CIF 301 Activity Planning Unit 2

University of Sunderland CIF 301 Unit 2

CIF 301CIF 301

Activity Planning Activity Planning

Unit 2Unit 2


IntroductionIntroduction

• The unit will cover several methods– Precedence analysis– Gantt Charts– PERT / CPA

• Also …..– Microsoft Project will be covered in labs


Introduction 2Introduction 2

– Activity Planning will help to:• ensure that the appropriate resources will be available

precisely when required• avoid different activities competing for the same

resource at the same time• produce a detailed schedule showing which staff carry

out each activity• Produce a detailed plan against which actual

achievement may be measured• produce a timed forecast• re-plan the project during its life to correct drift from a

target


Precedence analysisPrecedence analysis

• Must be done before an activity plan can be produced

• Reviews the activities that are to be carried out

• Decides what activities must be carried out before particular activity can start


Gantt ChartsGantt Charts

• Developed by Henry Gantt, around 1917

– Gantt charts are easy to use and produce

– Very useful for use on less complex projects



WEEK 1 WEEK 2 WEEK 3 WEEK 4 WEEK 5 WEEK 6Task 1Task 2Task 3Task 4Task 5Task 6



• Draw the following Gantt chart

Tasks Precedence Time

a - 5 days

b - 4 days

c a 6 days

d b 2 days

e b 5 days

f c,d 8 days



WEEK 1 WEEK 2 WEEK 3 WEEK 4Task aTask bTask cTask dTask eTask f


Network planning Network planning modelsmodels

• PERT

– The Program Evaluation and Review Technique

• CPM– Critical Path Method– Also know as CPA– Critical Path Analysis


Network planning Network planning modelsmodels

• A simple on arrow network model

1

2

3

4

7

5

6

Start End

a

b

c

d

e

f

g

h


TerminologyTerminology

• Activity

• Event

• Network

• Path

• Critical


TerminologyTerminology

• On Arrow Network diagram showing critical path in red

1

2

3 4

5

6

A=6

B=4 D=4

C=3

E=3

F=10

H=2

G=3


Network syntaxNetwork syntax

• Time moves from left to right

• Nodes are numbered sequentially

• A network may not contain loops

• A network may not contain dangles

• Precedents are the immediate preceding activities

• Dummy activities can be used to indicate a particular precedence



• Time moves from left to right

• Nodes are numbered sequentially

1 2 3a b



• A network may not contain loops

1 2 3

4

This is not allowed

ab

cd



• A network may not contain dangles

1 2 3

4This is not allowed

a b

c



• Precedents are the immediate preceding activities

1 2 3Design Build

4Commission



• Dummy activities can be used to indicate a particular precedence

1 2 3 Wrong

1

2

43

Right

a

b

c

a

b c


On Arrow NetworksOn Arrow Networks

• Draw the following as an on arrow network

Tasks Precedence Time

a - 5 days

b - 4 days

c a 6 days

d b 2 days

e b 5 days

f c,d 8 days



• How to start …..

1

2

3

start

a

b



• What not to do

1

2

3

start

a

b

4

5

6

c

d

e



• A better way ……

1

2

3

start

a

b

c

d

e



• It is then less confusing that c & d go to the same event … but what about e & f ?

1

2

3

start

a

b

4

5

6c

d

e

f



• The completed on arrow network ….

1

2

3

start

a

b

4

5

c

de

f

end



• Another on arrow network to drawTasks Precedence Timea - 6 weeksb - 4 weeksc a 3 weeksd b 4 weekse b 3 weeksf - 10 weeksg e,f 3 weeksh c,d 2 weeks



• The network with activity times added

1 3 4 6

2

5

A=6C=3

B=4 D=4

F=10

E=3

G=3

H=2



• Each event circle can contain the information below

Eventnumber

Earliestdate

Latestdate

SlackEvent


Event numbersEvent numbers

1

2

3 4

5

6


Timed activitiesTimed activities

1

2

3 4

5

6

A=6

B=4 D=4

C=3

E=3

F=10

H=2

G=3


Forward passForward pass

1

2

3 4

5

6

A=6

B=4 D=4

C=3

E=3

F=10

H=2

G=3

0

6

4 9

10

13


Backward passBackward pass

1

2

3 4

5

6

A=6

B=4 D=4

C=3

E=3

F=10

H=2

G=3

0

6

4 9

10

13 1311

10

8

70


Event, Slack and Event, Slack and Activity FloatActivity Float

1

2

3 4

5

6

A=6

B=4 D=4

C=3

E=3

F=10

H=2

G=3

0

6

4 9

10

13 1311

10

8

700

2

3 2

0

0


The Complete On Arrow The Complete On Arrow NetworkNetwork

1

2

3 4

5

6

A=6

B=4 D=4

C=3

E=3

F=10

H=2

G=3

0

6

4 9

10

13 1311

10

8

700

2

3 2

0

0


Precedence NetworksPrecedence Networks

• Precedence network

• Becoming more common

• Often preferred by project managers



• Syntax the same as for On Arrow networks– Except there are no dummy activities

• Precedence networks must start with a start node and end with a end node



• A simple precedence network

Start End

a

b

d

c

e

f

g

h


• This is the same network drawn as an On Arrow network

1

2

3

4

5

5

5

Start End

a

b

c

d

e

f

g

h



• Draw the following as an Precedence network and an On Arrow Network

Tasks Precedence Timea - 5 daysb - 4 daysc a 6 daysd b 2 dayse b 5 daysf c,d 8 days



• The completed Precedence Network

Start End

a

b

d

c

e

f


• The same network drawn as an On Arrow Network

1

2

3

start

a

b

4

5

c

de

f

end



• Draw another precedence and on arrow networkTasks Precedence Timea - 6 weeksb - 4 weeksc a 3 weeksd b 4 weekse b 3 weeksf - 10 weeksg e,f 3 weeksh c,d 2 weeks



• The completed Precedence Network

Start End

a

b

d

c

e

f

h

g


• This is the same network drawn as an On Arrow network

1 3 4 6

2

5

A=6C=3

B=4 D=4

F=10

E=3

G=3

H=2



• Adding more information to the node

ES D EF

LS F LF

Earlieststart

Duration EarliestFinish

LatestStart

LatestFinish

Float

Description

Documents

CIF 301 Activity Planning Unit 2