Table of Contents

1. Executive Summary

2. Schedule Integrity Analysis Report

3. HCP Critical Path Analysis Report

Disclaimer

1. Executive Summary

1.1. Key Schedule and Analysis Statistics
1.2. Project Success Expectation
1.3. Schedule Integrity Analysis Highlights
1.4. HCP Critical Path Analysis Highlights

1.1. Key Schedule and Analysis Statistics

Key Schedule and Analysis Dates

Task and Link Counts within Date Range

1.2. Project Success Expectation

The HCP analysis of this schedule yielded insights into the expected success levels of various aspects of the project. Note that all of these estimations are based solely on our conclusions regarding the robustness and integrity of the schedule, without actually analyzing any actual cost or scope data.

Analysis warning:In order to receive reliable estimations to the project's success probability levels, all issues specified in sections 1.3 and 2 need to be resolved first.

1.3. Schedule Integrity Analysis Highlights

1. We identified 2 tasks which are not connected to a successor (this represents 1.20% of all tasks in the schedule). Since they are without successors, these tasks were interpreted by the HCP analysis as end points in the schedule. This might indicate that this schedule actually contains up to 2 separate schedules. To ensure an effective HCP analysis, we recommend that these tasks be reviewed and corrected, if necessary, before performing a new HCP analysis. If these are, in fact, separate schedules, you can analyze them independently. Refer to section 2.2 in Schedule Integrity Analysis tab for details.
2. We identified no start-to-finish (SF) links in the schedule. This is a good indicator of high schedule integrity.
3. We identified no instances in which successor tasks are scheduled to begin before the tasks which precede them. This is a good indicator of high schedule integrity.
4. We identified 1 task dated by a different calendar or with specified duration inconsistent with its defined start date, end date and/or the schedule's calendar (this represents less than 1% of all tasks in the schedule). These tasks should be reviewed to ensure that the required amount of time is available to complete each task. To ensure an effective HCP analysis, we recommend that these tasks be reviewed and corrected, if necessary, before performing a new HCP analysis.
   Refer to section 2.5 in Schedule Integrity Analysis tab for details.
5. We identified 46 overdue tasks (representing 27.90% of all tasks in the schedule), which should have already been started as of the effective date of this analysis August 31, 2020. Refer to section 2.6 in Schedule Integrity Analysis tab for details.
6. We identified no summary tasks which are linked to tasks. This is a good indicator of high schedule integrity.

1.4. HCP Critical Path Analysis Highlights

1. The 2 paths found in the schedule with the longest duration (172.90 days), referred to herein as the "HCP critical paths," are not both identical to the conventional (CPM) critical path(s). This means that there are 2 previously-hidden critical paths in the schedule (consisting of a total of 51 tasks) requiring urgent management attention. Without this attention, the on-schedule completion of the project is in jeopardy. Refer to section 3.2 in HCP Critical Path Analysis tab for details.
2. The schedule's end date could possibly be brought forward by up to 19.50 days, by addressing lags and/or constraints among tasks within the HCP critical path.
   We identified 4 summary tasks which, with management attention and 'out-of-the-box thinking', may provide opportunities to reduce the overall schedule duration and/or improve the schedule's robustness.
   Refer to section 3.3 in Schedule Integrity Analysis tab for details.
3. We identified no instances of overlapping tasks in the HCP critical paths. This indicates a plan with relatively low risk of falling behind schedule at any particular point in the project. However, we recommend seeking out opportunities where tasks found in the HCP critical paths may be performed in parallel. While doing so will add a degree of risk at these particular points in time, it will add a buffer at the end of the project, thus increasing the probability of completing the entire project on schedule. Refer to section 3.2 in HCP Critical Path Analysis tab for the tasks contained within the HCP critical paths.
4. Of the schedule's 165 tasks, we identified 63 tasks within the 2 HCP critical paths and within another 42 HCP Hidden critical paths. This indicates a fairly risky project. These tasks require management attention. Refer to section 3.5 in HCP Critical Path Analysis tab for details.
5. We identified 18 tasks as difficult-to-track. Refer to section 3.6 in HCP Critical Path Analysis tab for details.
6. We did not identify any unstarted (overdue) paths in the schedule which are a cause for concern. This is a good indication that the schedule is up to date.

2. Schedule Integrity Analysis Report

2.1. Schedule Integrity Overview
2.2. Tasks Unlinked to Successors
2.3. Start-to-Finish (SF) Links
2.4. Tasks with Predated Successors
2.5. Tasks with Calendar Inconsistencies
2.6. Overdue Tasks
2.7. Summary Tasks with Link Issues

2.1. Schedule Integrity Overview

Key Schedule and Analysis Dates

Task and Link Counts within Date Range

Summary Count of Schedule Integrity Issues

Tasks unlinked to successors	2
Start-to-finish links	0
Tasks with predated successors	0
Tasks with calendar inconsistencies	1
Overdue tasks	46
Summary tasks with link issues	0

2.2. Tasks Unlinked to Successors

We identified 2 tasks not connected to any successor, representing 1.20% of all project tasks (2 of these tasks are not yet completed, representing 1.20% of all project tasks). Tasks without successors are interpreted by the HCP analysis as end points in the schedule.

