Case Study

Project Scheduling Introduction In chapter 3, the AOA and AON networks were presented, also the time and cost of individual activities based were calculated. Yet, however, we do not know how long is the total project duration. Also, we need to evaluate the early and late times at which activities start and finish. In addition, since real-life projects involve hundreds of activities, it is important to identify the group of critical activities so that special care is taken to make sure they are not delayed. All these statements are the basic objectives of the scheduling process, which adds a time dimension to the planning process. In other words, we can briefly state that: Scheduling = Planning + Time. Scheduling is the determination of the timing of the activities comprising the project to enable managers to execute the project in a timely manner. The project scheduling id sued for: Knowing the activities timing and the project completion time. Having resources available on site in the correct time. Making correction actions if schedule shows that the plan will result in late completion. Assessing the value of penalties on project late completion. Determining the project cash flow. Evaluating the effect of change orders on the project completion time. Determining the value pf project delay and the responsible parties.

The Critical Path Method The most widely used scheduling technique is the critical path method (CPM) for scheduling. This method calculates the minimum completion time for a project along with the possible start and finish times for the project activities. Many texts and managers regard critical path scheduling as the only usable and practical scheduling procedure. Computer programs and algorithms for critical path scheduling are widely available and can efficiently handle projects with thousands of activities. The critical path itself represents the set or sequence of activities which will take the longest time to complete. The duration of the...