Fast Tracking in Project Management

From time to time, every contractor intends to finish a project before its due ending date. Or for some reason, a project gets delayed. In these cases, some techniques are needed to set the project back on track. These techniques are called fast-tracking and crashing. Lets see them in detail.

Fast tracking in project management techniques quickly rearrange the task in the actual schedule into a differently crafted format. 

• In fast tracking every task is performed in a certain order following the actual plan in a particular pattern. The task will get into action in a parallel fashion retaining the work flow but in a different pattern. 
• Revising the project can waste more time on the project and lead to poor time management.
• In order to compress a schedule, you need to know the technique that you can use.
• However, this technique is applied to activities involved in a project where you can work at the same time or in parallel.
• Usually does not result in external or overburdened costs. In a project, this means doing activities concurrently rather than waiting for each item to complete separately.
• While this does not increase the cost, it can nonetheless increase the number of risks.
• On the other hand, crashing is the technique of shortening the duration of a project by shortening the duration of one or more tasks.
• This technique allows you to add resources at the lowest possible cost.
• If you decide to crash into project management, there are other things you need to consider, such as: adding additional resources to the project, allowing overtime and higher payments to get critical components delivered faster, among other things.
• It is technology that shortens the duration of a project as a whole.
• The main aim or main goal of project breakdown is to shorten the project while keeping costs to a minimum.
• This will only work if the additional resources or investment allow the project to be completed sooner.
• The crash of a project is always compared to the benefits of closing the project before the specified date.
• Crashing is relatively expensive because more resources are added to the project. Cost and schedule are analyzed and processed to determine how to obtain the greatest amount of compression or completion of the project for the least investment cost. 
• Crashing is done by increasing the number of resources to the project, which helps make tasks take less time than what they were planned for. 

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Fast Tracking and Crashing in Project Management 

Sometimes you will need to compress the project schedule and deliver the project’s product, service, or result sooner than originally planned. Schedules are constantly subject to change. 

Many a times the available time will not be enough for the project management team. This is a negative effect on the actual schedule caused due to schedules getting longer as opposed to getting shorter.

There is no reason to fast track or crash any activities that are not on the critical path as you won’t gain any time on your overall schedule if you cannot shorten your critical path. 

However if you for some reason have to finish a project before the estimated time, both techniques are helpful in it. These shorten the duration of a project as most activities are run in parallel or additional resources are added to reduce the period. 

Project Management Professional certification is offered by PMI- project management institute which is a globally recognized designation. PMP is the people most sought out by companies and organizations to lead a project. 

Fast Tracking Vs Crashing

1. In fast-tracking, there is increased risk, whereas in crashing there is increased cost.
2. Fast-tracking works only when activities/phases can be overlapped to shorten the project duration. Whereas, crashing works only for activities where additional resources will shorten the activity’s duration.
3. Fast-tracking is always tried first while crashing is tried when fast-tracking hasn’t given the required compression in the schedule.
4. Fast-tracking involves the performance of activities in parallel at the same time, whereas crashing involves the addition of resources to a project.

Also Read: Activity Duration Estimates

Advantages of Fast Tracking and Crashing in Project Management

You can apply them to shorten your schedule and to reach a certain schedule target.

These techniques can help mitigate the risk of a delayed task.

These techniques always lead to faster project execution. 

Fast-tracking and crashing may get the project back on track or back on schedule.

Fast-tracking and crashing allow you to compress a project timeline and shorten the project duration.

Disadvantages

You’ll have to rework the current schedule and communicate those changes to your team.

Using these techniques can also lead to not being able to monitor the project closely as you will be lost in the process. 

There is also the possibility that fast-tracking or crashing would not affect the end date. 

It causes a lack of knowledge of critical paths. 

Fast-tracking only works for activities that can be overlapped. Crashing works only when you have a surplus of resources. 

Fast-tracking and crashing in a project that’s already in motion is risky.

Final Takeaway 

PMP Certification can be obtained from the Project Management Institute (PMI) to professionals who meet certain education and experience criteria. This certification while not mandatory is still recognized throughout the management field. 

PMP Training will cover these aspects in detail and make a PM face the challenges across the projects. He is trained to face challenges and is provided with the experience that will be needed later on.