Sheet 1 Activity Normal Time, Normal Cost, Crash Time, Crash

Sheet1activitynormaltimenormalcostcrashtimecrashcostcrashcostper

Use the provided chart in PJ2a to compute the Crash Cost Per Week for each activity, then crash the project to 9 weeks, 8 weeks, and 7 weeks, documenting the activities crashed, the associated costs, and illustrating the project's schedule including EST, LST, EFT, LFT, slacks, and critical path(s) at each stage.

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The task involves a detailed project crashing analysis, where the primary goal is to reduce the project duration from its original timeline to specified shorter durations (9, 8, and 7 weeks) by strategically crashing activities. This process requires understanding activity durations, costs, and the impact of crashing on the overall project schedule.

Initially, the supplied data contains information about activities, their normal durations and costs, crash durations and costs, and specifics about crashability. The first step involves calculating the Crash Cost Per Week for each activity, which is crucial to determining the most cost-effective activities to crash in order to shorten the project duration. This metric is derived by dividing the difference between crash cost and normal cost by the crash time reduction potential.

Once the crash cost per week is computed, the project manager or analyst can proceed to crash the project incrementally to meet the targeted durations of 9, 8, and 7 weeks. Crashing involves reallocating resources to reduce activity durations, but with careful consideration of the crash limits and costs, since crashing can lead to increased costs per activity. The activities are selected based on the lowest crash cost per week, ensuring minimal additional expense for the desired time reduction.

At each stage of crashing, it is essential to create detailed network diagrams and schedules illustrating the project timeline. These diagrams should include early start (EST), late start (LST), early finish (EFT), late finish (LFT), and slack times for each activity. Identifying the critical path(s)—the longest path(s) through the network that determines the minimum completion time—is fundamental to understanding which activities directly impact the project duration and must be prioritized in crashing efforts.

For the first milestone at 9 weeks, the activities to crash should be chosen from those on the critical path, prioritizing those with the lowest crash cost per week while respecting their crash limits. Documentation should include details of activities crashed, the cost incurred, and an updated project schedule diagram. The same approach applies for the 8-week and 7-week targets, with progressively more activities crashing and possibly multiple critical paths being affected as the schedule shortens.

Throughout the process, graphical representations—such as network diagrams with annotated schedules—are vital. These visual tools help stakeholders easily comprehend the impact of crashing decisions, changes in slack, and the overall project timeline adjustments.

In conclusion, successfully crashing a project involves a systematic approach: calculating crash costs, selecting activities strategically based on cost-effectiveness, updating project schedules, and visually representing the revised timelines and critical paths. This process ensures the project is completed in the shortest feasible time with controlled costs, aligning with project constraints and stakeholder expectations.

References

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  • Shenhar, A. J., & Dvir, D. (2007). Reinventing Project Management. Harvard Business Review Press.
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