Compare and contrast crashing and fast tracking as a means o

Compare and contrast crashing and fast tracking as a means of schedule compression.

Solution

Fast Tracking - It is a technique that is used to review the critical path in production in order to find out which sequential activities can be performed parallelly or partially parallel to each other. It is more important to check the other paths whose durations are near the critical paths duration, as, if the duration of the currently chosen path becomes shorter than other paths, then the selected path can no longer be called a critical path. In specific, if any other path results in a duration equal to the critical path, then it will be very risky for the project to proceed as now there will be two critical paths to manage.

Fast tracking does not cost extra money but it has increased risks involved as the actual sequence is disturbed and activites are realigned parallely.

Crashing - Crashing is a schedule compression technique where extra resources are added to the project in order to compress the schedule. Further, the critical path in production in reviewed and the activities are monitored to check if any additional resources can be added to them so that they are completed in least cost. In this technique initially there will be a reduction in duration with less cost input, but if crashing is made a routine and used as a continous process then it will result in increased cost at a very faster rate with less reduction in time.

Examples of crashing techniques are offering Overtime to employees and motivating team members with additional rewards.

Main difference between Fast Tracking and Crashing are as follows:

1. In fast tracking activities are re-planned where as in crashing additional resourced are used without disturbance in schedule of production.

2. There is no extra cost involved in fast tracking where as extra cost in involved in crashing.

3. Risk factor is more in fast tracking when compared with crashing as there is a change in sequence of production.

These are the major differences fast tracking and crashing techniques of schedule compression.