PROJECT PLANNING METHODOLOGIES.pdf

item Rate quantity Total cost remark
clearing 320 / per
day
2x 320x2
electrician
Fertiliser 60 per sack 5x 60
bougainvillea 20 10x 20
fountain 3000 1 3000
Lawn 250 per slab

The estimation of resource allocation, budget and duration are directly linked with
dependencies and scheduled events. Project scheduling is just part of the project planning.
Scheduling is determined by the timing and sequence of operations to give completion
time, Work breakdown structure terminal elements, the statement of work or a contract data
requirements list and on needed for completion of the project.

‘Project planning and scheduling’ go hand-in-hand and are
essentials of project management.
A project is incomplete and cannot be a success without a well-
developed project-plan and precise project-schedule .

SIX --Common Project Management Constraints
1. Scope. --- The scope constraint refers to not only
what the project includes, but also what is
excluded.
2. Cost. ...
3. Time. ...
4. Quality for -- Customer Satisfaction. ...
5. Resources.
6. Risk

‘PROJECT PLANNING’
IT IS ABOUT Choosing and
designing effective policies and
methodologies to attain project
objectives.
‘PROJECT SCHEDULING’
IT IS a procedure of assigning tasks to get them
completed by allocating appropriate resources
within an estimated budget and time-frame.
a project schedule includes the estimated dates
and sequential project tasks to be executed.
project scheduling focuses only on the project-
related tasks, the project start/end dates and
project dependencies.
The basis of project planning is the
entire project. It is an elaborative
process that includes all details of the
project, from its inception to
completion
A project schedule notifies/alerts the project team
on any delays or if the project is not incorrect
direction. It is a live document, requires periodic
updating and recording .It is the tracker -monitors
the sequences and tenure of project-related tasks.
uses software tools & methods -- ‘PERT’ (Program
Evaluation Review Technique), Gantt charts, Pareto
charts, & other networking illustrations.
The tools and techniques are ‘Task
Breakdown Structure’, ‘Scope of Work’
and ‘Critical Path Method’
abbreviated as ‘TBS’, ‘SOP’ and
‘CPM’ respectively.

A ‘project plan’ ---
-----------------is a
comprehensive
document that
contains….....
project aims,
scope, costing,
risks, and
schedule.

Project Planning phase refers to:
• Developing a project to make
it ready for investment
• Determines jobs/tasks
required to attain project
objectives
1. Identifying -- project sponsors
and stakeholders,
2. determine the basis of project
scope, budget, and time-frame
for project execution.
3. Enlist the stake-holder
requirements,
4. Prioritize /Set project objectives.
5. Identify the project deliverables
(required to attain the project
objectives.)
6. Create the project schedule.
7. Identify -- project risks, if any,
and develop suitable mitigation
plans.
8. Communicate and present -----
the project plan to stakeholders.

1. ROUTE-MAP: offers a road-way that gives direction to the project from start to end.
2. DOCUMENTATION OF CUSTOMER REQUIREMENTS: A well-articulated project plan enables the
record of the requirements of the customers in a documented form. This provides a
precise direction instead of relying on assumptions, which could be incorrect & lead to
project errors.
3. TASK AUTONOMY: Planning enables assigning tasks to specific team members and gives
autonomy. The team feels a sense of responsibility and ownership of the success or failure
of a project. Consequently, it urges them to work better or encourages them to bring
inconsistent results.
4. RESOURCE ESTIMATION: Planning is vital since, it enables estimation of resources, costing
and time. It gives a judgment of any delays if several members are working on various
projects at a time.
5. MITIGATION PLAN: The project plan gives a way to forecast risks, if any, and plan for
mitigation strategies accordingly.
6. IDENTIFICATION OF EMPLOYEE CAPABILITIES: The planning phase helps to identify employees
with certain skill-sets or expertise. And as the tasks get assigned, team members get trained
on lacking skill-sets or get upgraded on the ones they already possess.
7. STRENGTHS AND SHORT-COMINGS OF PREVIOUS PROJECTS: Project plans also help to
analyze and improve or learn from the previous project records and facilitate decision-
making.

