A brief history of Scheduling

Dear Rafael,



Let me read what you come across. It will be interesting.



Make sure that you read the artical in post 115.



With kind regards,



Samer

Dear Rafael,



Now the Dynamics factor comes in. Not at the right time of Scheduling, but this is a start. With the help of google:



"

FLORA: New Forensic Schedule Analysis Technique

by Long D. Nguyen, Ph.D., (Constr. Consultant, Jax Kneppers Assoc., Inc., Walnut Creek, CA 94598. E-mail: [email protected]) and William Ibbs, (Prof. of Constr. Mgmt., Dept. of Civ. and Envir. Engrg., Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA 94720; presently, Pres., The Ibbs Consulting Group, Inc., 5932 Contra Costa Rd., Oakland, CA 94618 (corresponding author). E-mail: [email protected])



Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, Vol. 134, No. 7, July 2008, pp. 483-491, (doi 10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9364(2008)134:7(483))



-----------------------------------------------------------

Document type: Journal Paper

Abstract: While various factors such as float ownership, logic change, and resource allocation (FLORA) affect results of delay analysis, existing delay analysis techniques tend to ignore most if not all of them. To address this insufficiency this paper proposes a new schedule analysis technique called FLORA that simultaneously captures the dynamics of float, logic, and resource allocation in its analyses. FLORA analyzes not only the direct impact of a delay but also its “secondary” effect. The analysis process follows ten rules that are flexible and customizable. A case study is employed to illustrate its application. FLORA yields different and more reasonable outcomes compared to the window analysis technique. Each single analysis may also yield different or even conflicting results. By properly dealing with the current issues of schedule analysis, FLORA can be more reliable. Practitioners may readily accept its analyses and outcomes because they are able to specify, modify, and consent to the rules for schedule analysis to fit into a specific context in advance. Researchers may further evaluate the impacts of different factors on delay responsibility or apply FLORA to real projects to assess its strengths, weaknesses, and potential improvements.

"



If anyone gets the paper, please share what they are talking about in more details. It would be interesting to know.



With kind regards,



Samer

Hi PP,



The is another natural solution:



Applying an Ant Colony Optimization Algorithm-Based Multiobjective Approach for Time – Cost Trade-Off

by Ying Xiong, Ph.D. Candidate, (School of Economics and Mgmt., Beijing Jiaotong Univ., Beijing 100044, China. E-mail: [email protected]) and Yaping Kuang, (Instructor, School of Civ. Engrg. and Arch., Zhejiang Univ., Hangzhou 310027, China; and, Ph.D. Candidate, School of Economics and Mgmt., Tongji Univ., Shanghai 200092, China.



Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, Vol. 134, No. 2, February 2008, pp. 153-156,



Abstract: The time.cost trade-off is one of the most crucial aspects of construction project planning, which in fact is a combinatorial optimization problem. This technical note employed an evolutionary algorithm — ant colony optimization (ACO) algorithm to deal with the time – cost trade-off problems. Combining with the modified adaptive weight approach, the ACO algorithm can find out the optimal solutions, and define the Pareto front as well. The development of the ACO-based multiobjective approach in this technical note provides an attractive alternative to solving construction time – cost optimization.

"



So with the help of google, I think that the tool makers can find plenty of improved solution on the net.



With kind regards,



Samer

Hi,



This might offer another solution as well:



"

Productivity Scheduling Method: Linear Schedule Analysis with Singularity Functions



Gunnar Lucko,1 A.M.ASCE

1Assistant Professor, Dept. of Civil Engineering, Catholic Univ. of America, Washington, D.C.



