Using Modified Dijkstra's Algorithm for Critical Path Method in a Project Network

Network analysis provides an effective practical system for planning and controlling large projects in construction and many other fields. Dijkstra's algorithm used for finding shortest path from a vertex to any other vertex. The purpose of the Critical Path Method (CPM) is to identify critical activities on the critical path so that resources may be concentrated on these activities in order to reduce project length time. To identify the critical path, three parameters such as earliest event time, latest event time and slack time for each of its activities are determined. This paper presents modified Dijkstra's algorithm for critical path method to find earliest event time, latest event time and slack time for each of its activities in a project network. At the end of the paper, an example is presented to compare with those obtained using the proposed method as well as original CPM. The comparisons reveal that the method proposed in this paper is more effective in determining the activity criticalities and finding the critical path.