Project Scheduling
The project scheduling phase
refers to:
Estimation of human resource and
material requisite at every stage
of the project; and approximate
calculative time to complete each
of these tasks.
Indicates the start and end date of
each project task and logical
connectivity among various project
tasks/activities
stages are outlined below:
1. Based on the project scope,
design and develop the TBS
(Task-Breakdown Structure).
2. Identify the project-related
tasks.
3. Identify the human resources
and material requisite
4. Evaluate the approximate time
required for each and every
task
5. Allocation of resources
6. Analyze the detailed schedule
7. Monitor and govern the
schedule
TASK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE

1. REDUCES LEAD TIME: Gives an outline of the tasks to be completed on priority or
simultaneously with other tasks. This keeps the team members notified about it and
prevents any delays or postponing of tasks, thus reducing the lead time.
2. COST REDUCTIONS: Enables to monitor resources by preventing the overlapping of tasks.
It also leads to the effective utilization of resources and returns the unconsumed
resources in time, thus cutting costs.
3. FACILITATES PRODUCTIVITY: Enhances productivity. Upon evaluating logical connectivity
between the tasks if resources that are not optimally utilized can be assigned on extra
tasks / different tasks.
4. FORESEE PROBLEMS IN ADVANCE: Helps to foresee problems . A precise project schedule
enables to foresee any issues in advance ------regarding under or over-utilization, of
resources ensuring optimum consumption of the same.
5. SETS A GOAL: Allows to set goals, short-term or long-term, providing a direction and vision
while executing the project. It also makes everyone in a team aware of the guidelines and
methods to attain these goals. Without a schedule, the project would be vaguely defined.
Thus, making it cumbersome to manage and organize the tasks so as to run it
successfully.
6. CURRENT PROGRESS UPDATES AND ALERTS: helps to assess how off-track a project is and
possible ways to bring it in the correct direction. The project schedule is a sketch that gives
a road map to a project. A project might go through certain challenges, however, if there is
no route map, how would a project move in the right direction?

Project schedules have several steps and techniques to follow throughout the project.
All the Techniques come with some limitations and can be used
based on the requirements for project scheduling

1. Gantt chart- This is represented by the graph or bar chart with a
specific bar for activities in the project that shows the passage of
time. Gantt chart limits a clear indication of
interrelation between the activities.
2. CPM- Critical path method was developed for industrial projects
where activity times are generally known.
3. PERT- Program evaluation and review technique were developed
for R&D projects where activity times are generally uncertain. Its
prime objective is taking the shortest possible time.
4. Microsoft projects- All the work is performed on the computer
memory and changes can be saved only when the program is asked
to operate.

https://hygger.io/blog/how-to-choose-the-best-project-management-methodology/
The large family of management methodologies consists of many different members like
any other large family. Some of them are distinguished by traditional views and
approaches, some have very narrow interests and cannot get along with everyone, and
some are considered very flexible and open to changes.
Each project is a separate unique life. This cannot be standardized. However, the
processes that manage these projects are standardized according to the management
methodologies.
If you manage the construction of a large bridge over the Thames – you will choose one
tool, if your friend manages complex logistical processes between countries and
continents, it will be more comfortable for his team to work with another method. Finally,
the friend of your friend is a software developer, so there is a third methodology right for
him.
In this article, we collect the most frequently used methodologies and highlight their
advantages.

Definition:
The most common ways to plan projects is to arrange the sequence of tasks which leads
to a final deliverable and order. This is a Waterfall methodology.
The traditional methodology seems to be one of the clearest for managing projects.
How it works:
A task must be completed before the next task begins in a connected sequence of items.
The approach is used for the projects that result in physical objects.
Why and when to select --- Waterfall?
• If there is a clear understanding of how the final product will be and
• if clients will not have access to change the project’s scope and
• if there will be no ambiguous requirements.
Waterfall includes 6 phases:
1. Requirements
2. Analysis
3. Design and construction
4. Testing
5. Installation/ deployment
6. Support and maintenance
1. WATERFALL

