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1. Introduction to Project Management
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Introduction
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Realization of these objectives requires systematic planning and careful implementation.
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To this effect, application of knowledge, skill, tools and techniques in the project environment,
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refers to project management. Project management in recent years has proliferated, reaching
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new heights of sophistication. It has emerged as a distinct area of management practices to
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meet the challenges of new economic environment, globalization process, rapid technological
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advancement, and quality concerns of the stakeholders.
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Project Definition wa
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Project in general refers to a new endeavor with specific objective and varies so widely that it is
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very difficult to precisely define it. Some of the commonly quoted definitions are as follows.
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Project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product or service or result.
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(AMERICAN National Standard ANSI/PMI99-001-2004)
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Project is a unique process, consist of a set of coordinated and controlled activities with
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start and finish dates, undertaken to achieve an objective confirming to specific requirements,
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including the constraints of time cost and resource.
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(ISO10006)
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Developing new variety of a crop, Developing new breed of an animal, Developing agro-
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processing centre, Construction of farm building, sting of a concentrated feed plant etc. It may
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be noted that each of these projects differ in composition, type, scope, size and time.
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Project Characteristics
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Unique in nature.
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Have a specific time frame for completion with a definite start and finish.
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Project Performance Dimensions
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Three major dimensions that define the project performance are scope, time, and resource.
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These parameters are interrelated and interactive. The relationship generally represented as an
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Time Cost
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Scope
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Figure 1. Project performance dimensions
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It is evident that any change in any one of dimensions would affect the other. For example,
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if the scope is enlarged, project would require more time for completion and the cost would also
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go up. If time is reduced the scope and cost would also be required to be reduced. Similarly any
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change in cost would be reflected in scope and time. Successful completion of the project would
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require accomplishment of specified goals within scheduled time and budget. In recent years a
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forth dimension, stakeholder satisfaction, is added to the project. However, the other school of
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management argues that this dimension is an inherent part of the scope of the project that
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defines the specifications to which the project is required to be implemented. Thus the
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performance of a project is measured by the degree to which these three parameters (scope,
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Mathematically
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Project Life Cycle
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Every project, from conception to completion, passes through various phases of a life
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cycle synonym to life cycle of living beings. There is no universal consensus on the number of
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phases in a project cycle. An understanding of the life cycle is important to successful completion
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of the project as it facilitates to understand the logical sequence of events in the continuum of
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progress from start to finish. Typical project consists of four phases- Conceptualization, Planning,
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Execution and Termination. Each phase is marked by one or more deliverables such as Concept
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note, Feasibility report, Implementation Plan, HRD plan, Resource allocation plan, Evaluation
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report etc.
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Conceptualization Phase
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Conception phase, starting with the seed of an idea, it covers identification of the
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product / service, Pre-feasibility, Feasibility studies and Appraisal and Approval. The project idea
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is conceptualized with initial considerations of all possible alternatives for achieving the project
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objectives. As the idea becomes established a proposal is developed setting out rationale,
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method, estimated costs, benefits and other details for appraisal of the stakeholders. After
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reaching a broad consensus on the proposal the feasibility dimensions are analyzed in detail.
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Planning Phase
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In this phase the project structure is planned based on project appraisal and approvals.
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Detailed plans for activity, finance, and resources are developed and integrated to the quality
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parameters. In the process major tasks need to be performed in this phase are
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• Time frame for execution
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• Estimation and budgeting
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• Staffing
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A Detailed Project Report (DPR) specifying various aspects of the project is finalized to
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facilitate execution in this phase.
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Execution Phase
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This phase of the project witnesses the concentrated activity where the plans are put
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into operation. Each activity is monitored, controlled and coordinated to achieve project
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• Reviewing progress
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Controlling quality
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• Managing changes
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Termination Phase
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This phase marks the completion of the project wherein the agreed deliverables are
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installed and project is put in to operation with arrangements for follow-up and evaluation.
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The life cycle of a project from start to completion follows either a “S” shaped path or a
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“J “ shaped path (Figure 2 and 3). In “S” shape path the progress is slow at the starting and
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terminal phase and is fast in the implementation phase. For example, implementation of
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watershed project. At the beginning detailed sectoral planning and coordination among various
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implementing agencies etc. makes progress slow and similarly towards termination, creating
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institutional arrangement for transfer and maintenance of assets to the stakeholders progresses
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slowly. wa
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Error!
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Slow finish
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Percentage completion
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Quick
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Momentum
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Slow start
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Figure 2. Project life path –“S” shape
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In “J” type cycle path the progress in beginning is slow and as the time moves on the
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progress of the project improves at fast rate. Example, in a developing an energy plantation. In
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this the land preparation progresses slowly and as soon as the land and seedling are
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Error!
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% Completion
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Figure 3. Project life cycle path - “J” Shape
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Project Classification
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There is no standard classification of the projects. However considering project goals, these
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can be classified into two broad groups, industrial and developmental. Each of these groups can
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be further classified considering nature of work (repetitive, non-repetitive), completion time (long
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term, shot term etc), cost (large, small, etc.), level of risk (high, low, no-risk), mode of operation
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Industrial projects also referred as commercial projects, which are undertaken to provide
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goods or services for meeting the growing needs of the customers and providing attractive
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returns to the investors/stake holders. Following the background, these projects are further
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grouped into two categories i.e., demand based and resource / supply based. The demand based
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projects are designed to satisfy the customers’ felt as well the latent needs such as complex
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fertilizers, agro-processing infrastructure etc. The resource/ supply based projects are those
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which take advantage of the available resources like land, water, agricultural produce, raw
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material, minerals and even human resource. Projects triggered by successful R&D are also
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considered as supply based. Examples of resource based projects include food product units,
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metallurgical industries, oil refineries etc. Examples of projects based on human resource (skilled)
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availability include projects in IT sector, Clinical Research projects in bio services and others.
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Development projects are undertaken to facilitate the promotion and acceleration of overall
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economic development. These projects act as catalysts for economic development providing a
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cascading effect. Development projects cover sectors like irrigation, agriculture, infrastructure
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The essential
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aresumerised in the following table 1.
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Table 1. Difference between Industrial and Developmental Projects
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Dimension Industrial Project Developmental Project
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Promoters Entrepreneurs or corporates
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NGOs
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Investment --- High
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Profitabilty High, Considered on IRR ( Modest, Considered on ERR
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Finance Stringent debt equity norms Operates on higher debt-
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equity norms
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Source of fund National stock markets and International organizations
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from domestic financial like World Bank,
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mostly as loan ,yet times
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providing for some grants.
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Interest rates and repayment Market rate and the Very low for borrowed funds
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even beyond.
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Project management
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has three key features to distinguish it from other forms of management and they include: a
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project manager, the project team and the project management system. The project
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making and the procedures that facilitate integration of horizontal and vertical elements of the
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project organization. The project management system focuses on integrated planning and
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control.
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• Project management approach will help in handling complex, costly and risky
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assignments by providing interdisciplinary approach in handling the assignments.
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Example: R&D organizations.
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• Project management approaches help in handling assignments in a specified time
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frame with definite start and completion points .Example handling customer
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• Project management approaches provide task orientation to personnel in an
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Organization in handling assignments. Example: Organizations in IT sector
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handling software development assignments for clients.
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2. Project Identification and Formulation
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Introduction
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A project in the economic sense directly or indirectly adds to the economy of the Nation.
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However an introspection of the project performance clearly indicates that the situation is far
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from satisfactory. Most of the major and critical projects in public sector that too in crucial
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sectors like irrigation, agriculture, and infrastructure are plagued by tremendous time and cost
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overruns. Even in the private sector the performance is not all that satisfactory as is evident
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from the growing sickness in industry and rapid increase in non-performing assets (NPAS) of
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Banks and Financial Institutions. The reasons for time and cost over runs are several and they
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can be broadly classified under-technical, financial, procedural and managerial. Most of these
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problems mainly stem from inadequate project formulation and haphazard implementation.
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Project Identification
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Project identification is an important step in project formulation. These are conceived
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with the objective of meeting the market demand, exploiting natural resources or creating
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wealth. The project ideas for developmental projects come mainly from the national planning
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process, where as industrial projects usually stem from identification of commercial prospects
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and profit potential.
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As projects are a means to achieving certain objectives, there may be several alternative
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projects that will meat these objectives. It is important to indicate all the other alternatives
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considered with justification in favour of the specific project proposed for consideration.
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focuses on screening the number of project ideas that come up based on information and data
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available and based on expert opinions and to come up with a limited number of project options
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Project Formulation
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under sever resource constraints. Project Formulation involves the following
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steps (Figure 1).
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PROJECT FORMULATION
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OPPORTUNITY STUDIES/Support Studies
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IDENTIFICATION OF PRODUCT/SERVICE
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PREFEASIBILITY STUDY
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FEASIBILITY STUDY
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(TECHNO ECONOMIC FEASIBILITY)
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PROJECT APPRAISAL
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DETAILED PROJECT REPORT
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Figure 1. Project Formulation –Schematic view
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Opportunity Studies
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macro level by agencies involved in economic planning and development. In general opportunity
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studies there are three types of study – Area Study, sectoral and Sub-sectoral Studies and
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Resource Based Studies. Opportunity Studies and Support studies provide sound basis for project
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identification.
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opportunity study and a detailed feasibility study, the difference being primarily the extent of
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details of the information obtained. It is the process of gathering facts and opinions pertaining to
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the project. This information is then vetted for the purpose of tentatively determining whether
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the project idea is worth pursuing furthering. Pre feasibility study lays stress on assessing
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market potential, magnitude of investment, , technical feasibility, financial analysis, risk analysis
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etc. The breadth and depth of pre feasibility depend upon the time available and the confidence
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of the decision maker. Pre feasibility studies help in preparing a project profile for presentation
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to various stakeholders including funding agencies to solicit their support to the project. It also
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throws light on aspects of the project that are critical in nature and necessitate further
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Support studies are carried out before commissioning pre feasibility or a feasibility study
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of projects requiring large-scale investments. These studies also form an integral part of the
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feasibility studies. They cover one or more critical aspects of project in detail. The contents of the
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Support Study vary depending on the nature of the study and the project contemplated. Since it
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relates to a vital aspect of the project the conclusions should be clear enough to give a direction
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to the subsequent stage of project preparation.
