Critical Path Method and Its

Critical Path Method and Its Uses Critical Path This paper is written to elucidate the Critical Path method by applying it to a case study. In this case, the case study is the Rockfest, an annual event run by Hard Rock Cafe. Two questions are asked. One, identify the critical path and its activities for Rockfest.

How long does the project take (what is the duration time)? Two, how would you crash the project (which activities would you crash) to keep the project on schedule and achieve the original duration, if Activity B. actually takes 5 weeks instead of the planned 3 weeks? (Explain your logic)? The critical path is identified as tasks, A, B, D, E, F, G, and O. These tasks take a total of 34 weeks to implement.

The author argues that the simplest method of crashing the project is to crash a task on the critical path, as other tasks can be completed during the critical path's implementation. Whereas, if the crashed task were not on the critical path, the project would still be delayed. The author concludes that task O. is the best to crash, as it maintains the time frame and is the cheapest option. Rockfest is an annual event ran and planned by Hard Rock Cafe.

It is a complicated, multifaceted undertaking with multiple variables, absolute deadlines, and no certainty of success. In other words, it is a project, and one which can be readily parameterized and defined. Facing countless obstacles, unknowns and ambiguities a project manager can quickly find himself in over his head. Fortunately there are certain methods one can utilize which not only make one's job easier, but can also cut the task down to a manageable and layman level of simplicity.

CPM (Critical Path Method) and PERT (Program Evaluation and Review Technique) are two such methods. The first involves systematically graphing activities and their constituent dependencies until each is graphed. This gives the project manager a wide view of the entire project. The second is similar, and involves analyzing the Critical Path. CPM is simple in implementation. All the project manager has to do is break up the project into necessary tasks.

These tasks are not small ones, like "Go buy pizza," but instead are tasks which can be broken up into simpler sub-tasks. A good example is "Book bands." This is a task which can be broken up into a series of simple sub-tasks, and is easily definable with distinct boundaries. Once each task is defined, the project manager needs to define each task by its cost, the time it takes to complete, and the temporal and monetary cost of crashing the task.

Most importantly, each task must have its prerequisites detailed. If task "Z" must be started after task "C," then that should be noted. After doing all this, the project manager simply has to draw out a network, linking each task to its prerequisites. Once this is done the project manager identifies the Critical Path, the longest line between start and finish. This path's tasks, when their duration is added up, reveals the shortest amount of time the project will take.

These methods for analyzing various aspects of important projects go hand in hand with efficient solutions such as the virtual enterprise (VE), dynamic enterprise (DEA) and value chain network (VCN), method that are "envisioned as efficient solutions for the rapid introduction of a variety of products while maintaining high quality and low costs" (Chen and Liang, 2000, Chu et al. 2002). This paper's focus will be on the CPM and PERT methodologies. The Rockfest event has 26 tasks, each conveniently denoted by a letter in the alphabet.

Having drawn up the Critical Path and analyzed it, I found the following. The Critical Path starts with task A, continues with B, D, E, F, G, and finally O. The time it takes to complete these tasks is 34 weeks. That is approximately eight and a half months. You will notice that the Critical Path does not include myriad tasks. That is because these tasks can be completed while the Critical Path tasks are being implemented.

Now, if, for instance, task B, or "select a local printer" took two more weeks than planned, how would a project manager handle the problem? I argue that the best thing to do, since task B. is part of the Critical Path, is begin crashing tasks until the problem is rectified. Since two weeks is the amount we need to crash, let us find the cheapest task to crash. Now, there are 26 separate tasks in the project, and it can be a pretty daunting task to analyze each one.

However, there is one thing we can do to lighten the load. Analyzing only the Critical Path can cut down on analysis time, while resulting in accurate and complete analyses. Since the Critical Path is the longest time the task is going to take, it makes sense to try to cut that down as much as possible. Crashing a non-critical task does not reduce the overall project length, and thus wastes money. Task A costs $11,500 to crash and saves 3 weeks, putting us a week ahead of schedule.

Expensive, but it might be worth it. Task D. costs $3,000 and saves two weeks. Task E. saves the same amount of time, but is $500 dollars cheaper, putting it ahead as the safest task to.