Project Management

Lect#5

Scheduling
Project Time Management
Processes
 Project Time Management
Project Time Management includes the processes required to
ensure timely completion of the project.

Project Time Management Processes:

1. Activity Definition –Identifying the specific activities that must be performed to

produce the various project deliverables.

2. Activity Sequencing –Identifying and documenting dependencies between activities.

3. Activity Duration Estimating –Estimating the number of work periods that will be
needed to complete individual activities.

4. Schedule Development –Analyzing activity sequences, activity durations, and

resource requirements to create the project schedule.
 Project Time Management
Project Time Controlling Process:

5. Schedule Control –Controlling changes to the project schedule.

On some projects, especially ones of smaller scope, activity sequencing,

activity resource estimating, activity duration estimating, and schedule
development are so tightly linked that they are viewed as a single process that can be
performed by a person over a relatively short period of time .
 1. Activity Definition
• Activity/Task definition involves identifying and documenting the specific
activities that must be performed to produce the deliverables and sub-
deliverables identified in the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS).

Purpose:
• To break down the work of the project into manageable components so that
time, resource and cost could easily be determined.

• Each task/activity should be broken down to the point where these estimates
are easily derived.

• It makes the project manager’s job easier.

 2. Activity Sequencing
 An important part of project planning is determining the logical flow of the
various activities you identified in WBS.

 Activity sequencing involves identifying and documenting logical

relationships.

 Sequencing can be performed with the aid of a computer (e.g., by using

project management software) or with manual techniques. Manual
techniques are often more effective on smaller projects and in the early
phases of larger ones when little detail is available.

 Manual and automated techniques may also be used in combination.

 2. Activity Sequencing
PERT and CPM (Scheduling/Network Techniques):

PERT (program evaluation and review technique) and CPM (critical

path method) are two of the most widely used techniques for
planning and coordinating projects.

By using PERT or CPM managers are able to obtain:

A graphical display of the project activities
 An estimate of how long the project will take
 An indication of which activities are most critical
 An indication of how long an activity can be delayed
without lengthening the project
 Network Techniques “PERT & CPM”
 The Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) was developed by
the U.S. Navy in 1958

 The Critical Path Method was developed by DuPont at about the same
time

 PERT has been primarily used for research and development projects

 CPM was designed for construction projects and has been generally
embraced by the construction industry

 The two methods are quite similar

 Network Techniques “PERT & CPM”
For proceeding with PERT/CPM following common six points have to
be followed:

 Define the project with significant activities or tasks

 Develop relationship among the activities

 Draw network connecting all activities

 Assign time and/or cost estimates to each activity

 Compute the critical path

 Use network to help plan, schedule, monitor and control the project
 Network Techniques “PERT & CPM”
Activity - A specific task or set of tasks that are required by the project, use up
resources, and take time to complete.

Event - The result of completing one or more activities. An identifiable end state
occurring at a particular time. Events use no resources.

Network - The combination of all activities and events define the project and the
activity precedence relationships

Path - The series of connected activities (or intermediate events) between any two
events in a network

Critical - Activities, events, or paths which, if delayed, will delay the completion of
the project.
 Network Techniques “PERT & CPM”

An activity can be in any of these conditions:

 It may have a successor(s) but no predecessor(s) - starts a network

 It may have a predecessor(s) but no successor(s) - ends network

 It may have both predecessor(s) and successor(s) - in the middle of a

network
 Drawing Networks (Diagramming Methods)
• Activity-on-Arrow (AOA) networks use arrows to represent activities while
nodes stand for events. Also called as Arrow Diagramming Method (ADM).

• Activity-on-Node (AON) networks use nodes to represent activities with

arrows to show precedence relationships. Also called as Precedence
Diagramming Method (PDM).

• The choice between AOA and AON representation is largely a matter of

personal preference.
AON or PDM
AOA or ADM
AOA (Activity on Arrow) or ADM
ADM (Arrow Diagramming Method)
 AOA or ADM
 ADM require the use of “dummy” relationships called
dummy activities, which are shown as dashed lines, to
define all logical relationships correctly.

 Dummy activity is an activity which does not consume

resources but is introduced in the network to give logic to
the network.

 For example, in Figure in previous slide, schedule activity

“F” is dependent upon the completion of schedule
activities “A” and “K,” in addition to the completion of
schedule activity “H.”
 Creating the Network Diagram
 Prepare the network diagram by using the following steps:

1. For each activity in WBS, determine the logical relationships (also

called precedence relationships).
 Which activities depend on other activities
 An activity can depend on more than one activity

2. Arrange the activities into logical sequence or paths

 Place activities not dependent on each other in separate paths.
 An activity cannot begin until its preceding activities have been
completed.

3. Review each path to be sure it makes sense.

 No activity can lead to a dead end
 If discovered later in project that an activity has been overlooked,
go back and add it to WBS
Merge & Burst Activity Relationships

a
c

b
a
c
 Dummy Activity

 The rule of network construction is that only one

arrow can be drawn between the same two nodes.
 Incorrect Representation

1 4
a c
3
b d

2 5

1. c is dependent on both a & b

2. d is dependent on b only
Correct the above network diagram?
 Correct Representation

1 a c
3 4

b d
2 6 5
 Incorrect Representation
(A)
(C) 3

1 2

(D)
(B) 4

Activity Immediate
Predecessors
A -
B -
Correct it?...
C A
D A, B
Correct Representation

C
A
1 2 3

Dummy Activity
B

5 4
D