How does it work ?
Agile members in the family of PM methodologies are based on iterative development.
This type of development implies that solutions evolve through collaboration between
cross-functional teams. There are no specific recommendations and the model outlines
the principles that use flexible methods.
Origin ?????
The term was created in the USA in 2001 by 17 developers who were discussing their
ideas and software approaches within the meeting. They collected the main values and
principles in the Manifesto for Agile Software Development.
6 essential stages:
1. Plan. When an idea is determined, the project team should define and plan the main
features.
2. Requirements analysis. At this stage, arrange meetings with managers and users to
identify business goals and needs and note essential issues. Have SMART goals.
3. Design. The whole picture of how the product will look like.
4. Implementation. Coding, development and first testing of the features.
5. Testing. To make sure the product solves customer needs and matches user stories.
6. Deployment. The final stage of delivering the product to the clients after all tests.

Agile Project Manager ------ responsible for --- important issues such as :
1. To maintain all values and practices in the project team.
2. To remove any borders and difficulties.
3. To hold and moderate all meetings.
4. To enhance the practices used in the development process.
5. To motivate the team.
Nowadays Agile methodology can refer to other popular frameworks ---- Scrum, Kanban,
Extreme Programming, Adaptive Project Framework and Crystal Clear.
All have something in common. Project tasks are made clear by customers while the final
deliverable can change. All frameworks assume iterative cycles for project teams, and the
continuous collaboration is the key thing within the project team and stakeholders.

Most popular Agile framework, Scrum demonstrates the essential Agile model features
best of all. Scrum sprints last 1-2 weeks and allow to deliver software on a regular basis.
This is the main but not the only thing that highlights the differences between Scrum and
Kanban.
According to the framework, Scrum PM shares responsibilities among a product owner,
Scrum Master and the team.
A Product owner is responsible for all business issues of the project. He/she makes
decisions about the product and balances all priorities.
A Scrum Master helps team members to get the most effective results and act together.
Removing impediments, tracking progress, facilitating discussions and arranging
meetings are also the fields of Scrum Master responsibilities.
A team manages the determining how to achieve the product’s goals. The members
choose the appropriate technical practices.

What is it ?
A critical path in project management is certain tasks that need to be performed in a clear
order and for a certain period.
If part of one task can be slowed down or postponed for a term without leaving work on
others, then such a task is not critical. While tasks with a critical value cannot be delayed
during the implementation of the project and are limited in time.
Critical Path Method (CPM) is an algorithm for planning, managing and analyzing the
timing of a project. The step-by-step CPM system helps to identify critical and non-critical
tasks from projects’ start to completion and prevents temporary risks.
Critical tasks have a zero run-time reserve. If the duration of these tasks changes, the
terms of the entire project will be “shifted”. That is why critical tasks in project
management require special control and timely detection of risks.

3. CRITICAL PATH METHOD (CPM)
How it works:
According to the concept, created in the 1950s, there are some tasks which cannot be
started until the previous task has been finished. When these dependent tasks are stringed
together from start to finish, a critical path is defined.
What is it for?
Defining a critical path assists in prioritizing and allocating resources to get the most
important work done. It also helps to reschedule lower priority tasks.
The method developed by an
American companies in 1957 whose
employees planned to close, repair
and restart chemical plants.
The tasks in this project were
numerous and complex, that’s why
they required such a method.
Critical Path Method quickly spread to
agricultural and construction projects
where team wanted to learn how to
avoid routine tasks.
Today, this method of identifying
critical tasks is widely used in many
industries, including software
development.
ORIGINS ?

• The CPM makes it easier to build a
team and create human network for
efficient handling of a multi-tasked
project.
• The Method binds the entire team
together & motivates the human
resources in timely completion of the
tasks in a project.
• The CPM takes into consideration the
requirements well in advance to
complete a project in the most
efficient way possible.
• CPM helps determining the duration ,
estimating exact time & cost of the
project. It also helps to monitor
human resources, and the direct &
indirect costs associated with the
project.
• The CPM assists in planning
schedules, monitoring tasks, and
helps control the project expenses.
• CPM helps to calculate the time required
to complete the tasks of the project
which helps to predict completion date
of every phase, anticipate problems
along the way, if any, and react
accordingly.
• A CPM chart makes it easier to evaluate
parallel activities, handle delays and
judge the outcome of a task.
• It makes it easier to minimize the project
length by monitoring the critical path.
• The CPM chart clearly identifies critical
path/s of the project, which assists in
decision making to address the issue
quickly. It also enables the project head
to determine if the task is on schedule or
needs boost to accelerate the process.
• The charting in a CPM also enables to
determine start time, end time, slack time
and float time associated with each
activity of the project.

