Title: Determining k-possible critical paths using Tawanda's non-iterative optimal tree algorithm for shortest route problems

Authors: Trust Tawanda

Addresses: Department of Statistics and Operations Research, National University of Science and Technology, P.O. Box AC 939, Ascot, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe

Abstract: The critical path method (CPM) is a project modelling algorithm developed in the 1950s for scheduling project activities, it is used to determine the critical path through the calculation of three parameters thus, slack, earliest event, latest event times for each activity. In this paper, we demonstrate how to use Tawanda's non-iterative optimal tree algorithm for shortest route problems (TA) to determine the critical path(s). We have also compared TA with the original critical path method (CPM) and the modified Dijksra's algorithm for critical path method in a project network (MDA). However, the study revealed that TA can compute the critical path more effectively since it is also effective in project networks with k-possible critical paths, moreover, it does not make use of the slack, earliest, and latest time parameters, since these calculations consume more time.

Keywords: Dijkstra's algorithm; critical path method; CPM; critical path; project network; graph expansion; slack time.

DOI: 10.1504/IJOR.2018.092737

International Journal of Operational Research, 2018 Vol.32 No.3, pp.313 - 328

Received: 23 Sep 2014
Accepted: 17 Aug 2015
Published online: 29 Jun 2018 *

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