Project planning

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Project Planning . It is the set of activities that are interrelated in a logical sequence in the sense that some of them cannot start until others have been completed.

Summary

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  • 1 Foundation
    • 1 Elaboration
  • 2 Project programming techniques
  • 3 bar chart
  • 4 CPM method
    • 1 Arrow diagram
      • 1.1 Rules for its construction
    • 2 Precedence networks
    • 3 Critical Path
    • 4 Steps for applying the Critical Path method:
    • 5 Steps for programming the Critical Route
    • 6 Calculation of the Critical Path
  • 5 PERT method
  • 6 Sources

Foundation

An activity in a project is a job that requires time and resources to complete. In general, a project is a single period effort; that is, the same sequence of activities may not be repeated in the future.

Elaboration

Planning is understood as the formulation of a course of action that serves as a guide for carrying out the project. A written work plan must be drawn up identifying the external resources and factors of the project. The control of a work is a continuous process that consists of measuring the progress of the work, recording it and comparing it continuously with what is estimated in the project schedule , which allows foreseeing possible changes in terms of the magnitude of the work, possible problems and therefore changes in its cost and completion time.

Project programming techniques

There are different types of programming techniques, some are very simple in their elaboration and easy to interpret, but they have certain limitations. Others are quite useful but complex in their elaboration. Among the most common we have:

  • Bar diagrams
  • MethodCritical Path (Critical Path Method, CPM)
  • PERT (Program Evaluation Review Technique)

Bar chart

This diagram was developed by Henry L. Gantt , a pioneer in the application of the scientific method in industrial production. This is a graphical method and very easy to understand.

It consists of the representation of an activity in the form of a bar whose length represents the estimated duration for that activity. This same bar can also be used to graph the actual progress of the activity over time. In this way it works as a planning and control model at the same time. The length of the bar has two meanings, one is the estimated duration of the activity, and on the other hand the actual progress of each activity. As in all programming techniques , work is broken down into various components.

In the elaboration of a bar diagram the name of the activity is placed in column one, in the following column the duration of each activity is placed, usually in days, and then the bar diagrams are drawn within a time scale .

CPM method

Within the critical path method we have:

  • Arrow diagram.
  • Precedence networks.

Both serve to determine the critical path of a project.

Arrow diagram

In this method an arrow represents an activity and the tip indicates the direction of progress of the project. The precedence relationship between activities is specified using events . An event represents a point in time and signifies the completion of some activities and the start of others. The start and end points of an activity are therefore described by two events usually known as the start or start event and the end or end event. Activities that originate a certain event cannot begin until activities that end in the same event have ended. In the terminology of network theory, each activity is represented by an arcoriented and each event symbolized by a node or vertex. The length of the arc need not be proportional to the duration of the activity nor does it have to be drawn as a straight line.

Rules for its construction

  • Each activity must be represented in the networkby one and only one arrow.
  • Two different activities cannot be identified by the same terminal and start events.
  • The following questions should be answered to ensure a correct precedence relationship on the arrow diagram when locating each activity on the network;
  • a) What activities must be completed immediately before this activity can begin?
  • b) What activities should follow this activity?
  • c) What activities should and can be carried out simultaneously with this activity?

Precedence networks

In a project there may be activities that do not necessarily have to start until the activity that precedes it has ended, but can start while the first one is still in progress, or there are activities that can be carried out at the same time. The activities are represented in the nodes, and the arrows serve only to connect the activities, as well as to specify the type of relationship between them. The network proceeds from left to right, and the relationships can be start-start, (start of the activity that happens after the one that precedes); term-term (term of the activity that happens after the end of the previous one); start-term (start of the activity that occurs after the end of the previous one). There is also the beginning-end, (term of the one that happens after the beginning of the one that precedes).

Critical route

It is the programming method used in construction to organize and determine the duration of the execution of a work.

Steps for applying the Critical Path method:

  1. The tasks that make up the activity to be scheduled are determined.
  2. The execution strategy and the technical-organizational measures to be used in each task are determined.
  3. The priorities for the execution of the tasks and their interrelations are determined.
  4. The order of execution for the tasks is established.

Steps for programming the Critical Route

  1. The duration of each of the tasks that make up the scheduled activity is estimated.
  2. The representation of the plan to follow is made based on a graph of knots or events and arrows (network of relationships)
  3. The succession of the tasks is calculated in the sums of their duration times is the greater. The succession of tasks, thus determined, is what is called criticism or critical path, and is what ultimately determines the total execution time of the activity.
  4. Based on the above analysis, it is found that, except for critical tasks, the other tasks of the execution process may have some time to delay their completion without delaying the total duration of the activity. That time is called total slack of the task.
  5. A bar chart is made.
  6. The programs of the resources corresponding to the programming are carried out.
  7. The proposed resource programs and corresponding to the programming carried out are analyzed.
  8. The final programming is carried out.

The representation of this programming method is carried out through a network of activities, for which the following rules must be met:

 

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