OCR D2 2011 June — Question 4

Exam BoardOCR
ModuleD2 (Decision Mathematics 2)
Year2011
SessionJune
TopicCritical Path Analysis

4 Jamil is building a summerhouse in his garden. The activities involved, the duration, immediate predecessors and number of workers required for each activity are listed in the table.
ActivityDuration (hours)Immediate predecessorsNumber of workers
\(A\) : Choose summerhouse2-2
\(B\) : Buy slabs for base1-2
\(C\) : Take goods home2\(A , B\)2
\(D\) : Level ground3-1
E: Lay slabs2\(C , D\)2
\(F\) : Treat wood3C1
\(G\) : Install floor, walls and roof4\(E , F\)2
\(H\) : Fit windows and door2\(G\)1
\(I\) : Fit patio rail1\(G\)1
\(J\) : Fit shelving1\(G\)1
  1. Represent the project by an activity network, using activity on arc. You should make your diagram quite large so that there is room for working.
  2. Carry out a forward pass and a backward pass through the activity network, showing the early event times and late event times at the vertices of your network. State the minimum project completion time and list the critical activities.
  3. Draw a resource histogram to show the number of workers required each hour when each activity begins at its earliest possible start time.
  4. Describe how it is possible for the project to be completed in the minimum project completion time when only four workers are available.
  5. Describe how two workers can complete the project as quickly as possible. Find the minimum time in which two workers can complete the project.