If your project is delayed and you have to bring it back on schedule, you use schedule

compression techniques to do so$.$

There are other cases as well when you will wish to reduce the duration of the

project, such as customer demand or an opportunity for a new project.

You have two schedule compression techniques: fast tracking and crashing.

Fast Tracking

In fast tracking, you review the critical path to find out which sequential activities

can be performed parallel or partially parallel to each other.

Once you find out which activities can be fast tracked, you will start working on

them to reduce the schedule.

Crashing

Crashing is another schedule compression technique where you add extra resources to

the project to compress the schedule.

In crashing, you will review the critical path and see which activities can be completed

by adding extra resources. You try to find the activities that can be reduced by a

maximum duration by adding the least cost. Once you find those activities, you will

apply the crashing technique to them.

There is a difference between fast tracking and crashing.

In fast tracking, activities are re$-$planned to be performed in parallel or partially parallel,

while in crashing you add additional resources to activities to finish them early.

In fast tracking you do not spend extra money while in crashing you do everything,

including spending money to shorten the duration of the project.

In the PMP exam you will see questions based on crashing only. You may see one or

two questions from this topic on your exam.

$2$

Question:

Based on the following network diagram and table, find which activities will be

crashed and identify the crashing sequence.

Activity Duration Crashed Cost $($USD$)$ Crashed Cost $($USD$)$

A $535,0006,000$

B $646,0007,500$

C $968,0009,500$

D $1058,50012,000$

E $847,0008,500$

F $251418,00025,000$