This paper describes a new integrated method of linear schedule analysis using singularity functions. These functions have previously been used for structural analysis and are newly applied to scheduling. Linear schedules combine information on time and amount of work for each activity. A general model is presented with which activities and their buffers can be mathematically described in detail. The algorithm of the new method forms the body of the paper, including the steps of setting up initial equations, calculating pairwise differences between them, differentiating these to obtain the location of any minima, and deriving the final equations. The algorithm consolidates the linear schedule under consideration of all constraints and, thus, automatically generates the minimum overall project duration. The model distinguishes time and amount buffers, which bears implications for the definition and derivation of the critical path. Future research work will address float and resource analysis using the new model.



"



But all these solutions need funding to come up with some commercial new tool.



Time for the tool makers to invest in the future.



With kind regards,



Samer

I am a big fan of google.



"Research on the fully fuzzy time-cost trade-off based on genetic algorithms "



Jin Chao-guang1, 2, Ji Zhuo-shang1, Lin Yan2, Zhao Yuan-min2 and Huang Zhen-dong2



(1) Ship CAD Engineering Center, Dalian University of Technology, 116025 Dalian, China

(2) Dalian Shipyard Co. Ltd., 116005 Dalian, China



Received: 21 June 2005



Abstract It is very difficult, to estimate exact values of time and cost of an activity in project scheduling process because many uncertain factors, such was weather, productivity level, human factors etc., dynamically, affect them during project implementation process. A GAs-based fully fuzzy optimal time-cost trade-off model is presented based on fuzzy sets and genetic algorithms (GAs). In tihs model all parameters and variables are characteristics by fuzzy numbers. And then GAs is adopted to search for the optimal solution to this model. The method solves the time-cost trade-off problems under an uncertain environment and is proved practicable through a giving example in ship building scheduling.

"



If anyone gets the complete paper, please offer to share what the details are.



With kind regards,



Samer

Hi PP,



This paper has a good title, and info, but not a clear conclusion. I am sure that some elements will be used in the new solution:



The time-cost trade-off analysis in construction project. www.tede.vgtu.lt/upload/ukis.../tede_vol15_no4_523-539_blaszczyk.pdf



If you do not get the link, cut and paste the title in google.



With kind regards,



Samer

Hi PP,



This is common sense talking:



When is the Critical Path Not the Most Critical Path?



http://www.icoste.org/AACE2008 Papers/Toronto_ps07.pdf



I am sure that something good will come up, but it is taking time.



With kind regards,



Samer

Hi PP,



This sounds interesting:

"

Title: Integrated models for construction planning: object flow and relationship

Author(s): M. ALSHAWI, Z. HASSAN



Journal: Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management



Year: 1999

Volume: 6

Issue: 2

Page: 197 - 212

ISSN: 0969-9988

DOI: 10.1108/eb021112

Publisher: MCB UP Ltd



Abstract: Sharing and exchanging information between project participants are basic requirements for developing construction plans. An isolated construction planning knowledge-based system is no more useful and beneficial than any another ‘island of automation’ unless the integration with other construction applications are addressed. This paper proposes conceptual data and process models for a construction planning system, CONPLAN (Intelligent CONstruction PLANning), which works within a fully Integrated Construction Environment (ICE). An object oriented methodology (James Martin) has been used to establish generic construction models within which other construction applications can be integrated. This paper also introduces briefly the modularized approach that has been adopted to integrate the various construction applications over the project life cycle.

"



With kind regards,



Samer

Dear Rafael,



Here is an article with a sensible conclusion:



A Critical Look At Critical Path Analysis

I’ve finished so I’ll start

A critical look at critical Path Analysis



John Bolton, Programmes Director, Parallel Project Training



http://blog.parallelprojecttraining.com/project-management-a...



Thanks to google of course.



With kind regards,



Samer

Hi,



This is the recent evolution in CPM per google:



Using Relationship Diagrams to Enhance the Critical Path Method



www.oracle.com/ocom/groups/public/@ocom/documents/.../042744.pdf



With kind regards,



Samer

Hi Mimoune,



What I find amazing is that we continue to use the same thing without improving it. This is a unique natural thing it seems. Using the process for 50 years without improving it.



