Source: google.com

Before describing the slack time and slack time formula, it is required to understand the term “Slack” and its meaning. Slack is a phrase used to describe sloth. For instance, you might have overheard your teacher referring to tardy kids as “slack.”

Slack is, however, also utilized in project management, albeit in a more constructive way. Slack time, therefore, refers to completing a project on schedule.

It not only affects the project deadline, but it can also negatively affect your team’s effectiveness and performance.

Slack Time: What is it? Project Management Definition of Slack Time

Slack Meaning: The period between the planned completion date and the date by which the critical path must be completed is known as slack time.

Slack time, in terms of pert and CPM, is the amount of time that may be added to a task’s completion without affecting the completion of other tasks or the project’s absolute deadline.

We also refer to “Float” as an alternative to “Slack.” Don’t be misled; in project management, “Slack” and “Float” are synonyms.

Why Is The Slack Time Necessary?

Source: google.com

There is no need for slack time if all duties are completed when they are supposed to be. However, the project manager adds slack time when a task takes longer than expected to complete to keep the project on schedule.

For instance, if a task necessitates extensive study or more testing than anticipated, this task time may push back the project deadline.

To maintain the deadline, the project manager examines the time needed for each work separately. The manager then transfers the extra time from work that might take less time than the allotted period to this task.

The project would have been delayed if the project manager had adhered to the time allotted for each activity. Therefore slack time assists in keeping the project on schedule.

On the other hand, if you exceed the slack time as the project manager, it may impact other tasks’ completion dates and the project’s absolute deadline.

The Ideas Below Demonstrate The Significance Of Slack Time In Project Management.

• When there are time discrepancies between the project’s different activities, slack time aids in the project’s timely completion.
• Slack time aids in estimating the amount of time available between project milestones.
• Critical tasks can be given more time to guarantee that the project is completed on schedule.
• To increase production, slack time can help shorten the PERT chart’s course. However, we must proceed cautiously because cutting the pathways can raise project costs if a task takes longer than anticipated.
• Everyone knows how much time they have to complete each task, guaranteeing that the project will be finished on schedule. Slack time helps to keep the project on schedule and within its allotted budget.
• To increase the effectiveness of the team and the project, slack time also aids in job prioritization. It implies that the items on your to-do list that have no room for error must come first.
• Slack time helps to relax in a tense and worn-out workplace. The team becomes more effective as a whole as a result.

Imagine that a task you have to complete today depends on another task that will be completed by someone else, but not today. What will occur? Unknown delays. So it wouldn’t be out of the place to conclude that Slack time management is the project manager’s most significant duty.

Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) Network Slack Time

Slack time should only be utilized for jobs outside the PERT chart’s critical path. No spare time should be allowed for crucial tasks that must be finished on time to meet the project deadline. Such duties must be finished in the time allotted.

However, for all tasks in the critical route, the earliest start time and the latest start time will be the same. The same holds for both the earliest and latest finish times.

Information: The work or activity with minimal slack time is vital.

The terms “Earliest Start Time,” “Latest Start Time,” “Earliest Finish Time,” and the “Latest Finish Time” have all been used; therefore, it is best to define them now rather than later in this article.

Before defining these words, consider a project with three activities or tasks (Tasks A, B, and C), each of which would take five days to complete if completed on schedule.

Earliest Start (EST) Time:

The earliest start time is the moment in time when an activity begins as soon as is practical after its predecessors complete ahead of schedule.

From the previous illustration, task B will begin two days earlier than scheduled if work A is completed in 3 days instead of 5. We refer to these first two days in this situation as the earliest start time.

Because one EST activity affects all subsequent activities, in this instance, all of the EST activity’s successor activities begin at the earliest opportunity. Likewise, every successor finishes at the moment that is earliest for them.

Latest Start Time ( LST)

The term “latest start time” refers to the latest moment a task can begin without adversely affecting the project’s deadline. When an activity begins after its designated late start time, all its descendants turn into LST activities.

