ABSTRACT

To effectively plan and control a project,

project managers need to be able to process
large amounts of data quickly and accurately
to enable them to create order in complex
situations. The critical path method (CPM)
offers a structured approach to project
planning since it is designed to meet this need.

Dr. Ellijah Chaparanganda

CIVE 523: CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT

CRITICAL PATH
METHOD
PROJECT MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES
CIVE 523: CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT CRITICAL PATH METHOD

CONTENTS

1. Network Diagram (part 1) ………………………………………………. 2

2. Definition of an Activity (part 1) ……………………………………….. 3

3. Logical Relationships (part 1) ………………………………………… 3

4. How to Draw the Logical Relationships (part 1) ……………………. 5

5. Activity Logic Table (part 1) …………………………………………… 6

6. Activity Duration (part 1) ………………………………………………. 8

7. Calendar / Work Pattern (part 1) ……………………………………… 9

8. Critical Path Methods Steps (part 1) …………………………………. 9

9. Forward Pass (part 1) ………………………………………………….. 11

10. Backward Pass (part 1) ……………………………………………….. 13

11. Activity Float (part 1) ………………………………………………….. 15

12. Network Diagram (part 2) …………………………………………….. 16

13. Logical Errors (part 2) ………………………………………………… 21

14. Definition of an Activity (part 2) ……………………………………… 23

15. Calendar / Work Pattern (part 2) ……………………………………. 25

16. Activity Float (part 2) …………………………………………………. 27

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CRITICAL PATH METHOD

Learning Outcomes:

After reading this module material, the student should be able to:

 Produce a network diagram

 Calculate the start and finish dates for all activities
 Identify the critical path

Introduction

To effectively plan and control a project, project managers need to be able to

process large amounts of data quickly and accurately to enable them to create
order in complex situations. The critical path method (CPM) offers a structured
approach to project planning since it is designed to meet this need.

This module outlines the techniques and practical applications of CPM, taking
the student step-by-step through the planning stages from developing the
logical network diagram through the establishing the critical path.

Although CPM was originally developed to quantify the time cost trade-off, the
term is now used interchangeably with program evaluation and review
techniques (PERT). These generic names are understood to mean both time
planning on its own, or to incorporate the complete integrated planning cycle.

1. Network Diagram (part 1)

The work breakdown structure (WBS) provides a structured breakdown of the

scope of work into manageable work packages that can be further developed
into a list of activities (WBS module notes). The next process is to establish a
logical relationship between the activities using a network diagram.

The network diagram may be defined as a graphical presentation of the

project’s activities showing the planned sequence of work. In its simplest form
only two items of information are required:

 List of activities

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 Logic constraints, also called logical links, logical dependencies or logical

relationships between activities.

The network diagram, also called precedence diagram method (PDM) is

development of the activities-on-node (AON) concept where each activity is
represented as a node or a box.

2. Definition of an Activity (part 1)

An activity may be defined as any task, job or operation that must be performed
to complete the work package or project. A WBS work package can be
subdivided into one or more activities, with the work packages and activities
using different numbering systems.

The term activity, task, work and job are often used interchangeably. In the
network diagram an activity is always represented by an identity number, which
can be alpha and/or numeric and is presented in a box.

The activity should be given a description to ensure the project team members
understand the work content – this can be expanded later on a job card.

3. Logical Relationships (part 1)

The network diagram shows the sequence of the activities where these logical
relationships can be either mandatory or discretionary. Mandatory or hard
dependencies are limitations of the build-method, e.g., on a construction project
the foundations must (hard logic) be built before the walls and roof are erected,
whereas scheduling the electrical work before the plumbing work is
discretionary (soft logic).

Discretionary logic is the preferred method or best practice defined by the body
of knowledge. Before one can draw the network diagram, the logical
relationships between al activities must be defined first. There are two basic
relationships:

 Activities in series
 Activities in parallel.

Activities in Series: When the activities are in series they are carried out one
after the other. When the network is first developed, this would probably be the
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most common type of relationship. An example of activities performed in series

on a house project would be the foundation (activity A100), followed the walls
(activity A200), followed by the roof (A300). The network diagram is read from
left to right as shown in the below diagram.

Figure 1: Activities in Series

Activities in Parallel: When activities are in parallel, they can be performed at

the same time, which is more efficient use of time the activities in series. An
example on a house project would be the installation of plumbing (A400) and
electrical fittings (A500) simultaneously after the roof is fitted (A300), followed
by painting (A600) as shown in below.