We know that 1+1=2 and we know that CPM is logical because you get to understand the small example. But once you get to multiplications on the order of thousands of activities, your calculator is the black box, and your refined management system to make sure that you input the data correctly.



I think that we have 50 years old engine on nice sport car now. All it take is a team of 10 people at MIT or at Vladimir’s company for a year or two and we will have a new engine.



With kind regards,



Samer

Dear Mimoume and Vladimir,



Once we start talking about "NP-hard problem" or any other mathematic theories, then it is not CPM. And you can not associate it with CPM because CPM is simple.



I agree with you that current softwares in the market have their own add one. But I also believe that CPM results for the same model must not change from one software to another. When you keep it simple, you can predict it. If you try to use the fancy options that the "user friendly" softwares is offering, and you have no idea about the mathematical formula that is governing the equations when you press the botton, then how would you be able, as a user/ responsible party, to expalin then and be responsbile for them.



With kind regards,



Samer

Dear Rafael,



I have completed all the courses graduate and undergraduate in Civil Engineering. Statics, Dynamics, Operation Research, linear and non-linear theories, and I have taken close to 1000 training hours in the past 3 years in different fields :).



Please note that I have also written a three dimensional finite element analysis program for Structural frames twenty years ago. But this is not what I did since then. I have been managing projects.



The last Internation software black box that I debugged 14 years ago took me 9 months and i found around 70 errors. Do not worry about my mathematical understanding of CPM, it is simple. But I do not have the time to get into it at the moment.



I think some common sense and an excel sheet is enough to manage up to $500M projects in my experience.



With kind regards,



Samer

Hi Vladimir,



Do you have any idea about what these guys are using:



http://www.quintiq.com/

"

Advanced Planning & Scheduling Software Solutions

Quintiq Advanced Planning & Scheduling software is unique in the sense that it comprises standard software creating an exact fit to the customer’s needs. The Quintiq advanced software is applicable for strategic, tactical and operational planning and real time event management needs. Unique are the large scale and multistage planning solutions that can be created with Quintiq, enabling it to provide integrated enterprise wide, multi-site and (logistic) supply chain solutions.



Advanced Planning & Scheduling Software Solutions that empower your competitive advantage by enabling you to solve the most complex planning and scheduling puzzles.

Employee Scheduling (Staff, Employees, Shifts and Personnel)

"



With kind regards,



Samer

Hi,



This is what the Masters think:

"

http://www.ics-global.com/IG-CPObsolete.html



July 30, 2008 - Cyberspace

After months of planning and development, the PMI College of Scheduling hosted its first educational webinar series in July 2008. Entitled "Scheduling with the Masters," according to its own promotional material, this series "is dedicated to helping the scheduling professional handle the demanding workload of complex scheduling. Our speakers will feature insights and observations from a variety of perspectives to provide you with a unique view into work and resource planning, along with overall schedule creation and maintenance, designed to make you better at your job."





Is "Critical Path" Obsolete?

"



It has a 1 hour prestation as well.



With kind regards,



Samer

Hi,



Someone is doing something:



CPM Task Force



CPM Task Force. Mr. Seth Schulgen- CHAIRMAN. Williams Brothers Const. Co., Inc. [email protected]. Mr. Brad Everett. J.D.



www.agctx.org/assets/files/taskforce/cpm.pdf



With kind regards,



Samer

Hi PP,



This is a good article to read. On page 5, it states that CPM came to existance in 27 months as a result of the need to manage a $90M project.



That means that any project over say $1Billion, can afford to hire the best and get a more comprehensive solution that everyone can adopt.



A Short History of Modern Project Management By Alan Stretton



www.pmforum.org/library/second-edition/.../Stretton-10-07.pdf - Similar



With kind regards,



Samer

Hi PP,



A publication from a good source:



Wickwire, Hurlbut, and Lerman, Use of Critical Path. Method Techniques in Contract Claims: Issues and. Developments 1974 to 1988,

www1.fidic.org/resources/contracts/icc_oct05/wickwire_icc05.pdf



The Construction Lawyer, Journal of the Forum on the Construction Industry, Volume 19, Number 4, 1999



Use of Critical Path Method on Contract Claims – 2000.