Although today the critical path
method is often criticized,
CPM has several advantages:
6 Benefits of Critical Path Analysis :
Critical path analysis is required in
order to predict the timing of project’s
completion.
Main advantages of CPM:
1. The method visualizes projects in a
clear graphical form.
2. It defines the most important tasks.
3. Saves time and helps in the
management of deadlines.
4. Helps to compare the planned with
the real status/ actual progress.
5. Identifies all critical activities that
need attention.
6. Makes dependencies clear and
transparent.
1. Prioritizes tasks.
2. Provides a clear
understanding of project
time intervals. This helps
to reduce the time required
to complete the project.
3. Assesses the risks.
4. Helps in team members’
distribution.
5. Helps the team stay
focused on the main thing.
6. Using CPM, one can
transfer less important
tasks and focus your
efforts on optimizing your
work.

DISADVANTAGES AND LIMITATIONS OF THE CP METHOD
1. In a big project, a CPM can become
extremely complicated and difficult
to fathom for the new recruits to
the project team.
2. If the project is far too bulky and
lengthy, the Critical Path Method
requires software to monitor the
plan.
3. CPM can become ineffective and
difficult to manage if it is not well-
defined and stable.
4. It cannot effectively handle sudden
changes in the implementation of
the plan on ground. It is very difficult
to redraw the entire CPM chart if the plan
of the project suddenly changes midway.
5. The CP Method cannot form and
control the schedules of the
persons involved in the project.
6. The allocation of resources cannot be
properly monitored.
7. The critical path of the CPM of a big
project is not always clear. Need to
spend a lot of time to calculate it carefully.
8. The CPM takes longer to identity and
to monitor the critical path when the
project is of big dimension.
9. Using CPM, identifying and
determining a critical path is difficult
when there are many other similar
duration paths in the project.
10. At times, to design a CPM is time
consuming. It is also difficult to estimate
the activity completion time in a
multidimensional project.

1. Choose a location.
2. Clean the area from trash.
3. Buy paint for marking.
4. Measure the pad for a certain
number of cars.
5. Mark and paint all the parking
elements.
6. Install the gate.
A simple example of applying CPM to a project with short deadlines.
The goal is to organize a parking lot on an empty asphalted area near the office. Hence
the following needs to be done to do it:
-- It is obvious –
• That some stages of this project cannot begin until the others are finished.
• They are dependent.
• Steps 4,5,6 are sequential actions because they must occur in a certain order.
• In this example, these stages are the most important critical tasks for solving the
problem.
• Therefore we place them on the critical path of the project because we cannot start
any stages until the others are completed.
Based on this plan, determine the duration of
each stage and the entire project:
15 minutes to choose a place
90 minutes to clear the area
30 minutes to buy paint
45 minutes for measuring the area
60 minutes for marking
60 minutes to install the gate

• One can use graphs,
sections, columns, and
arrows in a graphic scheme
of CPM / critical path to
obtain the complete picture
of the project and
individual tasks.
• It’s easy to visualize
activities and dependencies
on paper and use special
programs and tools for
these purposes. The
simplest calculation of the
critical path can be
performed even in Excel
using Gantt charts.

1. Identify activities /tasks
• Knowing the scope of the project, divide the work structure into the list of
activities, giving them names or codes.
• All activities in the project must have a duration and a specific date.
2.Identify the sequences.
• This is the most important step because it gives a clear idea of the links
between activities and helps establish dependencies because some actions
will depend on the completion of others.
3. Create a network of your activities.
• Once determined which actions depend on each other, create a network
diagram or a path analysis chart.
• Using the arrows, one can easily connect activities based on their
dependencies.