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Feasibility Study
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Feasibility Study forms the backbone of Project Formulation and presents
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a balanced picture incorporating all aspects of possible concern. The study
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investigates practicalities, ways of achieving objectives, strategy options,
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methodology, and predict likely outcome, risk and the consequences of each
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course of action. It becomes the foundation on which project definition and
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rationale will be based so that the quality is reflected in subsequent project
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clarifications of objectives, logical planning, minimal risk, and a successful cost
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effective project. Assessing feasibility of a proposal requires understanding of the
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STEEP factors. These are as under Social, Technological, Ecological, Economic,
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and Political.
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A feasibility study is not an end in itself but only a means to arrive at an investment
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decision. The preparation of a feasibility study report is often made difficulty by the number of
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alternatives (regarding the choice of technology, plant capacity, location, financing etc.) and
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assumptions on which the decisions are made. The project feasibility studies focus on
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- Technical Analysis
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- Market Analysis te
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- Financial Analysis
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- Economic Benefits
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- Management Aspects
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Economic and Market Analysis
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In the recent years the market analysis has undergone a paradigm shift. The demand
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forecast and projection of demand supply gap for products / services can no longer be based on
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extrapolation of past trends using statistical tools and techniques. One has to look at multiple
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parameters that influence the market. Demand projections are to be made keeping in view all
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possible developments.
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projects have failed not because of technological and financial problems but mainly because of
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the fact that the projects ignored customer requirements and market forces.
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In market analysis a number of factors need to be considered covering – product
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specifications, pricing, channels of distribution, trade practices, threat of substitutes, domestic
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and international competition, opportunities for exports etc. It should aim at providing analysis of
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future market scenario so that the decision on project investment can be taken in an objective
manner keeping in view the market risk and uncertainty.
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Technical Analysis
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Technical analysis is based on the description of the product and specifications and also
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the requirements of quality standards. The analysis encompasses available alternative
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technologies, selection of the most appropriate technology in terms of optimum combination of
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project components, implications of the acquisition of technology, and contractual aspects of
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licensing. Special attention is given to technical dimensions such as in project selection. The
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technology chosen should also keep in view the requirements of raw materials and other inputs
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in terms of quality and should ensure that the cost of production would be competitive. In brief
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the technical analysis included the following aspects.
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Technology - Availability
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- Alternatives
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- Latest / state-of-art
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- Other implications
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- Technological parameters te
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Inputs - Raw materials
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- Components
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- Power
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- Water
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- Fuel
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- Others
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Availability skilled man power
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\Location
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Logistics
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Requirement buildings/ foundation
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Other relevant details
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Environmental Impact Studies:
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All most all projects have some impact on environment. Current concern of
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environmental quality requires the environmental clearance for all projects. Therefore environ
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impact analysis needs to be undertaken before commencement of feasibility study.
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• To identify and describe the environmental resources/values (ER/Vs) or the
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environmental attributes (EA) which will be affected by the project (in a quantified
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manner as far as possible).
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• To describe, measure and assess the environmental effects that the proposed project will
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have on the ER/Vs.
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• To describe the alternatives to the proposed project which could accomplish the same
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results but with a different set of environmental effects
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The environmental impact studies would facilitate providing necessary remedial measures
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in terms of the equipments and facilities to be provided in the project to comply with the
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Financial Analysis
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The Financial Analysis, examines the viability of the project from financial or commercial te
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considerations and indicates the return on the investments. Some of the commonly used
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Pay-back period.
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•
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• Profitability Index(PI)/Benefit Cost Ratio
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• Internal Rate of Return (IRR)
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Pay-back Period
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This is the simplest of all methods and calculates the time required to recover the initial
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project investment out of the subsequent cash flow. It is computed by dividing the investment
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amount by the sum of the annual returns (income – expenditure) until it is equal to the capital
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cost.
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Example1. (Uniform annual return)
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A farmer has invested about Rs. 20000/- in constructing a fish pond and gets annual net
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return of Rs.5000/- (difference between annual income and expenditure). The pay back period
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for the project is 4 years (20000/ 5000).
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Example 2.(Varying annual return)
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In a project Rs.1,00,000/- an initial investment of establishing a horticultural orchard. The
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annual cash flow is as under.
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Time Annual Annual Annual return Cumulative
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Income Expenditure return
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1 Year 60,000 30,000 30,000 30,000
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3 Year 85,000 25,000 60,000 1,30,000
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The drawback in this method is that it ignores any return received after the payback
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period and assumes equal value for the income and expenditure irrespective of the time.
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It is also possible that projects with high return on investments beyond the pay-back
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period may not get the deserved importance i.e., two projects having same pay-back period –
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one giving no return and the other providing large return after pay-back period will be treated
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Return on Investment (ROI);
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The ROI is the annual return as percentage of the initial investment and is computed by
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dividing the annual return with investment. It is calculation is simple when the return is uniform.
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For example the ROI of the fish ponds is (5000/ 10000) X 100 = 50%. When the return is not
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uniform the average of annual returns over a period is used. For horticultural orchard average
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return is (1,30,000/3) = 43333. ROI = (43333/100000) X 100 = 43.3 %.
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Computation of ROI also suffers from similar limitation as of pay-back period. It does not
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differentiate between two projects one yielding immediate return (lift irrigation project) and
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another project where return is received after some gestation period say about 2-3 years
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(developing new variety of crop). wa
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Both the pay-back period and ROI are simple ones and more suited for quick analysis of
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the projects and sometimes provide inadequate measures of project viability. It is desirable to
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use these methods in conjunction with other discounted cash flow methods such as Net Present
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Discounted Cash Flow Analysis:
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The principle of discounting is the reverse of compounding and takes the value of money
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over time. To understand his let us take an example of compounding first. Assuming return of 10
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%, Rs 100 would grow to Rs110/- in the first year and Rs 121 in the second year. In a reverse
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statement, at a discount rate of 10% the return of Rs.110 in the next year is equivalent to
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Rs100 at present. In other words the present worth of next years return at a discount rate 10 %
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is only Rs.90.91 i.e., (100/110) Similarly Rs121 in the second year worth Rs 100/- at present or
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the present value of a return after two years is Rs. 82.64 (100/121). These values Rs.90.91 and
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rs.82.64 are known as present value of of future annual return of Rs.100 in first and second year
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respectively. Mathematically, the formula for computing present value (PV) of a cash flow “Cn” in
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PV= Cn / (1+d)n
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The computed discount factor tables are also available for ready reference. In the
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financial analysis the present value is computed for both investment and returns. The results are
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presented in three different measures ie. NPV, B-C Ratio, and IRR.
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Net Present Value (NPV)
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Net Present Value is considered as one of the important measure for deciding the
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financial viability of a project. The sum of discounted values of the stream of investments in
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different years of project implementation gives present value of the cost (say C). Similarly sum of
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discounted returns yields the present value of benefits (say B). The net present value (NPV) of
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the project is the difference between these two values (B- C). Higher the value of NPV is always
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desirable for a project.
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Benefit-Cost Ratio (B-C Ratio) or Profitability Index (PI);
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The B-C Ratio also referred as Profitability Index (PI), reflect the profitability of a project
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and computed as the ratio of total present value of the returns to the total present value of the
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investments (B/C). Higher the ratio better is the return.
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Internal Rate of Return (IRR):
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Internal Rate of Return (IRR) indicates the limit or the rate of discount at which the
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project total present value of return (B) equals to total present value of investments ( C ) i.e. B-C
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= Zero. In other words it is the discount rate at which the NPV of the project is zero. The IRR is
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computed by iteration i.e. Computing NPV at different discount rate till the value is nearly zero.
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It is desirable to have projects with higher IRR.
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Risk and Uncertainty
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Risk and Uncertainty are associated with every project. Risk is related to occurrence of
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sensitivity analysis. It is therefore necessary to analyse these dimensions during formulation and
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appraisal phase of the programme. Factors attributing to risk and uncertainties of a project are
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• Socio-political- includes dimensions such as labour, stakeholders etc.
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• Environmental – factors could be level of pollution, environmental degradation etc.
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Economic Benefits:
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Apart from the financial benefits (in terms of Return on Investment) the economic
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benefits of the project are also analyzed in the feasibility study. The economic benefits include
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employment generation, economic development of the area where the project is located, foreign
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exchange savings in case of import substitutes or earning of foreign exchange in case of export
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oriented projects and others.
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Management Aspects: wa
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Management aspects are becoming very important in project feasibility studies. The
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management aspects cover the background of promoters, management philosophy, the
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organization set up and staffing for project implementation phase as well as operational phase,
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the aspects of decentralization and delegation, systems and procedures, the method of execution
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and finally the accountability.
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Time Frame for Project Implementation:
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The feasibility study also presents a broad time frame for project implementation. The
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time frame influences preoperative expenses and cost escalations which will impact the
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profitability and viability of the project.
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Feasibility Report:
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Based on the feasibility studies the Techno economic feasibility report or the project
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report is prepared to facilitate project evaluation and appraisal and investment decisions.
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Project Appraisal
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The project appraisal is the process of critical examination and analysis of the proposal in
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totality. The appraisal goes beyond the analysis presented in the feasibility report. At this stage,
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if required compilation of additional information and further analysis of project dimensions are
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16
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undertaken. At the end of the process an appraisal note is prepared for facilitating decision on
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the project implementation.
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The appraisal process generally concentrates on the following aspects.
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• Technical Appraisal: Covering product mix, Capacity, Process of manufacture
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engineering know-how and technical collaboration, Raw materials and consumables,
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Location and site, Building, Plant and equipments, Manpower requirements and Break-
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even point.
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• Environmental Appraisal: Impact on land use and micro-environment, commitment of
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• Financial Appraisal: Capital, rate of return, specifications, contingencies, cost
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projection, capacity utilization, and financing pattern.
