Project

Scheduling
INTRODUCTION
Schedule converts action plan into operating time table

Basis for monitoring and controlling project

Scheduling more important in projects than in

production, because unique nature

Sometimes , the customer specified/approved

requirement.

Based on Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

2
 NETWORK TECHNIQUES

PERT CPM
-Program Evaluation and Critical Path Method
Review Technique Developed by El
- developed by the US Dupont for Chemical
Navy with Booz Plant Shutdown
Hamilton Lockheed Project- about
- on the Polaris same time as PERT
Missile/Submarine
program 1958

Both use same calculations, almost similar

Main difference is probabilistic and deterministic in time
estimation
 Gantt
Chapter 8 Chart also used in scheduling
Scheduling, PERT, Critical Path Analysis 3
 NETWORK
• Graphical portrayal of activities and event
• Shows dependency relationships between
tasks/activities in a project
• Clearly shows tasks that must precede
(precedence) or follow (succeeding) other
tasks in a logical manner
• Clear representation of plan – a powerful
tool for planning and controlling project

4
 Example of Simple Network –
Survey

Chapter 8 Scheduling, PERT, Critical Path Analysis 5

 Example of Network –
More Complex

Chapter 8 Scheduling, PERT, Critical Path Analysis 6

 DEFINITION OF TERMS IN A NETWORK

• Activity :any portions of project (tasks) which required by

project, uses up resource and consumes time – may involve labor,
paper work, contractual negotiations, machinery operations
• Activity on Arrow (AOA) showed as arrow,
• AON – Activity on Node
• Event : beginning or ending points of one or more activities,
instantaneous point in time, also called ‘nodes’
• Network Combination of all project activities and the events

PRECEEDING SUCCESSOR
ACTIVITY

EVENT

Chapter 8 Scheduling, PERT, Critical Path Analysis 7

Emphasis on Logic in Network
Construction
• Construction of network should be based on logical or
technical dependencies among activities
• Example - before activity ‘Approve Drawing’ can be
started the activity ‘Prepare Drawing’ must be
completed
• Common error – build network on the basis of time
logic (a feeling for proper sequence ) see example
below

WRONG !!!

CORRECT 
Chapter 8 Scheduling, PERT, Critical Path Analysis 8
Example 1- A simple network
Consider the list of four activities for making a simple product:

Activity Description Immediate predecessors

A Buy Plastic Body -
B Design Component -
C Make Component B
D Assemble product A,C

Immediate predecessors for a particular activity are

the activities that, when completed, enable the start of
the activity in question.
Chapter 8 Scheduling, PERT, Critical Path Analysis 9
 Sequence of activities
Can start work on activities A and B anytime,
since neither of these activities depends upon
the completion of prior activities.
Activity C cannot be started until activity B has
been completed
Activity D cannot be started until both activities
A and C have been completed.
The graphical representation (next slide) is
referred to as the PERT/CPM network

Chapter 8 Scheduling, PERT, Critical Path Analysis 10

 Network of Four Activities

Arcs indicate project activities

A D
1 3 4

B C

Nodes correspond to the

beginning and ending of
activities

Chapter 8 Scheduling, PERT, Critical Path Analysis 11

 Example 2
Develop the network for a project with following activities and
immediate predecessors:
Activity Immediate
predecessors
A -
B -
C B
D A, C
E C
F C
G D,E,F
Try to do for the first five (A,B,C,D,E) activities

Chapter 8 Scheduling, PERT, Critical Path Analysis 12

 Network of first five activities

A D
1 3 4

E
B

C 5

2
We need to
introduce a
dummy activity

Chapter 8 Scheduling, PERT, Critical Path Analysis 13

 Network of Seven Activities
1 A 3 D 4 G
7
dummy E
B
C 5 F
2 6
• Note how the network correctly identifies D, E, and F as the
immediate predecessors for activity G.
• Dummy activities is used to identify precedence relationships
correctly and to eliminate possible confusion of two or more
activities having the same starting and ending nodes
• Dummy activities have no resources (time, labor, machinery,
etc) – purpose is to PRESERVE LOGIC of the network

Chapter 8 Scheduling, PERT, Critical Path Analysis 14

 EXAMPLES OF THE USE OF DUMMYACTIVITY
Network concurrent activities
a
a 2

1 2 1 Dummy

b 3
b
WRONG!!! RIGHT 

Activity c not WRONG !

required for e
a
a e
d
1
b 1 b
e
d
c
2
c
WRONG
RIGHT
!!!

