Network Planning Methods
Example CPM : Saint Paul’s
Hospital
3-1
CPM and PERT
CPM (Critical Path Method) is a network based methods
designed to assist in the planning, scheduling, and control
of projects. A project is a collection of interrelated
activities with each activity consuming time and
resources. The objective of CPM and PERT is to provide
analytic means for scheduling the activities.
Terms Used in Project Management
Activity : A certain amount of work or task required in the
project
Activity duration: In CPM the best estimate of time to complete
an activity . In PERT the expected time or average time to
complete an activity
Critical activity : An activity that has no room for schedule
slippages : if it slips the entire the entire project completion
will slip. An activity with zero slack.
3-3
Terms Used in Project Management .cont
Critical path: The chain of critical activities for the project .
The longest path through the network
Dummy activity :An activity that consumes no time but shows
precedence among activities
Earliest finish (EF): The earliest that an activity can finish
from the beginning of the project
Earliest start ( ES): The earliest that an activity can start from
the beginning of the project.
3-4
Terms Used in Project Management .cont
Event :A beginning , a completion point, or a milestone
accomplishment within the project. An activity begins
and ends with events
Latest finish (LF) : The latest that an activity can finish from
the beginning of the project.
Latest start (LS) :The latest that an activity can start from
the beginning of the project
3-5
Terms Used in Project Management .cont
Predecessor activity : An activity that must occur before
another activity .
Slack : The amount of time that an activity or group of
activities can slip without causing a delay in the completion of
the project
Successor activity : An activity that must occur after another
activity
3-6
Terms Used in Project Management .cont
Conventions used in drawing network diagrams (Arrows &
Circles )
Activity on Arrow (AOA) : The activities are denoted by Arrows and
events are denoted by circles.
Activity on Node(AON) : Activities are denoted by circles(or nodes)
and the precedence relation ships between activities are indicated by
arrows.
3-7
Network planning methods that generate:
Relationship between activities
Project duration
Critical path
Slack for non – critical activities
Crashing (cost / time trade-offs)
Resource usage
3-8 © 2004 by Prentice Hall, Inc., Upper Saddle River, N.J. 07458
St. Paul’s Hospital
Immediate
Activity Description Predecessor(s)
A Select administrative and medical staff. —
B Select site and do site survey. —
C Select equipment. A
D Prepare final construction plans and layout. B
E Bring utilities to the site. B
F Interview applicants and fill positions in nursing,
support staff, maintenance, and security. A
G Purchase and take delivery of equipment. C
H Construct the hospital. D
I Develop an information system. A
J Install the equipment. E,G,H
K Train nurses and support staff. F,I,J
3-9 © 2004 by Prentice Hall, Inc., Upper Saddle River, N.J. 07458
St. Paul’s Hospital
Immediate
AON Network
Activity Description
I Predecessor(s)
A Select administrative and medical staff. —
B Select site and do site survey. —
A F K
C Select equipment. A
D Prepare final construction plans and layout. B
E Bring utilities to the site. B
F Start
Interview applicants and C fill positions
G in nursing,Finish
support staff, maintenance, and security. A
G Purchase and take delivery of equipment. C
H Construct theBhospital. D H J D
I Develop an information system. A
J Install the equipment. E,G,H
K Train nurses and support E staff. F,I,J
3-10 © 2004 by Prentice Hall, Inc., Upper Saddle River, N.J. 07458
St. Paul’s Hospital
Immediate
Completion Time I
Activity Description
15 Predecessor(s)
A Select administrative and medical staff. —
B Select site and A do site survey.
F K —
12 10 9
C Select equipment. A
D Prepare final construction plans and layout. B
E Bring utilities
Start to the site. C G
Finish B
10 35
F Interview applicants and fill positions in nursing,
support staff, maintenance, and security. A
G Purchase and9B take delivery D
10
of H
equipment.
40
J
4
C
H Construct the hospital. D
I Develop an information system. A
E
J Install the equipment. 24 E,G,H
K Train nurses and support staff. F,I,J
3-11 © 2004 by Prentice Hall, Inc., Upper Saddle River, N.J. 07458
Path Expected Time (wks)
St. Paul’s Hospital
A-I-K 36
A-F-K 31 Critical
Completion Time Immediate
A-C-G-J-K 70 Path
Activity Description
I Predecessor(s)
15 B-D-H-J-K 72
A Select administrative and medical B-E-J-K
staff. 46 —
B Select site
A and do siteF survey. K —
C Select equipment.