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• Economic Appraisal: Considered as a supportive appraisal it reviews economic rate of
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return, effective rate of protection and domestic resource cost.
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• Managerial Appraisal: Focuses on promoters, organization structure, managerial
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• Social Cost Benefit Analysis (SCBA): Social Cost Benefit Analysis is a methodology
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for evaluating projects from the social point of view and focuses on social cost and
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benefits of a project. There often tend to differ from the costs incurred in monetary
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terms and benefits earned in monetary terms by the project SCBA may be based on
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UNIDO method or the Little-Mirriles (L-M) approach. Under UNIDO method the net
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benefits of the project are considered in terms of economic (efficiency) prices also
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referred to as shadow prices. As per the L-M approach the outputs and inputs of a
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project are classified into (1) traded goods and services (2) Non traded goods and
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services; and (3) Labor. All over the world including India currently the focus is
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Once the projects are appraised and the investment decisions are made a Detailed
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Project Report (DPR) is prepared. It provides all the relevant details including design drawings,
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specifications, detailed cost estimates etc. and this would act as a blue print for project
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implementation.
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17
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Project Management Techniques
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Introduction
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Project management involves decision making for the planning, organizing, coordination,
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monitoring and control of a number of interrelated time bound activities. Project Manager
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therefore, often depends on tools and techniques that are effective enough not only for drawing-
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up the best possible initial plan but also capable of projecting instantaneously the impact of
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deviations so as to initiate necessary corrective measures. The search for an effective tool has
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classified under two broad categories i.e., Bar Charts and Networks.
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Bar Charts
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Bar charts are the pictorial representation of various tasks required to be performed for
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accomplishment of the project objectives. These charts have formed the basis of development of
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many other project management techniques.
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Gantt Chart
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Henry L Gantt (1861 – 1919) around 1917 developed a system of bar charts for scheduling
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and reporting progress of a project. These charts latter were known as Gantt Charts. It is a
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pictorial representation specifying the start and finish time for various tasks to be performed in a
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project on a horizontal time-scale. Each project is broken down to physically identifiable and
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controllable units, called the Tasks. These tasks are indicated by means of a bar, preferably at
equi-distance in the vertical axis and time is plotted in the horizontal axis (Figure 1). In this
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figure “Task A” is land preparation, “Task B” is procurement of inputs etc. Land preparation
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(Task A) takes five days starting from day one. However in practice the time scale is
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superimposed on a calendar i.e., if land preparation starts on 1st June it would be completed by
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5th June. te
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Length of the bar indicates required time for the task whereas the width has no significance.
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Though the bar chart is comprehensive, convenient, and very effective, it has the following
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limitations:
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• Like many other graphical techniques are often difficult to handle large number of tasks
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• Does not indicate the inter relationship between the tasks i.e., if one activity overruns
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time what would be the impact on project completion.
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Task A ar (Land preparation)
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(Procurement of inputs)
Task B
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Task C
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Task D
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' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' '
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1 2 3 4 5 k 6 7 8 9 10
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Time (Days)
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Figure 1: Bar Chart
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Milestone Chart
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Milestone chart is an improvement over the bar chart (Gantt chart) by introducing the
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concept of milestone. The milestone, represented by a circle over a task in the bar chart indicates
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completion of a specific phase of the task (Figure 2). For example land preparation (Task A)
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includes ploughing and leveling. From the simple bar chart it is difficult to monitor progress of the
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ploughing. Introduction of a milestone on day 3 would specify that the ploughing would be
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completed by day 3 of the project i.e. 3rd June. In a milestone chart a task is broken down in to
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specific phases (activities) and after accomplishment of each of the specific activity a milestone is
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reached or in other words an event occurs. The chart also shows the sequential relationship
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among the milestones or events within the same task but not the relationship among milestones te
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contained in different tasks. For example in figure 2, the milestone 2 of task A cannot be reached
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until the milestone 1 is crossed and the activity between milestone 1 and 2 is over. Similarly, in
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task B the milestone 4 can begin only after completion of milestone 3. But the relationship
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between the milestone of task A and task B is not indicated in the milestone chart. Other
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19
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• Does not show interdependence between tasks.
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• Does not indicate critical activities.
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• Does not consider the concept of uncertainty in accomplishing the task.
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(Ploughing) (Land Leveling)
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Task A (Land preparation)
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Task B
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Task C
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. ' ''
' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' '
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
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Time (Days)
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Figure 2: Milestone Chart
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Networks
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The network is a logical extension of Gantt’s milestone chart incorporating the
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entire project. The two best-known techniques for network analysis are Programme Evaluation
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and review Technique (PERT) and Critical Path Method (CPM). These two techniques were
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developed almost simultaneously during 1956-1958. PERT was developed for US navy for
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scheduling the research and development activities for Polaris missiles programme. CPM was te
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developed by E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company as an application to construction project.
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Though these two methods were developed simultaneously they have striking similarity and the
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significant difference is that the time estimates for activities is assumed deterministic in CPM and
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probabilistic in PERT. There is also little distinction in terms of application of these concepts.
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PERT is used where emphasis is on scheduling and monitoring the project and CPM is used
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20
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where emphasis is on optimizing resource allocation. However, now-a-days the two techniques
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are used synonymously in network analysis and the differences are considered to be historical.
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Both CPM and PERT describe the work plan of project where arrows and circles
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respectively indicate the activities and events in the project. This arrow or network diagram
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includes all the activities and events that should be completed to reach the project objectives.
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The activities and events are laid in a planned sequence of their accomplishments. However,
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there are two types of notations used in the network diagram. They are as under,
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1. Activity-on-Arrow (AOA), and
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2. 2. Activity-on-Node (AON).
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In AOA notation, the arrow represents the work to be done and the circle represents an
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event – either the beginning 0f another activity or completion of previous one. This is shown in
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figure 3.
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Land Preparation wa Procurement of input
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Figure 3. Activity on Arrow
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For AON notation, a box (or node) is used to show the task itself and the arrow simply
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show the sequence in which work is done. This is shown in figure 4.
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Land Preparation Procurement of input
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Figure 4. AON Diagram
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Most project management software usually uses AON diagram. AOA network diagram are
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usually associated with the PERT diagram. This would be used in the following sections.
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The PERT technique is a method of minimizing trouble spots, programme bottlenecks, delays
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and interruptions by determining critical activities before they occur so that various activities in
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PERT terminology
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Activity : A recognizable work item of a project requiring time and resource for its completion.
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Dummy Activity: An activity that indicates precedence relationship and requires no time nor
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resource.
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Critical Activity: Activities on the critical path having zero slack / float time.
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Critical Path: The longest time path connecting the critical activities in the project network. The
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total time on this path is the shortest duration of the project.
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Burst Event: An event which gives rise to more than one activity.
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Merge Event: The event which occurs only when more than one activity are accomplished.
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Expected Time: The weighted average of the estimated optimistic, most likely and pessimistic
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time duration of a project activity:
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To + 4 TM + T
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Expected Time (TE ) = ------------------------
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6
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where To is the Optimistic time, TM is the Most likely time
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Earliest Start Time (EST): The earliest possible time at which the event can occur. The EST also
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denotes the Earliest Start Time (EST) of an activity as activities emanate from events. The
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EST of an activity is the time before which it can not commence without affecting the
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immediate preceding activity.
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Latest Start Time (LST): The latest time at which the event can take place. Also referred as the
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Latest Start Time (LST) indicating the latest time at which an activity can begin without
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delaying the project completion time.
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Slack: The amount of spare time available between completion of an activity and
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beginning of next activity.
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6. Analyze the network i.e. compute EST and LST; identify critical events, critical path and
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critical activities.
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Step1: Prepare the list of activities
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An activity in a project is the lowest level of resource consuming, time-bound work
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having a specified beginning and endpoint. It should be quantifiable, measurable, costable, and
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discrete. The total project is subdivided into activities and each activity is given an alphabetical
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symbol / code. When the number of activities is more than 26, alphanumeric or multi -alphabet
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codes can be used. This involves a detailed delineation of the activities to be performed to
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complete the project. There is no limit to the number of activities to which the project should be
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splitted. However, it is advisable to limit the number to the minimum required from managerial
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consideration for avoiding unnecessary complexity. In a simple project it may be easier to
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identify the activity. In complex projects project activities are identified by splitting it into
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different hierarchical levels (sub-projects). For example in the activities of a watershed project
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could be broken down in to sub-projects such as agricultural sub-projects, Soil & water
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conservation sub-projects, Aforestation sub-project etc. For each of these subprojects the
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activities could be identified. Depending on the size and nature of the project sub-projects could
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For illustration of the process, a simple example of creating facility for lift irrigation in a
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farm would be used in the following text. Some of the assumptions are as under.
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1. It is assumed that the competent authority has approved the project and the
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project scheduling starts with the activity of “Site selection”.
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3. Field channels from the well would be laid after its digging.
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5. k
Specification for the pump is finalized based on the groundwater prospecting data
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before digging.
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6. Pump and other inputs would not be procured until the site is selected.
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With above assumptions, the activities of the project are listed in Table 1. It may be
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noted the list is not exhaustive. The list would be different with different set of assumption or the
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perception of the project manager. More activities could be added to the list or some of the
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activities could be further subdivided. The number of activities in this example has been
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delineated and limited to only six numbers with objective of simplicity and to demonstrate the
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process of networking.
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Table 1. List of activity
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Sr. No Activity Symbol / Code
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1. Site selection
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A
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2. Digging well B
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3. Laying field channels C
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4. Procurement of Pump D
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5. Installation of pump E
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6. Test run F
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Step 2: Define the inter relationship among the activities
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The relationship among the activities could be defined by specifying the preceding and
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succeeding activity. Preceding activity for an activity is its immediate predecessor, i.e. the
activity that needs to be completed before the start of the new activity. In the given example,
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selection of the site precedes digging of well. In other words the site needs to be selected before
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digging of the well. Thus the activity “Selection of site” becomes proceeding activity to the
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activity of “Digging the well” Succeeding activity is the one that immediately starts after
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completion of the activity. “Digging well” is the succeeding activity to “Selection of site”.
