If Your Schedule Is Constrained by Time or Resources
If your schedule is constrained by time or resources, consider the following options:
- Crash the schedule. This means applying more resources to reduce the overall project duration. Resources are usually applied to the activities with the least float until the desired project duration is achieved. Crashing usually increases project cost and risk, but it reduces overall project duration.
- Fast-track the schedule. This means compressing the project schedule by overlapping activities that normally would be done in sequence; for example, design and construction. Fast-tracking might change the relationships among tasks and shorten the critical path. Fast-tracking usually increases project cost and risk, but it reduces overall project duration.
- Change the approach. Changing your approach to the work might create a different set of interrelated activities with a shorter critical path. This might also require changing the WBS.
- Re-evaluate dependencies. Determine whether any FS start relationships can be changed to FF relationships.
- Revisit hard constraints. If any of these hard constraints affect a task on the critical path, that task might start or end sooner.
- Use float. Consider using the float you have available to adjust the schedule.