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Float

5 replies [Last post]
Fri, 2007-04-20 13:50
Jaroslava Sedrlova
User offline. Last seen 17 years 47 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 16 Apr 2005
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Hi.
I have little problem with understanding of differences between various types of float. Maybe somebody can help me.

Example: I have total float equal 10 and free float equal 5. The activity delays 7 days. 5 will not impact successors but 2 (over the free float) will. Is this right?

And what can you tell me about other types of float? I don’t need definition rather example.

Thank you
Jarka
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Replies

Sun, 2007-04-22 11:18
#1
Jaroslava Sedrlova
User offline. Last seen 17 years 47 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 16 Apr 2005
Posts: 11
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HI!
Thank you everybody.
It’s little bit clearer.
I’m just student. I have some result from MS Project and I want to know how it works in real word:)
Jarka
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Sat, 2007-04-21 18:47
#2
Larry Bjorn
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Joined: 4 Feb 2004
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Jaroslava,

Free float is the delay an activity can have without delaying a successor. Total float is the combined delay a chain of events can have without delaying the end date (end date being a specific fixed completion milestone).

Therefore, the result of activity Y being delayed by 7 days is that its Total float has been reduced by 7 days. You are right that 5 will not impact any successors but 2 will delay at least one successor X. Worth noting is that X does not necessary have the same total float as Y as X might be related to a second chain of event with a larger Total float.

Regards,
Larry
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Sat, 2007-04-21 03:23
#3
Anoon Iimos
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Joined: 22 Sep 2006
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Groups: Pinoy Planning Planet Community
float is refreshing during summer time...if you had established good relationships.

seriously, float only occurs because of dependencies, if there are no dependencies in your activities, each activity has its own completion date without any float at all.

It depends on how you define the relationships of your activities (pls. refer to the first paragraph). so if the relationships are incorrect, so is the float!
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Fri, 2007-04-20 18:19
#4
ersin namli
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Joined: 19 Jul 2005
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Hi, free float is the float between noncritical tasks. Total float is float between noncritical and critical task. Assume that we have 3 tasks A, B, and C. A and B are noncritical C is critical A is predecessor of B, B and C has finish to finish relation in this example A has total float but its free float is 0 but B has both free float and total float. we can understand here when A finishes B starts immediately if a delay occurs in activity A, this activity will use B’s float becouse A’s free float is 0 in other words it hasn’t got its own float. I hope it would be useful for you.
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Fri, 2007-04-20 17:39
#5
Andrew Sherwood
User offline. Last seen 17 years 41 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 26 Mar 2007
Posts: 12
Groups: Petro-Chem / Oil & Gas
I would personally take the Free Float off of the columns, assuming you are using P3...

Total Float is the only thing worth looking at in my opinion...I have never used Free Float or seen it in any schedules I have ever worked...
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