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In PERT the interrelationship is generally defined using the preceding activity. Only the
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terminating activities will not have any preceding activity. And all other activities must appear at
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least once as a preceding activity in the table. The inter relationship among the activities listed in
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the example is as in Table 2.
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Table 2. Interrelationship of activities
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activity
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2. Digging well B A
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4. Procurement of Pump D A
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5. Installation of pump E B, D
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6. Test run F C, E
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The activity time is the time, which is actually expected to be expended in carrying out
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the activity. In deterministic cases as in CPM one time estimate is used. In probabilistic cases as
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24
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in PERT, the activity time has some kind of probabilistic distribution and is the weighted average
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of three time estimates ( Optimistic time, Pessimistic time and Most likely time) for each
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activity. The expected time for each activity is computed as following:
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To + 4 TM + T
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Expected Time (TE ) =
ar ------------------------
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6
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where To is the Optimistic time,(minimum time assuming every thing goes well)
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TM is the Most likely time, (modal time required under normal circumstances)
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T is the Pessimistic time, (maximum time assuming every thing goes wrong)
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Example: Estimation of estimated time for the activity “Site selection”
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For this activity the tree time estimates i.e., Optimistic, Most likely and Pessimistic times
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are 4, 6 and 14 days respectively.
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TE = 4 + 4*6 + 14 = 4+24+14 = 42 = 7 days
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6 6 6
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Three time estimates, optimistic, pessimistic and most likely, could the decided on past
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experiences in execution of similar activities or from the feedback from individuals with relevance
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experience. The three time estimates and computed estimated time for the project activities are k
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given in Table 3.
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Time (Days)
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No ol g Time time TM TP TE
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activity
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TO
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2. Digging well B A 2 3 4 3
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4. Procurement of Pump D A 4 7 10 7
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5. Installation of pump E D, B 3 4 11 3
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25
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6. Test run F C, E 1 2 3 2
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Network Diagram
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Having decided on activities, their relationship and duration (estimated time of the
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activity), next step is to draw the network diagram of the project. PERT network is a schematic
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model that depicts the sequential relationship among the activities that must be completed to
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accomplish the project.
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Step 4: Assemble the activities in the form of a flow chart.
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In a flow chart the activity and its duration is shown in a box. The boxes are connected
with lines according to the preceding and succeeding activity relationship. The flow charts do not
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give details like start and completion time of each activity until unless it is super imposed on a
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calendar. It also does not facilitate computation of various slacks. However, the critical path for
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the project can be identified by comparing the various path lengths (sum of activity time, from
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start to finish, on any path). The longest path in the chart is the critical path. The flow diagram
for the project considered for illustration is as in Figure 5 .
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START
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A 7
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B D
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C E 3
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F
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FINISH
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26
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Path II A-B-C-F 7+3+15+2 = 27
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Path III A-D-E-F 7+7+3+2 = 19
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Path II i.e., A-B-C-F being the longest path (27 days) is the Critical path .
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This graphical representation of the project shows the precedence relationship among
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the activities. An arrow generally represents activities in the diagram while a circle represents
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event. Each activity starts with an event and end in an event. Activities in a project are
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performed either sequentially i.e. one after another or they are undertaken concurrently i.e.
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simultaneously. To draw the network it requires the knowledge of specifying which activities
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must be completed before other activities can be started, which activities can be performed in
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parallel, and which activities immediately succeed other activities. Some of the common
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combination of activity in a project is as follows,
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Sl No Diagram Logic
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1 k
Activity “A” is preceding activity of “B”. i.e.
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A B activity ‘A” need to be completed before start
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“A” is finished.
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2 A Activity “A” and “B” are concurrent.
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B “A” and “B” are completed.
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3
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C is completed.
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Neither activity C nor D can start until both the
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5
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27
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A B Activity D cannot begin until both A & C are
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completed. But B can start after A is complete.
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Z The activity Z, represented by dashed arrow, is
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Dummy Activity:
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For example in a project Crop 2 is to be raised in same plot of land after harvesting of
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Crop 1. The activities and there inter relation could be as under
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Sl No Activity wa Code Preceding activity
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1 Harvesting of Crop-1 A -
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2 Sale of Crop – 1 B A
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3 Raising nursery of Crop-2 C -
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4 Transplanting Crop-2 D A, C
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The network diagram of the above project would be as follows
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A B
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C
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The activity “Z”, represented by dashed arrow in the diagram, is a dummy activity. This
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does not consume any resource i.e. have zero time and zero cost. This only represents the logical
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1. Each activity is represented by one and only one arrow in the network
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6. No two activities can be identified by the same head and tail event.
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28
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7. Do not use dummy activity unless required to reflect the logic.
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8. Avoid Looping and crossing of activity arrows by repositioning.
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9. Every Activity, except the first and the last, must have at least one preceding and one
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succeeding activity.
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11. For coding use alphabets for all activities including the dummy activity and numbers for
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events.
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EST
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12. Standard representation of the event :
Event
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Code
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LST
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The network diagram for the project detailed in Table 4 is as follows (Figure 6)..
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B C
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A Z F
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D
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E
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29
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Network Analysis
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Introduction
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Network analysis helps the manager to calculate the duration and identify critical
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activities in a project. Critical activities are those activities, which determine the overall duration
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of the project. The duration of the project is not necessarily the simple arithmetical sum of the
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individual activity durations because several activities occur concurrently in the project. Project
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duration would be equal to the sum of all individual activity durations only when all the activities
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in the project are sequential. The starting and finishing time for each individual activity is
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calculated through the network analysis. These computations provide a strong base for
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determining the work schedule. The network analysis includes the following.
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a. Event numbering
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b. Computation of the Earliest Start Time (EST)
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c. Computation of the Latest Start Time (LST)
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d. Computation of Earliest Finish Time (EFT)
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e. Computation of the Latest Finish Time (LFT)
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g. Computation of Slack or Float
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Event Numbering
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It is common practice to number every event in the network so that they are not
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duplicated, every event is identified with a reference number in the network and every activity is
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identified by its preceding and succeeding event numbers. There are two systems in vogue for
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numbering events:
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Random numbering system; In this system, events of a network are numbered randomly,
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thereby avoiding the difficulty in numbering extra events due to insertion of new jobs.
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Sequential numbering system: In this system the events are numbered successively from the
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beginning to the end of the network. For any individual job, the head (succeeding) event must
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1. Find the initial event and number it ‘1’ (An initial event is one which has arrows emerging
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30
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from it but none entering it).
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2. Now delete all the arrows emerging from the already numbered event(s). This will create
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at least one new initial event.
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3. Number all the new initial events ‘2’, ‘3’ and so on till the final event is reached (the final
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The complete sequential numbering system described above is inconvenient when extra
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jobs have to be inserted. Extra jobs often mean extra events; when these events are numbered,
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all the events following them must be renumbered. One way to overcome this difficulty is to use
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tens only like 10 for the first event, 20 for the second event and so on. The event numbering of
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the network diagram for the project below (Table 1) is shown in figure 1.
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Table 1. Lift Irrigation in the farm.
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1. Site selection A ---- 7
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2. Digging well B A 3
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3. Laying field channels C B 15
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4. Procurement of Pump D A 7
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5. Installation of pump E D, B 3
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6. Test run F C, E 2
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3
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F
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A Z
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5 6
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E
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Step 6: Computing Earliest Start Time (EST) and Latest Start Time (LST)
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The EST represents the time before which the activity cannot begin and LST
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refers to the latest time by which the activity must begin. The EST and LST are
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computed in two phases. The EST is calculated first in the forward pass beginning
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from the start event. For the start event the EST is always set to zero so that it can be
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scaled to any convenient calendar date at a later stage. The EST at the last event is
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generally considered to be the project duration i.e. the minimum time required for
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project completion. Therefore, EST and LST are equal at the end event. LST for other
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events is then calculated through backward pass starting from the end event. Steps
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EST LST
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Calculation begins from start event Calculation stars from end event
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Proceeds from left to right Proceeds from right to left
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At start event EST is Zero At end event LST equals to EST
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Adding the activity time to EST Subtracting the activity time from LST
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At a merge event take maximum value At a burst event take minimum value
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Example: Computation of EST
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EST at start event 1 (for activity A) is Zero. To compute EST at event number 2, add 7 i.e. the
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duration of activity A to zero. This is also the EST for both activities B and D starting from event
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2. Continuing, EST at event 3 is 10 i.e. (7+3). At event 4, being a merge event, will have two
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estimates of EST (considering Dummy activity Z and activity D). It is 10 (10+0) and 14 (7+7). In
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cases where there is more than one estimate the maximum the estimates is considered. In this
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exercise maximum of 10 and 14 i.e. 14 is the EST at event 4. It is also EST of activity E. EST for
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32
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EST 10
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3
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ar A 3 5
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0 7 2 F 2
1 2 Z 5 6
0
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7 2
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E
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7
14 3
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Figure 2. Computation of EST
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LST of an activity = LST of succeeding activity – Activity duration
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Computation of LST starts from the end event of the project and proceeds backward. At the end
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event the LST is equal to the EST In this example at the event 6, the LST is equal to the EST and
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it is 27. At event 5, the LST is 27-2=25. Similarly at event 4 it is 25-3=22. Event 3 being a burst
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event (i.e. more than one activity emanating from this event) will have two estimates of LST and
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in such cases only the minimum value of the LST is considered. Accordingly at event 3, the two
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estimates are 22-0=22 and 25-15=10. Minimum of these two values 10 is the LST at event 3.
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Similarly at event 2 it is the minimum of 10-3=7 and 22-7=15 i.e. 7. Accordingly at event 1, LST
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is 7-7=0 which is equal to the EST at the start event. Both the EST and LST values for the project
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a
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No. No.
