GALGOTIAS UNIVERSITY

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ETE Examination May-June 2021

Admission No. of 18SCSE1010413 Name of Course Project Managment
Student
Name of Student Lokesh Kumar pal Course Code BTCS8102
Program [Link](Hons) Date Of Examination 27/05/2021
Semester 6th Time 12:00-03:00

Answer 11:
Critical Path Method (CPM)

Completing a project in time is one of the most important objectives and expectation of the
stakeholders. Critical Path Method is used to prepare the optimized project schedule
involving all the project activities. 

CPM is applicable to both large and small projects, taking from space programmes to
wedding or horse shows. It is widely recognized and is the most versatile and potent
management planning technique.

CPM is a technique, used for planning and controlling the most logical and economic
sequence of operations for accomplishing a project. The project is analysed into different
activities whose relationships, as in PERT, are shown on the network diagram. The network
is then utilized for optimising the use of resources, progress and control.

Critical Path Method helps in:

1. Determining the minimum time in which the project can be completed

2. Determining the sequence of activities which must be completed on time in order to
complete the project in time
3. Determining which all tasks can be delayed without delaying the project completion
time
4. Determining the Early and Late Start of tasks
5. Tracking project progress with regards to agreed timeline and taking proactive
corrective action if the project seems to be getting delayed
Example:

Step #1: Identify activities based on WBS

If you know your WBS, you would know that it describes deliverables, not activities. This is

why all its components are described using nouns or adjectives, not verbs.

The CPM, however, focuses on activities described using verbs.

The first step the CPM process, therefore, is to list all the activities required to create

deliverables at each level of the WBS.

For example, if you’re making a sandwich, you might have the following activities associated

with it:

This list of activities will form the foundation of the CPM, so make sure it is thorough.
 

Step #2: Identify all dependencies

Any project has two types of tasks:

1. Tasks that depend on other tasks for their completion, i.e. dependent tasks
2. Tasks that are independent of others and can be done in parallel to others,
i.e. concurrent tasks

A list of dependent tasks is called an activity sequence. You’ll use these sequences to

figure out the critical path.

Step #3: Create a network diagram

Once you’ve identified all tasks and their dependencies, it’s time to create a network

diagram, also known as a critical path analysis chart.

This chart visualizes separate activity sequences and enables you to map dependencies

easily. To create it, make a list of all activity sequences. Create separate boxes for each task

in the sequence.

Next, use arrows to identify dependencies between tasks in each sequence, like this:

This network diagram will form the basis of the final critical path.

Step #4: Estimate duration of each activity

Recall that the critical path method describes the longest sequence of activities necessary to

deliver the project successfully.

Thus, to figure out the critical path, we first need to estimate the duration of each activity.

The activity sequence that takes the longest time would then be our critical path.

There are several tactics you can adopt to estimate the duration of an activity:

1. Guesswork based on experience and knowledge

2. Estimate based on past project data
3. Estimate based on industry benchmarks
4. Estimates based on extrapolated data

For example, if you know that it takes you 10 minutes to paint a 2’ x 2’ board (4 sq ft), you

can estimate that it will take you 250 minutes to paint a 10’ x 10’ wall (100 sq ft).
However, even the best estimates can be inaccurate. Some tasks might be delayed because

of unproductivity, delayed dependent tasks, or errors. Others might be completed earlier

than expected because of an efficient worker.

To account for such contingencies, it is common to use three estimates for each activity:

1. Best-case scenario, i.e. shortest duration (A)

2. Normal scenario, i.e. expected duration (B)
3. Worst-case scenario, i.e. longest duration (C)

The average of these three cases would give you a reasonable estimate of each activity’s

duration.

Activity Duration = A + B + C / 3

If you’re dealing with activities you’ve performed several times in the past, you’ll likely have a

better idea of its duration. In such a case, you can use a weighted average, giving additional

preference to the “normal” scenario (B) according to your own confidence.

Weighted Activity Duration = A + 2B + C/3

List the duration (t) of each activity next to its name in the network diagram.

 
 

Step #5: Calculate the Critical Path

In your network diagram, write down the start and end time of each activity next to its box.

The first activity in the sequence would have a start time of ‘0’. Its end-time would be its

duration.

The second activity’s start time would be the end-time of the first activity. Its end-time would

be the start time + the duration.

Do this for all the activities in every sequence, like this:

 
 

Now, look at the last activity in each sequence. The figure to its right would tell you the

duration of the entire sequence.

The activity sequence with the longest duration would be your critical path.

Step #6 (Optional): Determine Floats

Float, as I mentioned earlier, is the amount of time an activity can be delayed without

causing a delay in the project.

Calculating the float for all activities can help in resource planning. If an activity has a high

float, you can divert resources from it to a higher priority task.

To determine float, follow this process:

1. Find the second longest sequence of activities in the network diagram.

2. Subtract its total duration from the duration of the critical path sequence
3. The difference between the two durations will give you the float for each activity in
the second sequence.
4. If there are any common activities in both sequences, it will have a float of 0 since it
is also on the critical path

You can do this for all other sequences to determine floats for every activity.

For example, in the diagram below, activities E, F, G, H, and I make up the critical path.

Their total duration is 100 hours.

Activities B, C, D and E make up the second longest sequence with a total duration of 90

hours.

The difference between their total duration is 10 hours. However, since activities E is

common and in the critical path, it would have zero float.

Hence, B, C, D - which are the non-common activities in the second sequence - would have

a float of 10.

That’s it! You just used the Critical Path Method in a hypothetical project.
In the real world, you’ll rarely use network diagrams to chart the critical path. Instead, you’ll

use Gantt charts to visualize tasks and their dependencies.

However, creating network diagrams and mapping critical paths manually can help you

understand the concept better. It will also help you when you’re preparing for the PMP exam

or actually managing projects.