The critical path of a PERT chart
helps to plan the task that must be completed in order to accomplish an overall
project. The critical path is found by adding together the amount of time
different tasks are going to take in a sequence. The result is the total
calendar time that will be required for the project. “The longest path from the
beginning to the end of the project” (American Society for Quality,
2004)
is the critical path. The completion date of the project is determined by the critical
path. “The project can be accelerated by adding the resources required to
decrease the time for the activities in the critical path” (Internet Center for Management and Business Adminstration, Inc. , 2002).
Because
step B is part of the critical path that the project manager is overseeing, it
should be given priority over all other steps, including C &D. All
available resources should first go to this step, because the time in which it
is completed will impact whether or not the project is completed on time. The
manager should address the issues with step B first because if they are not
resolved, the project would crash. Steps C and D would not cause the project to
crash, because they would not affect the amount of time it takes to complete
the project.
Once the
repairs to step B were completed, I would redirect my resources towards the
step that took the most time. Depending on the length of time steps B & C
take to complete would let me know which one I would want to prioritize over
the other. I would also try and figure out what the issues were and which issue
was going to take longer to address.
References
American Society for Quality. (2004). ASQ.
Retrieved November 1, 2011, from Seven New Management and Planning Tools:
http://asq.org/learn-about-quality/new-management-planning-tools/overview/arrow-diagram.html
Internet Center for Management and Business
Adminstration, Inc. . (2002). NetMBA. Retrieved November 1, 2011, from
PERT: http://www.netmba.com/operations/project/pert/
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