Figure 2: Activities in Parallel

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4. How to draw the Logic Relationships (part 1)

The terms logical relationship, constraint, dependency and link are all used
interchangeably to represent the lines drawn between the activity boxes. The
preferred presentation shows constraint lines drawn from left to right, starting
from the right side of an activity box into the left side of the following activity
box. However, many software packages have the lines drawn from the top and
bottom of the boxes. Initially and arrow at the end of a constraint may help you
to follow the direction of the workflow.

Figure 3: How to Draw Activity Constraints

In the past some projects were developed using yellow stickers (as activities)
positioned on a large wall. Currently, it is rare not to use powerful planning
software to develop a large project on a computer.

When viewing the network diagram of large projects on the screen or printing,
most softwares offers a facility to control the amount of information in the boxes,
reducing the detail right down to only the activity number for a condensed
picture, since to print out a detailed network diagram would be a lengthy task.

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5. Activity Logic Table (part 1)

For easy of reading, logic information is often compiled in a tabular format, with
each record (line) defining a relationship. Planning software usually names the
before and after activities as preceding and succeeding activities as shown in
Table 1 and Table 2.

Table 1: Activity Logic Table

Before Activity Constraint Following Activity

Table 2: Activity Logic Table

Preceding Activity Constraint Succeeding Activity

Using the activity logic in Table 3, walk through the following worked example
(see Figure 4) where the activities and constraints are labelled.

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Table 3: Activity Logic Table (CPM example)

Preceding Activity Constraint Succeeding Activity

Start C1 A100

A100 C2 A200

A100 C3 A300

A200 C4 A400

A300 C5 A500

A400 C6 A600

A500 C7 A600

A600 C8 Finish

Figure 4: Network Diagram (drawn from Table 3, C = constraint)

Even if the logic table is not manually generated by the planner, the planning
software will compile the logic data in this format. It is therefore useful to be
familiar with this presentation to enable one to validate the network data. A

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common format for both input and presentation is simply to look at an activity
and its preceding activity. Consider the above example (table 3 and figure 4)
and transpose the logic table into table 4.

Some planners prefer to sketch out a rough draft of the network diagram using
a pencil before loading it on the computer with the intention of predicting what
will happen downstream in the project. A common problem when developing
the network diagram is to introduce activities based on time rather than logic.
At this point in the planning process think only of the sequence of the activities
– as the constraints of duration, procurement, resources and costs will be
introduced later.

Table 4: Solution to Table 3 & Figure 4

Activity Preceding Activity Duration

A100 Start 2

A200 A100 2

A300 A100 1

A400 A200 4

A500 A300 2

A600 A400, A500 2

6. Activity Duration (part 1)

We need two more items of information before we can proceed with the CPM
time analysis:

 Activity duration
 Activity calendar or work pattern.

Time units can be expressed as hours, days, weeks, month, or shifts depending
on the length of the activities and the project. For simplicity, the time units we

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will be using (part 1) are days unless otherwise stated, and in part 2 we will
assume continuous working (seven days per week).

An activity’s duration is linked to resources – increasing the sources will

obviously shorten the duration. At this point certain assumptions will have to be
made and adjusted later.

7. Calendar / Work pattern (part 1)

Calendar or Work pattern are common terms used in planning software to

describe an activity’s working profile, i.e., on what days of the week the
resources or activity will be working. As a first step we will assume the activity
is working seven days a week and this is termed continuous working.

8. Critical Path Method Steps (part 1)

We are now ready to perform the CPM time analysis to establish the start and
finish dates for all the activities. Before we do, let us recap on the CPM steps
we have outlined.

 Draw the logic network diagram

 Assign durations to all activities
 Impose a work calendar.

In addition to the logic table, an activity table would include the following
headings (table 5).

Table 5: Activity Logic Table (proforma)

Activity Number Description Duration Calendar

Start Date: We need to give a start date (this can always be changed later).
The CPM analysis needs a start date from which to schedule the work. If no

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date is given the planning software would use that day’s date as the default
option.

By setting the start date the first iteration will give the planner a feel for the
end date of the project using the given logic, activity duration and calendar.
If a target completion date is given, the above parameters (logic, duration,
calendar and start date), can be adjusted accordingly.

