Establishing a Timeline, Research Paper Example

You are the general manager of a large construction project. The contract has both financial incentives for finishing on time or early as well as large penalties if the project is completed late. To get the project done on time or early that project planning using a formal timeline is essential. You ask the project manager to address the following questions: 1.In terms of creating a timeline, what is meant by the critical path of a PERT chart?

PERT chart is defined as the graphical representation of milestones, activities and their association with activities related to depiction, completion of essential paths (PERT chart definition). Critical path requires the highest time in between all the paths. If we assume that there are three paths, the first path requires 20 days, the second path requires 25 days and consequently the third path requires 22 days. In all these three paths, the second path is the second one i.e. 25 days

As a project manager you know that the fastest possible time a project can be completed is known as the critical path. This implies that any delay in any step of a projects critical path, will therefore delay the overall project. On a particular project, step B is part of the critical path; step C and D both are not. Assume that all of these steps, B, C, and D are at risk of being delayed due to some issue (could be lack of people, lack of materials, equipment downtime—it makes no difference). ?How would the manager go about prioritizing correction of the problem existing in B, C, or D?

Should the manager address the issue in step B first, step C first, or step D first; why?

If the critical path is B, there will be no slack period for recover. Consequently, the error must be fixed at the path B first. Likewise, steps C and D must have the slack period. Hence, there is time for them to be corrected.

Once repair is completed in step #2, how would go you about prioritizing repairs at the other two steps?

Moreover, step B is fixed, step C and step D can be fixed as well. However, preference must be given to the lower stack period. For instance, suppose step C has a 2-day slack period and step D has 1-day slack period, rectification will be conducted in step D initially and then step C.

References

PERT chart definition Retrieved 5/23/2011, 2011, from http://www.expertglossary.com/defense/definition/pert-chart