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1 0 6 27
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2 0+7 = 7 5 27-2 = 25
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3 7+3 = 10 4 25-3= 22
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33
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5 Max. (10+15=25, 14+3=17) = 25 2 Min. (10-3=7, 22-7=15) = 15
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6 25+2 = 27 1 7-7=0
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10
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1
B C
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3 1
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A F
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0 7 5 2 2
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1 2 z 0 6
5 2 2
0 7 7
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7 wa
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14 3
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4 2
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Figure 3. The EST and LST of activities
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Computation of the Earliest Finish Time (EFT) and the Latest Finish Time (LFT)
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The EFT for each activity is calculated starting from the first activity, which commences
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The calculation of LFT starts from the last activity of the network or from the computed LST and
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is given by,
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34
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Table 3. Computed times for the activities
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Sl No Activity Duration EST LST EFT LFT
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1 A 7 0 0 7 7
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2 B 3 7 7 10 10
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3 C 15 10 10 25 25
k
4 D 7 7 15 14 22
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5 E 3 14 22 17 25
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6 F 2 25 25 27 27
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Slack or float is used to indicate the spare time available with in a non-critical activity.
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However, in general slack relates to an event and floats to an activity. These are important for
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smoothening the resource utilization in a project. The various floats and slacks are computed as
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follows k
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a. Event Slack = LST-EST
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b. Total Flot is the time available for an activity over and above the requirement for its
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completion.
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Total Float = LST of end event – EST of Starting event- Duration of reference activity
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c. Free Float is the time available for an activity to expand without influencing the later
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activities.
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Free Float = EST of end event – EST of starting event – Duration of reference activity.
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d. Independent Float is the time with which an activity can expand without influencing the
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preceding or succeeding activities. Seldom the independent float could be negative. In such
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Independent float = EST of end event – LST of starting event – Duration of reference
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activity.
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Various floats and their relationship is shown in Figure 3 . It may be observed that
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Total Float is more than or equal to free float. And free float is more than or equal to
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35
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Beginning ar
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End Slack
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Slack
Total Float
Activity
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Duration
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Free Float
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Activity
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Duration
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Independent Float
Activity
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Duration
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Figure 4. Relationship between the floats
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The critical events of the project are identified by the event slack i.e. the difference
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between LST and EST. For critical events this slack is zero i.e. the value of LST and EST are
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equal. The event slack computed for all the events of the project are as follows Table 4:
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1 0 0 0 Critical
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2 7 7 0 Critical
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3 10 10 0 Critical
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4 14 22 8 Not Critical
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5 25 25 0 Critical
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6 27 27 0 Critical
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With above values of EST, LST and event slack the Critical Events are 1,23,5, and 6.
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An activity can be called as critical activity if the following conditions are satisfied.
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36
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i. LST and EST are equal at the head event
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ii. LST and EST are equal at tail event
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iii. Difference between EST at head and tail event of the activity equals to the
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activity time.
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iv. Difference between LST at head and tail event of the activity equals to the
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ar activity time.
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Review of computation results suggests that the critical activities in the project are A, B,
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C, and F.
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Identification of Critical Path wa
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The critical path is the chain of critical activity spanning the network from start to end i.e.
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the path joining all the critical events. It is also the longest path from start to end of the project
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network. Alternatively therefore comparing all the possible path lengths can identify the critical
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path (see flow diagram). The critical path time is the shortest duration of the project. The critical
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Critical path for the project is, A – B –C – F.
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The critical path of the project can also be denoted in terms of the event numbers. In the
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present project it is 1- 2–3 – 5-6. To distinguish the critical path from other paths in the project,
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it is preferable to use a thicker line to demarcate the critical path. It is quite possible that a
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project can have multiple critical paths. In such case the length of all the critical paths will be
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equal.
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The critical path time being the shortest project time any delay in completion of any of
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the activity on the critical path would delay the entire project. Therefore it is the critical activity
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that needs to be monitored for timely completion of the project. However, the activities with
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positive event slack could be rescheduled within the available time frame for efficient utilization
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i.e. smoothing of the demand on the available resources. If the duration of the project requires
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to be reduced, activities on the critical path will be the ones to be considered for completion at
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37
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Network Revision
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So far the steps involved in developing the initial network provided two basic pieces of
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information an estimate of the project duration and the critical path.
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The initial network constructed is examined to convert it into a valid, practical network
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which satisfies the project requirements and provides the basis for effective implementation and
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control. This process is called network revision.
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The purpose of revision is two-fold. Firstly, it is concerned with improving the quality of
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the information in the network; information about the relationships and durations of activities.
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Secondly, it is concerned with ensuring that the final network satisfied the project objectives.
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These relate to four factors; time, cost, resources and performance.
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Reviewing the relationships: The first task is to review the activities and their relationships.
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Some relationships may not have been shown properly in the initial network. A sequence of
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activities which at first sight appear to need serial representation, can sometimes be arranged to
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take place in parallel with one another. Often it is s only a part of an activity which really
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conditions the start of the following activity, and in these cases, the activity can be subdivided
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and part of it depicted on the network as occurring in parallel with other activities. If the activity
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thus treated is on the critical path, a useful shortening of the project duration can be achieved.
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Reviewing the duration of activities: At the revision stage, the activity durations must be re-
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examined in the light of information about the project duration and critical path. Work may have
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to be analyzed in greater detail, suppliers may have to be contacted for confirmation of current
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delivery periods and so on. Less accurate estimates can usually be tolerated for activities with
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plenty of float.
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For some activities, the duration is variable. The time required to carry out the work
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depends almost entirely upon the quality or accuracy of performance specified. Estimates for
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research and development work and producing advertising copy or design work may be of this
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type. One approach for reviewing the duration of the activities when they are not critical is the
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One useful little check, which can be applied to the activity durations, is to calculate the
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parentage of even number durations in the network. Because of a fairly general bias towards
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Project objectives while in theory, the objectives of every project should be clearly defined at the
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outset, in practice this is not always done. On the other hand, the initial network assists and
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38
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forces the clear definition of project objectives. Statement about objectives is usually expressed
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in term of time, cost, resources and performance. It will be realized that the objectives stated in
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terms of one factor may conflict with others. For example, it may not be possible to complete a
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project in the shortest time and at minimum cost. If a network is to be checked to see whether it
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satisfies the project objectives, then these objectives must have been stated in such a way as to
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recognize and assign priority to their relationships.
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Meeting time objectives; It is likely that the project duration calculated from the initial network
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may not be acceptable to the management. This means that at the revision stage, the network
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must be modified to satisfy any time limits set for the project. If the project duration is to be
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reduced, the critical activities must be subjected first to careful examination. Changes in the
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relationships in turn affect the time along the concerned path as discussed earlier.
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But once the possibilities for changes in relationships have been exhausted, the scope for
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reduction in the duration of critical activities must be examined. In some cases, this may mean
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diverting resources from non critical activities to critical, ones. In others, this may mean the use
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of more labour, more machines; overtime work or extra shifts.
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Meeting cost objectives: The cost of a project is usually given in terms of an estimate which may
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be required for such purposes as establishing feasibility, finding out return on investment,
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obtaining approval or getting out a price for a job, etc. The time involved will be important and a
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realistic cost target cannot be set without a careful study of the plan embodied in the network.
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The plan will determine in broad terms the pattern of expenditure over the period of the project.
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The network can be used to investigate this pattern of expenditure and the results can be
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compared with the availability of money. The network may indicate a pattern of expenditure in
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excess of what is possible, in which case the plan will have to be modified.
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Certain activities can be speeded up or slowed down depending upon the amount of
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t
money spent on them. The network can be used to examine the relationship between total time
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and total cost, and the project duration established for which the total cost is minimum. These
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a
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Meeting resource objectives: The initial network is drawn without considering the resources as
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this does not affect the relationships between activities. However, if the resources are limited,
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the plan must be examined to see to what extent it will have to be modified in the light of
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resource availability. Activities which are independent may have to be made dependent upon one
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another because they will be done by the same machine or by the same man. For example, a
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39
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number of fitting jobs may be unrelated in the network, but if there is only one fitter to whom
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this work can be allocated then the jobs will have to be done one after the other. If the jobs have
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sufficient float to allow this, the project completion date will remain unaffected; but if the float is
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inadequate, an additional fitter has to be employed or a later completion date accepted. The
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Another aspect which should be considered at this stage is the relationship between to
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duration of an activity and the resources allotted to it. The original duration assumes normal
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resources but for some activities, this time may be varied by altering resources put on the job.
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Thus certain critical activities may be speeded up by putting on additional resources, while
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activities with plenty of float may be allowed to take longer time with less resources, thus
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Examination of the network can throw some light on the resource implications of the plan
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in a general way. Often a detailed analysis of the network is necessary, if the information is going
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to lead to management action. The analysis of network with respect to resources will be
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Meeting the performance objectives: There are two ways in which the plan influences the
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specification of the project. Firstly, it will embody methods of working and procedures which
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influence performance and these may have to be revised in order to effect a reduction in the
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project duration. It may be necessary to find alternative ways of doing things which are less
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k
satisfactory and the implications of these decisions must be carefully evaluated in relation to the
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project as a whole and the possible effect on the specification.
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The second aspect, already mentioned, is the relationship between performance and
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time for certain activities. Any reduction in the time allowed for development work and testing
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ma
may affect ultimate performance and the plan must be checked to establish whether the original
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specification can still be met. In this way the network can give some indication of the relationship
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t
between time and performance, allowing the decisions to be made which are consistent with
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The final network: There are usually a number of ways in which the plan can be revised to meet
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wa
a
project objectives and each will have different implications. The use of network to simulate
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these alternatives can help in finding the right balance between the objectives. Many changes
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will be made to the initial network before a final plan can be agreed upon and on the basis of the
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40
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Activity Scheduling
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Once the final network is drawn the next step is to convert this into a programme of
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work. This step is known as Scheduling.
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Critical activities, by definition have only one possible starting time if the project
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completion date is to be met. All other activities in the network have a range of possible start
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times from the earliest to the latest start time. The actual starting times of activities are decided
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based upon any one of the following approaches;
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All activities started
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1. at earliest start times
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2. at latest start at times
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3. by distributing float
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1. at arbitrary start times
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2. by considering resource availability
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In order to minimize the effect of delays on the project completion date due to
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unforeseen delays in some activities, it is desirable to preserve the float for later use. One way
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of ensuring this is to start all activities at their earliest start times.