Early Start: - the earliest date by which an activity can start assuming all the
preceding activities are completed as planned.

Early Finish: - the earliest date by which an activity can be completed

assuming all the preceding activities are completed as planned.

Late Start: - the latest date an activity can start to meet the planned
completion date.

Late Finish: - the latest date an activity can finish to meet the planned
completion date.

Target Start and Target Finish: In addition to the calculated dates there
may be several imposed dates influenced by the delivery of materials,
access to sub-contractors, or other milestones.

Activity Box: The activity box key indicates where to position the values in
the activity box. This layout varies with the software package, but the format
in figure 5 will be used in the module section.

EARLY START EARLY FINISH

ACTIVITY NUMBER
FLOAT DURATION
DESCRIPTION

LATE START LATE FINISH

Figure 5: Activity Box (typical layout)

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9. Forward Pass (part 1)

We use the term forward pass to define the process of calculating the early start
date (ES) and early finish date (EF) for all activities. For convenience the early
start date of the first activity in all the examples will be either day one of the first
day of the month (1st May).

Consider a simple project with activities A and B. The relationship between A

and B is finish-to start, this means activity A must be completed before B can
start.

Table 6: Activity Logic Table

Activity Number Preceding Activity Duration

A Start 3

B A 4

Figure 6: Forward Pass

The early finish date of an activity is calculated by adding the activity duration
to the early start date, using the following formula.

𝐄𝐅 = 𝐄𝐒 + 𝐃𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 − 1

In the equation the minus one is required to keep the mathematics correct. The
Gantt chart in figure 7 clarifies this requirement. Shown in the Gantt chart it can

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be seen clearly seen that a three day activity that starts on day one will Finnish
on day 3.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7
MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT SUN

ACTIVITY A
3 DAYS DURATION ES EF

ACTIVITY B
4 DAYS DURATION ES EF

Figure 7: Gantt Chart

Using the above equation to find the early finish (EF) of activity A (see figure 8
below.

𝐄𝐅(𝐀) + 𝐃𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧(𝐀) − 𝟏 = 1 + 3 − 1 = 3

Figure 8: Forward Pass

To calculate the early start date (ES) of activity B use the following formula
(Activity B can only start the after activity (A) has finished).

𝐄𝐒(𝐁) = 𝐄𝐅(𝐀) + 𝟏 = 3 + 1 = 4

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Figure 9: Forward Pass

To calculate the early finish date (EF) of activity B use the same formula
previously used on activity A.

𝐄𝐅(𝐁) = 𝐄𝐒(𝐁) + 𝐃𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧(𝐁) − 𝟏 = 4 + 4 − 1 = 7

Figure 4: Forwad Pass

To recap, the early start date of any activity is a measure of the time required to
complete all preceding activities in the logical order outlined in the network
diagram.

10. Backward Pass

Now that we have the forward pass, the next step is to perform a backward
pass to calculate the late start date (LS) and late finish date (LF) of each activity.
The late finish date for the last activity may be assigned, if not, use the early
finish date of the last activity (see figure 11).

𝐋𝐅(𝐁) = 𝐄𝐅(𝐁) = 7

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Figure 5: Backward Pass

To calculate the late start (LS) of activity B use the following formula.

𝐋𝐒(𝐁) − 𝐃𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 (𝐁) + 𝟏 = 7 − 4 + 1 = 4

Note the plus in the formula to keep the mathematics correct.

𝐋𝐅(𝐀) = 𝐋𝐒(𝐁) − 1 = 4 − 1 = 3

𝐋𝐒(𝐀) = 𝐋𝐅(𝐀) − 𝐃𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 (𝐀) + 1 = 3 − 3 + 1 = 1

Figure 6: Backward Pass

To recap, the late start date of any activity is a measure of the time required to
complete all succeeding activities, in the logical order outlined in the network
diagram.

NOTE: On large networks, when many activities lead into one activity on the
forward pass take the highest early finish value to calculate the early start date
of the succeeding activity. On the backward pass take when many activities
lead into one activity, take the lowest late start date value the late finish of the
preceding activity.

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11. Activity Float (part 1)

Activity float, also called slack, is a measure of flexibility, or inherent surplus

time in an activity’s scheduling. This indicates how many working days the
activity can be delayed or extended before it will extend the completion date of
the project or any target finish dates (milestones). Float is calculated by either
of the two equations.

𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐭 = 𝐋𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 − 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭

𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐭 = 𝐋𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡 − 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡

Mathematically they are both the same, therefore select the equation you are
more comfortable with. Using the previous example:

𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐭(𝐀) = 𝐋𝐒(𝐀) − 𝐄𝐒(𝐀) = 1 − 1 = 0

The float for activity B is also zero (0). Where an activity has zero (0) this
indicates it is on the critical path.

Figure 13: Network Diagram - shows the activity float

This now completes the forward pass and backward pass. You are now able to
complete the CPM time analysis for the logic table 3 and figure 4, developed
earlier.

This completes the first part of the CPM process – the second will take the
planning and control technique a step further.

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Figure 15: Network Diagram (see table 3 & figure4)

12. Network Diagram (part 2)

To develop the network diagram, it is advisable that the planer walks through
the sequence of work with the managers, supervisors or the people who are
going to perform the work partly to:

 Ensure the build-method is correct, but mostly

 Gain to their commitment (buy-in) and ensure the project achieves its
objectives.

NOTE that all the assumptions for hard logic, soft logic, durations, calendars,
resource and bugject requirements information is available.

Developing the network diagram can be a juggling act, particularly if have a long
list of work packages. One way to get started is to select a key activity and work
outwards:

 What activities must be done before?

 What activities can be done at the same time?
 What activities can be done next?

Feedback from previous projects is useful particularly if it provides a template

for that can be applied in whole or part to your project (closeout report of the
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Scope Management). Besides the basic finish-to-start there are three other
types. The abbreviation is shown in brackets:

 Finish-to-Start (FS)
 Start-to-start (SS)
 Finish-to-Finish (FF)
 Start-to-finish (SF)

Finish-to-Start (FS): The finish-to-start (FS) constraint is the most common

type of relationship. As such, if activity 100 is completed on Monday, then
activity 200 can start on Tuesday (see figure 15).

Figure 15: Finish-to-Start (FS)

This relationship can be further developed by imposing a delay, or lag, between

the activities. For example, if the concrete needs two (2) days to cure and the
foundation (activity 100) are thrown on Monday, then the building the walls
(activity 200) cannot start before Thursday (see figure 16).

Figure 16: Finish-to-Start (with 2 days lag)

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Or in Gantt chart format (see figure 17).

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT SUN

Foundation 100

Lag 2 days

Walls 200

Figure 17: Finish-to-Start Gantt Chart (with 2 days lag

Start-to-Start (SS): The start-to-start (SS) constrain represents the relationship

between the start dates of the two activities. If activity 600 can start 4 days after
activity 500 has started this would represent a fast tracking situation, where the
project’s duration is compressed by overlapping the activities.

An example of a SS constraint would by the laying of a pipe. When the first km

of the trench has been dug, the pipe laying can start. If the digging starts on a
Monday and it takes 4 days to dig one kilometer, then the pipe laying can start
on Friday the 5th day (see figure 18).

Figure 18: Start-to-Start (SS)

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Or Gantt chart format (see figure 19).

1 2 3 4 5 6 7
MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT SUN

Activity 500
Dig Trench

Lag 4 Days

Activity 600
Lay pipe

Figure 19: Start-to-Start (SS) Gantt Chart

Other SS relationships in this project would be the pipe testing and back-fill of
the pipeline trench. If the start of activity is delayed, then activity 600 will also
be delayed. The converse may also be true if resources are available.

Finish-to-Finish (FF): The finish-to-finish (FF) constraint represents the

relationship between the finish of two activities. For example, activity 2000 can
finish 3 days after activity 1000 is completed (see figure 20). An example here
would be the fabrication and painting of a structure. Although there is no
constraint mentioned concerning the start of painting, the painters cannot start
painting the last section until the fabrication is finished and then it will take
further 3 days to complete. If the fabrication is completed on Monday, then the
painting can only be completed by Thursday at earliest.

Figure 20: Finish-to-Finish (FF)

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Or in Gantt chart format (see figure 21):

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT SUN

Fabrication 1000

Lag 3 Days

Painting 2000

Figure 21: Finish-to-Finish Gantt Chart

Start-to Finish (SF): The start-to-finish (SF) constraint shows the relationship
linking the start of an activity with the finish of another activity. This relationship
should be avoided like the plague!!! Its easy to mix-up (SF) and (FS), and then
it is virtually impossible to detect. An example of this relationship would be a
crane hired for 6 days. The crane has two lifts that must be completed within 6
days. Therefore, 6 days after activity A 100 starts, A200 must finish (see figure
22).

