The engineer in any firm has to be multi-talented to fulfill the objectives of any project. The project objectives are minimum time, minimum capital investment and judicious resources such as material, manpower, money, equipments, space and time utilisation.
Understanding the Critical Path Method (CPM) in Project Management.
In this blog we will discuss about the Critical Path Method and its importance in project management.
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What is the Critical Path Method for construction?
The CPM or Critical Path Method was discovered jointly by DuPont and Remington Rand Univac in 1957. The research team was trying to determine how best to reduce the time required to perform routine plant overhaul, maintenance and construction work. Since then, it is found to be of much use in the construction industry with application in the construction of massive structure like dams, bridges, tunnels, high-rise buildings, etc.
CPM networks are usually used for repetitive type of project works, where fairly accurate estimate of time can be made for the activities of the project. The activities of the projects are characteristically subject to relatively small amount of variation. Hence this method is not suitable for research and development type of projects.
Difference Between CPM and PERT:
- CPM is an activity oriented network while PERT is event oriented network.
- In CPM, the time estimates are of a fair degree of accuracy, while in PERT, time estimates are not that accurate and there is an uncertainty attached to it. CPM follows the deterministic approach while PERT follows the probabilistic approach.
- In critical path method, cost is the governing factor and project duration is fixed thus the cost is minimum while in PERT, time is the governing factor and thus it is assumed that cost is directly proportional to time.
- The critical path in the CPM is that path which joins the critical activities, while in PERT, critical path is the path which joins the critical events.
The Process :
In the critical path method, as we mentioned earlier, the networks are activity oriented networks. Hence, it is the activities that are planned and monitored. Activities are defined as operations, which require time to be carried out and which require resources for its completion. Events are milestones representing the beginning or completion of some activity oriented group of activities.
In estimating the time duration of the various activities, critical path method uses the deterministic approach, which assumes that enough information is available on the activities and hence only one time estimate is sufficient. No uncertainties are taken into consideration. This activity duration is represented as t.
Event Time :
Earliest Event Time :
The earliest event time or the earliest occurrence time is the earliest time at which an event can occur. It is the time by which all the activities discharging into the event under consideration are completed.
The earliest event time of any event can be easily calculated by adding up the duration of the activities leading up to that event.
Latest Event Time :
The latest event time or the latest allowable occurrence time is the latest time by which an event must occur to keep the project on schedule.
The Critical Path Method is a powerful tool for project managers, helping to ensure that projects are completed on time and within budget. By identifying critical tasks and managing dependencies effectively, CPM can significantly enhance the efficiency and success of your projects. Start implementing CPM in your projects today and experience the benefits firsthand.
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