Primavera P6 Pro Live Lessons – Understanding and Applying Crashing and Fast Tracking

There are many ways to compress a schedule. You can add more resources, change the relationship among the activities or tasks, run activities in parallel, reduce the float in certain cases, among others. 

However, two schedule compression techniques are quite popular and they are:

1. Crashing
2. Fast Tracking

Crashing, by introducing more resources, increases cost. On the other hand, fast tracking, by ignoring relationships (dependencies), increases risks. Crashing can also increase risks. Fast tracking can increase cost as well! 

In Primavera P6, we can apply both these schedule compression techniques. In this post, we will learn how to use such techniques. If you are aspiring to be a Project Management Professional (PMP®), or Risk Management Professional (RMP®), you’ll quickly understand. Nevertheless, if you are not one, but aspiring to be one, then also you will understand. 

The content of this article is taken from the Primavera P6 Pro Live Lessons course – an exhaustive course covering various functionalities and capabilities Primavera P6 Professional with respect to project management. There, I've used and explained with live P6 projects.

Now, let’s briefly understand the background concepts of these two techniques.

Understanding Crashing

Crashing compresses the schedule by adding more resources. This technique used shortens the schedule duration for the least incremental cost. 

Examples: A real-time example is working overtime. Another real-time example is paying more to deliver faster.

As more resources are added, cost increases. Risk may also increase. Let us take an example. We've 3 activities: 

• Activity A1, A2 and A3 with one resource assigned. 
• The activities are sequential, i.e., A3 will follow A1 and A2 will follow A1.
• The duration for each activity is 2 days. 
• The total duration is 2 + 2 + 2 = 6 days

Next, we added one more resource for each activity to crash. So, now:

• Activity A1, A2 and A3 have two resources assigned. 
• The duration for each activity will be reduced to 1 day.
• The total duration is 1 + 1 + 1 = 3 days.

With crashing, we reduced the combined duration of three activities from 6 days to 3 days. This is a form of schedule compression. Isn't it?

Understanding Fast Tracking

Fast Tracking compresses the schedule by making the activities parallel instead of sequential. This can happen for a portion of the schedule. 

Examples: Preparing the test plan along with the approval of the Product Requirements documentation. Another real-time example is cooking two items together, but on two separate burners of your stove.

As activities are executed in parallel and original relationships are changed, risk increases. Cost may also increase due to rework. 

Let’s reuse our previous example. We've 3 activities:

• Activity A1, A2 and A3 with one resource assigned. 
• The activities are sequential, i.e., A3 will follow A1 (FS relationship) and A2 will follow A1 (FS relationship).
• FS stands for Finish to Start relationship.
• The duration for each activity is 2 days. 
• The total duration is 2 + 2 + 2 = 6 days

Next, we changed the relationships among the activities to Start to Start (SS) or Finish to Finish (FF) in order to fast track. So, now:

• The activities are parallel, i.e., A3 will start with A2 (FF relationship) and A2 will start with A1 (SS relationship).
• The duration for each activity remains as 2 days. 
• But the total duration is now 2 days as all activities are done in parallel.

In this case of fast tracking, we reduced the combined duration of three activities from 6 days to 2 days.

This is another form of schedule compression. 

Primavera P6 – Applying Crashing

Primavera P6 exactly follows our previous explanation of Crashing. Again, we will reuse our example for crashing.

As shown below, we have three activities – A1, A2 and A3, each with one resource. These are done in sequence. (click on the image to enlarge) 

The total duration as shown above is 6 days.

Next, we added more resources – one more resource for each activity. With it the total duration was reduced.  

The total duration now shown above is 2 days. Note that we have added two resources (Res1 and Res2) for each activity.

Hence, we can say with crashing we compressed the schedule. 

Primavera P6 – Applying Fast Tracking

Here too, Primavera P6 follows the previous explanation of Fast Tracking. We will reuse our example for crashing.

As shown below, we have three activities – A1, A2 and A3, each with one resource (Res1). These are done in sequence or have Finish to Start (FS) relationship.  

The total duration as shown above is 6 days with all in FS relationships.

Next, we changed the dependencies among the activities. With it, the total duration was reduced.  

The total duration now shown above is 2 days. Note that the relationships have changed among the activities. 

Hence, we can say that with fast tracking we can also compress the schedule. 

Demonstration and Explanation

The below video [duration: 5m, 15s] explains Crashing and Fast Tracking using Primavera P6. In the Primavera P6 Pro Live Lessons, we will use a live, real-time project to demonstrate both crashing and fast tracking. 

To have a better audio-visual experience, plug-in your earphones and go full-screen HD.

Key Points to Note

Now that you understood, learned and also learned how to apply Crashing and Fast Tracking, following are the key points to note. Detailed explanation with a number of key points is part of the Primavera P6 Pro Live Lessons course.

• Use crashing for critical activities. Only with the reduction in remaining duration of critical activities, the project schedule will be reduced.
• Ensure that the duration type, activity types are proper when you apply crashing for the activities. 
• Also ensure that the Calendars is properly applied to the activities during crashing and/or fast tracking. For example, you are fast tracking two activities, for the concerned resources are not available for the second activity!

It’s important to note that activity type, duration type and calendars etc. will be considered while going for schedule compression.

Finally, be judicious in applying the schedule compression techniques. Running activities in parallel does not mean resources will actually work in parallel on the ground. Understand the limitations.

Nevertheless, both Crashing and Fast Tracking are powerful techniques to be used. As we can learn with this article, they can be effectively applied with Primavera P6. To know, learn and apply like a pro, subscribe to the course of Primavera P6 Live Lessons. 

References

[1] * NEW * Course – Primavera P6 Pro Live Lessons, with Full Money-Back Guarantee, by ManagementYogi.com 

[2] Article: Primavera P6 - Understanding Various Activity Types, by Satya Narayan Dash

[3] Course: Practical PMP with Oracle Primavera P6, by Satya Narayan Dash

[4] Course: Practical RMP with Oracle Primavera Risk Analysis, by Satya Narayan Dash