E 5 6 F 6 10

1 4

A 0 5 D 5 8 G 10 24
5 3 14

Start C 5 9 H 9 21 I 24 26 Finish
4 12 2

2
B 0 6
6

E 5 6 F 6 10
1 5 6 4 6 10

A 0 5 D5 8 G 10 24
5 0 5 3 7 10 1410 24
110
Start C 5 9 H 9 21 I 24 26 Finish
4 8 12 1212 24 2 24 26

B 0 6
6 6 12
List of Activities for a Shopping Center Project

Activity Activity Description Immediate Predecessor Activity time

A Prepare architectural drawings - 5
B Identify potential new tenants - 6
C Develop prospectus for tenants A 4
D Select contractor A 3
E Prepare building permits A 1
F Obtain approval for building permits E 4
G Perform Construction D,F 14
H Finalize contracts with tenants B,C 12
I Tenants move in G,H 2_
Total 51

The Earliest Start time for an activity is equal to the largest of the earliest finish times for all its predecessors

ES = Earliest start time for an activity

EF = Earliest finish time for an activity
t = activity time

EF = ES + t

The Latest Finish time for an activity is the smallest of the latest start times for all activities that immediately follow the activity

LS = LF - t

Slack time – is the length of time an activity can be delayed without increasing the project completion time.

Slack = LS –ES = LF – EF
ACTIVITY SCHEDULE

Activity Earliest Start Latest Start Earliest Finish Latest Finish Slack(LS-ES) Critical Path?
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

Critical Path : A – E – F – G – I
Project completion time : 26

Questions to consider:
1. How long will the project take to complete?
2. What are the scheduled start and completion times for each activity?
3. Which activities are critical and must be completed exactly as scheduled to keep the project on schedule?
4. How long can noncritical activities be delayed before they can cause an increase in the completion time of the project?

Project scheduling with Uncertain Activity times

t = a + 4m + b
6

2 = b – a 2

6
Activity Description Immediate predecessor
A Overhaul Machine 1 -
B Adjust Machine 1 A
C Overhaul Machine 2 -
D Adjust Machine 2 C
E Test System B,D

Activity Optimistic Most probable Pessimistic Expected time Variance

A 4 5 12
B 1 1.5 5
C 3 4 11
D 2 3 4
E 2 3 4

Crashing Activity Times

Crashing – the shortening of activity times which usually can be achieved by adding resources

Activity Earliest Start Latest Start Earliest Finish Latest Finish Slack(LS-ES) Critical Path?
A 0 0 6 6 0 Yes
B 6 6 8 8 0 Yes
C 0 0 5 5 0
D 5 5 8 8 0 Yes
E 8 8 11 11 0 Yes
 Time(days) Total Cost
Activity Normal crash Normal Crash Maximum reduction in time Crash Cost per
day
A 6 4 500 800 2 150
B 2 1 200 300 1 100
C 5 4 500 700 1 200
D 3 1 200 400 2 100
E 3 2 150 300 1 150
1550 2500

EF= ES + t
Let x= earliest finish time for an activity
Y = amount of time an activity is crashed
Linear Programming
Obj Min 150Y1+100Y2+200Y3+100Y4+150Y5
St
Y1≤2
Y2≤1
Y3≤1
Y4≤2
Y5≤1
XA≥0+(6-YA)
XB≥XA+(2-YB)
XC≥0+(5-YC)
XD≥XC+(3-YD)
XE≥XB+(2-YE)
XE≥XD+(2-YE)
XE≤8

Software solution revealed crashing Activity B by 1 day, Activity D by 1 day and Activity E by 1 day, with a total crashing cost of 350