Project managers always strive to ensure that their projects are delivered on time, on budget, and meet all the required quality standards. When delays in project completion occur, Fast tracking is one method that project managers can use to save time on a project schedule by overlapping activities. If fast tracking is not effective, project crashing may be a viable alternative.
Project crashing is a technique that involves adding resources to a project to complete it faster. It is a way of compressing the project schedule to ensure that the project is completed within the required time-frame. This technique involves analyzing the cost and schedule tradeoffs to determine the most efficient way of obtaining the greatest amount of compression for the least incremental cost (the cost of adding resources).
When a project is behind schedule, project managers may have to choose between two options:
- extend the project schedule
- [try to] speed up the work
Project crashing can increase the project cost because it requires the addition of more resources to the project. These additional resources come at a cost, which must be weighed against the benefits of completing the project faster. These resources must receive the proper training and onboarding to the project such that they will become successful contributors. Project managers must ensure that the cost of adding resources to the project does not exceed the benefits of completing the project faster.
There are several steps involved in project crashing. The first step is to identify the critical path of the project. The critical path is the sequence of activities that must be completed on time for the project to be completed on schedule. Any delay in the critical path will result in a delay in the project completion date.
After identifying the critical path, the next step is to determine the amount of time that can be saved by adding resources to the critical path activities. This involves analyzing the cost and schedule tradeoffs to determine the most efficient way of obtaining the greatest amount of compression for the least incremental cost.
The third step is to identify the activities that can be crashed. These are the activities that are on the critical path and have the potential to save the most time by adding resources. Not all activities can be crashed. Some activities have a minimum duration and adding resources may not result in any additional time savings.
The fourth step is to determine the type and amount of resources that are required to crash the critical path activities. This involves analyzing the cost of adding resources and determining the most cost-effective way of achieving the desired time savings. Determining the right time to onboard and deploy these resources will ensure the best efficiency gains are realized.
The fifth step is to implement the crashing plan. This involves adding resources to the critical path activities and monitoring the progress of the project. It is important to ensure that the additional resources are being used efficiently and effectively to achieve the desired time savings.
The final step is to evaluate the results of the crashing plan. This involves comparing the actual project completion date with the expected completion date and determining whether the crashing plan was successful. If the crashing plan was successful, the project manager can use the lessons learned to improve the planning and execution of future projects. Sometimes, crashing simply minimizes the risk of exceeding the desired completion date.
Project crashing can be a risky strategy, as it involves adding resources to the project, which can increase the project cost. However, when used correctly, project crashing can help project managers save time and meet project deadlines. The success of project crashing depends on careful planning and execution. Project managers must ensure that they have a clear understanding of the project requirements, the critical path, and the cost and schedule tradeoffs before implementing a crashing plan.
Before resorting to project crashing, project managers should consider other options such as fast tracking, re-sequencing activities, or negotiating with stakeholders to extend the project schedule. Fast tracking involves overlapping activities that were previously planned to be done sequentially, and it can save time without adding more resources. Re-sequencing activities involves changing the order in which activities are performed to optimize the project schedule. Negotiating with stakeholders to extend the project schedule may be an option if the project deadline is flexible.
Project crashing is a technique that project managers can use to compress the project schedule and meet project deadlines. It should be used as a last resort when other options have been exhausted. It involves adding resources to the critical path activities to save time and complete the project faster. Project crashing is often expensive, and project managers must carefully analyze the cost and schedule tradeoffs to determine whether the benefits of crashing the project outweigh the costs. Project managers must carefully analyze the cost and schedule tradeoffs before implementing a crashing plan and ensure that the additional resources are being used effectively and efficiently to achieve the desired time savings. Project managers must also ensure that the additional resources are being used effectively and efficiently to achieve the desired time savings. By using project crashing correctly, project managers can deliver projects on time and on budget, ensuring the success of the project and the satisfaction of stakeholders.
Key concepts:
- Project Crashing is a project management technique that involves adding resources to a project to complete it faster. It is a way of compressing the project schedule to ensure that the project is completed within the required timeframe.
- Fast tracking is another project management technique used to shorten the project schedule. It involves overlapping activities that were previously planned to be done sequentially.
- The critical path is the sequence of activities that must be completed on time for the project to be completed on schedule. Any delay in the critical path will result in a delay in the project completion date.
- Cost and schedule tradeoffs involve analyzing the cost of adding resources to the project and determining the most cost-effective way of achieving the desired time savings.
- Incremental cost is the cost of adding resources to the project to achieve a desired time savings.
- The project deadline is the date by which the project must be completed. It is a critical element of project management, and project managers must ensure that the project is completed on or before the deadline.
- Resource optimization involves analyzing the resources required for a project and determining the most efficient and effective way of using them to achieve the desired project outcomes.
- Project management is the process of planning, executing, and controlling a project from start to finish to achieve specific goals and objectives. It involves managing resources, timelines, budgets, risks, and stakeholders.