Figure 22: Start-to-Finish (SF)

Or in Gantt chart format (see figure 23):

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7

MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT SUN

Lift 1 A100

Lag 6 days

Lift 2 A200

Figure 23: Start-to-Finish (SF) Gantt Chart

NOTE: A discontinuous option is available on some software packages where

the activity can be constrained both SS and EF. In this case the resource
analysis will schedule the activities discontinuously to match the resources
available.

Leads and Lags: A delay may be given to the start or finish of an activity by
assigning the constraint a duration (the default is zero). These delays are
termed lead time before an activity and lag time after the activity.

An example could be ‘waiting a plan approval’ or ‘the curing time for concrete’.
The planner may want to keep these durations separate from the activities
‘durations because if significant, this could distort the cashflow statement and
resource histogram.

13. Logical Errors (part 2)

Before starting the time analysis, it is important to validate the network’s logic
to ensure that there are no logical errors. Some software packages perform
topological sort to complete the logic relationships into suitable order to ensure
that no activity is proceeded before it logical predecessors. There are a number
of basic logical errors:

 Logical loop
 Logical dangle

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 Redundant precedence relationship

Logical loop: Consider the following logical loop the represents an impossible
situation. Activity 200 follows activity 100, activity 300 follows activity 200, and
activity 100 follows activity 300 (see figure 24). The figure indicates that one or
more relationships need to be reassigned before processing.

Figure 24: Logical Loop

Logical Dangle: As the name suggests a dangling activity is where the activity
either comes from nowhere or goes to nowhere. In this example activity 600
follows activity 500, but what follows activity 900? Some software packages
require the user to define the first and last activities as a start or finish type, as
the start does not have a preceding activity, and the finish does not have a
succeeding activity.

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Figure 25: Logic Dangle

Redundant Precedence Relationship: When developing the network diagram,

it is only necessary to indicate and activity’s immediate predecessors, for
example (figure 26), activity 200 is a predecessor of activity 300 and activity
100 is a predecessor of activity 200therefore, implicitly activity 100 is a
predecessor of 300. It is not necessary to explicitly specify this relationship if
you do, this would be an example of a redundant precedence relationship.

Figure 26: Redundant Precedence Relationship

Some project planning software will perform the logical loop, logical dangle and
redundant precedence checks as part of the CPM validation. If errors are
detected, the time analyses (forward and backward pass) will not start, and an
error message will be sent to locate the error quickly. This iterative process may
need to be performed a few times before all the bugs are eliminated.

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14. Definition of an Activity (part 2)

With the introduction of project planning software, certain terms and norms have
been established – these terms will be used wherever possible. These
characteristics of an activity include the following:

 An activity must have a unique activity code or number (A, or 010, or

ABC100). The code may be alpha, numeric or alphanumeric. The
numbers do not need to be in sequence because the logical relationships
will determine the position of the activity in the network diagram. If the
numbers are in sequence, however, this may help readability.
 If multi-project resource scheduling is required, the activity numbers from
the various projects need to be different, otherwise some data will be over
written. This can be achieved by either having a unique project code that
forms part of the activity number or assigning a control digit prior to
processing.
 An activity must have a description. The description should be as
informative and clear as possible. Some computer packages allow the
user to define a short description and a long description to suit the report
layouts. The description length is usually restricted to fit into the
framework of a report. If longer words are used, they may be truncated.
 There will be logical relationships between the activities.
 All activities will have a time duration for completing the tasks, even if it is
zero.
 All activities will have a calendar or work pattern to indicate when the work
can be scheduled, even if it is seven days per week (continuous working).
 The activity can have target start and finish dates assigned. Certainly, a
start date or finish date for a project is required. Target dates would be
influenced by delivery or bought-in items, availability of equipment or
access to sub-contractors.
 An activity may need items to be procured – by linking the procurement
to the activity, a procurement schedule can be produced.
 An activity may need resources – by linking the resources to the activity,
they can be scheduled to produce a resource histogram.

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 As time and resources are linked to the activity, they can be integrated to
generate a manpower S curve against time for planning and control
purposes.
 An activity will incur expenses. If the expenses (costs) are linked to the
activities, the costs can be scheduled and rolled-up to produce a cashflow
statement and planned expenditure curves (BCWS) (to be covered
under the Earne value Module).
 If a WBS is used, the activities can be linked to the work packages. This
will enable the cost to be entered at the activity level and rolled-up to be
reported at a higher level (see WBS Module).