Jon m. Wickwire and Stuart Ockman.



Introduction:

“… failure of modern scheduling software to require the discipline and realism necessary to plan and schedule complex construction projects. Although most construction attorneys see only the final printouts and schedules, it is important to understand where the potential abuses lie and what must be done to uncover them”



They came to the same conclusion that has been reached here until now.



With kind regards,



Samer

Hi,



This is a good summary, and good advice.



Journal of Construction Education Copyright 1997 by the Associated Schools of Construction

Fall 1997, Vol. 2, No. 3, pp. 222-230 1522-8150/97/$3.00/General Manuscript

Construction Scheduling Specifications

Stephen J. Krone

Bowling Green State University

Bowling Green, Ohio





www.ascjournal.ascweb.org/.../Fall%201997,%20Vol.%202,%20No.%203,%20pp…



With kind regards,



Samer

Dear Rafeal,



I can tell you what I am doing, I ask for the simplest form of Program of Work that a Contractor can manage to his ability. The solution for a Program of Work is Contractor Dependent. Contractor submit the Program of Work and present their plan to complete the work. If they are committed to complete the Job No Schedule in necessary.



When Contractors give me 15 programs of works every month with 1000’s of activities in each, it is very simple to debug and return with more speed than the printer that printed them, for the simple reason that they are full of errors and not based on correct planning.



Action will come when we get to send a letter to PP Admin to form a team and provide new standards. This seems how humans are improving their systems. They chat for a while and then form a task force, this task force creates a solution. Then, you either become a company, a education institute, etc.



It seems that we have PP members + Sponsors + Spider = New Industry Standards.



With kind regards,



Samer

PS. The equation proposed before is missing the Rafael’s ingrident "Dynamic", stay tuned.

Hi All,



I found this that also supports the same thing; reply from the founder of CPM to the article of 2003:



“

idea.library.drexel.edu/bitstream/1860/2934/1/Plotnick_Fredric.pdf

RDM

Relationship Diagramming Method

A Thesis

Submitted to the Faculty

of

Drexel University

by

Fredric Leigh Plotnick, Esq., P.E.

in partial fulfillment of the

requirements for the degree

of

Doctor of Philosophy

August 2008





Responding to the ENR article just cited, the co-founder of CPM, James E. Kelley, Jr., writes:

Your cover story, Critics Can’t Find the Logic in Many of Today’s CPM Schedules, paints a disheartening picture of the current state of CPM schedules (ENR 5/26 p. 30). It’s only 46 years since Morgan Walker and I first worked out CPM for duPont and yet project people are still falling into some of the same scheduling traps warned against during CPM’s childhood. The use of features like "leads and lags," "multiple calendars" and "assigned constraints" do provide some levels of schedule flexibility. In practice, their use too often leads to inconsistent schedules and misleading views of project condition.

In the early days of CPM, computing capability was at a premium. Rooting out inconsistencies in scheduling data had to be left completely to the planner. In practice, this meant deliberately limiting the use of the "flexibility" features. Today, the desktop computer I’m using to compose this letter has far more capability than the UNIVAC we used for our first CPM calculations. Thus, there is no reason why the computer cannot be programmed to tell me that my scheduling input is inconsistent and why.

“

… and this was the last part of the conclusion of the Thesis:



“The full promise of CPM was limited by the power of early computers. But now, as computing power has become more available and affordable, it is time to revisit the original “engineering fixes” of the early CPM programs, replace the duct tape, chewing gum and bailing wire with better adhesives, and once again embrace the full potential of CPM for management of our infrastructure construction projects. And then the Schedulers and Project Managers for these projects should lead by example for all projects, programs and operations requiring planning as well as scheduling.