12 10 9 A
D Prepare final construction plans and layout. B
E Bring utilities to the Csite. G
B
Start Finish
F Interview applicants10and fill positions
35 in nursing,
support staff, maintenance, and security. A
G Purchase B and take D delivery of equipment.
H J C
H Construct9 the hospital.
10 40 4 D
I Develop an information system. A
J Install the equipment. E
E,G,H
K Train nurses and support
24 staff. F,I,J
3-12 © 2004 by Prentice Hall, Inc., Upper Saddle River, N.J. 07458
Critical Path
The longest path in the network
Defines the shortest time project can be completed
Critical path activity delay project delay
3-13
Earliest Start and Earliest Finish
Begin at starting event and work forward
ES is earliest start
ES = 0 for starting activities
ES = Maximum EF of all
Activity
predecessors for
non-starting activities ES Name EF
EF is earliest finish
EF = ES + Activity time
LS LF
Activity
Duration
3-14
Earliest Start / Earliest Finish
I
15
A F K
12 10 9
C G
Start Finish
10 35
B D H J
9 10 40 4
24
3-15 © 2004 by Prentice Hall, Inc., Upper Saddle River, N.J. 07458
Earliest Start / Earliest Finish
12 I 27
Earliest start time 15 Earliest finish time
0 A 12 12 F 22 63 K 72
12 10 9
12 C 22 22 G 57
Start Finish
Critical 10 35
path
0 B 9 9 D 19 19 H 59 59 J 63
9 10 40 4
9 E 33
24
3-16 © 2004 by Prentice Hall, Inc., Upper Saddle River, N.J. 07458
Latest Start and Latest Finish
Begin at ending event and work backward
LF is latest finish
LF = Maximum EF for
ending activities
Activity
LF = Minimum LS of all
ES Name EF
successors for
non-ending activities
LS is latest start
LS = LF – Activity time LS Activity
LF
Duration
3-17
Latest Start / Latest Finish
12 I 27
48
Latest start time 15 63 Latest finish time
0 A 12 12
F 22 63 K 72
2 14 53 63 63 72
12 10 9
12 C 22 22 G 57
Start 24 59 Finish
14 24
Critical 10 35
path
0 B 9 9 D 19 19 H 59 59 J 63
0 9 19 19 59 59 63
9 9 10 40 4
What do you notice
9 E 33
35 59 about ES/LS &
24
EF/LF?
3-18 © 2004 by Prentice Hall, Inc., Upper Saddle River, N.J. 07458
Activity Slack Analysis
12 I 27
Slack
Latest = LS
start – ES
time
48
15 63 Latest finish time
or A F 22
0 12 12 63 K 72
Slack = LF12– EF
2 14 53
10
63 63 72
9
12 C 22 22 G 57
Start Finish
Slack K = 63Critical
– 63 = 0 10
14 24 24
35 59
path
or
0 B 9 9 D 19 19 H 59 59 J 63
SlackK = 72 –
9 972 = 0 10
0 919 19
40
59 59 63
4
9 E 33
35 59
24
3-19 © 2004 by Prentice Hall, Inc., Upper Saddle River, N.J. 07458
Activity Slack Analysis
12 I 27
Node Duration ES LS 48Slack
63
Latest start time 15 Latest finish time
A 12 0 2 2
B 9 A012 0 0
F
0 12 22 63 K 72
C 10 2 1214 14 53 2 63 63 72
D 10 129 9 10
0 9
E 24 9 35 26
F 10 12 53 41
12 C 22 22 G 57
Start
G 35 22 24 Finish
14 2 24 24 59
Critical 10 35
H 40 19 19 0
path
I 15 12 48 36
J 4 0 59
B 9 59 9 D0 19 19 H 59 59 J 63
K 6 0 63 9 63 9 0 19 19 59 59 63
9 10 40 4
Activity slack = maximum delay time
9 E 33
Critical
24 path activities have zero slack
35 59
3-20 © 2004 by Prentice Hall, Inc., Upper Saddle River, N.J. 07458
Activity Slack
How much would we like to reduce the time for activity B?
5
B 25
5 20 25
A 25
D 35
0 5
Start Finish
0 5 5 25 10 35
5
C 20
10 15 25
3-21 © 2004 by Prentice Hall, Inc., Upper Saddle River, N.J. 07458
Critical Path
A critical path of the project is a path comprising of critical
activities of the project.
It is to be remembered that
• a project can have more than one critical path,
• Any critical path will start at node 1 and will end at node n and
that
• The sum of the durations of the activities lying on a critical path
is the duration of the project.
