During the update process of a CPM Network it’s often likely to end up with Out-of-Sequence activities.
There are multiple causes for and multiple types of out-of-sequence conditions. The most common cause is when a successor activity is statused as started however the predecessor activity has not completed.
Especially in large CPM networks, with many activities statused during an update period, finding the root cause of an out-of-sequence condition can be a difficult task.
Consider for example, a situation, as shown below where an Activity “A” has not started and has only one predecessor, Activity “P1” that has completed. Typically, you would expect Activity “A” to start on the Data Date. However, as a result of scheduling using Retained Logic, Activity “A” is out-of-sequence by a number of days equaled to the remaining duration of activity “B”.
In this example below, tracing the logic back through 6 predecessors, Activities “P1” through “P6” finally arrives at the offender, Activity “B”. In this example, Activity “B” is the “not completed activity” while Activity “P6” is the “started successor”.
Finding out-of-sequence conditions using this technique and P6 alone can be a time consuming and frustrating effort. Especially if there are multiple logic paths that precede Activity “A”.
Zümmer Analysis Report #23 – “Not Complete Activities With Started Successor” list all activities that are Not Complete, and a successor is either In Progress or Completed.
In the illustration above, Line Item #1, Activity TD0012572, has not started and Activity 404-CM-1040, one of its successors, is complete. In Line Item #2, Activity TD0016440, has not started and a successor, Activity TD01010, is in progress.
The report sorts relationships by Predecessor/Successor Activity ID and the Predecessor/Successor Activity Name. The report then lists the Predecessor’s Early Finish, the Successors Actual Start, then continues with the Predecessor/Successor Original Duration, then the Relation Type and Lag value.
Other Zümmer Analysis Reports that fall in the “Out-Of-Sequence” category includes:
- Analysis Report #24 – “Out-Of-Sequence In Progress Tasks”
- Analysis Report #25 – “Not Started Activities with No Active Predecessors”
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