A NON-COMPUTER APPROACH TO THE CRITICAL PATH METHOD FOR THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

THE CIRITICAL PATH METHOD FOR PLANNING, SCHEDULING, AND CONTROL OF PROJECT OPERATIONS IS A NEW AND USEFUL TOOL NOW BECOMING AVAILABLE TO THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY. SUCCESSFUL APPLICATIONS HAVE ALREADY PROVEN ITS VALUE. TO DATE, EXCEPT FOR THE SIMPLEST OF CASES, THE USE OF THIS TECHNIQUE HAS BEEN LARGELY DEPENDENT ON PROGRAMMED SOLUTIONS BY ELECTRONIC COMPUTERS. THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE MECHANICS OF NONCOMPUTER METHODS FOR APPLYING THE CRITICAL PATH METHOD. THESE EMPLOY THE SAME INPUT DATA AND FURNISH THE SAME OUTPUT INFORMATION AS THE COMPUTER METHODS. IN ADDITION, ALTERNATE APPROACHES TO SOLUTION OF THE PROBLEM ARE PRESENTED WHICH PERMIT THE IMPORTANT SCHEDULING VARIATION PHASE TO BEGIN WITH A NORMAL ESTIMATE RATHER THAN A SET OF DATA FOR AN ARTIFICIAL CONDITION. THERE ARE THREE GOALS TOWARD WHICH THIS REPORT IS AIMED. THE FIRST IS TO PRESENT A NONCOMPUTER METHOD FOR OBTAINING THE BENEFITS OF CRITICAL PATH SCHEDULING THAT IS PRACTICAL TO APPLY TO MANY OF THE PROJECTS ENCOUNTERED BY THE CONSTRUCTIOON CONTRACTOR. THE SECOND IS TO DEVELOP THE POSSIBILITIES INHERENT IN A STEP-BY-STEP, MANUAL SOLUTION TO OVERCOME SOME OF THE SHORTCOMINGS OF COMPUTER PROGRAMMED SOLUTIONS. THE THIRD IS TO OFFER THE READER AN OPPORTUNITY TO UNDERSTAND THE DETAILS OF THE METHOD AND THE ASSUMPTIONS UPON WHICH IT IS BASED, BY DISCUSSING THEM AND PRESENTING A COMPLETE SOLUTION TO AN ILLUSTRATIVE PROBLEM. THE SOLUTIONS OF A COMPLEX PROBLEM BY COMPUTER METHODS, ELIMINATING TEDIOUS CALCULATIONS AND POSSIBLE ERRORS, IS A VALUABLE STEP FORWARD. THIS REPORT IS NOT INTENDED TO OPPOSE SUCH METHODS, BUT, RATHER, TO OFFER A STEPPING STONE BETWEEN CONVENTIONAL PROCEDURES AND THESE MORE SOPHISTICATED PRACTICES. THE NEED FOR SUCH A STEPPING STONE IS JUSTIFIED ON TWO BASES. FIRST, MANY POTENTIAL USERS FIND IT INCONVENIENT TO USE ELECTRONIC COMPUTERS OR ARE NOT YET "COMPUTER CONSCIOUS." SECOND, THE COMPUTER APPROACHES ARE NOT COMPLETELY SATISFACTORY IN ALL RESPECTS. IT IS ANTICIPATED THAT A BROADER ACQUAINTANCE WITH, AND USE OF, THE CRITICAL PATH METHOD, MADE POSSIBLE BY NONCOMPUTER METHODS, WILL LEAD EVENTUALLY TO AN EVEN WIDER EMPLOYMENT OF COMPUTER TECHNIQUES AS WELL AS THE DEVELOPMENT OF IMPROVEMENTS IN THEM. /AUTHOR/

• Supplemental Notes:
  • 2nd Edition, TECH REPT NO 9, 131 PP, TAB, 66 REF, 8 APP
• Corporate Authors:

  Stanford University

  Department of Civil Engineering
  Stanford, CA  United States  94305
• Authors:
  • Fondahl, J W
• Publication Date: 1962

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Alternatives analysis; Computer programs; Computers; Construction industry; Construction scheduling; Critical path method
• Subject Areas: Construction; Highways;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00215272
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Aug 3 1970 12:00AM