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The schedule start time can be read straight from the network without further
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computation. This approach, though simple has its disadvantages. Using the network as a rigid
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schedule to start activities as early as possible may result in unnecessary increase in costs.
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Expensive plant and equipment delivered at the earliest possible time may be lying idle awaiting
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installation, or staff may be recruited well before there is any work for them. From the angle of
finance, money should be spent as late as possible; this means carrying out activities as late as
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possible.
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From the financial point of view this approach is far better and might result in significant
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saving of money. But the disadvantages are so obvious, schedulers dare not use this approach.
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Starting all activities at their latest start times will mean deliberately discarding available float
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with the result that all activities, in the project become critical. The project becomes extremely
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sensitive to delays and its chance of being completed on time is very remote.
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41
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All activities started by distributing float
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As a compromise between the two above mentioned extremes, viz, starting all activities
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at earliest start times and starting all activities at latest start times, it is possib1e to distribute the
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total float which exists in a chain of activities in such a way that, each individual activity is
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allocated a portion of it. This approach is based on the assumption that since most activity times
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will vary, from the original estimate, it is advisable to allow for some variation in as many
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activities as possible.
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The main objection to this method is that it allows float to be given up and used as a
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contingency allowance, and that if a major delay occurs one may find that the float given away
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earlier is now desperately needed. There is always a danger that once float is allocated to an
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activity, it will be used up, whether it is really required or not in accordance with the famous
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Parkinson’s law which states that ‘work expands to fill the time available for its completion’.
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All activities started at arbitrary start times
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One way out of this dilemma is to leave the decision about the actual start time to the
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person responsible for the execution of the activity, pointing out that it must be started between
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earliest start time and latest start time. This approach is usually unsatisfactory and leads to lot of
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confusion as the project proceeds, as no one can be really sure when activities carried out by
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others are going to finish, and hence they cannot easily plan their own work. This approach also
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has the disadvantage of distributed float method as for one reason or the other the float would
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have been gradually used up leaving all the remaining activities critical.
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All activities started by considering resource availability
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Resource availability is one factor which may have an important influence on when
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activities can actually be started. The initial network ignores this factor, and it is at the scheduling
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stage that the resources have to be taken into account. Activities which could logically be carried
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out in parallel may have to be done in series and this phasing of activities to meet resource
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limitations will involve the use of float. The planning of work to balance such requirement against
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availability may be an overriding factor in deriving schedules and these aspects are discussed in te
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detail later.
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In some projects, time is all-important and considerations of cost and resources are
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42
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secondary. Examples of this type are research and development projects. But for most projects,
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resources are always limited and hence the success of the projects depends on the ability to use
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the available resources effectively. This calls for a careful analysis of the network to see how far
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the requirements can be met, what changes may be needed to the plan and how efficiently the
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resources can be used. A network is primarily designed to give information about time, but can
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be used to study resources as well, as discussed below:
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Resource analysis: By associating with each activity in the network, the units of resources that
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would normally be used to carry it out, it is possible to analyse the total resources requirement
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against time over the duration of the project. From a schedule where all activities start at their
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earliest start times, a resource histogram can be constructed, showing the total units of
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resources required for each unit of time through the project. This procedure is called resource
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analysis. If the units of available resources are known, the histogam can be used to investigate
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whether the schedule creates less/same/more demands on resources. The procedure is
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illustrated in the following example.
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Project: Establishment of a Mango orchard
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Land preparation A - 3 4
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Digging pits B A 5 4
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Purchse saplings C A 3 2
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Application of FYM D B 3 3
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3
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B D
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5 3
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A C E
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3 3 4
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43
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In the above diagram the critical path is A-B-D-E and the project duration is 15 days. The
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Total float of the activity C is 5 days. Assuming the activities are scheduled on the Earliest Start
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Time (EST) the manpower requirement for the project is shown in figure 5.
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C
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Total Float
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A B D E
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7
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Manpower
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4
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3
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Manpower
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3 6 8 11 15
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Days
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From the above figure it is evident that the manpower requirement is to the maximum of
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7 numbers during 3rd to 6th day of project commencement and the minimum requirement is 3
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Considering the float of the activity C , this activity can be scheduled for any three days
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between 3rd to 11th day. If it is scheduled during 9th to 11th day the manpower requirement
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pattern would be as in figure . The demand is almost uniform, the difference between the
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44
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maximum and the minimum is only one person. The manpower demand for the project duration
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after rescheduling the activity C is shown in figure 6.
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ar C
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Total Float
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A B D E
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waManpower
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5
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4 k
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Manpower
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3 6 8 11 15
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Days
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Figure 6. Revised schedule of activities.
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The resource smoothing is a technique applied to distribute the resources load evenly
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t
through out the project period. In agricultural projects where the field operations are highly
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dependent on weather, cropping pattern, crop characteristics, application of this technique would
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be limited to the use of implements or to the operation those are not bound by natural
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phenomena.
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45
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Project Crashing and Project Control
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Time-Cost Relationship Of An Activity
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The time required for the performance of an activity is estimated according to the
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quantity of resources. Except for fixed duration activities such as crop duration, gestation period
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etc it is possible to mange the duration of an activity by varying the quantity of resource. If cost
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is not a constraint, putting more resources to the activity duration could reduce be reduced. This
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in other word means time and cost of a project are inversely related. The relationship between
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cost of an activity and its duration may take the form of the curve as depicted in figure 1.
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Crash
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CC
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te Activity Cost te
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Normal Cost
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CN
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Crash time Normal Time
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TC TN
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Activity
The time for the activity Duration
at minimum cost is called Normal time and the minimum time
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e
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for the activity is called crash time. The costs associated with these times are called respectively
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the normal cost and the crash cost. Although it is possible to estimate the time and cost
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associated with the normal and crash conditions for each activity it is difficult to estimate the
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time and cost at any intermediate stage between these two points. To overcome this difficulty, it
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is assumed that the relationship between the time and cost as linear in the range between
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a
Project Crashing
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Project crashing is an exercise carried out to reduce the time of a project by investing
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more money. This becomes necessary when the dead line has to be met. For crashing only the
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critical are considered since duration of the project could be reduced by crashing these activities
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only. It is possible that when a project is crashed another non-critical activity may become critical
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and in the next cycle this has to be considered for further crashing. The steps involved in
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46
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crashing are as under.
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a. Identify critical path and critical activity
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b. Compute crash cost slope i.e. (Crash cost – Normal cost) / (Normal Time – Crash
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Time)
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c. Select the activity with the least cost slope i.e. minimum crash cost per time.
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d. Check for the critical path.
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As the project shortening (crashing) continues, a point is reached at which no further crashing
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is possible. At this point, some activities might not have reached their crash points. If these
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activities are crashed further, costs are increased with no saving in project duration.
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The principles of project crashing are illustrated with the help of the example. Activity table of
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the project and the network diagram are shown in Table1 and Figure 1 respectively. Table 2
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presents the normal and crash parameters.
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Project: Development of Agro-Technology Demonstration Blocks
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Sl No Activity Symbol Preceding activity Duration (Weeks)
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1 Leveling the land A - 16
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2 Stone pitching B A 26
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3 Raising seedling C A 26
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4 Establishment of irrigation D A 30
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system
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5 Development of drainage E C 28
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system
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3
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F
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B 27
26
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A D G
2 5 6
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1 16 30 18
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C E
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26
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28
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4
47
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Table 2. Normal and Crash parameters
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Activity Time in weeks Cost in Rs. Reduction Increase Cost slope
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B 26 ar 18 27000 33000 8 6000 750
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C 26 21 8000 8900 5 900 180
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D 30 23 135000 138570 7 3570 510
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E 28 20 20000 22400 8 2400 300
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F 27 23 12000 13700 4 1700 425
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Total 273000 291070 43 18070
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The above project has a duration (Critical path length) of 88 weeks, normal cost
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Rs273000 and crash cost of Rs. 291070. For crashing, the critical activities in the project A,C,E
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and G are to be considered first. Activity C has the least cost slope i.e. Rs180/ week and can be
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crashed first from 26 to 21 weeks. After this crashing the project duration is reduced to 83 weeks
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(Activity C from 26 to 21 weeks) and the cost has increased from Rs.2,73,000 to Rs.2,73,900.
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The revised PERT network of the project after crashing is as in figure 2 .
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3
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B 27
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26 k
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A 2 D 5 G 6
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16 30 18
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C E
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21
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28
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4 te
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In the redrawn network the new critical path is A,B,F and G. These activities are to e
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considered for further crashing. Among these activity G having least cost can be crashed from 18
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48
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weeks to 12. The project cost would be increased from 2,73900 to Rs 275000. After crashing the
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network diagram is to be drawn and the procedures could continue till a stage is reached when
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no further crashing is possible. The crashing result for the project is summarized in Table 3.
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er
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Crashe Crashe
ar Crashe Project duration in weeks Project cost in Rs.