RIGHT 

Chapter 8 Scheduling, PERT, Critical Path Analysis 15

 WRONG!!! RIGHT!!!

a d a d
1 1

b e b
2 2 4
e

c f c f
3 3

a precedes d.
a and b precede e,
b and c precede f (a does not precede f)

Chapter 8 Scheduling, PERT, Critical Path Analysis 16

Scheduling with activity time
Activity Immediate Completion
predecessors Time (week)
A -
5
B -
6
C A
4
D A
3
E A
1
F E
4
G D,F
14
H B,C
12
I G,H
2
Total …… 51

This information indicates that the total time required to

complete activities is 51 weeks. However, we can see from the
network that several of the activities can be conducted
simultaneously (A and B, for example).
Chapter 8 Scheduling, PERT, Critical Path Analysis 17
 Earliest start & earliest finish time
• We are interested in the longest path through the
network, i.e., the critical path.

• Starting at the network’s origin (node 1) and using a

starting time of 0, we compute an earliest start
(ES) and earliest finish (EF) time for each activity
in the network.

• The expression EF = ES + t can be used to find the

earliest finish time for a given activity.
For example, for activity A, ES = 0 and t = 5; thus
the earliest finish time for activity A is
EF = 0 + 5 = 5

Chapter 8 Scheduling, PERT, Critical Path Analysis 18

Arc with ES & EF time
EF = earliest finish time

ES = earliest start time

Activity

2
]
A [0,5
5
1
t = expected activity
time

Chapter 8 Scheduling, PERT, Critical Path Analysis 19

Network with ES & EF time
D[5,8] 5
2 3
E[ 1 0]
,

G[1 4
5,6 6
F[
5 ,5]

1 ]

0, 2
4

1
0

7
A[

4
]
C[5,9]

4,26

]
4
I[2
4

2
1 6
B[0
,6] [ 9,21]
6 H
12
3

Earliest start time rule:

The earliest start time for an activity leaving a particular node
is equal to the largest of the earliest finish times for all
activities entering the node.

Chapter 8 Scheduling, PERT, Critical Path Analysis 20

 Activity, duration, ES, EF, LS, LF
EF = earliest finish time

ES = earliest start time

Activity

3
]
C [5,9 ]
2
4 [8 , 1
2
LF = latest finish time
LS = latest start time

Chapter 8 Scheduling, PERT, Critical Path Analysis 21

 Latest start & latest finish time

• To find the critical path we need a backward pass calculation.

• Starting at the completion point (node 7) and using a latest

finish time (LF) of 26 for activity I, we trace back through the
network computing a latest start (LS) and latest finish time
for each activity

• The expression LS = LF – t can be used to calculate latest start

time for each activity. For example, for activity I, LF = 26 and t
= 2, thus the latest start time for activity I is
LS = 26 – 2 = 24

Chapter 8 Scheduling, PERT, Critical Path Analysis 22

 Network with LS & LF time

D[5,8] 5
2 3[7,10]
0]

G[1 10,24
14[
E[ 1
1[5 5,6] [ 6, 10]

0, 2 ]
F 6,
5[ 0,5]

,6]
4[

4]
5]

7
A[
0,

4 2 4, 26]
C[5,9]

I[
4[8,12]

2 4 , 26]
1 6 2[
B[0
6[6 ,6] [ 9, 21]
, 12
H
[ 12,24]
] 12
3

Latest finish time rule:

The latest finish time for an activity entering a particular node is
equal to the smallest of the latest start times for all activities
leaving the node.