Earliest Finish Time(EFT):

The moment when an activity concludes as soon as possible is the earliest finish time. In this case, every successor activity turns into an EFT activity. In a similar vein, every successor begins at the earliest period.

Newest completion time (LFT):

The latest finish time is when an activity can wrap up as late as it may without harming the project’s deadline.

The successor activities in this situation begin at their earliest start time and end at their earliest finish time.

Slack Time Calculation

Using the straightforward formula provided below, we can quickly determine the slack time for each task.

This equation defines slack time as the interval between the latest permissible date and the earliest anticipated date using the following terminology. Here is the equation.

LST – EST equals Slack Time.

EST denotes “Earliest Start Time”, and LST denotes “Latest Start Time.”

The Activity Slack Method is another name for this formula. The term “Activity Slack” used here has the same connotation as slack time. The term “activity slack” also describes the amount of time an activity can be postponed without causing the project deadline to slip.

Slack time can also be calculated using the following formula by subtracting the latest completion time from the early finish time:

LFT minus EFT = Slack Time.

Where LFT and EFT stand for “Latest Finish Time” and “Early Finish Time,” respectively.

The slack time is the time between when a task is scheduled and when it really gets done.

For instance, the slack or float time is five days if a task is given 20 days but is completed in 15 days.

How Should Slack Time Formula Be Used?

Let’s use an illustration to clarify the slack time formula.

Consider Christina, a chef at a renowned five-star hotel tasked with introducing a brand new cuisine to the patrons on October 15th. The deadline, November 15th, is set for her.

She needs to gather the components required by the recipe before she can prepare it. She must, therefore, start by gathering items with specific nutritional properties.

Christina begins estimating the slack time for her initial activity, gathering supplies. The task has a November 2 due date. Christina says the earliest start time is October 10, and the latest start time is October 25.

Christina determines the task’s slack time as follows:

Slack Time is from October 10 to October 25 (LST) (EST)

Therefore, 15 days is the grace period for gathering components with certain nutrition.

Christina has 15 days to complete this mission, so. This straightforward illustration of slack time helps to clarify this concept.

Tracking Time in Slack

You are now fully conversant with slack time and the slack time formula. Now, keeping track of slack time is simple. There aren’t any complicated tasks involved with tracking. Just two times or dates are required.

• Initial Start Date
• most recent start date
• Next, determine the float time using the slack time formula. We can monitor the slack time in this way.

Total Slack vs Free Slack

There are two primary categories of slack or float:

• Free slack is the amount of time work can be postponed without extending the deadline of consecutive tasks.
• Total slack is the maximum time a work may be put off without pushing back the project’s completion date. Total slack may also be called “Slack” or “Float.”

How is Free Slack Calculated?

Because the free slack relates to specific jobs, it can be determined by subtracting the expected start date of the subsequent task from the end date of the current task.

The formula for free slack is:

Free Slack has calculated: the EST of the subsequent activity minus EFT of the current activity.

EST stands for early start time, whereas EFT stands for early finish time.

How is Total Slack Calculated?

Total slack is calculated by subtracting the anticipated completion date of the task for which total slack calculation is being made from the completion date of the last task in the critical path.

The formula for total slack is:

Total Slack = Most Recent Start Time – Most Recent Start Time

Conclusion

Slack Time, to put it simply, is the amount of time that individual project activities can be delayed without negatively impacting the project’s overall schedule. Calculating and allocating slack time to those smaller jobs that take less time is essential in larger projects so that the most significant tasks have adequate time to be completed on time.

FAQs

What does project management float mean?

Slack and float are synonyms for one another in project management. The amount of time a worker can be delayed without affecting the project deadline is known as slack time.

How might project slack be identified? Or how to locate the free time?

By subtracting the latest start time from the earliest start time, we may get the float or slack period of activity. To determine the slack time, use the following formula:

Slack Time is the difference between the latest and earliest starts.

What does project management’s critical route entail?

The path on the PERT chart, where all the activities have exactly zero slack time, is the straightforward definition of the vital path in project management. This requires that all tasks on the critical path begin and end within the allotted time. Otherwise, it can push back the project’s completion date and raise costs.