4. Determine the time intervals for completing each
activity.
• Estimating how much time will be spent for each action, and determine the
time needed to complete the entire project (hint : Small projects can be
assessed in a few days; more complex ones require a long evaluation).
5. Find a critical path.
• The activity network will help to create the longest sequence on the path or
the critical path using certain parameters
6.Use these parameters :
• Early Start – the time when all previous tasks are completed.
• Early Finish – the nearest start time and the time required to complete the
task.
• Late Finish – all activities are completed without postponing the deadlines.
• Late Start – the last end time minus the time it takes to complete the task.

• These steps determine what tasks are critical and which can
float, meaning they can be delayed without negatively
impacting the project by making it longer. So the
information needed to plan the schedule more accurately
and therefore more of a guarantee of meeting project
deadline.
• Also need to consider other constraints that might change
the project schedule. The more one can account for these
issues, the more accurate the critical path method will be.
• If time is added to the project because of these constraints,
that is called a critical path drag, which is how much longer
a project will take because of the task and constraint.

The steps to calculate the critical path in
project management:
• Collect Activities: Use a work
breakdown structure to collect all the
project activities that lead to the final
deliverable.
• Identify Dependencies: Figure out
which tasks are dependent on other
tasks before they can begin.
• Create a Network Diagram: A critical
path analysis chart, or network
diagram, depicts the order of
activities.
• Estimate Timeline: Determine the
duration of each activity.
• Use the Critical Path Algorithm: The
algorithm has two parts; a forward
pass and a backwards pass.
HOW TO CALCULATE THE CRITICAL PATH

• Forward Pass: Use the network diagram and the duration of each
activity to determine their earliest start (ES) and earliest finish
(EF). The ES of an activity is equal to the EF of its predecessor,
and its EF is determined by the formula EF = ES + t (t is the
activity duration). The EF of the last activity identifies the
expected time required to complete the entire project.
• Backward Pass: Begins by assigning the last activity’s earliest
finish as its latest finish. Then the formula to find the LS is LS =
LF – t (t is the activity duration). For the previous activities, the LF
is the smallest of the start times for the activity that immediately
follows.
• Identify the Float of Each Activity: The float is the length of time
an activity can be delayed without increasing the total project
completion time. Since the critical path has no float, the float
formula reveals the critical path: Float = LS – ES
• Identify the Critical Path: The activities with 0 float make up the
critical path.
• Revise During Execution: Continue to update the critical path
network diagram as you go through the execution phase.
HOW TO CALCULATE THE CRITICAL PATH

• In project management, the
Project Evaluation Review
Technique, or PERT, is used to
identify the time it takes to
finish a particular task or
activity.
• It is a system that helps in the
proper scheduling and
coordination of all tasks
throughout a project. It also
helps in keeping track of the
progress, or lack thereof, of
the overall project.
• Knowing the time it should
take to execute a project is
crucial, as it helps project
managers decide on other
factors such as the budget
and task delegation.
• No matter how big or small
a project is, estimates can be
too optimistic or pessimistic,
but using a PERT chart will
help determine realistic
estimates.

Creating a PERT Chart
A flowchart is used to depict the Project Evaluation Review Technique. Nodes
represent the events, indicating the start or end of activities or tasks. The
directorial lines indicate the tasks that need to be completed, and the arrows
show the sequence of the activities.
There are four definitions of time used to estimate project time requirements:
Optimistic time – The least amount of time it can take to complete a task
Pessimistic time – The maximum amount of time it should take to complete a
task
Most likely time – Assuming there are no problems, the best or most reasonable
estimate of how long it should take to complete a task.
Expected time – Assuming there are problems, the best estimate of how much
time will be required to complete a task.

Here are several terms used in a PERT chart:
• Float/Slack – Refers to the amount of time a task can be delayed without resulting in
an overall delay in completion of other tasks or the project
• Critical Path – Indicates the longest possible continuous path from the start to the end
of a task or event
• Critical Path Activity – Refers to an activity without any slack
• Lead Time – Refers to the amount of time needed to finish a task without affecting
subsequent tasks
• Lag Time – The earliest time by which a successor event/task can follow a prior
event/task
• Fast Tracking – Refers to handling tasks or activities in parallel
• Crashing Critical Path – Shortening the amount of time to do a critical task
To implement a PERT chart:
• Identify the different tasks needed to complete a project. Make sure to add
these in the right order and indicate the duration of each task.
• Create a network diagram. Use arrows to represent the activities and use
nodes as milestones.
• Determine the critical path and possible slack.

