PartB: Answers for course outcome 1:
1. [Link]
65201485/65201485
2. [Link]
3. [Link]
4(a) To construct a PERT chart, identify the sequence of activities, their dependencies,
and then calculate the expected completion time along each path. Finally, identify the critical
path.
Step 1: Define the Activities and Dependencies
A (4 days): No dependencies, starts first.
B (6 days): Depends on A.
C (3 days): Depends on A.
D (2 days): Depends on both B and C.
Step 2: Identify All Possible Paths
There are two main paths through the activities based on the dependencies:
1. Path 1: A → B → D
2. Path 2: A → C → D
Step 3: Calculate the Duration for Each Path
1. Path 1: A → B → D
o Time for A: 4 days
o Time for B: 6 days (starts after A finishes)
o Time for D: 2 days (starts after B finishes)
o Total time for Path 1 = 4 + 6 + 2 = 12 days
2. Path 2: A → C → D
o Time for A: 4 days
o Time for C: 3 days (starts after A finishes)
o Time for D: 2 days (starts after both B and C finish)
o Total time for Path 2 = 4 + 3 + 2 = 9 days
Step 4: Identify the Critical Path
The critical path is the path with the longest duration, which determines the project’s overall
completion time. In this case:
Path 1 (A → B → D) takes 12 days.
Path 2 (A → C → D) takes 9 days.
Therefore, the critical path is Path 1 (A → B → D), and the project's expected completion
time is 12 days.
PERT Chart Structure (Text-Based Representation)
Start → A (4 days)
o A → B (6 days)
B → D (2 days)
o A → C (3 days)
C → D (2 days)
This is how the PERT chart would look in terms of activity flow and dependencies, leading to
the critical path and project completion time.
4(b) To analyze the project completion time using the PERT (Program Evaluation and
Review Technique) method, we first calculate the expected time and variance for each
activity. The expected time (TE) for each activity is given by the formula:
TE=O+4M+P6TE = \frac{O + 4M + P}{6}TE=6O+4M+P
Where:
O = Optimistic time
M = Most likely time
P = Pessimistic time
The variance (σ²) is calculated using the formula:
σ2=(P−O6)2\sigma^2 = \left(\frac{P - O}{6}\right)^2σ2=(6P−O)2
Step 1: Calculate Expected Time and Variance for Each Activity
Activity A (2, 4, 3 days)
Optimistic (O) = 2 days
Most Likely (M) = 3 days
Pessimistic (P) = 4 days
Expected Time (TE) for A:
TEA=2+4(3)+46=2+12+46=186=3 daysTE_A = \frac{2 + 4(3) + 4}{6} = \frac{2 + 12 + 4}{6} = \
frac{18}{6} = 3 \text{ days}TEA=62+4(3)+4=62+12+4=618=3 days
Variance (σ²) for A:
σA2=(4−26)2=(26)2=19\sigma_A^2 = \left(\frac{4 - 2}{6}\right)^2 = \left(\frac{2}{6}\right)^2
= \frac{1}{9}σA2=(64−2)2=(62)2=91
Activity B (4, 6, 5 days)
Optimistic (O) = 4 days
Most Likely (M) = 5 days
Pessimistic (P) = 6 days
Expected Time (TE) for B:
TEB=4+4(5)+66=4+20+66=306=5 daysTE_B = \frac{4 + 4(5) + 6}{6} = \frac{4 + 20 + 6}{6} = \
frac{30}{6} = 5 \text{ days}TEB=64+4(5)+6=64+20+6=630=5 days
Variance (σ²) for B:
σB2=(6−46)2=(26)2=19\sigma_B^2 = \left(\frac{6 - 4}{6}\right)^2 = \left(\frac{2}{6}\right)^2 =
\frac{1}{9}σB2=(66−4)2=(62)2=91
Activity C (3, 5, 4 days)
Optimistic (O) = 3 days
Most Likely (M) = 4 days
Pessimistic (P) = 5 days
Expected Time (TE) for C:
TEC=3+4(4)+56=3+16+56=246=4 daysTE_C = \frac{3 + 4(4) + 5}{6} = \frac{3 + 16 + 5}{6} = \
frac{24}{6} = 4 \text{ days}TEC=63+4(4)+5=63+16+5=624=4 days
Variance (σ²) for C:
σC2=(5−36)2=(26)2=19\sigma_C^2 = \left(\frac{5 - 3}{6}\right)^2 = \left(\frac{2}{6}\right)^2 =
\frac{1}{9}σC2=(65−3)2=(62)2=91
Step 2: Summarize Results
Activity Optimistic (O) Most Likely (M) Pessimistic (P) Expected Time (TE) Variance (σ²)
A 2 3 4 3 days 0.111
B 4 5 6 5 days 0.111
C 3 4 5 4 days 0.111
Step 3: Construct the PERT Chart
The PERT chart will show the flow of the activities, and each activity will have its calculated
expected time.
Start → A (3 days)
o A → B (5 days)
o A → C (4 days)
Step 4: Calculate the Overall Project Duration and Variance
Since activities B and C are parallel (independent of each other), the overall project duration
depends on the longest path through the network. The project duration is determined by the
maximum time from the start to the end of the longest path.