”



So basically, almost everybody is saying using CPM without management is a mess at this time. It seems that I am doing a Forensic Analysis on CPM. Effective management (so far) seems the minimum required tool for reasonable CPM use.



With kind regards,



Samer

Dear Vladimir,



So we agree that the "Best Schedule" must be a mathematical model accompanied by a management systems implemented company/project wise.



Instead of the term best, I would like to use the "Valuable Schedule" for the simple reason that Owner’s decision is based on the value they associate with the item they buy to suite their needs.



So you need to develop a range of tools to serve the need of the Owners. It is not one size fits all.



With kind regards,



Samer

Dear Team,



It seems that logically we (humans in natures) have seleted the CPM to save time and cost on construction projects. So the question is now a holistic approach to Scheduling.



It also seems that the current evolution of CPM is that it is adding Management. So now we have



CPM= Cost + Time savings = Mathematics + Management.



Thanks to our good friends at google, things are moving faster in the world of answering questions. Since the father of Management is Peter Drucker, google pointed out the following



www.knowledgegenes.com



These guys have their eyes on the ball and they are talking common sense. They are talking about "Critical Performance Management". They are talking about "Defining the High Level Requirements", Systems Development and Process Development, and Lean Thinking. What I understand that they have different levels in the organization (makes sense) and each level is answering the same questions and achieving the same goals (makes sense also).



That is why I think that CPM is working for the big organizations and not the medium and small ones. It started in big organizations which already had in house (built in) structured approach of management. When the guys went to the market and opened it to the public, they did not take that into consideration. The mathematicians sold their black box on the market. It drew the activities, sequence, relationships, and calculated the CPM. No management.



Therefore, in order for CPM (seed) to work effectively, it needs the fertile grounds of management.



And since we (humans) already have evolved a little bit more in the Decision Sciences, it is safe to say that



CPM= Cost + Time savings = Mathematics + Management + Decision Making.



Looking forward to your valuable discussion.



With kind regards,



Samer

Hi Everyone,



It seems that we are getting somewhere, but not in Construction yet.



"

www.tmcnet.com



Workforce optimization and advanced customer interactions systems provider NICE Systems is working with Microsoft to help Microsoft (News - Alert) Communications Server “14” customers optimize the value of customer interactions.



NICE, a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner and a global provider of advanced solutions, also helps enterprises and security organizations to drive business performance, reduce risk and ensure safety.



“We are excited to enable Microsoft Communications Server ‘14’ customers to benefit from the NICE offering, particularly Interaction Analytics, so that they may enhance their compliance efforts, expand their ability to capture and analyze web and voice interactions, and provide a more satisfying customer experience while increasing overall business efficiency,” said Udi Ziv (News - Alert), president Enterprise Product Group, NICE Systems.



Collaborating with Microsoft and extending the partnership will give NICE customers the added benefits of its real-time, cross-channel interaction analytics. Eventually, this will impact customer interactions as they occur and deliver insights to improve organization’s business performance.



In a recent press release discussing the new agreement, Yancey Smith, director of Communications Server Product Management at Microsoft, said that Communications Server ‘14’ can change every communication into a more collaborative, engaging and accessible interaction.



Acting as an integrated suite of targeted business solutions and applications, NICE SmartCenter allows businesses to optimize their Customer Dynamics. This is made possible by capturing the intent of both customer and business, analyzing the intent to reveal insights and using these insights to drive actions that have a real-time impact on business performance.



If organizations are able to take care of the complex interactions with customers they can easily deliver value across a variety of business imperatives.



Understanding interaction means they will be able to accomplish a range of tasks such as ensuring compliance, mitigating risk, streamlining operational performance, differentiating the customer experience and expanding value beyond the contact center into the entire firm

"



With kind regards,



Samer

Gentlemen,



Let me present to you the "Lebombo Bone 2010" its a business card for $29.99/mo "user friendly" with the information to "save time" and select the "cost" that the Owner wants. Not bad idea. Owner (Serious professionals :) expensive toys) is served if the concept is achieved.