Advantages of PERT
Here are several benefits of using PERT in project management:
• It helps maximize the use of resources.
• It makes project planning more manageable.
• It’s useful even if there is little or no previous schedule data.
• It enables project managers to better estimate or determine a more definite completion
date.
Disadvantages of PERT
Like any other method, PERT comes with its share of limitations:
• In complex projects, many find PERT hard to interpret, so they may also use a Gantt
Chart, another popular method for project management.
• It can be tedious to update, modify, and maintain the PERT diagram.
• It entails a subjective time analysis of activities and, for those who are less experienced
or are biased, this may affect the project’s schedule.

• Pert evaluation review technique (PERT) and critical path method (CPM) are two
management techniques which are used to plan, schedule, budget and control different
activities normally associated with a project.
• These techniques were developed in 1950s. PERT was developed by US Navy for the
planning and control of Polaris missile programme while CPM was developed by DuPont
and the emphasis was on the trade-off between the cost of the project and its overall
completion time.
• PERT was originally designed to examine projects from the stand points of uncertainty
while the CPM was designed to examine projects from the standpoint of costs. These
techniques have been combined over time.
• Both the techniques rely heavily on the use of networks to help plan and display the
coordination of all the activities of a project.
• In PERT activities are shown as a network of precedence relationships using activity on
arrow network construction and using probabilistic activity time estimates.
• In CPM, activities are shown as network of precedence relationships using activity on node
network construction and using time estimates which can be predicted with considerable
certainty due to the existence of past experience

Tab 1 Comparison of PERT and CPM
PERT CPM
1. PERT uses event oriented network 1. CPM uses activity oriented network
2. Estimates of time for activities are not so
accurate and definite
2.Duration of activity can be estimated with
a fair degree of accuracy
3. It is used mostly in projects of non
repititive nature
3.It is used extensively in construction
projects
4. Probabilistic model concept is used 4. Deterministic concept is used.
5. PERT is basically a tool for planning 5. CPM can control both time and cost when
planning.
6. In PERT it is assumed that cost varies
directly with time. Attention is given to
minimize the time so that minimum cost
results. Thus in PERT, time is controlling
factor.
In CPM, cost optimization is given prime
importance. The time for completion of the
project depends on the cost optimization. The
cost is not directly proportion to the time.
Thus, cost is the controlling factor.

Over time, CPM and PERT merged into
one technique referred to as ‘PERT/CPM’.
• In merged technique it is visually
easier to see precedence relationships.
• It consists of a network of branches
and nodes and is ideal for large
projects with many activities.
• In fact a project network is a network
diagram that uses nodes and arcs to
represent the progression of the
activities of the project from start to
finish.
• Three pieces of information are
needed for the network namely (i)
activity information (ii) precedence
relationship and (iii) time information.
MERGE ------- PERT/ CPM //?????

Typical PERT/CPM chart : Two types of project networks are normally used.
These are given below.
Activity on Arc (AOA) – On this diagram an activity is represented on an arc,
while a node is used to separate an activity from its immediate predecessors.
Activity on Node (AON) – On this diagram, the activity is represented by the
node, while the arc is used to show the precedence relationship between the
activities.
MERGE ------- PERT/ CPM //?????
A typical
PERT/CPM chart
is shown

PERT/CPM ADDRESSES the following
questions.
• How can the project be displayed
graphically?
• How much time is needed to finish
the project if no delays occur?
• When is earliest start and finish
times of each activity if no delays
occur?
• What activities are critical bottleneck
activities where delays must be
avoided to finish the project on
time?
• For non bottleneck activities, how
much can an activity be delayed
and yet still the project on time?
• What is the probability of
completing the project by the
deadline?
MERGE ------- PERT/ CPM //?????