This might indicate that this schedule actually contains up to 2 separate schedules!

Analysis Warning: To maximize the effectiveness of the HCP analysis, we recommend that these tasks be reviewed and corrected, if necessary, before performing a new HCP analysis. If these are, in fact, separate schedules, you can analyze them independently by defining each project by it's last task.

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2.3. Start-to-Finish (SF) Links

We identified no start-to-finish (SF) links in the schedule. This is a good indicator of high schedule integrity.

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2.4. Tasks with Predated Successors

We found no tasks with predated successors in the schedule. This is a good indicator of high schedule integrity.

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2.5. Tasks with Calendar Inconsistencies

We identified 1 task with a different calendar or with specified durations inconsistent with its defined start date, end date and/or the schedule's calendar (representing less than 1% of all tasks in the schedule). These tasks should be reviewed to ensure that the required amount of time is available to complete each task.

A positive difference indicates that the calculated duration is longer than the actual designated days. This might be due to non-working days or splitted task.

A negative difference should be checked carefully, since it indicates that the calculated duration is shorter than the actual designated days. This might be due to (A) Different calendars, (B) Use of "calendar-durations" as emons (C) Changing definition of a non-work day - as weekend - to a work day (D) A problem with the internal definitions in the PM Software.

In cases where the ratio is identical in all the tasks, this indicates that there is a problem with the internal definitions in the PM Software, i.e. how many work hours define a day and how many hours are available for work in each day.

If there is a problem with the internal definitions in the PM Software, you can either change the definitions in the file or you can change one or all of the following parameters according to their values in the file's calendar. The parameters are in Step 3 in the HCP analysis, under "Project Calendar Settings": Non Work Days Per Week, Work Days Per Month, Begin Work Hour, Begin Lunch Hour, End Lunch Hour, End Work Hour.

Analysis Warning: To maximize the effectiveness of the HCP analysis, we recommend that these instances be reviewed and corrected, if necessary, before executing HCP analysis.

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2.6. Overdue Tasks

We identified the following 46 overdue tasks (representing 27.90% of all tasks in the schedule), which should have already been started as of the effective date of this analysis (August 31, 2020).

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2.7. Summary Tasks with Link Issues

We found no summary tasks requiring management attention. This is a good indicator of high schedule integrity.

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3. HCP Critical Path Analysis Report

3.1. HCP Critical Path Analysis Overview
3.2. Tasks in the HCP Critical Paths
3.3. Opportunities for Bringing Forward the Schedule's End Date
3.4. Risk issues (1): Overlapping Tasks in the HCP Critical Paths
3.5. Risk issues (2): Tasks in the HCP Hidden critical Paths
3.6. Risk issues (3): Difficult-to-Track Tasks
3.7. Unstarted (Overdue) Paths
3.8. Identified HCP Paths
3.9. Redundant HCP Paths
3.10. Enhanced Schedule File

3.1. HCP Critical Path Analysis Overview

Key Schedule and Analysis Dates

Note: For the purposes of reporting on progress-related issues, the effective date of analysis applied was August 31, 2020 and not today's date.

Task and Link Counts within Date Range

Critical and Hidden critical HCP Paths with 20% DS Found in the Schedule

Critical and Hidden critical HCP Paths Histogram

The histogram of a good schedule, looks like a Gaussian distribution (also called Normal distribution or Bell distribution), or as the beginning of this distribution. In any other case - it is indicating a problem. For example:

Number of Paths

Path Duration Slack (Days)

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3.2. Tasks in the HCP Critical Paths

The 2 paths found in the schedule with the longest duration (172.90 days), referred to herein as the "HCP critical paths," are not both identical to the conventional (CPM) critical path(s). This means that there are 2 paths in the schedule (consisting of a total of 51 tasks) requiring urgent management attention. Without this attention, the on-schedule completion of the project is in jeopardy. The following list is sorted by Start Date.

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3.3. Opportunities for Bringing Forward the Schedule's End Date

Lags and/or constraints in the HCP critical paths

Our HCP critical path analysis revealed lags and/or constraints in the HCP critical paths which may provide opportunities for bringing forward the project's end date.

