Project Planning, Gantt chart representation, Scheduling, Resources Loading and

Resource Smoothing in network analysis

Example: The data about a small project is given below:

Representation
Duration in Predecessor Manpower
Activity by tail and head
weeks activity requirement
event
A 12 16 - 2
B 13 20 - 6
C 111 30 - 4
D 28 15 A 3
E 37 15 B 2
F 38 10 B 5
G 78 3 E 2
H 711 16 E 4
I 811 12 D, F and G 4

Given that the availability of manpower per week is limited to 10 only for the entire project.

Solution: (i) Project Planning:

Steps of preparing the analysis table: First calculate the earliest event times E and latest
event times L by forward and backward passes respectively. Then,
a) Fill in activity numbers and their duration times in the analysis table.
b) Write down start time of activities Early from the analysed network, using the E of the tail
events.
c) Write down finish time of activities Late also from the analysed network, using the L of the
head events.
d) Calculate start time of activities Late from above by subtracting duration time from finish
time Late.
e) Calculate finish time of activities Early from above by adding duration time to finish time
Early.
f) Calculate total float of activities by subtracting finish time Early from finish time Late.

Event slack for any event i = difference between the latest time i L and earliest time iE for the
event.

1
 Analysis Table
Start Time of Finish Time of
Float
Dura activities activities
Activity
tion Indepe
Early Late Early Late Total Free
ndent
= = =
=
Earliest time (Latest time (Earliest
D Latest time of [jL – iE – D] [jE – iE –D] [jE – iL –D]
of tail event, of head time of tail
head event, jL
iE event, jL – D) event, jE + D)
1-2 A 16 0 8 16 24 8 0 0
1-3 B 20 0 0 20 20 0 0 0
1-11 C 30 0 21 30 51 21 21 21
2-8 D 15 16 24 31 39 8 7 0
3-7 E 15 20 20 35 35 0 0 0
3-8 F 10 20 29 30 39 9 8 8
7-8 G 3 35 36 38 39 1 0 0
7-11 H 16 35 35 51 51 0 0 0
8-11 I 12 38 39 50 51 1 1 0

The critical path is 1---3---7---11 i.e. (B-E-H) and the project completion time is 51 days.

(i) Gantt chart: In this chart the length represents time and the chart itself can be used to
record the progress of work.

a) List activities in order of increasing head numbers. Where two or more activities have the
same head number, arrange these in order of increasing tail numbers.
b) Construct a Gantt chart framework with time scale along the top, head numbers down the
left-hand side.
c) Set off the first activity in the above list, putting its left-hand end on the 0 week column
Mark the tail and head numbers at the beginning and end of the bar.
d) Set off the second activity on the list, aligning the tail number with the head number of the
previous activity, provided these numbers are same. If they are not, then align the tail
number with the preceding tail number with which it coincides.
e) Repeat steps three and four for all the activities in turn, aligning tail numbers with previous
head numbers where possible, alternatively tail numbers with previous tail numbers. Simple
rule: “Match the tail number with that same number which is farthest to the right”.
f) Any dummies must be included as single upright lines.

This will result in the Gantt chart shown below, prepared on the basis of earliest start time of
activities.

Determining the critical path from the Gantt Chart: Starting with the farthest right-hand
point (11) of 7-11, draw a line upwards from (7) until it meets the farthest right-hand point
matching the left-hand number on the first activity i.e. 7 in this case. Here, the farthest right-
hand number matching the first left-hand number (7) is the 7 in activity 3-7. The critical path
then lies along 3-7. Again starting with 3, draw a line upwards to meet the next right-hand (3)
which is farthest to the right – in this case (3) in activity 1-3. The critical path then lies along
activity 1-3. So the complete critical path is 13711.

Resources Loading: The manpower resource loading is shown by the following histogram.
Resource Smoothing: The manpower loading revealed by the histogram is not acceptable. For
30 weeks, the load exceeds the capacity, which can have only one result, namely that activities
will take longer than planned, and the overall project time will increase. For 21 weeks, capacity
exceeds the loading and this will mean that men are idle. Clearly it is desirable to try to shift
some of the earlier over-load into the later under-load. If this could be completely done, then the
load would be “smoothed”. Smoothing should be attempted by delaying some non-critical

2
activities which have some floats. Activity 1-11 possesses the greatest float, and it should
therefore be examined first. This is an trial and error method utilising the floats.

Resource Loading Histogram

The dotted line shows the manpower capacity and the over- and under-loading of
manpower.