Project Management 2.0

Situation: You need a quick description of how you can leverage CPA on your project.

Our Techniques Wiki offers a library of commonly used approaches to tactical challenges on your project. Critical Path Analysis is a pretty well used technique, so I thought it would be useful to highlight it here and get your take on our "official version". The beauty of posting it as a wiki is that it's community driven and refined. If you think it should change - you can change it. 

Critical Path Analysis

'An analysis technique used to identify the critical (essential) and non-critical (non-essential) activities associated with a business process or work plan and the amount of float (slack) associated with each noncritical activity'. The result of the analysis defines the critical path, a sequential set of related and essential steps that comprise a value stream or work plan. It is the longest path, in terms of duration, that passes through all the critical steps of a value stream or work plan, and determines the fastest time to completion. The results of critical path analysis are depicted graphically in a Critical Path Diagram.

Applications

• To identify the critical and non-critical activities associated with a business process or work plan.
• To identify non-critical steps which can be eliminated, at minimum cost, to improve the value stream or work plan.
• To identify the amount of time an activity may be delayed without affecting subsequent, dependent activities or the ending time or date.

Procedures

• Identify all steps in the business process or work plan.
• Document the steps in the sequence in which they occur.
• Identify the relationships between steps, and document the dependencies between them.
• Determine the latest allowable start and end time or date at which each step can occur without delaying the next step and, subsequently, the whole value stream or work plan.
• Assign a float value to each task. Critical tasks should have zero float. Non-critical tasks will have a numeric value associated with them, representing slack time.
• Calculate the float for each step by subtracting the Early Start time or date from the Late Start time or date and assign a float value to each task and sub-task.
• Using the information collected above, identify the critical and non-critical tasks and sub-tasks by determining the duration of the value stream or work plan.
• Chart/document the critical path.

Instructions

The essence of critical path analysis is to examine all options for reducing the duration of time required to complete the critical steps in a business process or work plan. Tasks, their duration, and their dependency relationships determine the critical path. When applied in business reengineering, critical path analysis addresses issues of quality, efficiency, and cost reduction by standardizing work efforts and eliminating unnecessary steps to reduce the time required to satisfy the customer of the value stream. In project planning, it is applied to determine all options (duration, cost, resource requirements) for reducing the work plan or project duration and for determining the amount of time an activity may be delayed without affecting subsequent, dependent activities or the project end date. When used in conjunction with Cycle Time Analysis andDependency Analysis, Critical Path Analysis is an effective tool to measure the quality of the business process or work plan by analyzing the steps in the path, measuring inefficiencies, and determining what steps can be eliminated to improve a business process redesign or reduce the amount of time required in the work plan.

Critical path analysis begins with the identification of all activities (tasks and sub-tasks) which are part of the business process or work plan. Document the tasks and sub-tasks in sequential order; documentation can be prepared using various diagramming techniques such as block diagrams, work flow diagrams, etc. (see Work Flow Diagramming), in a simple list, or using a automated project management tool for creating work plans.

Once all tasks and sub-tasks have been identified, identify the relationships between the tasks and sub-tasks, usingDependency Analysis. Determine which tasks and sub-tasks are dependent upon one another and establish a predecessor or successor relationship. Document these relationships on the diagram, list or work plan.

Determine the critical and non-critical activities by assigning a float value to each task and determining the float associated with each task and sub-task. Float represents slack time, the amount of time an activity may be delayed without affecting succeeding activities (free float) or the ending duration or date (total float). Critical tasks should have zero float as there should be no slack time associated with them. Critical tasks must be accomplished sequentially and promptly; thus, when a critical task is delayed, the completion and duration of the business process or the end date of the project is affected. Non-critical tasks and sub-tasks have a numeric float value associated with them, as there can be slack time without affecting the end result. This value (e.g., float value of 1=slack time of 1 unit of time that is being measured) represents the amount of delay that can occur without affecting the duration of the business process or the work plan. To determine the float associated with each task or sub-task, define the early start and early end duration or date for each task or sub-task (e.g., the earliest possible time each task and/or sub-task can begin and end). (See also Cycle Time Analysis.) Calculate the float for each step by subtracting the early start time or date from the late start time or date.

Chart the critical path by identifying all critical steps (those with zero float). The path through all steps or events that have zero float represents the critical path. The non-critical steps (those with associated float) are candidates for elimination from the value stream or work plan.