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d d d Before After Cumulati Before After Cumulati
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activit Time Time crashin crashin ve crashin crashin ve
te
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k
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y (Weeks (Week g g Reduction g g increase
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) s)
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Normal 88 - - 273000 - -
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C 5 5 88 wa 87 1 273000 273900 900
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G 6 6 87 81 7 273900 275400 2400
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A 5 5 81 76 12 275400 277400 4400
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F 4 4 76 72 16 277400 279100 6100
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B 8 8 72 64 24 281500 287500 14500
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It may be noted from the above table that even though the activity C is crashed by 5
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weeks i.e. from 26 to 21 weeks, the critical path length has not reduced to the same extent. It
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has reduced by only one week i.e. from 88 to 87 weeks. This in other words the crashing of 5
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weeks in the activity C has resulted only one week reduction in the project time. This happen
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only when the difference between the critical path and the other paths are less than the crashed
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period ( In the example Critical path was 88 weeks and the next path length was 87. This
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difference of one week which is less than the crashed period of 5 weeks). Cases where the
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network has two or more critical paths crashing one activity may not result in any reduction of
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project duration as in case of crashing activity. For example after crashing activity F the project
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will have two critical paths i.e. A-B-F-G and A-C-E-G. Further crashing of activity E would not
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result in reduction of project duration. Because the path A-B-F-G would still remain as critical
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path. The project in example could be crashed to the maximum of 24 weeks by incurring
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Crashing of project indicates the time-cost trade-off implication. The decision on the
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extent to which the project is to be crashed depends on the managerial decision based on
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49
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Project Control
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Steps in Project Control
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Fixing up the Review Period
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Obtaining Progress Information
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Comparing Actual Progress with the Schedule
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Taking Appropriate Corrective Correction
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Reporting to Higher Management
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Updating
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Conventions for Updating
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Frequency of Updating wa
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Redrawing Network
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So far the discussions were on the use of PERT/CPM in planning and scheduling a
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project. This unit considers the third aspect, viz. the use of this method during project execution.
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No management technique, however elegant and sophisticated, can take away the
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responsibility of management to exercise control through making decisions. Management
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techniques will, however, by providing the relevant information, enable management to take
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better-informed decisions and thereby exercise a finer degree of control than would be possible
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otherwise.
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A project being a dynamic entity must respond to changing conditions if it is to be
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completed successfully. Further projects are always executed in an environment of endless
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change, and there is therefore the need for continuous reassessment and reappraisal of the
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project. The original plan and schedule cannot therefore be executed to the last detail because
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• Changes in resource availability
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It is, therefore, necessary to have some procedure whereby the progress of work is
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checked at regular intervals against the plan, discrepancies highlighted and the necessary
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50
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corrective active action taken to ensure that objectives are achieved. This is the function of
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project control.
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Measurement of the actual achievement and comparison with the original plan is
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The management of the project is therefore a continuous process involving both planning
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and control. While the planning can be done at leisure, the control phase is carried out under
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continuous pressure.
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cases of deviation (in majority of the cases deviations do, occur as it is very rare that plan targets
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are fulfilled exactly) it becomes necessary to reschedule the plan. This involves considerable work
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even in smaller projects. In the case of large projects involving several activities, a computer
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becomes an invaluable tool.
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Project control in action: The steps involved in project control are:
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2. Obtaining progress information
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4. Taking appropriate corrective action when required.
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Fixing up the review period : How often the project is to be reviewed depends upon a large
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number of factors and there can be no standard rule or practice about this. The frequency of
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reviewing however will depend upon the type of project, its overall duration and the degree of
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uncertainty involved.
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For the average project, a fortnightly review should be sufficient in the normal course but
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in the case of rapidly changing projects, higher frequency of reviewing is necessary to have close
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control. Projects of the same overall duration using 3 time estimates (PERT system) for activities
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require greater frequency of reviewing than those using single time estimates (CPM system) for
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activities. The interval between reviews may change depending on the management needs.
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Obtaining progress information: For obtaining progress, a form shown below is normally
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used. The basic information required refers to activities just started, activities completed, and
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progress on current activities. While the information regarding first two can be given precisely,
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Progress Report
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Project For delayed activity
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Activity Duration Scheduled date Actual date Expected date Remarks
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Comparing actual progress with the schedule: The actual progress is transferred either on
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to the network or to the scheduling table so that it can be compared with the schedule to identify
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deviations.
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Taking appropriate corrective action when required: Obtaining progress information and
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identification of deviations alone are of little value without effective follow up. If a delay occurs in
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a non-critical activity, corrective action will usually be limited to rescheduling the following
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activities. If a delay occurs in one of the critical activities, corrective action would include adding
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additional resources from non-critical to critical jobs, rescheduling of series operations in parallel
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etc. If the time cannot be made up by any of these methods, completion of the project will be
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delayed.
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Based on the corrective action taken, fresh schedules are prepared for the following
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week/fortnight and the control cycle consisting of execution, measurement, feedback correction
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Updating may be undertaken at regular intervals or whenever the situation warrants it. Updating
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should be done whenever major changes occur that will affect project completion date or cause a
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shift in the critical path, or when the impact of changes on the schedule cannot be readily noticed
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Overview of Microsoft Project
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Start MS Project
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• Double-click on the MS Project icon.
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Or
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• Click the Start button, select Programs, select the Project icon.
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Using Help
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• Click on the Help menu and select Microsoft Project Help or press
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[F1].
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• The Project Help task pane will open on the right of the screen
enabling you to search for assistance on a specific topic.
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The Office Assistant
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The office assistant offers tips on what you are doing, can answer questions you have,
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and enables you to ask questions in a non-jargon way. The office assistant usually
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appears as an animated paper clip.
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To Use the Office Assistant
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• Click on the Help menu and select Show the Office Assistant
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• Click on Search
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Note: When performing certain actions (especially for the first time) the Office Assistant will
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appear automatically with a list of help options relative to what you are doing.
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As well as offering help, the Office Assistant also offers tips on quick or short cuts for the
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features you are using. If the Office Assistant is visible a light bulb appears next to the
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paper clip. Otherwise a light bulb appears on the tool on the toolbar.
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MS Project - The Screen
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The Menus: Always displayed, some options depend on the selected view.
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Tool Bars: Buttons provide quick access to the most common commands,
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Task Pane With options to help when ‘Getting Started’. Other task panes are
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available.
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Entry Bar: The entry point for text with outlining buttons. te
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Status Bar: At the bottom of the screen showing the current status.
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Scroll Bars: When using a mouse to scroll the views and to move the
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Working Area: The area for 1 or 2 views, the size of each can be adjusted.
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Elements of the Default View
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The default Project view is the Gantt Chart view, as displayed below. This view is used
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extensively in Microsoft Project. The Gantt Chart consists of a Gantt table and a Gantt
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bar chart. The divider bar separates the two and can be repositioned to display more of
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the table or more of the chart. The Gantt table consists of rows and columns. Just like on
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a spreadsheet, the intersection of a row and a column is called a cell. The Gantt bar chart
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graphically displays your schedule on a time line.
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The status bar displays the current mode of operation and warning messages and
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indicates when special key control modes, such as Num Lock mode, are on. The entry bar
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contains an Entry box where all information is input. The default toolbars are the
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Standard toolbar, Formatting toolbar and the Project Guide. Other toolbars can be
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displayed by choosing Toolbars from the View menu.
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A view is the format of the way that project data is displayed on the screen and there are
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The View Menu is the first place where the view that is required is selected. The basic
selection is between a Chart, a Form, or a Sheet. Some of the options in this menu can
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provide a split view to show two different displays for the same Task or Resource.
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You can also use the View bar, located vertically on the left of the default view (if it is
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active). To activate/deactivate the View Bar, select View, View Bar.
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As well as the standard views achieved with the View menu or View bar, you can select
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More Views to see more detailed and complex views and forms.
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The table below describes some of the main views in Project.
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Calendar: Shows the view in the form of a calendar.
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Gantt Chart: A diagrammatic view of the Tasks and their time scale. This
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chart can also show the relationship between Tasks and the
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Critical Path. It usually shows the task entry form alongside
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Network Diagram Network Diagram is an acronym for Programme Evaluation
Chart: Review Technique. This view represents each Task as a
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box with relevant information within it. The layout of the
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boxes on the chart and the lines that link the boxes
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represent the structure of the project.
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Task Usage: The Task Usage view displays project tasks with their
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assigned resources grouped underneath them.
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Tracking Gantt: The Tracking Gantt view displays two task bars, one on top
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of the other, for each task. The lower bar shows baseline
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start and finish dates, and the upper bar shows scheduled
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start and finish dates (or if the task has already started,
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the upper bar shows the actual start and finish dates).
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Resource Graph: A graphical representation of a single resource and its
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utilisation.
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Resource Usage: This is a view that shows the use in hours per day for each
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resource.
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More Views: Allows the showing of combination views as well as details
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of a single Task
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View Bar: Activates the View bar, located vertically on the left of the
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screen.
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The Tracking Gantt View
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When you initially set up your project with tasks and dates, and then save the project with
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a baseline, the Tracking Gantt view displays those tasks as shown in the following
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example.
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The baseline bars and the scheduled or actual bars are synchronized. However, if the start
date of task slips by, say, 2 days, the red scheduled bar will extend 2 days beyond the
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lower baseline bar.
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Because the tasks are linked, the slipping of task 2 will cause a ripple effect, making its
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You can use the Tracking Gantt view to:
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• See how tasks progress across time and evaluate the slippage of
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or actual start and finish dates and by checking the completion
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percentage of each task.
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• View tasks graphically while still having access to detailed
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information about the tasks.
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• Create a project by entering tasks and the amount of time each task
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will take.
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• Establish sequential dependencies between tasks by linking them.
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When you link tasks, you can see how a change in the duration of
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one task affects the start and finish dates of other tasks and the
project finish date.
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MS Project - Menus te
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The File menu is typical of the windows environment. The command which pertains to
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MS Project is:
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Properties: Provides basic information on the Project.
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The Edit Menu
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The Edit menu is also typical of the windows environment. Commands which pertain to
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MS Project include:
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Link Tasks: Create links between tasks.
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Unlink Tasks: Break an existing link.
Go To: Go to a task or resource. (Depends on view.)
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The Insert Menu
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Among other things allows you to insert new rows for tasks or columns for information.
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You can also go to the Task information dialog box to add more detailed information to
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The Format Menu
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This changes dramatically when different views are selected. The following are the
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principal selections.
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Text Styles: Modifies the size, and type of the selected text.
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Box Styles: Changes the appearance of the Network Diagram
boxes.
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Layout: Allows you to customise the way links are shown.
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Redraws to show changes made to links etc.
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Layout Now:
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For the GANTT chart the choices are:
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Bar: Change the selected Gantt Bar style
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Timescale: Allows you to set the displayed time at anything
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their appearance.
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Gantt Chart Wizard: Takes you through the programs method of setting
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links.
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The Tools Menu
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The main choices here are Change Working Time, Tracking and Multiple Projects.
