignment of risk management plan with corporate goals
Reviewing and Evaluating the Framework:
• Analysis of risk response measures, whether they achieved the desired result, and did so efficiently
• Review of reporting and monitoring procedures
• Knowledge gap analysis for risk assessments
• Compliance check with appropriate regulations and organizations
• Opinions of key external and internal stakeholders
• Self-certification
• Risk disclosure exercise, to identify future risks
• Repeat of risk assessment
• Lessons learned
• Recommendations and implementation plan