Although resource constraints do not affect true critical path calculation, critical path analysis may be followed by resource planning, using resource manipulation techniques such as Resource Allocation, Loading and Leveling to improve project schedules and end dates.

Situation: You're kicking off a project and need a quick audit of what you're doing.

Project Headway tasks offer a lot of guidance in managing your projects.  One popular feature of the process is "Questions you ask of yourself and others" within each task in the process. The Project Headway step, "Direct and Manage Project Activiation" guides you through your project launch.  These are the questions we've come up with for that task.  Please let us know if you feel they are helpful and/or what's missing.

When compiling status reports, consider asking yourself the following questions:

• How will the project be executed? Do you really understand your plan and it's weaknesses?  What warning signs will you be looking for so that you notice when things take a wrong turn?
• Do you have a clear understanding of the roles & responsibilities of each member of the project team?
• What is the work of the project that needs to get started first? What are you delivering and how will it set the tone for the rest of the project?
• How will you be collecting work performance information? 

Ask a trusted colleague or key project team members the same questions. 

Situation: You're developing a medial device and need to know where to focus your efforts.

Producing medical devices is a challenging business. You face huge compliance hurdles and constantly changing requirements in a field where innovation and speed are everything. With all of that going on, it’s difficult to take a breath and understand what your peers are doing. Here is a quick and easy way to identify best practices and better understand how you are performing against a standard set of benchmarks.

The 2013 Medical Device Development survey delves into the product development process, examining key metrics used to track progress and the management of tasks that can be a heavy drag on your project. Respondents are asked to identify areas they wish they could gain better visibility into, as well as the roadblocks damaging their success rates. The survey explores design, risk, and quality control topics—how these areas are managed, analyzed, and traced—before turning to the commercial tools used in the development process.

Requirements, test cases, and artifacts are also covered—how they are managed, which ones are tracked, and which are the most difficult to manage. Also, respondents are asked about proving compliance. What is the most difficult item to prove? How do you provide objective evidence with test cases, or verify that they were completed? This leads into questions about traceability matrices, including how they are created, what is traced, how they are kept updated, and more.  You can find the survey here.

Note: This survey is being conducted by Seapine Software, who is a sponsor of ProjectManagement.com .

Situation: You're compiling a project status report and need a quick audit of what you're doing.

Project Headway tasks offer a lot of guidance in managing your projects.  One popular feature of the process is "Questions you ask of yourself and others" within each task in the process. Compile Project Status Reports guides you through compiling status reports for your project.  These are the questions we've come up with for that task.  Please let us know if you feel they are helpful and/or what's missing.

When compiling status reports, consider asking yourself the following questions:

• Is there a status report template that can be provided to all team leads?
• How could you ensure each team lead understands how they are supposed to complete the status report?
• Is there a schedule in place to review status reports?
• Given the length of the project, how often should reports be required to be handed in? 
  • Weekly?
  • Bi-weekly?
  • Monthly?
• How will you track your team leads to ensure their status reports are being handed in and are complete?
• Have you created an agenda for your status meetings?
• Who on your team could take the minutes in your status meetings?

Ask a trusted colleague or key project team members the same questions. 

Situation: You're building a WBS and need a quick audit of what you're doing.

Project Headway tasks offer a lot of guidance in managing your projects.  One popular feature of the process is "Questions you ask of yourself and others" within each task in the process. Define Work Breakdown Structure guides you through building a WBS for your project.  These are the questions we've come up with for that task.  Please let us know if you feel they are helpful and/or what's missing.

When defining your WBS, ask yourself the following questions:

• What type of WBS has been used on previous projects?
• Has the larger team been included in the development of the WBS?
• Do the activities at the lowest level result in a tangible work product?
• Is there tight integration within the branches of the WBS? Are the activities and deliverables related?
• Can the cost, schedule and resource needs be effectively estimated?
• Is it defined at a level that you can confidently and effectively manage at?
• Can you turn the WBS into a manageable project schedule?
• Have required deliverable review and approval cycles been included?
• Have transitional and transformational activities been included?
• Have the lessons learned from previous projects been reviewed for possible impacts on the plan or approach to this project? 

Ask a trusted colleague or a key team member the same questions.