Critical Path Method (CPM) Flashcards
is the discipline of initiating, planning, executing,
controlling, and closing the work of a team to achieve specific goals and
meet specific success criteria.
project management
Initiate
Plan
Execute
Project close
project management
sequence of project
activities which add up to the
longest overall duration
Critical Path
longest
path in the network from the
starting event to ending event
and defines the minimum time
required to complete the
project.
Critical Path
Known as Critical Path
Analysis (CPA), identifies
dependencies between tasks,
and shows which tasks are
critical to a project.
Critical Path Method
1950’s, critical path
method was developedby
Kelly and Walker to assist in
building and maintains of
chemical plants
step-by-step project
management technique that
separates planning and
scheduling.
Critical Path Method
March 1959, the method
was applied to maintenance
shut-down at the Du Pont
works in Louisville, Kentucky.
Unproductive time was
reduced from _______
125 to 93 hours
evaluates all the possible
alternative plans for project
and associates each plans
with a schedule.
Critical Path Method
where is CPM used ?
-Software Development
-Construction
-Aerospace & Defense
-Research Projects
-Product Development
According to Dr. Larry Bennett
(1978), critical path method
also has three main benefits
for project managers
- IDENTIFIES THE MOST IMPORTANT TASKS
- HELPS TO REDUCE TIMELINE
- COMPARES PLANNED WITH ACTUAL
CPM key steps
- Specify Eac h Activity
- Establish D2 ependencies
(Activity Sequence)
3.Draw the N etwork Diagram
4.Estimate A ctivity
Completion Time - Identify Cr2i tical Path
- Update th e Critical Path
Diagram to Show Progress
The first step is to
identify the main
deliverables of a
project. Then you can
start breaking down
the high-level
activities into smaller
chunks of work.
Specify Each Activity
Some activities will depend on the
completion of others. Listing the immediate
predecessors of each activity will help you
identify the correct order
Draw the Network Diagram
Some activities will depend on the
completion of others. Listing the
immediate predecessors of each activity
will help you identify the correct order.
Establish Dependencies
(Activity Sequence)
TASK A,B, C DIAGRMAS
Draw the Network Diagram
Using past experience or the knowledge of an experienced team
member, you mustt now estimate the time required to complete each
activity. if you are managing a smaller project, you will most
likelyestimate time in days. If you are workung with a complex project,
you may have to measure time in weeks.
Estimate A ctivity
Completion Time
You can eyeball your network diagram and simply identify the
longest path throughout the network.
You can also identify critical acivities with the Forward
Pass/Backward Pass technique. Identifying the earliest start and finish
times, and the latetst start and finish times for each acitivity.
Identify Critical Path
as the project progresses, you will learn the actual activity completion
times. The network diagram can then be updated to include this
information (rather than continuing to use estimations).
Update the Critical Path
Diagram to Show Progress
it is the amount of time an
activity can be delayed without
delaying the project.
Float/Slack
Activity with zero float
Critical Activity
reducing a project’s duration is
called _______.
Crashing
it is an iteratve process of
assigning crews to activities in
order to calculate their
duration.
Resource Leveling
1Consistent framework for plan ning, scheduling, monitoring, and
controlling project.
2 Helps proper communicati ons between departments and
functions.
3 Determines expected project c ompletion date.
4 Determines the dates on whic h tasks ma
Advantages of CPM
1Reliability of CPM largely ba sed on accurate estimates and
assumptions made.
2 CPM does not guarantee the su ccess of project.
3 Resources may not actually b e as flexible as management hope
when they come to address network float.
4 Too many activities may the n etwork diagram too complicated.
Disadvantages of CPM
