MBP1133 | Project Management Framework Prepared by Dr Khairul Anuar

L4 – Project Time Management

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Content

1. Scheduling

2. Common Scheduling Techniques

3. PERT

4. Network Fundamentals

5. Standard PERT Nomenclature

6. Conversion of PERT Chart

7. 7. Constructing the PERT

8. PERT and WBS

9. Dependencies

10. Advantages of Network Scheduling Techniques

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1. Scheduling

• Scheduling is a plan to implement a project using an

ordered sequence of activities with time allotted for

each activity.

• A project schedule is the delivery of a project scope.

• In order to complete the schedule, a project manager

should have access to:

• WBS, the project plans, the project charter, the

project scope, a list of all available resources, the

process assets of the organization, and the

requirements for the project

1. Scheduling

• Several project management software packages are

available to help the project manager calculate and

schedule project activities automatically.

• The following are popular:

• Microsoft Project

• Primavera

• Zoho

• FastTrack

• SAP PS

1. Scheduling

• Scheduling is a very important facet of project management as it

helps a project manager to complete the project within scope,

time, and budget as well as use the available resources

effectively in order to perform and provide value to the

organization.

• Scheduling helps a project manager break down a complex

project into simple activities.

• Project manager has to input these simple activities in the right

order along with the likely amount of time and resources needed

to complete each activity.

1. Scheduling

• The order in which these activities have to be completed, i.e., the

predecessors and successors of each activity, has to be

determined.

• Some of these activities may be completed in parallel and others

in series. For example, two activities such as coding and testing

can be accomplished only in series, i.e., testing can be started

only after coding.

• Scheduling helps a project manager overlap several activities by

different members of the project team to complete the overall

project in the shortest period of time possible.

1. Scheduling

• A project manager can use the schedule to manage

the project effectively.

• The goal of an effective project schedule is to answer

the following questions:

• What activities will be accomplished?

• What is the sequence of those activities?

• When will those activities be accomplished?

• Who will accomplish those activities?

2. Common Scheduling Techniques

• The most common scheduling techniques are:

Gantt or bar charts

Milestone charts

Line of balance

Networks

Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT)

Arrow Diagram Method (ADM) [Sometimes called the Critical Path

Method (CPM)]

Precedence Diagram Method (PDM)

Graphical Evaluation and Review Technique (GERT)

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2.1 Gantt Chart

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2.2 Milestone Chart

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2.3 Critical Path Method

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2.4 Precedence Diagram Method

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3. PERT

• In the early 1960s, the basic requirements of PERT/time as established by

the Navy were as follows:

All of the individual tasks to complete a program must be clear enough to be

put down in a network, which comprises events and activities; i.e., follow the

work breakdown structure.

Events and activities must be sequenced on the network under a highly

logical set of ground rules that allow the determination of critical and

subcritical paths. Networks may have more than one hundred events, but not

fewer than ten.

Time estimates must be made for each activity on a three-way basis.

Optimistic, most likely, and pessimistic elapsed-time figures are estimated by

the person(s) most familiar with the activity.

Critical path and slack times are computed. The critical path is that sequence

of activities and events whose accomplishment will require the greatest time.

4. Network Fundamentals

• The major discrepancy with Gantt, milestone, or bubble charts is the

inability to show the interdependencies between events and

activities.

• These interdependencies must be identified so that a master plan

can be developed that provides an up-to-date picture of operations

at all times.

• Interdependencies are shown through the construction of networks.

• Network analysis can provide valuable information for planning,

integration of plans, time studies, scheduling, and resource

management. The primary purpose of network planning is to

eliminate the need for crisis management by providing a pictorial

representation of the total program.

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4. Network Fundamentals

• The following management information can be obtained from such a

representation:

Interdependencies of activities

Project completion time

Impact of late starts

Impact of early starts

Trade-offs between resources and time

“What if” exercises

Cost of a crash program

Slippages in planning/performance

Evaluation of performance

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4. Network Terminologies

• Networks are composed of events and activities. The following

terms are helpful in understanding networks:

Event: Equivalent to a milestone indicating when an activity

starts or finishes.

Activity: The element of work that must be accomplished.

Duration: The total time required to complete the activity.

Effort: The amount of work that is actually performed within

the duration. For example, the duration of an activity could be

one month but the effort could be just a two-week period

within the duration.

Critical Path: This is the longest path through the network

and determines the duration of the project. It is also the

shortest amount of time necessary to accomplish the project.

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5. Standard PERT Nomenclature

• Figure 12–1 shows the standard nomenclature for PERT

networks.

circles represent events, and

arrows represent activities.

numbers in the circles signify the specific events or

accomplishments.

• The number over the arrow specifies the time needed (hours,

days, months), to go from event 6 to event 3.

• The events need not be numbered in any specific order.

However, event 6 must take place before event 3 can be

completed (or begun).

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5. Standard PERT Nomenclature

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3 weeks

Complete Final Report Complete Testing

Legend:

Event

Activity

6 3

Figure 12-1 - Standard PERT and nomenclature

5. Standard PERT Nomenclature • In Figure 12–2A, event 26 must take place prior to events 7, 18, and 31.

• In Figure 12–2B, the opposite holds true, and events 7, 18, and 31 must

take place prior to event 26. Figure 12–2B is similar to “and gates” used

in logic diagrams.

