Learn: Completing CPA Diagrams

Welcome!Great to see you back! You've already explored decision-making tools like decision trees and learned how Critical Path Analysis (CPA) helps businesses optimise tasks. Now, we're going to focus on how to complete CPA diagrams. Ready to dive in?

What is a CPA Diagram?A Critical Path Analysis diagram is a visual representation of tasks in a project, showing their dependencies and duration. It helps businesses identify the sequence of activities and the minimum time required to complete a project.

Key Elements in a CPA DiagramCPA diagrams contain several parts:Nodes: Represent the start and end of activities.Activities: Tasks that need to be completed, shown as arrows between nodes.Earliest Start Time (EST): The earliest time an activity can start.Latest Finish Time (LFT): The latest time an activity can finish without delaying the project.Understanding these elements is crucial for completing CPA diagrams correctly.

Understanding DependenciesIn CPA diagrams, some tasks cannot start until others are finished. These are called dependencies. Identifying dependencies is critical to finding the longest path (critical path) and the total duration of the project.

Calculating EST and LFTThe Earliest Start Time (EST) is calculated by adding the duration of previous tasks along the path. The Latest Finish Time (LFT) is calculated by working backwards from the project's final node.These times help identify the float, which is the amount of time a task can be delayed without affecting the project's overall duration.

What is the Critical Path?The Critical Path is the sequence of tasks that determines the minimum time required to complete a project. It is the longest path in a CPA diagram and has no float, meaning any delay will affect the project’s completion time.

Reviewing FloatFloat is the amount of time a task can be delayed without affecting the project's completion time. Float is calculated as:Float = LFT - EST - DurationTasks on the critical path have zero float.

Review Time!Great work! You've learned about completing CPA diagrams, including nodes, dependencies, EST and LFT, and identifying the critical path. Let’s test your understanding of these key concepts.

Well Done!You've mastered completing CPA diagrams. Keep practising to build confidence in identifying critical paths, calculating float, and optimising project timelines!