"

Virtual Business Cards?!!! Our favorite Apple Toys will be Sporting this Brand- Must Read

HOT OFF THE PRESS! Hubze is getting the attention of some very large players. Our favorite APPLE toys will be sporting the Hubze brand. The Virtual Business Card concept is launching in April! Hubze is predicted to move mountains in for both off-line and on-line businesses in 2010.



No, Hubze is not trying to compete with Google, FaceBook, or Twitter. They are actually working with these power houses to simplify the branding process through social media.Their platform is so simple, so easy to navigate that experts are calling Hubze "the BIG ONE" that will be embraced by the masses.



What is Hubze (Hub-zee)?

- The ALWAYS FREE Hubze Cards are as Hot as an Ipod! A virtual business card that’s always live, easy to use and FRESH. That’s the million dollar word... "FRESH".... Search engines love fresh content.



What other FREE features will Hubze offer?

One click platform that pings all your favorite social sites.

- Read and respond to your feeds within this clean platform.

- Build your connections & brand with the tracker feature on your Hubze card.

- Put yourself on the map (even above Google maps!)- Hubze Cards are live and perfect for speakers that move from location to location.

- Locate dining & shops in your area that are using Hubze Cards.



Hubze for the SERIOUS Professional/ ONLY $29.97 per mo.:

- Landing Page for YOUR business (your mini website to market YOUR products)

- Auto Responder to promote YOUR business

- Optimized Blogging all about YOU and YOUR business

- Advertising Benefits

- Affliate Compensation- generous compensation for referring other businesses

- & lots of Apple toys sporting the HUbze logo as YOUR rewards!



http://hubze.com/signup/?referredBy=YourBallyhoo

"



Just get the idea, no need to sign up.



With kind regards,



Samer

Dear Scarllet,



Look at nature for finding new solutions not at yourself.



Natural systems are dynamic efficient. They change the use of the material over a long period of time.



A small search at aminal homes:

Animal homes vary from dens, burrows, hollow logs, galls on plants and trees, and numerous types of nests. Look for signs of animal homes by listening for animal sounds such as birds singing , the rustling of animal movement, and the sounding of alarms. Observe tracks and trails found in mud, sand, or snow. Notice feeding signs such as chew marks on plants, animal remains, and droppings or scat. Look for traces of feathers, fur, antlers, shells, and skins. By learning about the habits and characteristics of animals, you will be able to locate and identify many of their homes.



Coming to think of it, maybe that is why Vladimir used the name Spider:



“

Animal Homes http://www.uen.org/utahlink/activities/view_activity.cgi?activity_id=38…



There are over 32,000 types of spiders living on Earth. They live in almost every area from the hottest tropics to the cold continent of Antarctica. Spiders are easily identified by their 8 legs and their ability to spin a web.



Spiders eat insects that they catch in their web. They have fangs to bite the insect. Many spiders also have poisonous glands to help kill the insects, and some are even poisonous to humans.



Spiders have the ability to produce silk from an organ in their abdomen called the spinneret. The spider’s web has many purposes in addition to being a place to live.



Spiders use their web to trap insects for food. Once an insect is caught, they may also use their web to tie up their victim.



Spiders also lay a line of silk as they move around. They anchor the line to a surface, and use the line just like a mountain climber uses their safety rope.

“

Spiders initially started producing silk for reasons other than web-making. When spiders moved from the water to the land in the Early Devonian period, they started making silk to protect their bodies and their eggs. Spiders gradually started using silk for hunting purposes, first as guide lines and signal lines, then as ground or bush webs, and eventually as the aerial webs which are so famous today.

Spiders produce silken thread using several paired spinneret glands located at the tip of their abdomen. Each gland produces a thread for a special purpose – for example a trailed safety line, sticky silk for trapping prey or fine silk for wrapping it. Spiders use different gland types to produce different silks, and some spiders are capable of producing up to 8 different silks during their lifetime.

