Draft:Utility data
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Utility data[1], in the context of the critical path method (CPM)[2] of project planning[3], summarises not only the normal means for carrying-out any given project activity (and therefore the normal duration and direct cost estimates of that activity), but also all the alternative means (and durations and costs) available that may be utilised to shorten that activity's duration at some extra direct cost.
By applying CPM principles to project network models with utility data[4], the project planner can quantify trade-offs between project duration and project cost to guide consequential, economical decisions as to if and when such alternative, accelerated means for carrying-out certain activities should be utilised.
Utility data for any given project should encompass all the planning factors under consideration, firstly by defining what the ‘normal’ method entails in completing each activity, then by including all the possible alternatives such as: working overtime hours or multiple shifts; hiring more production workers or employing more productive, but also higher-paid, workers or otherwise incentivising faster production; hiring or purchasing more or upgraded machinery.
References
[edit]- ^ Antill, James M.; Woodhead, Ronald W. (1990). Critical Path Methods in Construction Practice (Fourth ed.). USA: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. p. 14. ISBN 0-471-62057-2.
- ^ "The ABCs of the Critical Path Method". Harvard Business Review. September 1963. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
- ^ Elmaghraby, Salah E. (1977). Activity Networks Project Planning and Control by Network Models. USA: Wiley. p. VII. ISBN 9780471238614.
- ^ Antill, James M.; Woodhead, Ronald W. (1990). Critical Path Methods in Construction Practice (Fourth ed.). USA: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. p. 25. ISBN 0-471-62057-2.