AbstractsEconomics

Economic Scheduling Path (ESP) is an extension to the Critical Path Method. It was developed by Professors Riggs and Inoue of Oregon State University to effectively optimize resource utilization in repeated projects. This paper summarizes the Economic Scheduling Path terminology, ladder network representations, algorithms, and progress charts as originally presented in "ESP: Economic Scheduling Path A Network-Based Management Tool for Repetitive Projects" by Riggs and Inoue in May, 1971. Extensions are developed to expand the usefulness of ESP to include variable operation times, multiple crew processes, nonidentical replication, multiple operation crews, and single operation processes. An alternative to the ladder network is proposed enabling all ESP calculations to be performed on a modified critical path network. Algorithms for manual ESP calculation from the modified CPM networks are presented. A computer program, *ESP, is developed and programmed in FORTRAN IV. *ESP incorporates the algorithms used for manual calculation and the extensions, enabling it to establish boundary conditions and assist in evaluating resource assignments. Numerical examples are used throughout the paper to illustrate the steps of the various algorithms. The paper concludes with two larger examples demonstrating the algorithms used in combination.