An example of an activity would be:

Table 7: Activity Details

Identity A100

Description Dig the foundation

Calendar 5 days per week / Mon to Fri

Duration 20 working days

Procurement Bought-in items

Resources 5 men per day

Budget $20,000

WBS 1.1.1

Logic List preceding activities

Target date Assigned start or finish dates

Activity Duration: A certain amount of inefficiency should be allowed for within

the system. As one activity finishes, the next activity may not start immediately
but take a day or so to get organised.

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15. Calendar / Work Pattern (part 2)

Up to now all the calculations have assumed the project is working seven (7)
days per week. This is not usually the case, so we use a calendar or work
pattern to define when the work will be undertaken. Before we can calculate an
activity’s start and finish date, we need to know what days of the week the
activity will be working. For example, will the activity be working Monday to
Friday or Monday to Saturday or perhaps every day of the week? We also need
to know when the resources will take personal and company holidays together
with public holidays.

The planning packages allow the user to define a number of calendars which
can be linked to either the activity or resources. Listed below are the
characteristics associated with a calendar.

 The calendar defines the days on which work can be scheduled.

 A number of calendars can be defined. They can be assigned to any of

the trades or even one person if appropriate, each calendar being a
unique combination of rest days and public holidays.

 Rest days are the days of the week that are always taken off, i.e.,
weekends, Saturdays or Sunday. Planning software packages generally
assume continuous work (a default option is a seven day working week)
except for the days the activity is not working (i.e., rest days and public
holidays).

 Activity and resources can be linked to a calendar number.

 If the activity does not have a calendar, the planning software may flag
an error or default to a five day week.

Example: The calendar and start date can change the duration of the activity.
Consider this example. If the calendar is to work Monday to Friday, and eight
working day activity could take either 10 or 12 calendar days depending on
where the weekends fall (see figure 27).

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Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

8 Days
duration
(takes
10 days)

8 Days
duration
(takes
12 days)

Figure 27: Calendar Gantt Chart

Consider also activity 200 (figure 28) which has a Monday to Friday calendar
and is dependent on activity 100 which finishes on Friday 5th. Because of the 5
day calendar, activity 200 cannot start before Monday 8 th.

ACTIVITY CALENDAR FRI SAT SUN MON

DATE 5 6 7 8

100 MON TO FRI

200 MON TO FRI

Figure 28: Calendar Gantt Chart

16. Activity Float (part 2)

Float is a measure of an activity’s flexibility, quantifying how many working days

the activity can be delayed before it will extend the completion date of the
project, or any target finish dates.

The critical path is defined as the series of activities that have zero float. The
critical path always runs through the project from the first activity to the last
activity. As a project approach completion, a number of network arms may
become critical, giving more critical than one critical path.
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If the project has a number of ‘finish’ activities on different arms of the network
diagram, then each of these arms will become critical if each activity takes its
own early finish date as its late finish date. In the example (figure 29), activity
300, although indicated as critical could finish up to 7 days earlier. To prevent
activity 300 from becoming critical either link it to the latest activity or assign
date nearer the end of the project.

Figure 29: Activity Float (shows activity 300 linked to activity 500 to prevent it
becoming critical)

The presentation of the critical path is usually highlighted by:

 Heavy print
 Different type of line
 Red line.

There are three main types of float in CPM and it is important to be able to
distinguish between them to avoid confusion and errors.

Total Float: Here the float is shared with all the other activities in the arm. If
some of the float is used by one activity, this reduces the amount of float
available for the other activities on the arm. Care must be taken not to assume
each activity has all the float to itself.

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Free Float: This is a measure of the amount of float the activity can use up
without affecting the early start of any other activity. This only happens when
there is one activity in the network arm linked to a critical activity or milestone.

Negative Float: When calculations show that an activity must start before the
preceding activities are finished, this is indicated as negative float. It is an
unworkable situation that occurs when an activity falls behind planned progress,
but the end date remains fixed. The value of the negative float indicates how
much the activity’s duration or logic must be shortened (or by much the project
is behind schedule.

Key Points:

 The network diagram outlines the logic or sequence of work

 The calendar outlines when work can be scheduled.
 Activities with zero float are on the critical path.

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