Working with Tasks that Are Not Deliverables Related
If you look only at the list of deliverables to build the WBS, there are some tasks you
may miss. These are called scaffolding tasks , a term from the construction
management industry. The scaffolding is used to put up the building, but when the
building is delivered the scaffolding is gone.
Scaffolding tasks fall into three general categories:
1 Support tasks – Such as writing the program used for a one-time database
conversion; the database gets converted, but the program to convert it does not get
delivered; other examples include: configuring a test environment or converting
database records to a new format.
2 Project management tasks – Such as the processes of tracking, analysis, and scope
management; such tasks do not produce project deliverables, but still need to be
included in the plan.
3 Administrative tasks – Such as filing and copying; the deliverables guidelines in the
SOW may not be any help in reminding you to include administrative tasks in the plan,
but they are important enough to include; other examples include: printing, non-project
meetings, and other non-project activities that impact the schedule. Scaffolding tasks
can take a significant amount of effort, so it is important they be uncovered through
some means other than the deliverables list.
Once the WBS is built, you are ready to decide the order tasks will be performed. Some
tasks depend on one or more tasks before they can start. For example, you can’t put up
the walls until you pour the foundation. Some tasks need to start or finish at the same
time, while other tasks can’t start until another one is already underway.
The predecessor and successor relationship you define provides the foundation for the
critical path of your project. There are four different kinds of task dependencies:
Finish-to-Start Dependencies (FS)
This relationship means that the first task, the predecessor,
must be finished before the next task, the successor , can start. It is the most common
type of task dependency. On the Gantt Chart it is usually represented as follows:
Start-to-Start Dependencies (SS)
This relationship means that the successor task cannot start until the predecessor task
starts. On the Gantt Chart it is usually represented as follows:
Finish-to-Finish Dependencies (FF)
This relationship means that the successor task cannot finish until the predecessor task
finishes. On the
Gantt Chart it is usually represented as follows:
Start-to-Finish Dependencies (SF)
This relationship means that the successor cannot finish
until the predecessor starts. It is the least common type of task dependency. On the
Gantt Chart it is usually represented as follows:
Variations of Task Dependency Types
Of course tasks sometimes overlap, which is called lead (or lead time). Tasks can also
be delayed (for example, to wait while concrete dries), which is called lag (or lag time).
The Critical Path
The critical path is the longest path through the network, based on task duration, which
dictate the shortest amount of time the project can be completed.
Though the critical path had originally been used by DuPont to sequence activities in
chemical plant construction, the critical path was popularized when Lockheed was
building the Polaris submarine in the 1950s. Project managers noticed that some
seemingly important tasks could be late without impacting the end date of the project,
while other less important tasks that were late were delaying the overall project. This
problem led them to rediscover DuPont’s concept of the critical path.
Calculating the critical path
The critical path can be calculated using a project activity network, such as the one in
the following
figure:
These calculations can also provide you with the slack. Slack [DC17] is the amount of
time that a task can be delayed without impacting the project end date. Tasks not on the
critical path have slack, while tasks on the critical path have zero slack.
Tasks 3, 4, or 6 can be up to 3 days late without changing the critical path. These tasks
each have three days of slack.
