Courses / Scheduling Fundamentals / Lesson 5.1
Capstone: schedule a project end to end
In this lesson
- Enter a full set of logic, including an SS relationship with a lag
- Schedule the project and check the result against the expected finish
- Read the critical path and float, and answer a what-if
Time to put it together. A company is upgrading its training room with new screens, cameras and conference audio. The planner has listed the activities and their durations. You add the logic.
The activities
| ID | Activity | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| A1000 | Kick-off | 0 (milestone) |
| A1010 | Define requirements | 3 |
| A1020 | Design the solution | 5 |
| A1030 | Procure hardware | 8 |
| A1040 | Build and configure | 6 |
| A1050 | Write user guides | 4 |
| A1060 | Test and fix | 3 |
| A1070 | Go-live | 0 (milestone) |
The logic table
| Activity | Predecessors | Type into the Predecessors column |
|---|---|---|
| A1010 Define requirements | A1000 | A1000 |
| A1020 Design the solution | A1010 | A1010 |
| A1030 Procure hardware | A1010 | A1010 |
| A1040 Build and configure | A1020 and A1030 | A1020, A1030 |
| A1050 Write user guides | A1020, start-to-start, 2 days lag | A1020 SS+2 |
| A1060 Test and fix | A1040 | A1040 |
| A1070 Go-live | A1060 and A1050 | A1060, A1050 |
That is nine relationships. Hardware can be ordered as soon as the requirements are clear; it doesn’t wait for the detailed design. The user guides can start two days into the design.
Before you open the lab
Try to predict the answer first. Two paths lead into Build and configure: design (5 days) and procurement (8 days), both starting after the 3 days of requirements. Which one drives it? Where does that leave Go-live?
Checking your result
When the logic is complete:
- Go-live lands at the end of Day 20.
- The critical path runs A1000 → A1010 → A1030 → A1040 → A1060 → A1070, through procurement, not design.
- A1020 Design the solution has 3 days of total float: procurement is 3 days longer.
- A1050 Write user guides runs Days 6 to 9 and has plenty of float.
If your finish is different, compare your Predecessors column with the table. The status bar’s Open ends counter should read 0.
A what-if
The hardware supplier warns of a 2-day delay. Make A1030 Procure hardware 10 days long. Procurement is on the critical path, so Go-live moves day for day, to Day 22. What would you try first to win those days back? (Lesson 3.3 has the options.)
Save your work with File › Save project file in the lab if you want to keep it.
Lab
Capstone: training-room AV upgrade
The activities and durations are already in. Add the logic from the table above, schedule, and read the result.