Path 1: A → B = 3 days + 5 days = 8 days
Path 2: A → C = 3 days + 4 days = 7 days
The critical path is A → B, with a project completion time of 8 days.
To calculate the overall variance for the critical path (A → B):
σcritical path2=σ2 A+σ2B=1/9+1/9=92
Thus, the standard deviation (σ) for the critical path is:
σ= SQRT(2/9)=0.471
Step 5: Impact on Overall Project Schedule
Expected project completion time: 8 days (based on the critical path A → B).
Variance of the critical path: 2/9, and standard deviation is about 0.471 days.
This means the project’s completion time could fluctuate around the expected duration of 8
days. The standard deviation provides insight into the uncertainty, suggesting the project
may finish within a small range around the expected time.
Understanding the critical path and the variances helps in risk management, allowing project
managers to assess potential delays or variations in the schedule and adjust resources
accordingly.
5. Step 1: Create the Activity List
Here’s the list of activities with their durations and dependencies:
Activity Duration (days) Predecessors
A 4 -
B 6 A
C 5 A
D 3 B
E 2 C
F 4 D, E
Step 2: Construct the CPM Network Diagram
From the table above, we can see the following relationships:
Activity A has no predecessors and starts first.
Activities B and C depend on A.
Activity D depends on B.
Activity E depends on C.
Activity F depends on both D and E.
The flow of the CPM diagram is as follows:
Start → A → B → D → F
Start → A → C → E → F
Step 3: Forward Pass (Calculate Earliest Start and Finish Times)
We will calculate the Earliest Start (ES) and Earliest Finish (EF) times for each activity by
going from start to end of the project network.
1. Activity A:
o ES(A) = 0 (since it starts first)
o EF(A) = ES(A) + Duration(A) = 0 + 4 = 4
2. Activity B (depends on A):
o ES(B) = EF(A) = 4
o EF(B) = ES(B) + Duration(B) = 4 + 6 = 10
3. Activity C (depends on A):
o ES(C) = EF(A) = 4
o EF(C) = ES(C) + Duration(C) = 4 + 5 = 9
4. Activity D (depends on B):
o ES(D) = EF(B) = 10
o EF(D) = ES(D) + Duration(D) = 10 + 3 = 13
5. Activity E (depends on C):
o ES(E) = EF(C) = 9
o EF(E) = ES(E) + Duration(E) = 9 + 2 = 11
6. Activity F (depends on both D and E):
o ES(F) = max(EF(D), EF(E)) = max(13, 11) = 13
o EF(F) = ES(F) + Duration(F) = 13 + 4 = 17
Step 4: Backward Pass (Calculate Latest Start and Finish Times)
Now we will calculate the Latest Finish (LF) and Latest Start (LS) times by going
backward from the project end.
1. Activity F:
o LF(F) = EF(F) = 17 (since this is the end of the project)
o LS(F) = LF(F) - Duration(F) = 17 - 4 = 13
2. Activity D (precedes F):
o LF(D) = LS(F) = 13
o LS(D) = LF(D) - Duration(D) = 13 - 3 = 10
3. Activity E (precedes F):
o LF(E) = LS(F) = 13
o LS(E) = LF(E) - Duration(E) = 13 - 2 = 11
4. Activity B (precedes D):
o LF(B) = LS(D) = 10
o LS(B) = LF(B) - Duration(B) = 10 - 6 = 4
5. Activity C (precedes E):
o LF(C) = LS(E) = 11
o LS(C) = LF(C) - Duration(C) = 11 - 5 = 6
6. Activity A (precedes B and C):
o LF(A) = min(LS(B), LS(C)) = min(4, 6) = 4
o LS(A) = LF(A) - Duration(A) = 4 - 4 = 0
Step 5: Calculate Slack Time
Slack Time (also called Float) is the amount of time an activity can be delayed without
delaying the project. It is calculated as:
Slack=LS−ES or LF−EF\text{Slack} = LS - ES \text{ or } LF - EFSlack=LS−ES or LF−EF
Let’s calculate the slack for each activity:
Activity ES EF LS LF Slack
A 0 4 0 4 0
B 4 10 4 10 0
C 4 9 6 11 2
D 10 13 10 13 0
E 9 11 11 13 2
F 13 17 13 17 0
Step 6: Identify the Critical Path and Project Duration
The critical path is the longest path through the network, where the activities have zero
slack. From the table, activities A → B → D → F have zero slack, so this is the critical
path.
Critical Path: A → B → D → F
Project Duration: 17 days (the time it takes to complete the activities on the critical
path)
Final Summary:
1. Critical Path: A → B → D → F
2. Project Duration: 17 days
3. Earliest Start (ES), Latest Start (LS), Earliest Finish (EF), and Latest Finish
(LF) are calculated for all activities as shown in the table.
4. Slack: Activities C and E have slack of 2 days each, meaning they can be delayed by
up to 2 days without affecting the project completion. All other activities have zero
slack.
This analysis helps in focusing on the critical activities (A, B, D, and F) to ensure the project
stays on schedule.
6. [Link]
65201485/65201485
Course Outcome 2: Answers:
1. [Link]
2. [Link]
levellingconstruction-management/164824818
3. [Link]
5. [Link]
6. [Link]