Chapter 8 Scheduling, PERT, Critical Path Analysis 23

Slack or Free Time or Float
Slack is the length of time an activity can be delayed without
affecting the completion date for the entire project.
For example, slack for C = 3 weeks, i.e Activity C can be delayed up
to 3 weeks
(start anywhere between weeks 5 and 8).[5,9] 3
C ]
4 [8 , 1 2
2
ES LS EF LF
5 8 9 12

LF-EF = 12 –9 =3

LS-ES = 8 – 5 = 3

LF-ES-t = 12-5-4 = 3

Chapter 8 Scheduling, PERT, Critical Path Analysis 24

Activity schedule for our example
Activity Earliest Latest Earliest Latest Slack Critical
start (ES) start (LS) finish finish (LS-ES) path
(EF) (LF)

A 0 0 5 5 0 Yes
B 0 6 6 12 6
C 5 8 9 12 3
D 5 7 8 10 2
E 5 5 6 6 0 Yes
F 6 6 10 10 0 Yes
G 10 10 24 24 0 Yes
H 9 12 21 24 3
I 24 24 26 26 0 Yes
Chapter 8 Scheduling, PERT, Critical Path Analysis 25
 IMPORTANT QUESTIONS
• What is the total time to complete the project?
• 26 weeks if the individual activities are completed on schedule.

• What are the scheduled start and completion times for each
activity?
• ES, EF, LS, LF are given for each activity.

• What activities are critical and must be completed as

scheduled in order to keep the project on time?
• Critical path activities: A, E, F, G, and I.

• How long can non-critical activities be delayed before they

cause a delay in the project’s completion time
• Slack time available for all activities are given.

Chapter 8 Scheduling, PERT, Critical Path Analysis 26

Importance of Float (Slack) and Critical Path

1. Slack or Float shows how much allowance each activity has,

i.e how long it can be delayed without affecting completion
date of project

2. Critical path is a sequence of activities from start to finish

with zero slack. Critical activities are activities on the critical
path.

3. Critical path identifies the minimum time to complete

project

4. If any activity on the critical path is shortened or extended,

project time will be shortened or extended accordingly

Chapter 8 Scheduling, PERT, Critical Path Analysis 27

 Importance of Float (Slack) and Critical
Path (cont)
5. So, a lot of effort should be put in trying to control activities
along this path, so that project can meet due date. If any
activity is lengthened, be aware that project will not meet
deadline and some action needs to be taken.
6. If can spend resources to speed up some activity, do so only
for critical activities.
7. Don’t waste resources on non-critical activity, it will not
shorten the project time.
8. If resources can be saved by lengthening some activities, do
so for non-critical activities, up to limit of float.
9. Total Float belongs to the path

Chapter 8 Scheduling, PERT, Critical Path Analysis 28

 PERT For Dealing With Uncertainty
• So far, times can be estimated with relative certainty,
confidence

• For many situations this is not possible, e.g Research,

development, new products and projects etc.

• Use 3 time estimates

m= most likely time estimate, mode.
a = optimistic time estimate,
b = pessimistic time estimate, and

Expected Value (TE) = (a + 4m + b) /6

Variance (V) = ( ( b – a) / 6 ) 2
Std Deviation (δ) = SQRT (V)

Chapter 8 Scheduling, PERT, Critical Path Analysis 29

 Precedence's And Project Activity Times
Immediate Optimistic Most Likely Pessimistic EXP Var S.Dev

Activity Predecessor Time Time Time TE V 

a - 10 22 22 20 4 2
b - 20 20 20 20 0 0
c - 4 10 16 10 4 2
d a 2 14 32 15 25 5
e b,c 8 8 20 10 4 2
f b,c 8 14 20 14 4 2
g b,c 4 4 4 4 0 0
h c 2 12 16 11 5.4 2.32
I g,h 6 16 38 18 28.4 5.33
j d,e 2 8 14 8 4 2

Chapter 8 Scheduling, PERT, Critical Path Analysis 30

 The complete network

d 6
2
(15,25)
j
a (8,4)
(20,4) e
(10,4)
1 f 7
3
b (14,4)
(20,0)
g
c
(4,0)
(10,4) i
(18,28.4)
h 5
4
(11,5.4)