Terminology in a PERT/CPM network
The following terminology is used for a PERT/CPM network.
• Activity – It is a distinct task that needs to be performed as part of the project.
• Arrow – It shows the direction of the activity.
• Node – It is represented by a circle and indicates an event, a point in time
where one or more activities start and/or finish. Start node is that node that
represents the beginning of the project while the finish node indicates the end
of the project.
• Immediate predecessors – These are the activities that must be completed by
no later than the start time of the given activity.
• Immediate successor – Given the immediate predecessor of an activity, this
activity becomes the immediate successor of each of these immediate
predecessors. If an immediate successor has a multiple of immediate
predecessors, then all must be finished before an activity can begin.
• Path – A path through a project network is a route that follows a set of arcs
from the start node to the finish node. The length of the path is defined as the
sum of the durations of the activities of the path.
MERGE ------- PERT/ CPM
TERMINOLOGY

• Slack time – It is the differences between the latest time and the earliest time
an activity. It is the amount of time by which an activity can be delayed
without delaying the completion of the project.
• Critical path – This is the path that has the longest length through the project.
It is the shortest time that a project can conceivably be finished. If the slack is
zero for an activity then it is on critical path. Similarly if slack is positive then
the activity is not on the critical path.
• Dummy – It is inserted into the network to show a precedence relationship,
but it does not represent any actual passage of time.
• Earliest start of an activity- It is the calendar time when an event can occur
when all the predecessor events completed at the earliest possible times.
Earliest start time for an activity is equal to the largest of the earliest finish
times of its immediate predecessors.
• Earliest finish time of an activity – It is the time at which an activity will
finish if there is no delays in the project.
• Latest start time of an activity – It is the latest time that the activity can start
without delaying the subsequent events and completion of the project.
• Latest finish time of an activity – – It is the latest time that the activity can be
completed without delaying the subsequent events and completion of the
project. Latest finish time of an activity is equal to the smallest of the latest
start times of its immediate successors.
TERMINOLOGY

Forward pass – It is the process of
moving through the project from start to
finish time determining the earliest start
and finish times for the activities of the
project.
Backward pass – It is the process of
moving through a project from finish to
start to determine the latest start and
finish times for the activities of the
project.
Crashing – Crashing an activity refers to
taking on extra expenditures in order to
reduce the duration of an activity below
its expected duration. Crash point
shows the time and cost when the
activity is fully crashed.
Normal point – It is the time and cost of
an activity when it is performed in a
normal way.
TERMINOLOGY

A Gantt chart is a bar chart that provides a visual view of tasks scheduled over time. A
Gantt chart is used for planning projects of all sizes, and it is a useful way of showing what
work is scheduled to be done on a specific day. It can also help you view the start and end
dates of a project in one simple chart.is a Gantt Chart?
On a Gantt chart :
• The start date of the project
• What the project tasks are
• Who is working on each task
• When tasks start and finish
• How long each task will take
• How tasks group together, overlap and link with each other
• The finish date of the project
• The vertical axis of a Gantt chart shows the tasks that need to be completed, while the horizontal
axis represents time. As tasks are given as input , their start dates, their end dates and their
dependencies, bars will populate, which represent task durations. This happens
automatically if a Gantt planning tool like Gantt chart software.
• Most Gantt diagrams are created in Excel or with other similar software , which is sometimes
referred to as Gantt chart software. With software more can be done than just task
durations and due dates. It can create a work break down structure , assign tasks to team
members, track progress in real time and drag and drop timelines to instantly update
project schedule.
WHAT IS A GANTT CHART?

• A work breakdown structure (WBS) is a
visual, hierarchical and deliverable-
oriented deconstruction of a project. It
is a helpful diagram for project
managers because it allows them to
work backwards from the final
deliverable of a project and identify all
the activities needed to achieve a
successful project.
• All the steps of a project are outlined
in the organizational chart of a work
breakdown structure, which makes it
an essential project management tool
for planning and scheduling. The final
deliverable rests on top of the
diagram, and the levels below
subdivide the project scope to indicate
the phases, deliverables and tasks that
are needed to complete the project.
WBS -- WHAT IS A WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE ?

PROJECT PLANNING METHODOLOGIES.pdf

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PROJECT PLANNING METHODOLOGIES.pdf