Project Management: The Critical Path Method

1. Project Management:The Critical Path Method School of Computing Developed by: Dr. Jeff Landry and Ms. Rosalind McCullough Edited/Updated by: Mr. David Ratisher July 9, 2018 Presented by: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

3. A few words about theUSA School of Computing The University of South Alabama - School of Computing (SoC): A college within the University specifically dedicated to the field of Computing • 2 departments: • Department of Information Systems and Technology (IST) • Department of Computer Science (CS) • Degree programs offered at multiple levels: • BS (Bachelor of Science) • MS (Master of Science) • Ph.D. (Doctorate) Come join us here at South and prepare for a career in Computing!

4. Agenda • Discussion: The nature of Projects • Hands-on Activity: Formation of Project Teams • Hands-on Activity: Planning a project by developing the Critical Path

5. What is a Project? We see, or participate in, projects all the time. What are some examples?

6. What defines a Project? • Temporary: A project has a beginning and an end • Unique: A project is outside of routine work, and has a specific purpose • Sponsored: A project has a sponsor who provides resources for the work

7. Why is Project Management important? On Time (Time) On Budget (Cost) TRIPLE CONSTRAINT Delivering what was promised (Scope)

8. Project success and failure The Standish Group Failed 19% On Time (Time) On Budget (Cost) Successful 29% TRIPLE CONSTRAINT Delivering what was promised (Scope) Challenged 52%

9. Team Formation Test • A test designed to discover how a person sees things and makes decisions • We will use this test to form teams whose members have a mix of personality profiles • There are no “right” or “wrong” answers • We are all different…this is a GOOD thing, and it’s an IMPORTANT thing • Click on the TFT link on your desktop

10. Team Formation Test - Results • Find your psychological profile • Teams that have a variety of personality types tend to perform better, because: • Different personality types tend to see problems differently • One personality type may be better at a task than another

11. Critical Path Activity Your project objective:

12. Critical Path Activity: Part 1 • Lay the cards out end-to-end, in a single line from left-to-right, in the correct order to make your sandwich Card7 Card 1 Card 4 Card 5 Card 6 Card 8 Card 2 Card 3

13. How long does it take to make the sandwich? • 21 minutes • How can you shorten the time? • Remove/change the requirements • Add resources • Shorten the duration to complete a task • Do things in parallel (at the same time)

14. The Critical Path Method • We use the Critical Path to ensure that all the activities (tasks) in a project are completed by the due date/time • Here’s an example of a project Network Diagram, with task durations measured in weeks: Task B 4 weeks Task E 3 weeks Start End Task C 2 weeks Task A 1 week Task H 1 week Task F 1 week Task D 2 weeks Task G 2 weeks

15. What’s the Critical Path? • The Critical Path is the longest-duration path through the diagram • It’s the shortest possible time in which a project can complete 9 Weeks Task B 4 weeks Task E 3 weeks Start End Task A 1 week Task C 2 weeks Task H 1 week Task F 1 week Task D 2 weeks Task G 2 weeks

16. Critical Path Activity: Part 2 • Plan your sandwich project again, but this time arrange the cards in an order that will shorten the time it will take to make your sandwich Keep in mind: It’s still only one person preparing the sandwich • Example: Card 2 Card 6 Card 1 Card 8 Card7 Card 5 Card 3 Card 4

17. Hints • The activities Cut Tomato, Slice Cheese, Wash Lettuce, and Butter Bread cannot be done at the same time • Butter Bread must wait for Toast Bread to complete • Cook Bacon and Toast Bread can occur at the same time • Other things can happen while Cook Bacon and Toast Bread are taking place

18. Solution: Sandwich Network Diagram Cook Bacon Start End Gather Ingredients Toast Bread Butter Bread Assemble Sandwich Slice Cheese Wash Lettuce Cut Tomato

19. Critical Path Activity: Part 3 • How many paths are there? Cook Bacon 8 min Cook Bacon • How long will each path take? • Which is the longest path? Start End Gather Ingredients 2 min Toast Bread 4 min Assemble Sandwich 2 min Butter Bread 1 min Gather Ingredients Toast Bread Butter Bread Assemble Sandwich • How long will it take to make the sandwich? Slice Cheese 1 min Wash Lettuce 2 min Cut Tomato 1 min Slice Cheese Wash Lettuce Cut Tomato

20. Solution: Sandwich Critical Path Cook Bacon 8 min 12 Minutes Start End Gather Ingredients 2 min Toast Bread 4 min Assemble Sandwich 2 min Butter Bread 1 min The shortest possible time to complete preparation of the sandwich Slice Cheese 1 min Wash Lettuce 2 min Cut Tomato 1 min

21. Final Activity: Team Quiz! • Our quiz is called a RAT: Readiness Assurance Test • We use them here at South in our Team-Based Learning courses • Work together on these items; use the scratch-off card and quiz • Use a coin to scratch your team’s first choice for each question • A under the scratch-off means correct • Try again if you miss • 1 try = 4 pts ~ 2 tries = 2 pts ~ 3 tries = 1 pt • Finish and then tally up your points, and write it on the card

22. Conclusion On Time (Time) On Budget (Cost) TRIPLE CONSTRAINT Delivering what was promised (Scope)

23. Thank You!