The following four types of opportunities may appear below:

The schedule's end date could possibly be brought forward by up to 19.50 days, by addressing lags and/or constraints related to the following tasks which are within the HCP critical path:

Only Earliest/Latest Tasks within Summary Tasks Linked to Other Tasks

We have highlighted the following 4 summary tasks because only the earliest and latest tasks within them are linked to "external" tasks (i.e., tasks not included within the summary task). An evaluation of these instances may reveal opportunities to reduce the overall schedule duration and/or improve the schedule's robustness, particularly for those summary tasks which contain tasks included in an HCP critical path (as indicated in the table). This can be accomplished by removing these links and, instead, linking other tasks within the summary task to the "external" tasks.

The following table contains additional summary tasks, within which only the earliest and latest tasks are linked to "external" tasks, which have already been completed:

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3.4. Risk issues (1): Overlapping Tasks in the HCP Critical Paths

We found no instances of parallel tasks in the HCP critical paths. This indicates a plan with relatively low risk of falling behind schedule at any particular point in the project. However, we recommend seeking out opportunities where tasks found in the HCP critical paths may be performed in parallel. While doing so will add a degree of risk at these particular points in time, it will add a buffer at the end of the project, thus increasing the probability of completing the entire project on schedule.

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3.5. Risk issues (2): Tasks in the HCP Hidden critical Paths

Of the schedule's 165 tasks, we identified 51 tasks which are within the 2 HCP critical paths (detailed above in section 3.2 in HCP Critical Path Analysis tab) and another 12 tasks within 42 HCP Hidden critical paths (detailed in this section). This indicates a fairly risky project, and these tasks require management attention.

The tasks in the following table are listed in decreasing order of importance, i.e., those listed first in the table require the most management attention in order to ensure successful project completion. This order is determined by the "HCP duration slack" of the HCP path in which the task appears. The HCP duration slack is the difference in duration between the longest HCP path (the HCP critical path) and the particular HCP hidden critical path in which the task appears. In other words, the most critical tasks to manage are those which appear within the HCP hidden critical paths with the smallest duration slack.

We strongly recommend that the "hidden critical tasks" listed in the following table (and those listed in section 3.2 in HCP Critical Path Analysis tab, above) be used as the basis for focusing management attention in the following ways:

• Make sure to accurately assess resource requirements and timing in order to ensure that these tasks not be delayed due to lack of critical resources.
• Make sure to include these tasks in any risk management assessment of this project.

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3.6. Risk issues (3): Difficult-to-Track Tasks

We identified 18 tasks as "difficult-to-track." These are tasks which have a duration longer than 8.40 days (we determined this threshold based on our overall analysis of this schedule). We recommend subdividing these tasks into a number of tasks of shorter duration in order to improve management monitoring and control of these tasks.

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3.7. Unstarted (Overdue) Paths

We did not identify any unstarted (overdue) paths in the schedule which are a cause for concern. This is a good indication that the schedule is up to date.

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3.8. Identified HCP Paths

The following table lists the unique HCP paths identified in our analysis, and the tasks included within each one.

Notes:

• This table contains only the first 30 identified HCP paths. The complete list of all 44 HCP paths is available upon request as an appendix to this report at no charge.
• In the Included Tasks column, a comma (,) between task numbers represents a Finish-to-Start connection, while a parallel symbol (||) represents a Finish-to-Finish or Start-to-Start connection.
• The Path Duration Slack is the difference in duration between the longest HCP path (the HCP critical path) and the particular HCP path.

Note: This table contains only the first 30 identified HCP paths. The complete list of all 44 HCP paths is available upon request as an appendix to this report at no charge.

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3.9. Redundant HCP Paths

We identified 4 redundant HCP paths in this schedule.

A redundant HCP path is a path (e.g., Path X) whose entire set of included tasks appears within a different path containing a greater number of tasks (e.g., Path Y), as in the following example:

We located 2 redundant links. Deleting them will reduce the complexity of the network. Before deleting them, make sure that nothing changes in the dates of the tasks involved.

• The numbers in the following table are tasks ID numbers

The following table lists the redundant HCP paths identified in our analysis, and the tasks included within them.

Notes:

• In the Included Tasks column, a comma (,) between task numbers represents a Finish-to-Start connection, while a parallel symbol (||) represents a Finish-to-Finish or Start-to-Start connection.
• The Path Duration Slack is the difference in duration between the longest HCP path (the HCP critical path) and the particular HCP path.

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3.10. Enhanced Schedule File

Accompanying this report, please find an HCP file, which embeds the following additions to your schedule (see instructions: www.hcp-consulting.com/AddOnPresent.asp ):

• HCP Tasks column indicating whether the task is included in any HCP path
• HCP DS column indicating the duration slack of the HCP path in which the task appears
• Graphical indication of all tasks which appear within HCP paths

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Disclaimer

This report is subject to End User License Agreement, www.hcp.co.il/hcp-go-eula/

Tal Levanon - HCP Ltd. ; Tel.: +972-8-9265475 ; Email: info@hcp-consulting.com ; Web: www.hcp-consulting.com