Most spiders have three pairs of spinnerets, each having its own function – there are also spiders with just one pair and others with as many as four pairs.

Webs allow a spider to catch prey without having to expend energy by running it down. Thus it is an efficient method of gathering food. However, constructing the web is in itself an energetically costly process due to the large amount of protein required, in the form of silk. In addition, after a time the silk will lose its stickiness and thus become inefficient at capturing prey. It is not uncommon for spiders to eat their own web daily to recoup some of the energy used in spinning. The silk proteins are thus recycled.

The tensile strength of spider silk is greater than the same weight of steel and has much greater elasticity. Its microstructure is under investigation for potential applications in industry, including bullet-proof vests and artificial tendons. Researchers have used genetically modified mammals to produce the proteins needed to make this material

www.earthlife.net/chelicerata/web-evolve.html

“

Unfortunately in human society the word primitive is often used as an insult and means something that is no good, while advanced means good, in evolution there is no good or bad except from a personal point of view, all of life is good. In fact many people would prefer a ’primitive’ spider like a Tarantula to a more advanced spider like a Black Widow. You will also occasionally hear or read the terms ’highly evolved’ and ’more evolved’ these really refer to the number of observed evolutionary steps that can be discerned in the creatures evolutionary history. Again being highly evolved is not necessarily good, many of humanity’s most obnoxious parasites are more ’highly evolved’ in terms of evolutionary steps, than humanity itself.

Evolution is not finished, and it certainly didn’t stop for spiders at the orb-web design. Many spiders show modifications of this basic form, many of which are simplifications. The New Guinea spider Pasilobus ssp. builds a simple triangular web consisting of only three radii and four sticky cross bars. This works because if an insect flying past brushes against one of these strands it breaks off from the outer radius and hangs down. In doing so the free end swings around and sticks to the insect which is then reeled in from the still attached end by the spider.

There are also fascinating examples like Dinopis guatemalensis the Net Casting Spider which makes a net of silk web and then hangs upside down waiting for something to pass so that it can drop its net on to it. Or the Bolas Spiders like the American Mastophora ssp. which emit a pheromone that mimics the sex attractant used by certain moths of the genus Spodoptera (Army Worms). Males that are attracted to the false pheromone are then caught by the spider using a swinging a stand of silk with a sticky blob on the end, the moth gets caught in this, the original bolas, and then the spider hauls it in.

The real master craftsmen of the spider world are the orb-web spinners. Yet even within this group we can distinguish evolutionary paths. Spiders that build orb-webs, like other spiders, still have to deal with the insects that get caught in it. This can be tricky as insects are often quick to escape, for instance flies caught in a web spun by Araneus sericatus escape in 5 seconds (on average) if left to their own devices. Also the insect which is caught in the web may be large and aggressive, grasshoppers and crickets can kick quite hard and spiders do get hurt by them, not to mention bees and wasps.



The moral of the story is that natural systems (we being one of them) tailor their systems according to the intended use. CPM can have many levels. For $5M and under projects, you need very simple tools. For mega projects with thousands of Contractors, you need the structured and disciplined approach



Since we part of the natural system and we are evolving on a daily basis, I would suggest that you custom tailer the tool according to the need. And if the tool is not providing you with time and cost saving, then it is time to find a more SUITABLE tool to use.



With kind regards,



Samer

Dear Vladimir,



If the solution is easy, we would have found it a long time ago.



That is why we have to think of a simpler concept and tool to save time and cost.



With kind regards,



Samer

Dear Scarllet,



It is very important that you understand history because you learn from it. The future on the other hand is unknow, the best this are Trends.



What we are discussing here is good to know becasue you are using these tools. Think about CPM like the infrastructure that you are using; roads, IT networks, etc. How hard for you would it be for you to build a project without roads and electricity. Hard.



