Network Scheduling,

Planning & Controlling

Techniques
 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 customer specified/approved requirement.
Based on Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
 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
 Networking Techniques

PERT CPM GERT

History Of PERT/CPM
PERT CPM
Developed by Developed by
the US Navy for Du Pont to
the planning and solve project
control of the scheduling
Polaris missile problems
program

The emphasis
The emphasis was on the
was on trade-off
completing the between the cost
program in the of the project
shortest possible and its overall
time. completion time
 Why PERT/CPM?
Prediction of deliverables
Planning resource requirements
Controlling resource allocation
Internal program review
External program review
Performance evaluation
Uniform wide acceptance
Applications Of PERT/CPM Techniques
Construction of a Dam or Canal
1 Construction of a building or highway

Maintenance or Overhaul of aircrafts

2 Space Flights

Designing a Prototype of a Machine

3 Development of Supersonic Planes
Steps in PERT/CPM
1. Planning

2. Scheduling

3. Allocation Of Resources

4. Controlling
 Need of PERT/CPM
Prediction of deliverables
Planning resource requirements
Controlling resource allocation
Internal program review
External program review
Performance evaluation
Uniform wide acceptance
PERT
 PERT
U S Navy (1958) for the POLARIS
missile program
Multiple task time estimates
(probabilistic nature)
Project Evaluation Activity-on-arrow network
and Review construction
Technique (PERT) Non-repetitive jobs (R & D work)
 PERT
PERT is based on the assumption that an activitys duration
follows a probability distribution instead of being a single value
Three time estimates are required to compute the parameters of an
activitys duration distribution:
pessimistic time (a) - the time the activity would take if things
did not go well
most likely time (m ) - the consensus best estimate of the
activitys duration
optimistic time (b) - the time the activity would take if things did
go well

a + 4m + b
Mean (expected time):te = 6
2
b- a
Variance: V = 6
 Use of PERT
In construction activities
Transportation activities
In oil refineries
Computer system-
For manufacturing electric generator machines
Medical and surgical sector
Library activities
 Importance of PERT System
Reduction in cost
Saving of time
Determination of activities
Elimination of risk in complex activities
Flexibility
Evaluation of alternatives-
Useful in effective control-
Useful in decision making
Useful is research work
 Critical path
Those activities which contribute directly to the overall duration of the
project constitute critical activities, the critical activities form a chain
running through the network which is called critical path.

Critical event : the slack of an event is the difference between the latest &
earliest events time. The events with zero slack time are called as critical
events.

Critical activities : The difference between latest start time & earliest start
time of an activity will indicate amount of time by which the activity can be
delayed without affecting the total project duration. The difference is usually
called total float. Activities with 0 total float are called as critical activities
CPM
 CPM
E I Du Pont de Nemours & Co. (1957)
for construction of new chemical plant
and maintenance shut-down
Deterministic task times
Critical Path Activity-on-node network construction
Repetitive nature of jobs
Method (CPM)
 CPM calculation
Path
A connected sequence of activities leading from the starting
event to the ending event
Critical Path
The longest path (time); determines the project duration
Critical Activities
All of the activities that make up the critical path
 Critical path
Those activities which contribute directly to the overall duration of the
project constitute critical activities, the critical activities form a chain
running through the network which is called critical path.

Critical event : the slack of an event is the difference between the latest &
earliest events time. The events with zero slack time are called as critical
events.

Critical activities : The difference between latest start time & earliest start
time of an activity will indicate amount of time by which the activity can be
delayed without affecting the total project duration. The difference is usually
called total float. Activities with 0 total float are called as critical activities
 Benefits of CPM/PERT
Useful at many stages of project management
Mathematically simple
Give critical path and slack time
Provide project documentation
Useful in monitoring costs
 Limitations to CPM/PERT
Clearly defined, independent and stable activities
Specified precedence relationships
Over emphasis on critical paths
Deterministic CPM model
Activity time estimates are subjective and depend on judgment
PERT assumes a beta distribution for these time estimates, but
the actual distribution may be different
PERT consistently underestimates the expected project
completion time due to alternate paths becoming critical
 Example
Predecessor
Activity
activity C
2 4
A none F
A
B none
D
1
C A 6
D A B
3 5 G
E B
E
F C
G D&E
 Example
Predecessor
Activity
activity
A none
B A
C A
D B
E C
F D ,E
 3 D
B
A F
5 6
1 2

C 4 E
Project Crashing
Crashing
reducing project time by expending additional resources
Crash time
an amount of time an activity is reduced
Crash cost
cost of reducing activity time
Goal
reduce project duration at minimum cost
 Time-Cost Relationship
Crashing costs increase as project duration decreases
Indirect costs increase as project duration increases
Reduce project length as long as crashing costs are less than
indirect costs
Time-Cost Tradeoff
Total project cost
Indirect
cost

Direct cost

time
Crashing Example
Cost
Normal Crush
Activity Slope
(Wks) (Wks)
(K$)

Tn Cn Tc Cc

A 9 10 6 16 2

B 8 9 5 18 3

C 5 7 4 8 1

D 8 9 6 19 5

E 7 7 3 15 2

F 5 5 5 5 -
G 5 8 2 23 5
 9 1
9 14
C 7
5 F
A
0 5
9 D 22
8
G 2
0 B
8 E 5
2
7 17 17
8
10

Critical Path A-D-G=22wks

 The Resource Problem
Resources and Priorities
Project network times are not a schedule until resources have
been assigned.
The implicit assumption is that resources will be available in the required
amounts when needed.
Adding new projects requires making realistic judgments of resource
availability and project durations.
Resource-Constrained Scheduling
Resource leveling (or smoothing) involves attempting to even
out demands on resources by using slack (delaying noncritical
activities) to manage resource utilization.
 Kinds of resource
People

Materials

Equipment

Working Capital
GERT
 GERT
A network analysis technique used in project management.

It allows probabilistic treatment of both network logic and

activity duration estimated.

The technique was first described in 1966 by Dr. Alan B.

Pritsker of Purdue University.

Compared to other techniques, GERT is an only rarely used

scheduling technique.
Contd..
Utilizes probabilistic and branching nodes
It represents the node will be reached if any m of its p
immediate predecessors are completed.

p
Contd..
It represents a probabilistic output where any of q outputs
are possible
Each branch has an assigned probability
When no probability is given, the probability is assumed
to be one for each branch.

q
Example