CS375: Software Engineering - Task Dependencies: Gantt Charts and the Critical Path

Activity Goals

The goals of this activity are:
  1. To explain the critical path in software projects
  2. To estimate task duration
  3. To plan a timeline incorporating task time estimates and dependencies using a Gantt chart

Supplemental Reading

Feel free to visit these resources for supplemental background reading material.

The Activity

Directions

Consider the activity models and answer the questions provided. First reflect on these questions on your own briefly, before discussing and comparing your thoughts with your group. Appoint one member of your group to discuss your findings with the class, and the rest of the group should help that member prepare their response. Answer each question individually from the activity, and compare with your group to prepare for our whole-class discussion. After class, think about the questions in the reflective prompt and respond to those individually in your notebook. Report out on areas of disagreement or items for which you and your group identified alternative approaches. Write down and report out questions you encountered along the way for group discussion.

Model 1: Gantt Charts

Task Estimation Data from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gantt_chart, CC BY-SA
Activity Predecessor Time estimates (in days) Expected time (TE)
Opt. (O) Normal (M) Pess. (P)
a — 2 4 6 4.00
b — 3 5 9 5.33
c a 4 5 7 5.17
d a 4 6 10 6.33
e b, c 4 5 7 5.17
f d 3 4 8 4.50
g e 3 5 8 5.17

Pert example gantt chart

Questions

  1. In terms of scheduling, what determines if a task is on the critical path?
  2. The expected time estimate of a task is given by a Beta Distribution over the optimistic time, the most likely time, and the pessimistic time. It is a weighted average of the optimistic time, the pessimistic time, and four times the most likely time. Write this formula and verify the time estimates in the table above.
  3. Create a table of expected tasks for the semester for your project, and a Gantt chart, which you will include in your requirements report.
  4. Explore a tool like Asana or Trello for creating Kanban board that you can share with your group. Describe what a Kanban is.

Submission

I encourage you to submit your answers to the questions (and ask your own questions!) using the Class Activity Questions discussion board. You may also respond to questions or comments made by others, or ask follow-up questions there. Answer any reflective prompt questions in the Reflective Journal section of your OneNote Classroom personal section. You can find the link to the class notebook on the syllabus.