Scheduling II

Question 1

What does the critical path method (CPM) help to identify for scheduling?

Answer 1

CPM determines
- desired/possible starting times for each activity
- finishing times
- how much flexibility is possible in the start and finish times and what the given constraints are
- crucial activities to an on-time performance, aka the critical path

Question 2

What is the early start (ES)?

Answer 2

earliest possible time that an activity can start according to the relationships associated with the activity

Question 3

What is the early finish (EF)?

Answer 3

The earliest time that an activity can finish given its allocated duration

Question 4

What is the late start (LS)?

Answer 4

The latest time that an activity can start without delaying the projects completion as planned

Question 5

What is the late finish (LF)?

Answer 5

The latest time that an activity can finish without delaying the projects completion as planned.

Question 6

What is forward pass and what can you get from it?

Answer 6

Start to finish (left to right in network), forward pass gives you the early start and early finish times
early start + duration = early finish

Question 7

What is backward pass and what can you get from it?

Answer 7

Finish to start (right to left in network), from this you can tell the late finish and late start times
late finish - duration = late start

Question 8

What is the calculation for total float (TF) ?

Answer 8

Total Float (TF) = LF - EF = LS -ES

Question 9

How can you tell which nodes are in the critical path?

Answer 9

All activities where total float (TF) are equal to 0 are in the critical path

Question 10

Is it possible to have parallel critical paths in a network diagram?

Answer 10

Yes

Question 11

Duration and what other value are placed a the center of an activity node?

Answer 11

Float
late finish - early finish
OR
late start - early start
(one bottom corner minus the same tile side top corner)

Question 12

In what order should you calculate all the values on the activity node?

Answer 12

1) forward pass, all the way through
2) backward pass, all the way back to the start
3) Float (at the center)
4) free float which is any gap between the early start of the a node and the early finish of the node before it (or late start of that node, and late finish of the one before).