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Level Resources: Shows resource levelling
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information
Change Working Time: Format a new Calendar.
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Tracking: Check the progress.
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Links Between Projects: Set up sub projects and links.
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The Project Menu
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options launch sub menus. The commands are fairly self-explanatory and will become
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There are also the usual Window and Help options.
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You will find that the menu choices may change depending on the view selected. If
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MS Project - The Tool Bars
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The Buttons provide quick access to some of the commands available from the pull down
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menus. The default arrangement of the toolbars is the Standard and Formatting bars
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active.
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The formatting bar is virtually identical to the same thing in other Office applications,
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except it has the Outline tools attached to it. These tools are for promoting and demoting
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tasks, Collapsing and expanding sub tasks plus the usual Text format and alignment k
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buttons.
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• Create a New blank file. • Unlink the selected tasks.
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• •
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Open an existing File. Split the selected tasks
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• Save the current file • Open the Task Information
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dialog box.
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• Attach a note to the current
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• task.
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Print the active View
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• Print Preview the active view • Add Resources.
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• Spell check the selection. • Publish Information.
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• Cut the highlighted section to the • Group Information.
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Clipboard
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• Zoom in.
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• Copy the highlighted section to the
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Clipboard • Zoom out.
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• Paste from the Clipboard. • Goto selected task.
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• Format Painter. • Copy a static Picture so it can
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be used in another
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• Insert a hyperlink Launch the Web • Display the Office Assistant
toolbar.
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• Link the selected tasks with a
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Finish-to-Start relationship
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Loading and Viewing a Project
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• Use the mouse to change the size of the various windows.
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• Choose each of the top five and note the different screens.
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• Select View, Gantt Chart to return to the original view.
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• Move the mouse to the central vertical bar on the screen when it will
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change to a double line with a double-headed arrow
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• Click and hold the left button and drag left to see more of the Gantt
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Chart.
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• Repeat but drag right to see more of the Entry Table.
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Change the Project Start Date
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• Select Project, Project Information from the menus.
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• Change the project Start Date.
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• Click Add and click OK and examine the views again.
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• Select Tools, Tracking, Update Project to see project progress so
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far.
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Exit Project
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Task Entry and Linking
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Entering Tasks
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This is the main activity in setting up a new project. The tasks which have been
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identified at the Design Stage must be entered.
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The system will hold task information in a task database, which we cannot access directly
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but is used by the system whenever we view task data. This is one of two databases the
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system uses the other being the resource database.
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It is important to understand that the system checks the data that it holds and where the
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data does not cross check then the system will generally update the database to make it
right. It is important to keep an eye on this process; this will be discussed in a later
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section.
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As each entry is made the system will update the appropriate data and views to reflect the
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entries.
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The order of entry should be in the logical progression but this is not essential as it can be
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changed.
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Normal Task entry will be by using the standard Task Sheet. The Gantt View shows the
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Gantt Chart in the right part of the window with the Task Sheet in the left part.
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The Task sheet is a view of the selected task with information shown in the columns as
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follows: -
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ID: wa The Task Identification number.
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Name: The Name of the Task.
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Duration: The time the Task will take including the time units.
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Start Date: This is the current Scheduled Start date for the Task.
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Not the Planned or Actual Start.
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Finish Date: The Scheduled Finish date.
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Predecessors: The ID numbers for the preceding Tasks that are linked
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to this Task.
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Resources: The names of the resources performing or used in the
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Task.
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It is possible to select the Task Entry view to see the Gantt Chart in the upper pane and
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the Task Form in the lower pane. To do this choose View, More Views, Task Entry.
From the Task Sheet the following entries can be made.
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Duration: The time the Task will take including the time units.
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As the entries are made, the Gantt Chart will automatically be updated to display the
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tasks.wa
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If using the Task Form it will be possible to enter and/or view the following.
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Name: The name of the task
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Duration: The length of time the task will take and the units of time.
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Fixed: A check box to specify the start date to be fixed.
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Start: The scheduled start date, if this is not entered the system will calculate it
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from the data entered and the relationships defined.
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Finish: The scheduled finish date, entered or calculated as above.
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% Complete: A measure of the completion of the Task if it has been started.
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Resource Table
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ID: The identification number of the Resource
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Resource Name: The name of the resource.
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Units The number of units available for the resource.
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Predecessor Table
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Predecessor Name: The name of the Predecessor. If this is not entered the system
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Type: The relationship with the current Task which will be FS, or SS,
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or FF.
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Lag The time delay between the end of the Predecessor the start of
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the Successor.
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It is not necessary to complete all the fields at entry time, as more information is added so
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the system will update the boxes. It is only necessary to enter the data that has been
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determined in the design stage.
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at a time:
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• In the Task Name column, select the first available cell and type the
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name of the task.
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• Press TAB
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• In the Duration column, type the value of the duration. If the
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duration is anything other than days, type m for minutes, h for hours,
or w for weeks.
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• Press ENTER k
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• Press LEFT ARROW to return to the Task Name column and repeat
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steps 1 through 4 as required.
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To enter task descriptions and durations by
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selecting a range:
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• Select the first cell (the numbered cell) of the desired range.
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• Drag the mouse through the range of cells you want to include.
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• Press TAB
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•
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Repeat steps 4 and 5 as required.
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Note: Pressing SHIFT+TAB moves to the previous cell without deselecting the range. Clicking
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your mouse inside or outside the range will deselect the range.
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Other Methods of Adding Tasks
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As a general rule Tasks can be added in any view where the tasks are displayed. The
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most obvious methods in addition to using the normal Task Entry view are as follows: -
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In the Gantt Chart or the Task Sheet
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An additional task can be added at the end of the list using the Insert, New Task
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command. ar
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Where additional information is required to be entered then this can be done by using the
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Task Information form which is opened by simply double-clicking a task in the task list.
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Using the Task Information Form
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It is possible to enter additional tasks using this form but it does not have all the possible
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entry points. The details of this form are included in the description of the Task Entry
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View above.
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Using The Network Diagram Chart
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Additional tasks can be placed within the chart by drawing a box and then entering the
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information within the fields. The relationship can be also be entered graphically by
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pointing to the Predecessor and dragging a line to the Successor.
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Where a relationship needs to be removed, a double click on it will display a box which
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has a delete button in it.
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Note: When you try to make a link that is not logical or possible, Project will warn you about
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this (see illustration below).
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Add Tasks te
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The following tasks can be used as a practical in MS Project.
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Sub tasks Install Software 2h
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″ ″ Studies and Specifications 1d
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Summary task Section Development
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Sub tasks Section 1
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″ ″ Section 2
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″ ″ Section 3
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″ ″ Section 4
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″ ″ Section 5
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″ ″ Section 6
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″ ″ Section 7
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Section 8
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″ ″
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Enter the tasks as above. As you enter them Project will enter 1d as
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the default duration. Change this for Install Software.
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Note: By simply setting the Course Development task to zero days. It is given Milestone
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status.
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Linking Tasks
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In order that the system is able to display the overall time aspects of the project, each
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Task must be defined in terms of the Tasks on which it is dependent and in turn those
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Tasks that are dependent on it. It is also possible to define in what way these
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dependencies exist.
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Most associated Tasks will have a straightforward linear relationship. That is, the
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preceding task must finish before the next task can start. This is the Finish to Start
relationship.
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This is not true for all situations, for example if bricks are being made to build a house,
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the building cannot start until some bricks are available but it is not necessary for all the
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bricks to be made before the building can start. The relationship between making the
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bricks and building the house can be described as Start to Start but with a time lag to
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An alternative relationship can be Finish to Finish which is true where two tasks must be
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ready at the same time. For example in the preparation of a banquet, the elements of each
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course must be completed at the same time in order that they are at their best.
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To summarise the main three relationships that can happen are as follows: -
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• Start to Start (SS)
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• Finish to Finish (FF)
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We can also fine tune these relationships by specifying Lag or Lead times as required.
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Linking of Tasks can be achieved by making the appropriate entry in any of the task
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views or highlighting the tasks and using the link button on the Tool Bar, or by using the
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Edit, Link Tasks command
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Note: You need to highlight the tasks you want to link before trying to link them. Use the
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mouse while holding down the [Ctrl] and/or [Shift] button(s) to do this
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Links are most clearly shown in the Network
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Diagram
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• Enter some of the links by completing the Predecessor ID in the
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lower pane. k
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• Add some of the links by selecting them and using the linking
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button.
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Defining the Summary Tasks
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Microsoft Project provides the ability to structure the tasks by setting different levels of
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tasks and grouping tasks under a summary task. This can be useful where the project has
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a considerable number of tasks; management can be made easier by only viewing and
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reporting on the summary tasks.
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There are five buttons on the far left of the Formatting Toolbar which can be used on a
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• Expands a summary task to show its subordinate tasks
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• Hide assignments
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Create Summary Tasks and Link Tasks
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• Select the sub tasks Install Software and Studies and Specification.
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ar• Indent the tasks to make them sub tasks.
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• While they are still selected link them (chain button or Edit menu).
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• Make Sections 1 to 8 sub tasks and link them.
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Insert Tasks
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If you miss a task from your list you can insert a blank line and type the information.
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• Type Backup Installation as the task and set the time to 1h.
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Having added tasks you can continue adding tasks at the end of your project.
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• Move to the line below Section 8 and type Slide Development.
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• Outdent the task by clicking on the Outdent button.
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• Link it to Section 8.
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• Save your project as Training Course.
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• Save with a baseline.
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Change Duration
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The default duration is 1day. To change this you can simply overtype with the new value.
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• Change the durations for
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READ THE
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INFORMATION then
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click on the OK button.
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• Select all the remaining
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tasks.
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• Set the duration to 1.5d
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Multiple Links
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• Select the task Slide Development, hold down the Ctrl key and
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• When you get a warning, try to figure out why the link is illogical.
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•
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Save a Baseline
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Click on the OK button.
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Click on the Save baseline radio button.
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Select Tools, Tracking, Save Baseline from the menus.
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72
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