Total Float

Total floats might be biased when you develop the schedule with so many assumptions due to less detailed information so that you need to carefully determine the activities' relationships and activity durations which include a certain amount of duration reserve and that iterated schedule compressions should be done before final schedules are made. Some alternative schedules might be developed to see the different scenarios based on your assumptions.

In executing phase, if total floats and free floats are available in non-critical paths, you may use them to relocate some possible but limited numbers of resources from non-critical activities to some activities in critical paths for crashing purpose within the time frame available in both free and total floats.

However, based on my experience, it works only under the specific conditions that schedule has been made based on detailed information with less assumptions, that effective and efficient communications between all concerned bodies should be introduced prior to determining relocation of resources, and that project should not be too delayed. If project is too delayed re-scheduling might be the best answer.

I just want to know other oppinions, other experiences.