Developing schedules, activity network diagrams, and determining the critical path are important for successful projects. This assignment allows you to work through creating diagrams, identifying critical paths, determine which tasks to crash, as well as identify resource constraints.
Click here to download the Microsoft Excel template to use for this
Assignment
.
Activity Network Diagram.Using the data provided in the Excel template develop an activity network diagram. Note an example is created for you in Excel that you can alter.
Critical Path. Using the data provided in the Excel template, determine the critical path by doing a forward and backwards pass. Then identify the critical path and the longest duration.
Project Crashing.You are considering the decision of whether or not to crash your project. After asking your operations manager to conduct an analysis, you have determined the “precrash” and “postcrash” activity durations and costs, as provided in the Excel template. Compute the per day costs for crashing each activity and determine what are the top two candidates for crashing.
Resource Loading. Review the resource-loading chart provided in the Excel template. Suppose that you can commit a maximum of eight resource hours per day. What are the dates on which the project resources are overallocated? How could you reconfigure to correct the overallocation?
BUS472 Unit 4 Assignment Template
Instructions: Fill in the only the yellow fields:
1. Activity Network Diagram
Create a Network Diagram using the following data:
Activity
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
Predecessor
A
A
B, C
B
D
C
E, F, G
Duration
3
5
7
3
5
4
2
5
Drag the activities so they are correct (the below is just an example). Ensure to update arrows accordingly.
E
A
B
C
G
D
F
H
2. Critical Path
A. Complete the forward and backwards pass in the following example:
O
6
M
5
0
0
L
2
Legend:
ES
LS
N
6
ID
Dur
P
4
R
3
Q
2
S
4
EF
LF
B. What, in order, are the tasks on the critical path:
C. What is the longest duration of the project?
D. Looking at the project from question #1 determine the critical path:
T
4
3. Project Crashing
A. Compute the per day costs for crashing each activity
Normal
Crashed
Activity Duration
Cost
Cost
Duration
A
$1,000
$2,000
4 days
3 days
B
$2,500
$5,000
5 days
3 days
C
$750
$1,200
3 days
2 days
D
$3,500
$5,000
7 days
5 days
E
$500
$2,000
2 days
1 day
F
$2,000
$3,000
5 days
4 days
G
$4,500
$6,300
9 days
7 days
Per Day
Crashed Cost
B. What is the most attractive candidate to crash:
C. What is the second most attractive candidate to crash:
D. What is the least attractive candidate to crash:
4. Resource Loading
Review resource-loading chart. Suppose that you can commit a maximum of eight resource hours per day.
Note the close bracket represents the late finish date or if there is any float available for the task.
Activity
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
Total:
1
6
6
2
6
6
3
6
6
4
6
6
5
6]
6
8
9
10
11
12
2
4
3
2
4
3
2
4
3
2
4
3
4]
3
9
9
9
What days are project resources overallocated?
How could you reconfigure to correct the overallocation?
9
15
16
17
18
19
22
4]
2
2
23
24
25
26
4
4
4
4
4
4
]
]
0
]
7
]
4
2
6
4
2
6
4
2
6
4
2
6
6
2