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FIGURE 12–2. PERT sources (burst points) and sinks.

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7

18

31

(A) Burst Point 7

18

31

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(B) Sink

6. Conversion of PERT Chart

• Gantt and milestone charts can be used to develop the PERT network,

as shown in Figure 12–3.

• The bar chart in Figure 12–3A can be converted to the milestone chart

in Figure 12–3B. By then defining the relationship between the events

on different bars in the milestone chart, we can construct the PERT

chart in Figure 12–3C.

• Refer to page 498 of Kerzner (handout) for the chart

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7. Constructing the PERT

• PERT is basically a management planning and control tool.

• It can be considered as a road map for a particular program or

project in which all of the major elements (events) have been

completely identified, together with their corresponding

interrelations.

• PERT charts are often constructed from back to front because,

for many projects, the end date is fixed and the contractor has

front-end flexibility.

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7. Constructing the PERT

• One of the purposes of constructing the PERT chart is to determine

how much time is needed to complete the project.

• PERT, therefore, uses time as a common denominator to analyze those

elements that directly influence the success of the project, namely, time,

cost, and performance.

• The construction of the network requires two inputs:

First, do events represent the start or the completion of an activity?

Event completions are generally preferred.

The next step is to define the sequence of events, as shown in

Table 12–1, which relates each event to its immediate predecessor

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7. Constructing the PERT

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Activity Title Immediate

Predecessors

Activity Time, Weeks

1-2 A - 1

2-3 B A 5

2-4 C A 2

3-5 D B 2

3-7 E B 2

4-5 F C 2

4-8 G C 3

5-6 H D, F 2

6-7 I H 3

7-8 J E, J 3

8-9 K G, J 2

Table 12-1 – Sequence of Events

7. Constructing the PERT

• Large projects can easily be converted into PERT

networks once the following questions are answered:

What job immediately precedes this job?

What job immediately follows this job?

What jobs can be run concurrently?

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7. Constructing the PERT

• Figure 12–4 shows a typical PERT network.

• The bold line in Figure 12–4 represents the critical path, which is

established by the longest time span through the total system of events.

The critical path is composed of events 1–2–3–5–6–7–8–9.

• The critical path is vital for successful control of the project because it

tells management two things:

Because there is no slack time in any of the events on this path,

any slippage will cause a corresponding slippage in the end date of

the program unless this slippage can be recovered during any of

the downstream events (on the critical path).

Because the events on this path are the most critical for the

success of the project, management must take a hard look at these

events in order to improve the total program.

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7. Constructing the PERT

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FIGURE 12–4. Simplified PERT network.

8. PERT and WBS

• Using PERT we can now identify the earliest possible dates on which

we can expect an event to occur, or an activity to start or end.

• There is nothing overly mysterious about this type of calculation, but

without a network analysis the information might be hard to obtain.

• PERT charts can be managed from either the events or the activities.

• For levels 1–3 of the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), the project

manager’s prime concerns are the milestones, and therefore, the

events are of prime importance. For levels 4–6 of the WBS, the project

manager’s concerns are the activities.

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9. Dependencies

• There are three basic types of interrelationships or dependencies:

Mandatory dependencies (i.e., hard logic): These are dependencies

that cannot change, such as erecting the walls of a house before

putting up the roof.

Discretionary dependencies (i.e., soft logic): These are

dependencies that may be at the discretion of the project manager

or may simply change from project to project. As an example, one

does not need to complete the entire bill of materials prior to

beginning procurement.

External dependencies: These are dependencies that may be

beyond the control of the project manager such as having

contractors sit on your critical path.

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9. Dependencies

• Sometimes, it is impossible to draw network dependencies without

including dummy activities.

• Dummy activities are artificial activities, represented by a dotted line,

and do not consume resources or require time.

• They are added into the network simply to complete the logic.

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9. Dependencies

• In Figure 12–5, activity C is preceded by activity B only. Now, let’s

assume that there exists an activity D that is preceded by both activities

A and B.

• Without drawing a dummy activity (i.e., the dashed line), there is no way

to show that activity D is preceded by both activities

• A and B. Using two dummy activities, one from activity A to activity D

and another one from activity B to activity D, could also accomplish this

representation.

• Software programs insert the minimum number of dummy activities, and

the direction of the arrowhead is important.

• In Figure 12–5, the arrowhead must be pointed upward.

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9. Dependencies

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FIGURE 12–5. Dummy activity.

10. Advantages of Network Scheduling

Techniques

• Advantages of network scheduling techniques include:

They form the basis for all planning and predicting and help

management decide how to use its resources to achieve time and

cost goals.

They provide visibility and enable management to control “one-of-a-

kind” programs.

They help management evaluate alternatives by answering such

questions as how time delays will influence project completion,

where slack exists between elements, and what elements are crucial

to meet the completion date.

They provide a basis for obtaining facts for decision-making. 33

10. Advantages of Network Scheduling

Techniques

They provide a basis for obtaining facts for decision-making.

They utilize a so-called time network analysis as the basic method to

determine manpower, material, and capital requirements, as well as to

provide a means for checking progress.

They provide the basic structure for reporting information.

They reveal interdependencies of activities.

They facilitate “what if ” exercises.

They identify the longest path or critical paths.

They aid in scheduling risk analysis. 34