Main Module Seven
Project Scheduling and Network Analysis

Learning Objectives

At the end of the module, the student will:

Understand the role and application of PERT/CPM and Linear Programming in network analysis

Learn how to define a project in terms of activities such that a network can be used to describe the project.

Know how to compute the critical path and the project completion time.

Know how to convert optimistic, most probable, and pessimistic time estimates into expected activity time estimates.

With uncertain activity times, be able to compute the probability of the project being completed by a specific time.

Understand the concept and need for crashing, and know how to make incremental crashing decisions based on time-cost tradeoffs

Readings

An Introduction to Management Science’, 13th edition, Anderson, Sweeney, Williams, Martin, South Western Publishing, 2010 .

Chap 9 Project Scheduling: PERT/CPM

Chap 2, 3, 6 Linear Programming

Anderson, D., Sweeney, D., and Williams, T. (2003). The Management Scientist for Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows NT (Version 6.0). Cincinnati, OH: South-Western College Publishing.

Chap 8 PERT/CPM

Notes

The following topics are included in summary notes for Module Seven.

Module 7.1 Notes: Project Scheduling

Module 7.2 Notes: Uncertain Activity Times

Module 7.3 Notes: Time-Cost Tradeoffs

Assignment – Case 7

The case assignment for Module 3 is Parts 1 - 3, "R.C. Coleman," pp. 445 in the text. You do not need to submit a project network, but you may want to sketch one to visualize the activity relationships.

The Management Scientist is used to provide information needed to answer questions in Parts 1, 2 and 3. Probability analysis for Parts 1 and 2 require project completion time and variance output from The Management Scientist. The probabilities may be obtained from the Z-Table in the text, or from Excel function.

For Part 3, provide a recommendation on which activity to crash if you want to crash one week. This is a change to the case which asks for a complete crashing schedule beyond one week.

You may prepare your answers to Parts 1 - 3 in a Word file. Insert "The Management Scientist" decision analysis program OUT file in appropriate parts of the Word file. Please upload the word file into the appropriate drop box in Angel on or before the due date. If you are late in completing this assignment, email the file to the instructor. Pay attention to due dates. Label each problem appropriately. Be neat and concise. Remembr that this is a management report and software output alone will lower the score.