Chapter 8 Scheduling, PERT, Critical Path Analysis 31

 Figure 8-13 The complete Network

EF=20 35
d 6
2
a (15,25) j
(20,4) (8,4)
b e
20 43
(20,0) (10,4)
f CRIT. TIME = 43
1 3 7
(14,4)
g
c (4,0)
(10,4) i
(18,28.4)
h 5
4
(11,5.4)
10 24

Chapter 8 Scheduling, PERT, Critical Path Analysis 32

 Critical Path Analysis (PERT)
Activity LS ES Slacks Critical ?
a 0 0 0 Yes

b 1 0 1

c 4 0 4

d 20 20 0 Yes

e 25 20 5

f 29 20 9

g 21 20 1

h 14 10 4

i 25 24 1

j 35 35 0 Yes

Chapter 8 Scheduling, PERT, Critical Path Analysis 33

Assume, PM promised to complete the project in the fifty days.
What are the chances of meeting that deadline?
Calculate Z, where

Z = (D-S) / V
Example,
D = 50; S(Scheduled date) = 20+15+8 =43;
V = (4+25+4) =33
Z = (50 – 43) / 5.745
= 1.22 standard deviations.

The probability value of Z = 1.22, is 0.888

1.22

Chapter 8 Scheduling, PERT, Critical Path Analysis 34

 What deadline are you 95% sure of meeting

Z value associated with 0.95 is 1.645

D = S + 5.745 (1.645)
= 43 + 9.45
= 52.45 days

Thus, there is a 95 percent chance of finishing the project

by 52.45 days.

Chapter 8 Scheduling, PERT, Critical Path Analysis 35

 Comparison Between CPM and PERT
CPM PERT
1 Uses network, calculate float or
slack, identify critical path and Same as CPM
activities, guides to monitor and
controlling project
2 Uses one value of activity time Requires 3 estimates of activity
time
Calculates mean and variance of
time
3 Used where times can be Used where times cannot be
estimated with confidence, estimated with confidence.
familiar activities Unfamiliar or new activities

4 Minimizing cost is more important Meeting time target or estimating

percent completion is more
important
5 Example: construction projects, Example: Involving new activities
building one off machines, ships, or products, research and
etc development etc
Chapter 8 Scheduling, PERT, Critical Path Analysis 36
 BENEFITS OF CPM / PERT NETWORK

Consistent framework for planning, scheduling,

monitoring, and controlling project.

• Shows interdependence of all tasks, work packages,

and work units.

• Helps proper communications between departments

and functions.

• Determines expected project completion date.

• Identifies so-called critical activities, which can delay

the project completion time.

Chapter 8 Scheduling, PERT, Critical Path Analysis 37

 BENEFITS OFCPM / PERT NETWORK (cont.)

• Identified activities with slacks that can be delayed for

specified periods without penalty, or from which
resources may be temporarily borrowed

• Determines the dates on which tasks may be started or

must be started if the project is to stay in schedule.

• Shows which tasks must be coordinated to avoid

resource or timing conflicts.

• Shows which tasks may run in parallel to meet project

completion date

Chapter 8 Scheduling, PERT, Critical Path Analysis 38

 Gantt Charts
Since 1917; Useful for showing work vs time in form of bar charts
e.g.

• Can draw directly or from CPM/PERT network

Chapter 8 Scheduling, PERT, Critical Path Analysis 39

 Modified PERT/CPM diagram from network

a d
1 2 6 7 Legend
e [ Scheduled
3 Start
] Scheduled
f Finish
3
- Actual Progress
b Ä Unavailable
1 3 5 L Current Date
à Milestone
Scheduled
¨ Milestone
c dummy Achieved
1 4

h
4

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45
Days

Chapter 8 Scheduling, PERT, Critical Path Analysis 40

 Gantt Charts and CPM/PERT
Networks
Gantt Charts:

Even though a lot of info, easy to read and , understand

to monitor and follow progress.

Not very good for logical constraints

Should be used to COMPLEMENT networks, not replace

Chapter 8 Scheduling, PERT, Critical Path Analysis 41