What is Project Crashing Called?
Project crashing is also referred to as schedule crashing or project schedule compression. It’s a method under project scheduling management that reduces timelines by allocating additional resources to tasks on the critical path.
The term "crashing" highlights the method’s focus on schedule acceleration by adding resources while avoiding changes to the project’s scope, quality, or deliverables.
What is the Main Goal of Crashing a Project Activity?
The primary goal of crashing a project activity is to reduce the overall project duration while managing cost trade-offs. Crashing focuses on critical path activities, which are tasks that directly impact the project’s end date.
Key Objectives of Project Crashing:
- Timely Delivery: Ensure projects are completed on time or earlier when delays occur.
- Cost-Time Trade-Off: Achieve the maximum time savings with the least increase in costs.
- Improved Client Satisfaction: Meeting or exceeding stakeholder expectations for project timelines.
- Recovering Lost Time: Address delays caused by resource shortages, scope changes, or unforeseen risks.
For example, if a project experiences delays, a manager might allocate overtime for critical path tasks or hire additional team members. In construction, project managers often bring in subcontractors for tasks like plumbing, electrical work, or steel fabrication to meet tight deadlines.
Project scheduling software like Mastt is crucial for tracking real-time progress and identifying potential bottlenecks, especially when managing complex projects. This ensures that time is saved without compromising other elements of the project.
What is the First Step in Project Crashing?
The first step in project crashing is to identify the critical path of the project schedule. The critical path includes tasks that determine the shortest time needed to complete the project.
Steps to Implement Project Crashing:
- Analyse the Project Schedule: Use tools like Gantt charts, the Critical Path Template Method (CPM), or scheduling software to map out all project activities.
- Identify Critical Path Tasks: Focus on activities that directly affect the project’s completion date. Non-critical tasks, such as internal documentation or administrative reviews, do not affect the project’s completion date and should not be prioritised for crashing.
- Evaluate Crashing Feasibility: Determine which critical tasks can be shortened by adding resources without compromising quality.
- Calculate Time-Cost Trade-Offs: Assess the cost to crash each task against the time saved to determine the most cost-effective approach.
For instance, in a construction project, if a critical task like foundation curing causes delays, project crashing might involve deploying advanced curing techniques or additional manpower to expedite the process. While this approach can save time, it increases costs, which must be carefully managed to avoid exceeding the project’s budget or compromising quality.
What are the Two Principles to Follow When Crashing a Project?
The two key principles to follow when crashing a project are:
1. Focus on Critical Path Activities:
- Only tasks on the critical path can reduce the overall project timeline. Crashing non-critical tasks will not impact the end date.
2. Optimise Time-Cost Trade-Off:
- Select tasks where the least increase in cost yields the maximum time savings.
While this may increase costs, it ensures the product meets the market launch date. However, project managers need to assess whether the added cost aligns with the expected time savings to ensure an efficient trade-off.
What are the Five Common Reasons for Crashing a Project?
Project crashing is often used in scenarios where time is of the essence. The five most common reasons for crashing a project include:
- Project Delays: Unforeseen delays, such as supply chain issues, resource shortages, or technical challenges, require timeline recovery.
- Fixed Deadlines: The project must meet a non-negotiable deadline, such as a product launch or contractual commitment.
- Financial Incentives: Early project completion may provide bonuses or financial benefits to the organisation.
- Resource Availability: Additional resources, such as extra manpower or equipment, are available to speed up tasks.
- Client or Stakeholder Demands: Stakeholders or clients may require project delivery earlier than originally planned.
For instance, in a construction project with a fixed completion date, additional subcontractors might be hired to finish critical tasks, such as plumbing or electrical work, on time.
Decisions like these influence long-term resource planning and staff allocation, potentially impacting team morale if workloads increase without proper support. Project managers must carefully assess how these decisions affect budgets and overall project efficiency.
What are the Risks of Crashing a Project?
While project crashing can be effective, it carries several risks that project managers must consider:
- Increased Costs: Allocating additional resources, such as overtime wages or rented equipment, raises project expenses.
- Reduced Quality: Rushing tasks can compromise the quality of deliverables due to errors or oversight.
- Team Burnout: Overloading team members with additional work or extended hours can lead to fatigue, stress, and decreased morale.
- Diminishing Returns: Beyond a certain point, adding resources fails to produce proportional time savings.
- Resource Conflicts: Reallocating resources from one task to another may cause delays in other areas of the project.
In construction projects, rushing concrete curing times to save days could compromise structural integrity, leading to costly rework or long-term safety concerns. Instead, project managers might implement accelerated curing methods or chemical additives to save time while meeting project goals responsibly.
When Should You Stop Crashing a Project?
Knowing when to stop crashing is critical to avoiding wasted resources and diminishing returns. Stop crashing a project when:
- Costs Exceed Benefits: The additional cost of crashing a task outweighs the time savings.
- Time Savings Plateau: Adding more resources no longer reduces the project timeline.
- Quality Declines: The accelerated pace leads to mistakes or substandard results.
- Team Performance Drops: Team members experience burnout, fatigue, or reduced productivity.
For example, in a construction project, project crashing might involve pushing teams to complete tasks like welding or inspections earlier. However, this can result in missed quality checks, leading to safety hazards or rework.
Such risks damage stakeholder trust and delay timelines. Indicators like escalating costs or repetitive errors signal when managers should stop projects crashing and prioritise stabilising team performance and ensuring quality outcomes.