The same thing applies to the Black Boxes. If you do not know the limitations and what they can do, you might not get where you want, or you might not be able to build what you want!



The issue is CPM was invented to reduce time and cost, and now it is a complicated tool that is not meeting these goals.



With kind regards,



Samer

Dear Rafael,



I agree with you. My guess is that PP is the Eureka of Scheduling.



WIKI Definition: Scheduling is the process of deciding how to commit resources between a variety of possible tasks. Time can be specified (scheduling a flight to leave at 8:00) or floating as part of a sequence of events



AACE Definition: PLANNING –

(1) The determination of a project’s objectives with identification of the activities to be performed, methods and resources (cost, hours, time, materials, etc.) to be used for accomplishing the tasks, assessment of both value and risks, assignment of responsibility and accountability, and establishment of an integrated plan to achieve completion as required.

(2) In planning and scheduling, the identification of the project objectives and the ordered activity

necessary to complete the project (the thinking part) and not to be confused with scheduling; the process by which the duration of the project task is applied to the plan. It involves answering the questions: 1) What must be done in the future to reach the project objective?; 2) How it will be done?; 3) Who will do it?; and 4) When it will be done?



AACE Definition SCHEDULE –

(1) A description of when each activity in a project can be accomplished and must be finished so as to be completed timely. The simplest of schedules depict in bar chart format the start and finish of activities of a given duration. More complex schedules, general in CPM format, include schedule logic and show the critical path and floats associated with each activity.

(2) A time sequence of activities and events that represent an operating timetable. The schedule specifies the relative beginning and ending times of activities and the occurrence times of events. A schedule may be presented on a calendar framework or on an elapsed time scale





WIKI: The word "mathematics" itself derives from the ancient Greek μάθημα (mathema), meaning "subject of instruction".



WIKI: Prehistoric mathematics



The origins of mathematical thought lie in the concepts of number, magnitude, and form. Modern studies of animal cognition have shown that these concepts are not unique to humans. Such concepts would have been part of everyday life in hunter-gatherer societies. That the concept of number evolved gradually over time is evident in that some languages today preserve the distinction between "one", "two", and "many", but not of numbers larger than two.

The oldest known mathematical object is the Lebombo bone, discovered in the Lebombo mountains of Swaziland and dated to approximately 35,000 BC. It consists of 29 distinct notches deliberately cut into a baboon’s fibula. There is evidence that women used counting to keep track of their menstrual cycles; 28 to 30 scratches on bone or stone, followed by a distinctive marker. Also prehistoric artifacts discovered in Africa and France, dated between 35,000 and 20,000 years old, suggest early attempts to quantify time.



I want you read clearly what the archiologist are saying: "early attempts to quantify time".



Now I can’t say for certain what they did with the bone once the Schedule did not work. But since it is made by the Owner, no one to blame but themselves.



With kind regards,



Samer

Dear Mike,



The "Lebombo Bone" is very important because the of the concept. It is a tool that is made by the OWNER to schedule. He/she can carry it, use it, modify it at anytime and anywhere.



I sound like a the next commercial for ORACLE on IPOD.



With kind regards,



Samer



PS. Rafael, I have to modidy my earlier statement about Contractual Documents, we can use them a Toilet Paper (recycled or not) only after the elapse of the period of time allowed by Law in the Country where the Project was executed to claim for any "right" either party might find and prove after the closure of the project.

Dear Rafael,



Owners investing in projects are much smart than me at least :) The want to save money by reducing time and cost.



Seems to me Vladimir that what you are saying is that correct CPM is not a tool that is serving the Decision Makers directly. They need a team of smart experts to explain the Trends.



(Owners/CM/PMs) obviously are at the kindergarden level of experties in operating CPM black boxes as Rafael pointed out.



I am still in favor of "Lebombo bone" from 35,000B.C. for the simple reason that the owner of the schedule made use of the tool.



With kind regards,



Samer