Fast-Tracking and Crashing
The concepts of fast-tracking and crashing are essential compression scheduling techniques in project management to accelerate project calendars. By description, fast-tracking is an innovative project procedure where activities that would have been conducted in sequence using the original plan are completed in parallel. The concept of fast-tracking a project means working activities concurrently as opposed to waiting for the completion of every piece independently. Crashing refers to the performance of a specific variety of project schedule compression to reduce the total period. With this approach, project managers ensure the addition of resources for the least cost attainable in a bid to obtain the optimal level of compression for the slightest incremental cost.
The fast-tracking technique is vital in scenarios when the present project schedule would not meet the deadlines set for the project. In such cases, project managers fast-track to shorten schedules without incurring additional costs. On the reverse, project managers use crashing by adding recourses to the critical activities of the project with the least incremental cost to accelerate the schedule. Thus, crashing is applicable when the project manager intends to decrease the anticipated delay in the project.
Shortening a project schedule may lead to compromised quality standards and testing. In the case of crashing and fast-tracking, a project manager would ensure the customer is aware of the risks and explain the quality standards. To that end, the use of risk management and managing cost and time are essential for maintaining the quality of a project. Risk management by catching errors quickly and coordination of management personnel to communicate other problems would keep a project on its fast-track or crash without compromising quality. A project manager would also implement strong leadership skills to motivate and empower a project team with the vision and ensure effective communication. Finally, using critical path alterations approach would provide a benchmark for the project to ensure timely delivery and quality control.